Jason Morgan
Encyclopedia
Jason Morgan is a fictional character
and the current main protagonist
on the ABC
soap opera
, General Hospital
and General Hospital: Night Shift
. He is one of the longest-running characters on the show, having been played by various actors since the character's on-screen debut in 1982. The role is currently played by Daytime Emmy Award
- winning actor Steve Burton, who joined the cast in 1991.
Within the series' narratives, Jason is a member of the prestigious Quartermaine family
and a high-ranking enforcer within Sonny Corinthos
' mob, but is also something of a vigilante, often helping the police take down criminals worse than he is, especially when said criminals threaten or harm his loved ones and friends.
" several years for storyline purposes. Burton left the show in January 2000 to pursue other opportunities, but made multiple guest appearances from 2000 to 2001. He returned to the show full-time in May 2002. In October 2008, Burton's contract had expired and had to make a decision on re-signing with the show. After months of speculation, he announced in a public appearance that he re-signed with the show. Burton stated that he would be willing to take a pay cut because he understands that money is a lot tighter now than it has been in recent years and stated that he is blessed to have a job right now.
. When Jason was born, Alan supported him financially but was fighting for custody over his other son. Jason had lived with his mother and Scott Baldwin up until her death upon which he moved in with Alan and Monica. Jason and A.J. were sent off to boarding school as children.
When a newly SORASed Jason and older brother A.J. returned, Jason, who was a successful student and athlete was treated as the family favorite while A.J. was failing and dealing with alcoholism. Jason had relationships with (Karen Wexler
), Brenda Barrett
, Robin Scorpio
and Keesha Ward (to whom he lost his virginity
) whom A.J. also loved. Jason had supported Monica through her health crisis and adored his adoptive sister, Emily Quartermaine.
In December 1995, an intoxicated AJ ran his car into a tree. Jason, who had been attempting to stop AJ from driving, was in the passenger seat and hit his head on a large boulder after being ejected from the car. To spare AJ, his cousin Ned Ashton claimed responsibility for the accident. Jason suffered brain injuries that resulted in total memory loss.
Upon waking up from his coma, Jason had no recollection of his past and resented all the Quartermaines except his grandmother and Emily. His personality drastically changed as well, from kind hearted and affable to cold and calculating, even to his family. Jason eventually turned his back on his entire family (although he changed his surname to "Morgan," Lila's maiden name) and asked Sonny Corinthos for a job. Sonny was initially skeptical, as he still regarded Jason as a spoiled rich kid. Jason's loyalty and hard work to prove himself impressed Sonny and Jason became Sonny's personal enforcer in his mob business
,and eventually they became very close friends. Jason also began to date Robin Scorpio. Because Robin was HIV-positive, Jason began to sleep with Carly Roberts but Jason chose to be with Robin instead. Jason and Carly still remained friends. Jason, working for Sonny, discovered that drugs were being imported, which caused his sister, Emily to collapse. Because the mob was too much for Robin, the couple split up but Jason held a promise never to be romantically involved with Carly.
To help Carly, Jason pretended to be the father of her baby so that neither of the two men that she slept with could take her baby away.This sent Carly into a depression and she left town for two months to regroup. Robin returned to Port Charles and Jason confessed that the child was A.J.'s according to a paternity test but would still like to be the child's father until Carly could take care of her son. Carly's return heralded a new chapter in her relationship with Jason. Jason and Michael had bonded during her absence. They began living together and raising Michael as a family.
As Carly worked to recover from her post-partum depression (or PPD) and bond with Michael, Dr. Jones plotted to get Michael removed from what he considered an unfit environment. When his schemes to get Michael placed with the Quartermaines failed, he kidnapped the child with plans to leave town and raise him. Robin was the first to find proof of Dr. Jones' perfidy, but found herself a hostage. Jason eventually rescued them both. However at trial, Dr. Jones was released due to a plea bargain. Carly reacted by shooting him in a moment of temporary insanity. Carly was remanded to a mental facility for evaluation pending trial.
In Carly's absence, Jason and Robin reunited and made love for the first time. After Robin was almost killed in an explosion, Jason left the mob. Carly was released from the hospital, which put a strain on Jason and Robin's relationship. Robin told AJ that he was Michael's father in an attempt to free Jason and the baby from Carly, but Jason temporarily lost custody of Michael. AJ and Carly married, and a judge awarded joint custody to Jason, Carly, and AJ. Jason feared his hatred of AJ would hurt Michael and signed away all rights. He remained a big part of Michael's life and they are very close.
