General Hospital Relationship Timeline: Franco And Elizabeth
When Franco Baldwin (Roger Howarth) was killed off "General Hospital" in 2021 after Peter August (Wes Ramsey) shot him in the chest, it was the end of one of the show's most surprising popular pairs. It seemed the soap didn't even realize how much fans loved Franco with Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst), a couple commonly known as "Friz" in social media circles. Fan outcry over Franco's untimely death still exists today, with many fans wanting him to somehow return. As one fan put it on Twitter, "Perfect ending would be Franco back somehow. I did consider them just that, a dark romance. Beauty and the Beast #friz."
Indeed, fans never expected Franco and Elizabeth would ever find one another likable, much less fall in love with each other, marry, and form a family together. After all, he was a reformed serial killer whose murderous ways were explained by a brain tumor, and had just broken up with Nina Reeves (then played by Michelle Stafford), according to Soaps In Depth. Liz was a beloved hospital nurse, but she had also just lied to a man she believed was Jason Morgan for more than half a year to keep him by her side. By the time, Franco and Elizabeth connected, they were both town pariahs who needed a friend (per Soaps In Depth).
Elizabeth was hesitant to date Franco
Elizabeth Webber formed a quick friendship with Franco Baldwin after she found herself alone again after keeping an amnesiac Jake Doe in the dark about the fact that he was really Jason Morgan. At the same time, Franco Baldwin had just ended things with Nina Reeves when her desire to have children didn't match up with what he wanted out of life. Franco eventually asked Elizabeth out on a date. Although she was reluctant to date a man with his reputation, she eventually agreed and they were off to a good start (via Soaps In Depth).
Franco, who was working as an art therapist at this point, also bonded with Elizabeth's troubled young son, Jake Webber (Hudson West). Jake expressed the things he didn't want to talk about through art (via Soap Hub). Seeing how good Franco was with all three of her sons endeared him to Elizabeth even more.
Franco went all out to protect Elizabeth
Poor Elizabeth Webber was terrified when she learned Tom Baker (Don Harvey), the man who had raped her in the park when she was just a teenager, had been released from prison (via Soaps In Depth). Franco was also terrified for Elizabeth and was determined to make sure he stayed away from the woman he was now in love with. That included knocking Tom unconscious and holding him hostage in a dog cage in his art studio as he warned him to never go near Elizabeth, according to Soaps.com.
After Franco set Tom free, Tom was found murdered and Franco was the main suspect. Thankfully, Elizabeth believed in him and worked hard to help him clear his name (via Soaps In Depth). Little did they know, that wasn't the last time Franco would be accused of murder and that the next time would upend their wedding plans.
Franco was accused of serial murders
When a serial killer went on a spree in Port Charles, Franco was the first suspect because he had been a serial killer before. Fans knew the killer was a presumed-dead Ryan Chamberlain (Jon Lindstrom), but the PCPD suspected Franco and then used him. Police commissioner Jordan Ashford (then played by Briana Nicole Henry) enlisted Franco to confess to the killings to lure the real killer out of hiding. Since one of the victims was Kiki Jerome (Hayley Erin), a young woman Franco once thought was his daughter, he was willing to go all out to find the real culprit (via Soaps in Depth).
At the time, he and Elizabeth were engaged and finally married in a jailhouse ceremony. After Ryan was finally captured and Franco's name was cleared, they had a real wedding with their family and friends on the Haunted Star yacht where Elizabeth's boys — Aiden (Jason David), Cameron (Will Lipton), and Jake — performed a special song for them (via Michael Fairman TV).
Franco thought he was Drew Cain
Between locking Elizabeth's rapist in a dog cage and being accused of killing his beloved Kiki, Franco also confronted dark moments from his childhood. He remembered being molested by his adoptive mother's boyfriend, Jim Harvey (Greg Evigan), and then pushing his foster brother, Andrew, down the stairs to keep him away from Jim. Andrew grew up to be Drew Cain (then played by Billy Miller), the man Elizabeth once lied to while thinking he was Jason. As adults, Franco and Drew grew to be great friends, but things got a little weird when Franco was implanted with Drew's memories.
In 2019, Drew still had his twin brother's memories with his own memories stored on a flash drive. When cult leader David Henry Archer, aka Shiloh, wanted to make sure Drew didn't remember him stealing money when they were stationed in Afghanistan, he stole the flash drive. However, Franco's stepson, Cameron, walked in on the shenanigans between Shiloh and a mad scientist. They tried to give him Drew's memories, but Franco rescued Cam and offered to take his place (via Soaps In Depth). That's how Franco ended up believing he was Drew and leaving Elizabeth to be with Drew's ex, obsessive Kim Nero (Tamara Braun), according to Soaps.com. Thankfully, the procedure was eventually reversed and Liz got her husband back.
Franco's tumor returned and Peter killed him
It looked like it might finally be smooth sailing for Franco Baldwin and Elizabeth Webber, but it wasn't meant to be. When Franco learned his tumor had returned, he feared his killing ways might also return. So, he asked Jason Morgan (Steve Burton), a trained hitman, to kill him if he ever thought that would happen. Franco also started hearing Peter August's voice in his head and it turned out some of Drew's memories were still there. He heard Peter ordering to have Drew kidnapped years ago. When he confronted Peter in his art studio, Peter shot him dead so the rumor was moot (via Soaps In Depth).
Elizabeth was devastated but went on with her life while barely mourning. She even hesitantly entered into a new relationship with Hamilton Finn (Michael Easton), but when strange happenings started occurring in her home with no sign of forced entry, Aiden planted the idea in her head that Franco's ghost might be contacting her (via Soaps In Depth). As of this writing, Elizabeth is trying to contact Franco via a medium (via Soaps.com), but whether Franco's spirit is haunting Elizabeth has yet to be proven.