After more than two years since being spotted in General Hospital, Steve Burton returns to his roots and reprises his role as Jason Morgan. That’s right, Stone Cold is headed back to Port Charles, a move that is sure to send shockwaves through the soap’s canvas.
This breaking news was first hinted at the end of the primetime special, General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling, which aired on January 4 (if you missed the special, you can watch it on Hulu). In the following brief clip, you’ll see Burton make a surprise entrance through a mystery door in between co-stars Laura Wright and Kelly Monaco and say, "Happy anniversary General Hospital. Stay tuned, big things are coming to Port Charles."
Soap Opera Digest later confirmed with General Hospital that the star is returning as Jason and he’ll be spotted sometime early this year.
With that being said, we immediately have to wonder how Jason's return could impact the residents of Port Charles, specifically, Carly (Wright), Sam (Monaco) and Sonny (Maurice Benard).
Carly’s life is likely to be impacted the most by Jason’s return. Prior to his presumed death, she and her longtime best friend had come to the realization that they were madly in love with one another and got married before Sonny shocked them by announcing he was alive. Even after Carly tried to recommit to Sonny, her connection with Jason couldn’t be broken, so it was devastating when Jason “died.”
Then in the aftermath, Carly began a relationship with Drew (Cameron Mathison). Although she was reluctant to do so at first because she was grieving Jason and didn’t want to muddy her feelings for Drew with lingering ones for his twin, Carly and Drew eventually found a pathway forward as a couple. Drew even sacrificed himself to go to prison to save Carly from going after the insider trading fiasco.
Now with Carly finding out that her mother Bobbie (Jacklyn Zeman) died and that Nina (Cynthia Watros) turned her and Drew into the SEC, Carly could use Jason more than ever as he’s always had a knack for helping her comb through her feelings and fight her worse impulses (we have to think Carly will want to exact a masterful plan of revenge on Nina at some point).
While Jason’s return may be a welcomed source of comfort for Carly, his presence will also be one heck of a wrecking ball to her love life with Drew.
Then there’s Sam. So far, she seems content with her life with Dante (Dominic Zamprogna). However, some viewers have noted that the two don’t have the spark that she and Jason once shared. While she previously ended her relationship with Stone Cold due to his criminal career path and the danger it could bring about, an argument could be made that she’s found herself in just the same amount of danger helping with some of Dante’s police cases. Could Jason’s presence wake up feelings inside Sam, causing her to desire her ex-husband?
If that does wind up happening, could Carly and Sam find themselves competing for Jason, headed down a path of becoming enemies again after all the years it took for them to become close friends?
Lastly, there’s Sonny. His "coffee business" hasn’t quite been the same without Jason. Sure he has Dex (Evan Hofer) and Brick (Stephen A. Smith) helping him out and covering his back, but Jason earned the nickname Stone Cold and garnered a reputation as an enforcer for a reason.
The threats Sonny has been facing recently with Pikeman (Charles Mesure) and Cyrus (Jeff Kober) would have probably been dealt with more efficiently if Jason was in the picture. So with the latter returning, Sonny probably will find some sweet relief in the near future.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t bring up the distinct possibility that with Nina and Sonny on the outs because of her latest betrayal, Sonny may start thinking about someone he once thought of as the love of his life — Carly. The two have been married more times than we can count, have had three children together and she’s always understood him better than anyone.
Should he try to reconcile with his ex-wife and convince her that they are meant to be together, then he may find himself competing for Carly’s heart against his longtime co-worker and friend.
As you can see, a lot could happen with Jason back.
Episodes of General Hospital air live on weekdays on ABC and become available to stream the day after on Hulu.