Jason began comforting Elizabeth Webber
over the death of her boyfriend, Lucky Spencer
. Carly misunderstood their relationship and slept with Sonny. Jason was unable to deal with the betrayal of Sonny and Carly, and left town. Sonny and Carly began a real relationship, which Jason eventually accepted.Lucky Spencer was not dead and fully recovered.
Jason was forced to protect Sonny's sister, Courtney Matthews
, when she was being stalked by A.J. Quartermaine. Jason and Courtney began a relationship which they had to keep secret, fearing Carly and Sonny's disapproval. After Luis Alcazar was murdered, Brenda and Jason became the prime suspects and were forced to wed to refrain from testifying. They divorced soon after, and Sonny discovered Courtney and Jason's affair which led to him firing Jason. Sonny eventually gave his approval, however, and Courtney and Jason became engaged. However, on the night of their wedding, their best friend Carly was kidnapped.
Courtney was pregnant, but lost the baby when trying to escape from Lorenzo Alcazar
. Eventually, she and Jason married in France but due to the mob lifestyle, they divorced.
Jason and Sam McCall were arrested for aiding and abetting Sonny. Jason offered her a million dollars to leave town when he discovered that Sonny and Sam had had an affair while he was married to Carly. Sam refused and moved in with Sonny. Sonny and Carly reconciled, but Jason discovered that Sam was pregnant with Sonny's child. She was planning on leaving town but Jason convinced her to stay, with Jason pretending to be the father of Sam's baby in order to protect Sonny and Carly's reconciliation for the sake of Michael. They even almost got married, but Sam called off the wedding at the altar because they didn't love each other and she still had feelings for Sonny. Over time, Jason and Sam started to trust each other and care for each other. However, Sonny and Sam's daughter was stillborn and Jason helped Sam cope with the loss. Jason and Sam eventually fell in love, but Jason decided it would be best if they didn't pursue a relationship, worried that she would fear his work as an enforcer despite her assurance she wouldn't. She then moved out, unable to continue living with him as "just friends" but she soon moved back in as each realized they didn't want to be without the other and began a relationship and got engaged. They almost adopted a baby named Hope but that fell through.
When all three of Sonny's children were kidnapped, Jason and Sam worked together to discover that A.J. Quartermaine and Faith Roscoe were the kidnappers; A.J. had done so in an attempt to get Michael back. They tracked down the children and were able to bring them home safe. Jason's father, Alan, was initially sympathetic to A.J. and helped him, but turned him in to the police due to A.J.'s violent methods. While trying to apprehend A.J., Jason accidentally breaks his back. When A.J. is smothered to death in the hospital by Dr. Asher Thomas, a regretful Jason realized that, in helping Sonny and Carly keep Michael away from A.J., he had robbed his brother of his only chance to be a father and to get to know who his son was.
After Jason lost his memory, he fell in love with Sam all over again and they move to Hawaii when Jason decides he wants nothing to do with his old mob life. In late November 2005, Sam convinced Jason to go on an experimental drug that Robin Scorpio
founded, that would help him regain his memory. The drug worked but this caused a brain aneurysm and they moved back to Hawaii where they planned to spend the last days of Jason's life. Although Jason initially refuses, Robin and Patrick Drake operate on him saving his life, when he comes to the decision that he wants to live in order to stay with Sam.
Jason also had to come to terms with Sonny dating his sister, Emily. The relationship drove a wedge between Jason and Sonny, and Jason took over Sonny's business entirely without Sonny's consent. This resulted in a fist fight between the two that a teary-eyed Emily had to break up.
Jason and Sam later discover that Sam's mother is Alexis Davis
. Although Sam wanted to have children, she was shot with a bullet that, at the time everybody though was meant for Jason, resulting in her inability to become pregnant again. Alexis guilted Jason in to breaking up with Sam for her own safety even though they were still very much in love. But after months of trying to win him back and not succeeding, Sam slept with her mother's husband, Ric Lansing who happens to be one of Jason's biggest enemies, to cause her mother grief but Jason also witnessed the incident. After seeing Sam and Ric together, Jason went back to the penthouse to drown his sorrows in alcohol and Elizabeth showed up during a heatwave/blackout needing a shoulder to cry on having just seen her husband Lucky in her apt making love to her co worker, Maxie. Jason and Elizabeth slept together, which resulted in a pregnancy. Initially Elizabeth claimed Lucky was the father but later she said to Jason when their lives were in danger that he was the father. They continued to maintain the lie to let Lucky believe he was the father in order to protect the feelings of their significant others and to protect the child from Jason's enemies.
