Why General Hospital’s Steve Burton Could Soon Return as Jason
It’s beginning to look as if Jason Morgan just might be the latest Port Charles resident to return from the dead. Viewers will recall that it was a year ago this month that Sonny’s right-hand man was declared dead (again) following a tunnel collapse on Cassadine Island.
Of course, as is so often the case, the backstage story was almost as interesting as what wound up unfolding on our screens. It turned out that Burton and the soap parted ways after the actor refused to comply with a vaccine mandate put in place by Disney — the parent company of ABC — designed to keep the cast safe even as they continued to produce the show at the height of a pandemic.
At the time of his exit, Burton speculated as to what might happen somewhere down the road, predicting a future which has, at least in part, come to pass. “Maybe one day, if these mandates are lifted, I can return and finish my career as Jason Morgan,” he wrote on Instagram. He added that doing so “would be an honor.”
Earlier this year, Burton joined the cast of Beyond Salem: Chapter Two, the Days of Our Lives spinoff. There, he stepped back into the role of Harris Michaels, a character he’d played on the mothership way back in 1988. His casting led to speculation that perhaps Burton might eventually bring the character over to Days. Despite the eventual reveal that Harris was a bad guy working with the evil daughter of Stefano DiMera, the door was left open for him to be redeemed.
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Already, fans are speculating as to whether or not General Hospital might welcome Burton back and resurrect Jason (again). Not everyone, however, thinks that’s necessarily a path down which the soap should go. “In my opinion,” wrote Colleen on Twitter, “the character is not needed.”
The speculation about Steve returning to GH now that the vaccine mandate has been dropped is 😬. IMO, the character is not needed, and the last thing that the show needs is Cujo in a love triangle 🤢. Let Dex, who is young and good looking, fill the Jason role now.
— Colleen (@jetergirl410) November 6, 2022
Others, however, hope to see the Sonny/Carly/Jason storyline — which had only just begun to truly unfold when Burton exited — picked up. And then there are those who want to see the ultimate supercouple reunited. “I would rather see more Sonny and Jason than Sonny and Nina,” quipped ElloryQ. “I said what I said!”
I would rather see more Sonny and Jason than Sonny and Nina.
I said what I said. #GH #SteveBurton— ElloryQ (@ElloryQueen5) November 6, 2022
Another possibility, as many have pointed out, is that Burton might be called back into service on The Young and the Restless, where he played Dylan, the long-lost son of Nikki who romanced, among others, Sharon… who happens to currently be without a love interest.
From his introduction to his heroic demise, relive every beat of Jason’s storyline in this photo-filled gallery.
