What Happened to Stefan Cassadine on GENERAL HOSPITAL
Stefan Cassadine on GENERAL HOSPITAL hasn’t been seen in Port Charles in decades, but those whose lives he touched will never forget him. But if you’re a newer fan who doesn’t know the character or a longtime viewer who just needs a refresher, we’ve got you covered! The character was played by Stephen Nichols from his dramatic introduction in July of 1996 until his tragic end in October of 2003.
Stefan Cassadine was introduced along with his teenage nephew, Nikolas Cassadine, who was the secret son of Laura Spencer and Stavros Cassadine. After Laura escaped Stavros’ captivity, Stefan raised Nikolas and brought him to Port Charles so his bone marrow could save his sister, Lulu Spencer. Stefan was in love with Laura, but she insisted her heart belonged to Luke Spencer. He bailed General Hospital out of financial troubles he had instigated in order to justify his staying in town. Laura discovered that her mother, Lesley Webber, was still alive, and had been held captive by Stefan for years. After a confrontation with Luke, Stefan accidentally shot Katherine Bell.
He married Luke’s sister, Bobbie Spencer, but they split when he realized she was just using him to help her brother take him down. Stefan fell in love with Katherine, but at their engagement party, she fell into a trap set by Alexis and Luke and fell to her presumed death. Feeling guilty, Alexis defended her brother in court and it was revealed that Nikolas was actually Stefan’s son. The whole trial was moot anyway, as Katherine wasn’t really dead. Oh, and also, later DNA testing proved that Stavros was actually Nikolas’ real father after all.
Stefan managed to woo Laura for a time, but then it came out that his mother, Helena Cassadine, had been holding Lucky Spencer prisoner for years after he presumably died in a fire. Laura didn’t believe Stefan’s claims he knew nothing about the scheme, and they split. He then learned that Helena was plotting to kill him and faked his own death so he could use Chloe Morgan’s psychic visions to figure out his mother’s next move and stop her. However, he began to fall for Chloe and when she needed medical help, he gave up on his scheme. Helena brought Stavros back from the dead and he murdered Chloe, though it was Stefan who once again went on trial for a murder he didn’t commit.
After trying in vain to leave the Cassadine legacy behind, Stefan returned to Port Charles to find the family in disarray and in danger of losing its fortune. He pushed Nikolas to marry Lydia, the daughter of a Greek shipping magnate, but he was in love with Emily Quartermaine. So Stefan paid a hitman to try and kill Emily, and the guy accidentally took out Summer, instead. Luke abducted Stefan and gathered up everyone he’d hurt to stage a mock trial to expose all of his numerous crimes. Stefan broke down and blamed Helena for all the misery.
Luke also tried to burn down Wyndemere Castle and a badly burned Stefan landed in the hospital. After being released, he kidnapped Lydia and knocked out Lucky when he tried to rescue her. Luke and Stefan got into a fight with a knife that ended with Stefan being stabbed and tumbling over the same cliff where Summer had fallen to her death.
That seems like the last we’ll ever see of Stefan, but on GH, you never know!
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