Jason's estranged father Alan died in early 2007 during the Metro Court hostage crisis, just as they were beginning to rebuild their relationship. Jason took his death hard, and privately confided to Monica during the memorial service that he had flashes of good childhood memories of Alan and that he regretted all the years he pushed him away.
During this time, Jason's relationship with his mother, Monica, becomes increasingly strained because she blames him for the deaths of Alan and Emily and becomes an alcoholic, eventually being sent to a rehab clinic after she hits Sam while driving drunk, where she continues to blame Jason for everything that has gone wrong in her life. However, when Monica's self-destructive behavior and drinking land her in the hospital after a horrific car accident, she has an epiphany and reconciles with Jason, reassuring him that he is her son and she loves him no matter what. Promising to be a better son in the future, Jason subsequently hires Diane to defend her when she goes on trial, and, after much persuasion, the judge lets Monica off with rehab and community service.
Jason denies Sonny access to the organization when he wants it back. In order to regain his power, Sonny becomes head of the Zacchara organization by marrying Claudia Zacchara
. Jason is later offered a blanket of immunity by Agent Rayner if he informs on Sonny Corinthos
and Anthony Zacchara, but he refuses to give up Sonny. After Spinelli was set up by a geeky undercover agent named Winifred Leeds, he was arrested for his illegal activity. Jason is forced to agree to Rayner's deal to gain Spinelli's freedom. Jason asks Sonny to quit working with the Zaccharas, but Sonny refuses. Spinelli is freed from the FBI's hold when Sam, with the help of Winifred, destroys all the evidence against him. Jason and Sonny reconcile, and Jason is more than happy to give Sonny back the business and go back to being an enforcer.
Jason obtains evidence that Claudia Corinthos is responsible for Michael's shooting. Jason is also dealing with Carly Corinthos
and her unstable son. In May 2009, his nephew Michael Corinthos wakes up from his year-long coma, but due to brain damage he is now an aggressive 17-year-old. Jason refuses to allow Michael's request to join his father's business and agrees with Carly that Michael should live at the Quartermaine Mansion for his own good. Jason resumes a friendship with Sam, who has partnered with Spinelli in her quest to start a private investigation firm. She lends him an ear and helps him figure out what to do about Claudia and Michael, and he in turn gives her and Spinelli the money they need to set up their detective agency.
to crash her car and lose her unborn child, Kristina and her half brother Michael Corinthos run away to Mexico, both believing themselves to be responsible for the accident. Sam and Jason track the siblings but a resurfaced Jerry Jacks
manages to capture Sam, luring Jason into a trap. During the ensuing shootout, Jason is pinned beneath a pile of rubble and Jerry taunts Jason with lies about Claudia's innocence before shooting him twice and leaving him for dead. While trapped Jason hallucinates Michael, Kristina and Carly separately. Sam escapes and returns just in time to rescue Jason and takes care of him. Jason starts hallucinating and thinks he's in Hawaii with Sam. Sam helps her former lover heal and the two reconnect. Once Jason is back to his old self and is no longer hallucinating, he and Sam give in to their feelings and make love. They decide not to talk about it afterwards, but are still drawn to each other. Jason and Sam find Michael and Kristina in Cancun, Mexico, and bring them back to Port Charles a few days later. Jason tells Sonny about his altercation with Jerry and about Jerry's claims of Claudia's innocence in Michael's shooting.
After returning to Port Charles, Sam and Jason remain drawn to each other and continue sleeping with each other. They soon admit that they are in a relationship. Sam and Jason attend the carnival together. Jason sees Jake with his family at the Merry-go-Round. As Lucky and Elizabeth chase after their brood, Jake runs off. The carnival takes a chaotic turn when Jason's grandfather Edward Quartermaine
has a drug-induced heart attack and passes out behind the wheel, plunging his car down the carnival midway. Jake is injured at the carnival.
