General Hospital Characters Who Came Back To Life

Published on March 4, 2020.

Soap opera storylines can have plenty of plot twists, and sometimes this involves characters being axed in an unexpected way. While it can be sad for fans to have to say goodbye, the silver lining can mean an unexpected return to the land of the living. Below are some General Hospital (GH) characters who passed away, but then came back to life.

13. Anna Devane

Well before Anna met Finn Hamilton, or found out she was Peter August’s mom (or is she?), she had gone missing where everyone thought she had passed away. On a WSB mission, circa 1992, the organization informed Mac and Robin that Anna, along with Robert and Faison, had been involved in a boat explosion. As no bodies were found, all three were thought to have met their demise. As it turns out, all three would eventually resurface in Port Charles, at one point or another, years later.

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12. Robert Scorpio

Speaking of, while Robert (and Anna) would visit Robin as ghosts in November 1995 when she was dealing with her HIV diagnosis, both would re-appear on GH screens in 2006. Robert was the first to arrive at the Port Charles scene, and Anna would follow to help with a jewel heist. He’s been in and out of GH storylines since.

11. Holly Sutton

Robert and Holly made an incredible super couple back in the day, which made her passing in 1987 that much more saddening for GH fans. Apparently, Holly met her demise during a plane crash (pretty standard in soaps for those days) and would come back to Port Charles in 1992. Circumstances kept the couple apart, but these days, Scorpio is living the single life! Any viewers out there who would love to see a Robert/Holly reunion?

Ron Tom / ©ABC / courtesy Everett Collection

1o. Robin Scorpio

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and interestingly enough, there was a blip in time where many believed that Robin was gone for good, too. Getting caught in a fire at her lab in early 2012, fans were devastated to learn that the little girl they had seen grow up on daytime screens had passed on. The good news was that about a month later, audiences learned that she was alive, and Faison was behind her disappearance; however, it would take a very long time for Robin to finally return to Port Charles and her family.

©sean smith/jpistudios.com

9. Cesar Faison

Like any typical soap opera “bad guy,” Cesar Faison was the type to either slip through Anna and Robert’s fingers when he got nabbed, or disappear in such a fashion that everyone believed he had passed away. Cesar would “pass away” twice – both boating explosions – and return multiple times to the land of Port Charles. He seemingly is gone for good though, as he shot by Jason Morgan in 2018.

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8. Frisco Jones

The life of a WSB agent can be adventurous, but it can also be dangerous! When Frisco decided to become a superspy in the late ‘80s, his wife Felicia stood by his side. Sadly, news hit her in early 1988 that her husband had passed away while on a mission. She’d move on and meet Colton Shore (and marry him) only to find out that Frisco was alive when he returned to the little town in 1989. Talk about awkward.

7. Ryan Chamberlain

The twin switch storyline rocked the land of Port Charles in 2019, as Ryan Chamberlain created a ton of chaos parading around as his brother, Kevin. While most everyone thought Ryan was long gone, as he threw himself over a bridge in Niagara Falls way back in 1995, clearly he had some incredible survival skills to outlive that fall.

6. A.J. Quartermaine

Explosions, spy missions, and plane crashes are also storylines that can easily help bring back a character to life at some point down the line; however, it’s kind of hard to swing this when someone flatlines right before viewers’ eyes. Such was the case in 2005 when A.J. Quartermaine passed away after being smothered by Dr. Asher Thomas. Years later in 2012, it turned out that Quartermaine hadn’t passed on; rather, his mom Monica faked his demise to protect him from the law. Interesting plot twist, but it would only take two years in Port Charles, and A.J. would wind up in the grave again after being shot by Sonny Corinthos. He just wasn’t overly liked by many in the little town.

5. Duke Lavery

When you are in the mob, there’s always a chance that your life could be cut short at any moment. Sadly, Duke Lavery was a victim of this when he was shot by Julian Jerome in 1989. Oddly enough, he returned back to the land of the living in 2012, despite the fact that he had apparently passed away in Anna’s arms.

4. Olivia Jerome

Speaking of, when you are part of a mob family, you can also expect your life to be cut short at any moment. Olivia’s demise was all thanks to her older brother Julian back in 1990 (he was a clearly busy henchman back then), which made her return to the land of Port Charles back in 2017 that much more unexpected.

3. Jason Morgan

Jason’s shooting in 2012 was also unexpected; however, as soon as he landed in the water off the docks (with no body found), most fans knew it was only a matter of time before he would return. While actor Billy Miller did a stellar job at playing Jason, there’s nothing like the original, and it felt as if GH’s prodigal son finally returned in 2017 when actor Steve Burton reprised the role.

2. Nikolas Cassadine

Nikolas Cassadine “passed away” not once but twice in 2016, which has to be a record, even by soap opera standards. While it was revealed that he staged the first one that May, the second one in July, where he was shot and fell from a balcony into the sea, seemed legit. That is until he returned to the land of the living in 2019.

1. Helena Cassadine

The matriarch of the Cassadine clan, Helena can thank cryogenic technology for saving her life, back in 2013. Everyone thought the wicked witch of Port Charles had finally met her demise when she was shot in April 2013. With that said, her son Stavros swooped in for the save, froze her up, and she’d returned to Port Chuckles about a year later.