We know Eric Dane is on his way out of Grey 's Anatomy , but could McSteamy be joining Lexie Grey ( Chyler Leigh ) in that big hospital in the sky ? Well , there 's no way to say for sure , but things are certainly looking grim in this photo of a rough-looking Mark Sloane , tweeted by Patrick Dempsey . ( It was later taken down at ABC 's request , per Dempsey . ) For the record , Shonda Rhimes told EW earlier this week that viewers should assume nothing about Mark 's fate in light of Dane 's exit . In fact , the unique season opener she described puts even more up in the air than usual . `` When we start the season , we are ahead enough in time where we see the outcome of lots of things . And in the second episode of the season , there 's rewind — we go backwards — to where they 're still in the forest , '' she said . `` So you see what happened and in the next episode , you see how we get there . '' So what do you say , readers ? Is this part of the flashback ? Or the `` outcome '' referenced above ? Will Mark be in a coma ? Die ? Theorize below . The premiere ( complete with all the answers we seek ! ) airs Sept. 27 . See full story at EW.com .
Patrick Stewart tweeted a picture which appeared to be a crucial story line . The actor later removed , he said at the request of NBC . ` ` Grey 's Anatomy '' premiere in May .