Jason and Sam find the proof they need to bring Claudia down on Michael's shooting. When he brings the evidence to Sonny, Claudia is brought down in front of Port Charles by Sonny for getting Michael shot. She kidnaps Carly, who is pregnant and goes into labor just as Claudia escapes. Jason heads out and bursts into a cabin with a woman and two children. He heads back to his penthouse to regroup. Jason and Sam go looking for them, but Michael finds them first and kills Claudia. Sam takes Carly and her newborn baby, Josslyn Jacks to the hospital, while Jason helps Michael deal with killing Claudia. Jason and Sam admit that they are in love with each other, right before Christmas.
Sam, Lulu and Carly are taken by the crazed artist Franco. Jason finds Carly in Franco's workshop and saves her. Later Franco finally confesses where he is holding Sam and Lulu Spencer
. Jason calls Dante Falconeri to save Lulu, while he goes after Sam. Sam was never in actual danger, but Jason feels bad when it is believed that the only bomb Franco set has killed Lulu and Dante. He later reassures Sam that he does not regret coming after her first. Thankfully Lulu and Dante survive and Jason is now in arguments with Sonny on how to handle Claudia's death and Franco since he left town giving Jason a warning that he will kill for every person Jason kills. Carly officially asks Jason to be Josslyn's Godfather, and although he first tries to get out of it for Josslyn's protection he finally agrees.
When Kristina is abused and hospitalized by her boyfriend Kiefer Bauer and tells everyone that it was Ethan Lovett
who committed the crime, Jason is the first to suspect her of lying because the timeline in her version of events is off, and is thus one of the very few people in Port Charles to give Ethan the benefit of the doubt
. Though Alexis, Sam, and Sonny dismiss the inconsistencies in Kristina's story, unable to think of any reason why Kristina would lie about her attacker, Jason convinces Lucky and Dante to investigate further. Eventually, Kiefer's abusive nature, along with the truth about Kristina's attacks, becomes public knowledge after he beats her a second time; however, Alexis accidentally hits Kiefer with her car and kills him while taking Kristina to the hospital that same night, causing his father, Warren Bauer, to become obsessed with getting revenge on Kristina and Alexis. In response, Jason is approached by Molly, who desperately begs him to "make Mr. Bauer disappear." Jason turns her down, explaining that he doesn't want to get children involved in the mob after what happened to Michael.
, that Michael has information that will ensure Sonny's conviction. As part of the cover-up, Jason convinces Maxie Jones
, who had seen Michael's car at the cabin on the night of Claudia's murder, to perjure herself and make sure that Claire and Judge Carroll do not find out that Michael was there; despite Sonny and Carly's skepticism, Maxie pulls through for them. Unfortunately, the cover-up is blown when Dante, having discovered that Michael was the one who killed Claudia and brought him back to Port Charles, enters the courtroom just as the jury is about to announce their verdict and tells all those present as such. Though Jason attempts to once again spirit Michael out of the country, Lucky finds Michael first and, despite Jason's pleas, brings him in to testify. However, everyone is taken aback when Judge Carroll, furious that the trial was a farce and determined to show everyone the legal system cannot be manipulated or circumvented, decides to make an example of Michael by giving him the particularly harsh sentence of two-to-five years in the Pentonville Adult Correctional Facility.
On May 20, in order to protect Michael, Jason makes a deal with Claire and is sent to Pentonville as well. Jason was regularly visited by Sam, who at one point posed as his ex-wife, Brenda Barrett, in order to get a conjugal visit
. He is also visited by Alexis for advice on how to handle the increasingly rebellious Kristina, who is pretending to date Johnny to spite Sonny. Dante, Claire, and Jax
, guilt-ridden over their roles in Michael's incarceration, eventually convince the judge to release Michael on parole. Unfortunately, Jason is forced to remain in Pentonville, and Diane, despite her best efforts, is unable to find a way to get him out.
