General Hospital Cliffhangers That Surprised Fans

Published on April 22, 2020. Updated November 10, 2022

Best thing about Fridays? Soap opera fans get their Friday afternoon cliffhangers — scenes and moments in time with unbridled drama, suspense, and intrigue! There have been some incredible cliffhangers in the land of General Hospital (GH) over the years; however, some have been better than others. Below is a list of GH cliffhangers that surprised fans:

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12. Lucas Finds Out The Truth

GH fans had been nipping for Lucas to finally find out about the truth behind Brad, and his baby swap secret. During a span of well over a year, viewers thought Brad would finally be outed, here and there; however, thanks to various twists and turns, his secret was buried deep. Right after Brad finally cracked and told his husband the truth, the two would wind up in a car accident, thanks to some failed brakes on their vehicle. Audiences were excited to see that Lucas was brought into the loop, but with the crash, would the truth ever be revealed to Michael?

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11. Nina’s Daughter

Much like Wiley’s baby swap, the secret behind Nina’s bio daughter seemed to drag on forever. At first, GH fans thought it could be Kiki; however, after she passed away, that buzz diminished on this. Her friction with Willow over Charlotte made Tait a good candidate but, on a special episode about Carly’s past, the truth was revealed that Nelle was in fact her daughter, as a young Benson grabbed on to the other half of Nina’s necklace in her bedroom, leaving audiences gasping in their living rooms.

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10. Morgan’s Car Exploding

Every soap fan loves a good car explosion, and GH has had plenty of them over the years. This fine cliffhanger moment still lingers on in many fans’ minds. It unraveled when evil Ava mixed up Morgan’s meds, causing him to go on a rampage in late October. He would hop into Julian Jerome’s car, and eventually take off on the open road. While Jason was able to find him before he did any damage to himself (or anyone else), the car exploded with Morgan right next to it. How did this happen? Did Morgan pass away? Who was the bomb intended for? So many questions around the cliffhanger lingered, leaving fans sad and so confused.

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9. New Mobster In Town

Speaking of, the return of Olivia Jerome in early 2017, and reveal of her being alive, rocked Port Charles and the daytime soap opera industry alike. Actress Tonja Walker did a phenomenal job resurrecting good old Liv, and settled back into the land of GH with ease. But for months prior to her return, the show had been teasing a “new” mobster in town, so fans were completely taken aback when it  exposed that Olivia Jerome was behind Morgan’s car explosion. After all, she was shot by her brother Julian in the 1990s, and was thought to be long gone for 25 years! The cliffhanger left many fans speechless.

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8. Nathan’s Dirty Little Secret

Good guy Nathan seemed to be hiding a lot from Maxie back in 2016, and it turned out his dirty little secret was an ex-wife (plus, the fact that he shot Griffin at one point in time). Not only did the entire thing almost jeopardized his relationship with Maxie, it also launched an even larger storyline around little Charlotte Cassadine, a child who was wrapped in mystery herself. It all started in February of that year, when Nathan said (to Maxie), “I love you too, Claudette,” while a little drowsy from pain medications. Who was Claudette? And why was Nathan so quick to tell Maxie lie after lie about his ex-wife? The cliffhanger was huge, but eventually resolved itself… after several months!

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7. Tracy Refuses To Give Edward His Meds

Tracy has always been a spoiled little brat only interested in her own well-being, but she was far worse when she was younger. So, no one was surprised when Tracy threw a massive hissy fit after Alan Quartermaine Jr. was born (a.k.a. A.J.). The reason for her animosity was that she felt that the inheritance of her own son, Ned, would be in jeopardy thanks to the newly born Quartermaine. Frustrated with his daughter, Edward looked at drawing up a new will to name A.J. his heir, and disinherit Tracy. Right before he was about to sign this, Edward fell to the ground, begging his daughter for his medicine. Tracy said no, leaving Edward suffering and GH fans were taken aback. Turns out, the cliffhanger was a cruel joke on Tracy. While Edward lay there lifeless for a bit, he eventually jumped up to sign his will as the entire situation had been a test.

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6. Emily’s Passing

Who could ever forget the Halloween Party in 2007 on Spoon Island! Nikolas Cassadine’s mansion, in general, took the cake when it came to creepiness, but mix in some crazy costumes, a storm, and the chaos of a serial killer out on the loose – and you have massive drama! The word “nightmare” could best describe the night. Early on at the party, Nik had proposed to Emily, but Cassadine was also suffering from blackouts at the time. With thunder and lightning hitting the eerie mansion, the sequences of events would lead to a missing Emily, only to find out that she had passed away. Did Nikolas hurt the love of his life in a fit of blackout rage? Was it the evil Anthony Zacchara? It turned out to be Diego Alcazar, the Text Message Killer, but GH fans won’t soon forget that shocking image of poor Emily Quartermaine lying on the floor lifeless, with Nikolas crying by her side.

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5. Brenda’s Limo Explodes

Brenda and Sonny would finally tie the knot in 2011, after a love affair that was on and off for years. They had a lovely wedding and reception, and as Brenda stepped into the limo first, the vehicle exploded. GH fans were out of their minds; however, it turned out she was kidnapped by the evil Balkan at the time! The cliffhanger sure did keep GH audiences on their toes, and the good news is that Brenda was eventually found safe, and very much alive.

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4. Who Is Aiden’s Dad?

What would a soap opera be without a few storylines that questioned a child’s paternity now and again? There have been many of these over the years, but a special one occurred in 2010 when it came to Aiden Spencer. Elizabeth Webber was married to Lucky at the time, but had an affair with his half-brother Nikolas. To further add a twist, grandma Helena was nipping at the bud for an heir (plus, continued revenge on the Spencers), and while the baby was Lucky’s, she made it out to seem as if Aiden was a Cassadine by switching the results. Would fans ever find out the truth? Alas, the truth did come out, as it always does, and while Aiden may have been thought to be a Cassadine, he’s clearly a Spencer through and through.

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3. Lily’s Car Explosion

As mentioned earlier, there is nothing GH loves more than a good old-fashioned car explosion cliffhanger. Digging through the soap opera’s past, there’s a big one that occurred in 1996. A newly married Sonny would watch his beautiful (and expecting) wife (in slow motion of course) waltz her way up to his car, wave to him, smile, and then BAM! The car exploded! Scary, saddening, and a dramatic cliffhanger that had GH audiences wondering what would happen next with this mobster and his lifestyle.

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2. Metro Court Hostage Crisis

When Jerry Jacks took over the hotel in early 2007, taunting major characters and holding them hostage, no GH fan could anticipate what would happen next. It was a storyline that is still talked about today, and unfolded into some terrible circumstances. Alan Quartermaine would eventually pass away due to Jerry’s savage games, and the hotel’s lobby ended up exploding when all was said and done.

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1. Jason Is Shot By Faison

While he looked like Duke Lavery, Cesar Faison was behind the shooting of Jason; a day no GH fan will ever forget! Picture it: October 2012, after months of instability, the couple of “JaSam” would finally reunite with baby Danny by their side. Jason gets called out to run a mob errand and sees Duke/Faison. Faison shoots Jason and he falls into the harbor… and the show closes after his body hits the waters. A Friday cliffhanger that will forever be etched in the minds of GH and “JaSam” fans everywhere. Thankfully, it turned out (two years later) that he was okay, and five years later, that the “real” Jason Morgan was alive; however, that Friday cliffhanger was devastating for many who loved the Jason Morgan character.