General Hospital: What We Expect Steve Burton's New Outlook Will Bring To Jason

The long-awaited return of hitman Jason Morgan finally happened when Steve Burton reprised his role on the March 4 episode of "General Hospital." The actor previously exited the sudser in November 2021 over the controversial reason of refusing to follow the show's COVID-19 vaccine ultimatum. That mandate was eventually lifted, and anticipation for his return was high. He eagerly posted a video on Instagram early on March 4, announcing, "Today is the day! Are you ready? My first @generalhospitalabc show back!"

In a discussion with Soap Opera Digest posted on March 4, Burton stated that he felt confident that new co-head writer Elizabeth Korte would do right by Jason. "There's no one in the [studio] building that loves that show, knows the history of the character, and is invested in it 100 percent than Elizabeth." He also acknowledged the circumstances surrounding his 2021 exit and revealed, "I've changed a lot in those two years myself." Having been on the show since 1990, Burton understood the ups and downs that happen over time. "I grew up [at 'General Hospital']. Family is going to be family. You're going to have disagreements, you're going to have things happen in life, and hopefully, we all move forward from it and grow from it."

Thankful that his prior departures in 2012 and 2021 gave him new perspectives on life, Burton remarked, "A lot is different this time. I'm different. The writing is different. The show is different. And it's going to be great."

Jason Morgan "died" when a cave collapsed on him, and a lot has happened on "General Hospital" since then. He was immediately thrust into the storyline involving the mystery of who's killing mob bosses and specifically targeting Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). As Sonny, mafia queen Selina Wu (Lydia Look), and former mobstress Ava Jerome (Maura West) laid a trap for the baddies in a warehouse, we were shocked to see Jason and an unnamed killer peering through a skylight with a high-powered sniper rifle. A shot rang out, but not after Jason nudged his partner's arm, causing him to miss Sonny. When Detective Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna) pursued the attackers, he was shot by the killer, who in turn was surprisingly shot by Jason.

Sonny had been the victim of a sniper attack three times before, all of which missed, but one ricocheted and paralyzed Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner). It's possible Jason has infiltrated this mysterious enemy's organization and has been working from the inside to save Sonny. Viewers were also left asking why his unnamed partner referred to Jason as 'Jacob.' Only an insider would have known his weak spots when Sonny was attacked on his private Puerto Rican island, so it's plausible that Jason gave that info to the bad guys, only to save Sonny in the end.

Whatever happens, we're excited to see Steve Burton bring a fresh perspective to his iconic character!