On June 30, Franco returns to Port Charles with the intent to resume his feud with Jason; in response, Jason makes a deal with Dante and Claire and is temporarily released from Pentonville to draw Franco out of hiding. In July, Jason and Dante go to L.A. to find Franco. In late July/early August, they had thought that Franco had died (from his fall off the roof), but it was someone else. Franco revels that he had Carter beat and 'mess' up Michael. Franco also has a nurse named "J. Morgan" take Aiden Cassadine, the newborn son of Elizabeth and Lucky Spencer, because he had the number 66 on his ID bracelet. Franco was obsessed with the number 66 and wanted his mom to have the "perfect" son. Aiden is found and returned to Elizabeth by Lucky. Franco eventually escapes, and Jason is sent back to prison. However, on August 16, Jason is permanently released from Pentonville on a technicality after Claire discovers a loophole in his plea bargain. Though Jason is naturally suspicious of Claire's intentions, Sonny assures him that Claire was only righting a wrong because neither Jason nor Michael should have been in prison to begin with.
from the Balkan. This is the first time they have seen each other since she went back to Paris in early 2003. Jason and Brenda return to Port Charles in late September. Brenda moved into the Penthouse with him because it was the best way to protect her from the Balkan.
With Brenda living with Jason, he and Sam barely get to spend anytime together. He briefly asks Sam to move in but she says no saying that it is not right timing. Jason and Sam continue to work on protecting Brenda and finding out the identity of the Balkan. In early 2011, Sam finds out that there is a fertility construction surgery that she can have that might give her the possibility of having a baby. She and Jason talk about it and they agree that their lives are too dangerous to have kids. At one point she thinks she is pregnant but results prove that she is not. On January 31, 2011, Jason leaves Dante's loft and hears screams, coming across Michael brutally strangling a man named Brandon after the latter attempted to rape his friend, Abby Haver. Jason pulls Michael off of Brandon, and is hit really hard when Michael admits that Carter raped him in prison.
Jason's relationship with Brenda is that of a love/hate or brother/sister relationship. Jason finds her irritating and a pain in the ass, and Brenda finds his unemotional facade aggravating. But despite this, Jason is shown to be protective of her and walks her down the isle at her wedding to Sonny, despite his reservations about the wedding.
Jason and Sam discovered that Brenda's defense attorney, Theo Hoffman, was the Balkan, and immediately went out to stop him; in the process, Jason was caught in an ambush and barely escaped. After the reception, Brenda was seemingly killed in a car bomb. Though it was believed that the Balkan was the one who planted the bomb, Jason received a call from the newly returned Franco, who hinted that he was the one who planted the bomb. When the authorities managed to get through the wreckage, everybody was shocked to discover Sam within the limo, with no sign of Brenda. Fortunately, due to bomb-proofing, Sam survived the explosion with only a concussion and temporary hearing loss.
In the meantime, Jason interrogates Shawn Butler, a mercenary who had previously worked for Theo, for information. Shawn insists that he does not know where Theo and Brenda are and he wants Theo taken down just as badly as they do, but Jason does not believe him. Shawn says that he has access to records on Theo that may help them, but they are contained in a biometric
lock that only he can bypass. After much persuasion, Jason agrees to let Shawn get the information, and also asks him to check the records to see if Theo has any connection with Franco.
Later, Jason discovers from Michael that he had gone after an assassin hired by Theo to kill Shawn and apprehended him with Dante's help. Jason is anything but pleased that Michael risked breaking his parole and got "too close to the business," only for Michael to snap and shout that he wants to help and is sick of people not believing in him. Jason explains that he gave up a lot of choices when he went to work for Sonny, revealing that he is Jake Webber's biological father, and tells Michael that he merely doesn't want him to make the same mistake.
Eventually, Jason, Sonny, and Dante manage to track down Brenda, finding her near-death after being injected with a neurotoxin
. Sonny rushes her to the hospital while Jason and Dante attempt to stop Theo, who escapes. Jason and Dante quickly begin to butt heads over their differing opinions regarding apprehending Theo; Jason is perfectly willing to kill him for hurting Sam, while Dante is determined to arrest Theo despite Jason's insistence that Theo, being a lawyer, would easily find a way out of it. Though Brenda has been found, Jason vows to keep looking for him until he pays for what he did to Sam.
While Brenda is recovering in the hospital, Jason has Spinelli surf the Web to find out if Theo has any connections in Port Charles, discovering that he did indeed have one with a family aligned to the Corinthos organization. Jason immediately departs, vowing that anyone who hurts Sam needs to be dealt with. In the ensuing confrontation, Theo's contact insists that he has no idea where the Balkan is now, and explains to Jason that he put Theo in contact with Johnny Zacchara. The contact declares that it was a mistake to help Theo and doesn't to business with people who attack women.
