He’s Baa-aack! Why the Time is Right for Nikolas to Return to General Hospital

Laura and her crack team of Cassadine hunters are on the case in Chechnya searching for Nikolas — and it looks like General Hospital is finally ready for somebody to make the big find!

The Cassadine heir has been presumed missing by most of the canvas since February, when Ava bonked Nikolas on the head and Austin helped her hide the body. What better time for Nikolas to resurface than now — while Austin’s helping Ava play hide the souvlaki?

The murky mystery of Mason Gatlin, and whatever it is that he and Austin have been involved in, could desperately use some shaking up. We learned in March that Mason has Nikolas stashed away somewhere as leverage against Ava and Austin, and that his shady ladyboss is calling the shots — but the story’s been treading water for months now. Nikolas could disappear from Mason’s clutches just as easily as he vanished from the closet on Spoon Island… leaving the low-rent villain grasping at straws, desperate to maintain control. Whose side would a newly awakened Nikolas be on? The sleaze who rescued him? Or the ex-wife who tried to kill him when he threatened to take her daughter away? Or perhaps the mystery woman pulling the strings has plans of her own for Stavros and Laura’s bouncing baby boy?

But that’s not the only story that really needs Nikolas to reappear. Spencer and Trina fans are down to the dregs of their patience when it comes to Esme’s interference in the pair’s relationship. As Esme continues to drag Spencer into playing house with her and baby Ace, her real baby daddy’s return would be in the Nik of time! The Cassadine men are notoriously possessive of their kids. No way would Nikolas stand for Esme trying to replace him with Spencer. And then there’s the fact that Nikolas held Esme hostage for months and shrugged it off when she went over the parapet at Wyndemere for a second time. It’s no longer a secret, after Liz told the PCPD what Nikolas did and owned up to her part in it. Whether Esme’s faking amnesia or slowly starting to remember, that’s a lot of leverage to dangle over Nikolas’ head as he faces legal consequences. Talk about having an Ace in the hole! With Nikolas and Esme clashing, it frees up Spencer and Trina to fall into romance after a summer of snooze.

I know. You’re all thinking “Sure, whatever, this is fan fiction.” But we think at least some of it can make it to the screen — and the clue comes from Nikolas himself — Adam Huss! The periodic pinch hitter since 2021, who stepped into the role again in late January and then popped back up on that ventilator in March, is still very much invested in General Hospital. The actor shared a shot of himself at Disney World on July 10, lingering in front of a 60^th anniversary poster and coincidentally — or not so coincidentally — pointing up at Genie Francis’ Laura. “Even in Walt Disney World they know what the best show on TV is,” he tweeted.

Even in @WaltDisneyWorld they know what the best show on TV is pic.twitter.com/k13xBOsuyC

— Adam Huss (@adamthuss) July 10, 2023

Now, we don’t know about you, but we wouldn’t talk up our old job unless there was a distinct possibility of getting it back. Which means there’s a distinct possibility of Nikolas getting back at Ava and Esme. Bring it on. Hell hath no fury like a Cassadine scorned!