General Hospital spoilers: Morgan returns as a wake-up call for Sonny or Ava?

 Bryan Craig as Morgan smirking in General Hospital.
Bryan Craig, General Hospital . | Credit: Disney

Now that news broke that Bryan Craig is returning to General Hospital for a one-episode stint in August, something fans predicted based on Craig's social media post, the question many viewers have is "Why is Morgan returning?"

Considering Craig is only back for one episode, we’re under the impression that Morgan is not returning from the grave. Fans will recall that years ago, Morgan was caught in a car explosion and presumed dead, although his body wasn't found. That leaves us to assume that Morgan is returning as a "ghost" to provide someone in Port Charles with a necessary wake-up call. And who needs a bigger wake-up call than Sonny (Maurice Benard)?

For months now, the dimpled kingpin has been spiraling due to Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) tampering with his bipolar medication. With only Valentin, Brennan (Charles Mesure) the shady pharmacist and Ava (Maura West) knowing that Sonny’s meds are off, it seems likely that Sonny’s erratic behavior will just worsen. While we held out a glimmer of hope that Ava would tell Sonny the truth, that seems highly unlikely now that Sonny’s kicked her out of his home and is threatening to keep their daughter until she finds a place to stay.

Maurice Benard as Sonny sulking in General Hospital
Maurice Benard as Sonny sulking in General Hospital

However, perhaps Sonny’s downward spiral isn’t all bad as it may present fans with the chance to see him hallucinate Morgan, would could be his voice of reason. It’s not hard to imagine that Sonny finds himself in a dire situation due to his temper or "irrational" decisions, and he’s left alone to think about how he can fix things. That’s when Morgan could appear and offer Sonny some sage words of advice. Perhaps Morgan will tell Sonny the words Sonny told him when he was struggling to manage his own bipolar disorder. Such a moment would prove to be rather touching if you ask us.

But what if Morgan’s return has more to do with Ava than Sonny? She may not be dealing with a mental health struggle, but she’s definitely in trouble. Now that she’s managed to alienate nearly everyone in town, including her former BFF Nina (Cynthia Watros) and now Sonny, she is like a wounded bear ready to lash out. That’s the kind of Ava that often proves dangerous, which could spell trouble for Sonny if Ava seeks to get revenge for her hurt feelings. Given she’s headed down a pathway that could see Sonny or someone else attempt to remove her from Port Charles, the summer would be a great time for a character reset for her.

Maura West as Ava surprised in General Hospital
Maura West as Ava surprised in General Hospital

Picture this. An upset Ava takes a drive around town but finds herself the victim of a car crash. Whether it’s of her own doing, or someone else is at fault, the end result is Ava in a hospital bed unconscious. It’s then that Morgan could appear to her in a dream and make her realize she’s lost her way. Morgan may scare her into righting wrongs when she awakens.

Of course, our prediction that Morgan appears to either Sonny or Ava could be completely wrong, and someone like Carly (Laura Wright) spots him instead. Regardless, it will just be good to see Craig back in the role, as he was quite the fan favorite.

By the way, this may prove to be the summer of the comebacks on General Hospital, as Jonathan Jackson is set to return as Lucky Spencer.

New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Hulu.