Jason immediately confronts Johnny, who insists that he had no idea that Theo was targeting Brenda and had nothing to do with Sam's kidnapping. However, Johnny does admit that he lent some muscle to Theo and killed the man who was following Sam. Johnny even declares that he could have easily killed Jason too, and for that, Jason owes him a life debt.
As the decision is not up to him, Jason passes on Carly's request to Elizabeth. Outraged, Elizabeth slaps him and adamantly refuses to consider letting Jason and Carly use her son for "spare parts." However, after hearing of Josslyn's plight from Jason, Lucky manages to convince Elizabeth to donate one of Jake's kidneys. As Josslyn is being prepped for surgery, Jason makes his way to Elizabeth's house, and breaks down in tears upon seeing Jake's toy motorcycle, which he takes with him.
Jason continues to grieve for Jake's loss. He often disappears on his motorcycle, driving out of town, but comes back for Sam's sake. When Abby's ex, Brandon, is killed, both he and Michael are suspects, but they later realize neither of them killed Brandon. Eventually, Jason figures out that Anthony Zacchara, recently released from prison, had Brandon killed to try and lure Michael into the business as leverage on Sonny. Jason does his best to run interference, while dealing with Luke, who was revealed to be the hit-and-run driver that killed Jake and is determined for Jason to kill him.
Jason later discovers the extent of Carly and Jax's marital problems, and that Jax is trying to take Josslyn away from Carly. At Carly's request, Jason attempts to stop Jax from taking Josslyn home with him from the hospital, but is ultimately forced to stand aside and allow it to happen when Alexis informs him that he has no say in the matter and that, with Carly not there, Jax has every right to take Josslyn home. Nonetheless, Jason resolves not to give up without a fight and tells Spinelli to dig up dirt on Jax.
Eventually, Jax's underhanded tactics lead to Alexis resigning from the case. When the court date comes, the court-assigned mediator, Grace Yang, recommends that Jax be given full custody of Josslyn. During a recess, Jason, Sonny, and Carly realize that Jax bribed Grace to falsely paint Carly as unfit. Sonny subsequently goes behind Carly's back and blackmails the mediator into framing Jax in a hotel room for her attempted assault after drugging him and planting illegal narcotics in the room, resulting in the judge giving Carly full custody of Josslyn.
Carly comes by when Jason and Sam are planning their wedding, asking for Jason's help to stop Jax from taking Josslyn. On their way to Carly's house, Jason and Carly collide with Elizabeth and Lucky's wife, Siobhan. Jason is rushed to the hospital, and subsequently has to undergo surgery. When he wakes up, he finds out Sonny is on a rampage, and hurt Robin and possibly killed Jax. However, Jason starts to have seizures. Patrick discovers a piece of nonorganic material shifting in his frontal lobe. It turns out to be a piece of the dashboard from the original accident that flew into his nose. Robin and Patrick realize Jason needs to have surgery again. Patrick performs a risky operation that nearly kills Jason, but is successful. Jason recovers and, though he hates it, stays at the hospital to recuperate for Sam's sake. He also finds out Carly sent Morgan to boarding school after Jax's plane crashed, and wants to take Sonny out of her children's lives for good. Jason later talks to Sonny, upset that he hurt Robin and put her daughter, Emma, in danger. He's eventually released and comes home in time for the wedding.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and the current main protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
and General Hospital: Night Shift
General Hospital: Night Shift
General Hospital: Night Shift is an American prime time serial that first aired on SOAPnet for a 13-episode run from July 12, 2007 to October 4, 2007. A spin-off of the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital, the show is SOAPnet's first original scripted drama series and follows the nighttime...
. He is one of the longest-running characters on the show, having been played by various actors since the character's on-screen debut in 1982. The role is currently played by Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
- winning actor Steve Burton, who joined the cast in 1991.
Within the series' narratives, Jason is a member of the prestigious Quartermaine family
Quartermaine family
The Quartermaine family is a very wealthy and prestigious fictional family on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. The Quartermaines have been a staple on General Hospital since their introduction in the late 1970s....
and a high-ranking enforcer within Sonny Corinthos
Sonny Corinthos
Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera General Hospital. Maurice Benard has played the role, that of a manic depressive Mob boss living in Port Charles, since the character's storyline originated on August 13, 1993...
