GH sonny Julian living room jj
Credit: Jill Johnson/JPI

As it turns out, Kim left town with more than just Julian’s heart.

Things have been a little bit crazy for General Hospital‘s Julian ever since he was coerced by Cyrus into blowing up the Floating Rib. But nothing could have prepared us for the shocking events which unfolded in the episode that aired on December 11. By the time it ended, we were left uncertain as to whether Julian had been given a new lease on life or was about to be meet his maker.

A lot’s gone down both on and off screen since October 27, when rumors first began to circulate that William deVry’s Julian would soon be exiting General Hospital. What followed was a lot of speculation as the actor playfully toyed with his Twitter followers without coming right out and confirming the reports of his impending exit.

More: A new beginning for Jason and Sam? 

Even as the walls closed in on Julian, we held out hope that he might be given a reprieve… and for a while, it appeared our wish would be granted. Surely, the fact that he survived both Ava’s attempt at a “mercy killing” and his subsequent leap from the Wyndemere parapet meant Jules would slip off into the night like so many before him, leaving the people of Port Charles to mourn at or tap-dance atop his empty grave.

But on December 3, deVry sent out the tweet we’d all been dreading. In it, he confirmed that we were about to see “my last week of shows.” Just over a week later, Julian would have a potentially life-changing encounter… only to moments later have the sins of the past catch up with him.

With most people believing him dead, Julian arrived at the New York City apartment of ex-girlfriend Kim Nero only to have the door be opened not by the beautiful doc but her employee. The young woman immediately admitted to knowing who Julian was, addressing him as “Charlie,” the nickname Kim had given him during happier times. Kim, he was told, was working… likely due to the fact that her former portrayer, Tamara Braun, is currently playing Ava over on Days of Our Lives.

Julian’s chat with the woman was interrupted when a baby began crying in the next room. It turned out, Kim had been pregnant when she left Port Charles and had since given birth to a son, Andrew. “We call him Andy,” shared the nanny just before a fire alarm (pulled by Jason) led to her bundling up her ward and all of them leaving the apartment.

Even as we were doing the math, the nanny — alone with Andy — called Kim to say that Charlie had, as predicted, showed up… but had not realized that the baby was his. As for the new father, he found himself standing in an alley with a gun-toting Sonny. “Don’t run off, Jules,” the angry mobster told the man he finally had in his literal sights. “We’ve got a lot to talk about!”GH sonny julian showdown screengrab

Spoilers for next week — including an episode-ending teaser in which Sonny tells his human target “the information you’ve got is keeping you alive” — indicate that maybe, just maybe, Julian will manage to survive this showdown. And if deVry’s alter ego is permitted to play dead as opposed to being buried in a shallow grave, it means the popular actor could return again at some point down the road.

More: Big drama and bigger secrets in Port Charles

But why, some wondered, introduce Andy to the audience at this juncture? Viewer Renee Galante suggested it was, in a sense, karmic payback. “[Julian] helped Brad keep Michael’s son from him, and in return, he has a son that he doesn’t know about.”

It appears all will be revealed in the days ahead, as spoilers indicate that Sonny will present Sam’s father with an ultimatum on Monday, and by the end of the week, Julian is turning to a stranger for an assist. Might he be looking for a way to vanish without a trace?

As we wait to see what fate has in store for Julian, why not share your thoughts on his future in the comments below? Then take a look at the life he’s led since deVry took over the part back in 2013, including the highs and lows of the Julexis relationship.