Most soap operas have so many characters cycle through over the years that it’s hard to keep track of who’s who; storylines move so fast and are resolved so quickly that sometimes the face of the soap can change overnight. With so many people to follow, sometimes characters not being used in current storylines slip through the cracks, and viewers are given hardly any explanation for why they’ve suddenly vanished.
Such is the truth for a few characters on “General Hospital.” Over the years, more and more new characters have been added to the cast, much to fan’s delight. But once their new storylines are over, many fade into the background without explaining where they’ve gone. This leaves fans with a sense of dissatisfaction and no clear answer about whether their favorite characters are really gone or not. Hopefully, some of these fading characters can be put front and center again sometime soon, but for now, they’re inexplicably missing in action.
Brad Cooper faded into the background
Brad Cooper (Parry Shen) first appeared in Port Charles as a lab technician at General Hospital and was promoted to lab manager. Between getting into a relationship triangle with both Felix DuBois (Marc Anthony Samuel) and Lucas Jones (Ryan Carnes), orchestrating a baby-switching scheme, and being sent to prison, Brad’s time in Port Charles has been complicated, to say the least. After his aunt got him sprung from jail, Brad was granted parole and subsequently mourned his best friend Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud) and GH nurse Epiphany Johnson (Sonya Eddy) when they passed away. His last appearance at Epiphany’s memorial sparked rumors among fans that Brad might be in for a new storyline, as he seemed pretty cozy with old flame Felix at the service.
Despite the hope of a resurrected romance, Brad seems to have been forgotten about again. After he got out of jail, it seemed like Brad was set to finally redeem himself, even while under the thumb of his mob-connected aunt Selina Wu (Lydia Look). There appeared to be even more potential for Felix and Brad to reunite after many years apart, making Brad’s absence even more of a head-scratcher. It’s strange to gift the character a brand-new lease on life and then let him disappear from the screen. Hopefully, Brad will reappear soon and continue where he left off.
Liesl Obrecht’s status is up in the air
Liesl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati) debuted on “General Hospital” as a dastardly doctor with ties to supervillain Cesar Faison (Anders Hove). After committing many crimes over the years, Obrecht seemed to soften after the deaths of her children, Nathan West (Ryan Paevey) and Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud). Obrecht continued to redeem herself by donating life-saving stem cells to her great-niece, Willow Tait (Katelyn MacMullen). Now, Obrecht hasn’t been seen around town in a while, with no update on her health after the stem cell donation, and fans started to get worried about her status in Port Charles.
In June 2023, Kathleen Gati tweeted an ambiguous response to the fans’ questions concerning her whereabouts. “I have no idea if and when I will be back on canvas. Life is full of surprises!” she quipped.
Understandably, fans were not happy with this turn of events. One responded, “No! GH needs Dr. O!” Another stood in support of Gati, writing, “What are they thinking? … Liesl’s fans need her.” Maybe with the support of Obrecht’s loyal fans, “GH” will bring back the formerly villainous doctor and have her stir up some more trouble.
Lucas Jones was lost after ending it with Brad
Lucas Jones was born in Port Charles to Cheryl Stansbury (Jennifer Anglin) and Julian Jerome (William deVry). However, he was adopted by Bobbie Spencer (Jacklyn Zeman) as a baby, cementing him in the prominent “General Hospital” family. Lucas eventually married Brad Cooper, but after his husband was sent to prison for his part in a baby-switching scheme, Lucas tried hard to distract himself from the betrayal. He grew closer to Felix DuBois, but the relationship never amounted to anything. When Brad was released, the possibility of reconciliation was squashed.
When fan-favorite actor Ryan Carnes, who portrayed Lucas from 2004 to 2020, was unexpectedly replaced by Matt Trudeau, that seemed to spell the end for the character. Fans were not pleased with the recast, and Lucas hasn’t been seen much since. One viewer posted a picture of Ryan Carnes and wrote, “I still can’t believe GH let this man go. I miss my Lucas Jones.” Another shared, “So Austin [Gatlin-Holt] is a replacement for Lucas Jones. Why couldn’t we have both. #GH,” with another fan chiming in with, “Don’t even get me started. So disappointed!”
Lucas’ disappearance from the screen isn’t so surprising, as he hadn’t had a front-burner storyline in quite some time. The powers that be seem to have let him fade as the other characters he was involved with have also been forgotten. It is a sad predicament for what used to be a beloved legacy character.
Scott Baldwin was bumped to recurring
Kin Shriner has played Scott Baldwin on and off since 1977 when the character was aged into an adult. He’s had a history with several leading ladies, including Laura Webber (Genie Francis), Dominique Stanton (Shell Danielson), Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring), Bobbie Spencer, and finally, Liesl Obrecht, among several others. However, the legendary character has been pushed to the background over the last couple of years — typically being brought on when another character needs an attorney.
Fans of Scotty went wild in May 2023 when Shriner announced that he had been written off of the show following his character’s split from Liesl. The actor still holds a recurring spot on the show and will be used when needed, but that did not soothe the fan’s anger. Pleas were heard repeatedly, with one viewer asking, “Why would #GH fire Kin Shriner? Seriously.” Another echoed their frustration with, “GH, bring Scotty back!” Even though he doesn’t have much left to resolve on the show, his long-lasting history in Port Charles keeps fans wanting more.
Zeke Robinson is missing from the screen
Zeke Robinson (Gavin Houston) was brought onto the “General Hospital” scene in 2023 as Portia Robinson’s (Brook Kerr) brother, arriving for her wedding to Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner). Zeke left after the celebration but then returned to Port Charles in June, where he met Jordan Ashford (Tanisha Harper), and the two flirted up a storm — so much so that they slept together that night. Unaware that Jordan had recently kissed his sister’s new hubby, the two sparked a connection that soon fizzled out when he realized who she was. Zeke told Portia about her husband’s cheating, leaving her upset. He has a penchant for meddling in other people’s lives, but all of that has stopped since Zeke hasn’t been seen since his small stint in June. It seems odd that such a new, dynamic character would disappear without explanation, but fans weren’t keen on adding new faces to Port Charles, anyway.
One person said in response to Zeke’s return, “Eh…I’m not sold. Mainly because I get annoyed when they keep bringing in new characters when they can’t find a use for many they already have.” Still, another fan had an idea of where they wanted Zeke’s storyline to go, saying: “I need for him and Lucas to become the next great couple.” That would be one way to bring back some characters missing in action on “General Hospital.”