' mob, but is also something of a vigilante, often helping the police take down criminals worse than he is, especially when said criminals threaten or harm his loved ones and friends.
Casting and creation
Burton joined the cast in 1991, making his onscreen debut on December 19, 1991 and becoming the third actor to portray Jason Morgan since the character made its debut in 1982. Upon casting Burton, though, Jason was "agedSoap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome
Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome is a term used to describe the practice of accelerating the age of a television character in conflict with the timeline of a series and/or the real-world progression of time. Characters unseen on screen for a time might reappear portrayed by an actor several years...
" several years for storyline purposes. Burton left the show in January 2000 to pursue other opportunities, but made multiple guest appearances from 2000 to 2001. He returned to the show full-time in May 2002. In October 2008, Burton's contract had expired and had to make a decision on re-signing with the show. After months of speculation, he announced in a public appearance that he re-signed with the show. Burton stated that he would be willing to take a pay cut because he understands that money is a lot tighter now than it has been in recent years and stated that he is blessed to have a job right now.
Childhood and adolescence
Jason was conceived out of his father, Alan Quartermaine's, affair with Susan Moore. Jason is born on-screen on September 14, 1981 at a hospital in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. When Jason was born, Alan supported him financially but was fighting for custody over his other son. Jason had lived with his mother and Scott Baldwin up until her death upon which he moved in with Alan and Monica. Jason and A.J. were sent off to boarding school as children.
When a newly SORASed Jason and older brother A.J. returned, Jason, who was a successful student and athlete was treated as the family favorite while A.J. was failing and dealing with alcoholism. Jason had relationships with (Karen Wexler
Karen Wexler
Karen Wexler Cates was a fictional character on the ABC soap operas General Hospital and its spin-off, Port Charles. She was portrayed by Cari Shayne on General Hospital from April 1992 until November 1994 on General Hospital...
), Brenda Barrett
Brenda Barrett
Brenda Veronica Barrett is a fictional character from the ABC daytime soap opera, General Hospital. The role was originated by Vanessa Marcil on September 18, 1992. After a six-year run with the show, the character of Brenda was believed to have died after her mentally ill mother drove their car...
, Robin Scorpio
Robin Scorpio
Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital and its prime time SOAPnet spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift, originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough since 1985. The character came to mainstream attention when she was diagnosed as HIV-positive...
and Keesha Ward (to whom he lost his virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
) whom A.J. also loved. Jason had supported Monica through her health crisis and adored his adoptive sister, Emily Quartermaine.
In December 1995, an intoxicated AJ ran his car into a tree. Jason, who had been attempting to stop AJ from driving, was in the passenger seat and hit his head on a large boulder after being ejected from the car. To spare AJ, his cousin Ned Ashton claimed responsibility for the accident. Jason suffered brain injuries that resulted in total memory loss.
Upon waking up from his coma, Jason had no recollection of his past and resented all the Quartermaines except his grandmother and Emily. His personality drastically changed as well, from kind hearted and affable to cold and calculating, even to his family. Jason eventually turned his back on his entire family (although he changed his surname to "Morgan," Lila's maiden name) and asked Sonny Corinthos for a job. Sonny was initially skeptical, as he still regarded Jason as a spoiled rich kid. Jason's loyalty and hard work to prove himself impressed Sonny and Jason became Sonny's personal enforcer in his mob business
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
,and eventually they became very close friends. Jason also began to date Robin Scorpio. Because Robin was HIV-positive, Jason began to sleep with Carly Roberts but Jason chose to be with Robin instead. Jason and Carly still remained friends. Jason, working for Sonny, discovered that drugs were being imported, which caused his sister, Emily to collapse. Because the mob was too much for Robin, the couple split up but Jason held a promise never to be romantically involved with Carly.
To help Carly, Jason pretended to be the father of her baby so that neither of the two men that she slept with could take her baby away.This sent Carly into a depression and she left town for two months to regroup. Robin returned to Port Charles and Jason confessed that the child was A.J.'s according to a paternity test but would still like to be the child's father until Carly could take care of her son. Carly's return heralded a new chapter in her relationship with Jason. Jason and Michael had bonded during her absence. They began living together and raising Michael as a family.
As Carly worked to recover from her post-partum depression (or PPD) and bond with Michael, Dr. Jones plotted to get Michael removed from what he considered an unfit environment. When his schemes to get Michael placed with the Quartermaines failed, he kidnapped the child with plans to leave town and raise him. Robin was the first to find proof of Dr. Jones' perfidy, but found herself a hostage. Jason eventually rescued them both. However at trial, Dr. Jones was released due to a plea bargain. Carly reacted by shooting him in a moment of temporary insanity. Carly was remanded to a mental facility for evaluation pending trial.
In Carly's absence, Jason and Robin reunited and made love for the first time. After Robin was almost killed in an explosion, Jason left the mob. Carly was released from the hospital, which put a strain on Jason and Robin's relationship. Robin told AJ that he was Michael's father in an attempt to free Jason and the baby from Carly, but Jason temporarily lost custody of Michael. AJ and Carly married, and a judge awarded joint custody to Jason, Carly, and AJ. Jason feared his hatred of AJ would hurt Michael and signed away all rights. He remained a big part of Michael's life and they are very close.
Jason began comforting Elizabeth Webber
Elizabeth Webber
Elizabeth Spencer may refer to:*Lady Elizabeth Spencer , wife of Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke*Elizabeth Spencer, Baroness Hunsdon*Elizabeth Spencer , American novelist...
over the death of her boyfriend, Lucky Spencer
Lucky Spencer
Lucas Lorenzo "Lucky" Spencer, Jr. is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He is the son of legendary super couple Luke Spencer and Laura Webber.-Casting:...
. Carly misunderstood their relationship and slept with Sonny. Jason was unable to deal with the betrayal of Sonny and Carly, and left town. Sonny and Carly began a real relationship, which Jason eventually accepted.Lucky Spencer was not dead and fully recovered.
Relationship woes
Jason and Elizabeth were friends. During their friendship they became romantically drawn to each other. Jason would later ask Elizabeth to go away with him, but she did not want to go. Elizabeth would one day tell him that it was not alright for him to just go away out of her life because it would hurt her too much. Eventually, circumstances would cause them to go their separate ways, and for them to live separate lives.Jason was forced to protect Sonny's sister, Courtney Matthews
Courtney Matthews
Courtney Matthews was a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She was the daughter of Mike Corbin and Janine Matthews, and the half sister of mobster, Sonny Corinthos. Courtney was portrayed by Alicia Leigh Willis from December 20, 2001 until February 21, 2006...
, when she was being stalked by A.J. Quartermaine. Jason and Courtney began a relationship which they had to keep secret, fearing Carly and Sonny's disapproval. After Luis Alcazar was murdered, Brenda and Jason became the prime suspects and were forced to wed to refrain from testifying. They divorced soon after, and Sonny discovered Courtney and Jason's affair which led to him firing Jason. Sonny eventually gave his approval, however, and Courtney and Jason became engaged. However, on the night of their wedding, their best friend Carly was kidnapped.
Courtney was pregnant, but lost the baby when trying to escape from Lorenzo Alcazar
Lorenzo Alcazar
Lorenzo Alcazar is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, originated by actor Ted King, who previously played Lorenzo's deceased brother Luis Alcazar...
. Eventually, she and Jason married in France but due to the mob lifestyle, they divorced.
Jason and Sam McCall were arrested for aiding and abetting Sonny. Jason offered her a million dollars to leave town when he discovered that Sonny and Sam had had an affair while he was married to Carly. Sam refused and moved in with Sonny. Sonny and Carly reconciled, but Jason discovered that Sam was pregnant with Sonny's child. She was planning on leaving town but Jason convinced her to stay, with Jason pretending to be the father of Sam's baby in order to protect Sonny and Carly's reconciliation for the sake of Michael. They even almost got married, but Sam called off the wedding at the altar because they didn't love each other and she still had feelings for Sonny. Over time, Jason and Sam started to trust each other and care for each other. However, Sonny and Sam's daughter was stillborn and Jason helped Sam cope with the loss. Jason and Sam eventually fell in love, but Jason decided it would be best if they didn't pursue a relationship, worried that she would fear his work as an enforcer despite her assurance she wouldn't. She then moved out, unable to continue living with him as "just friends" but she soon moved back in as each realized they didn't want to be without the other and began a relationship and got engaged. They almost adopted a baby named Hope but that fell through.
When all three of Sonny's children were kidnapped, Jason and Sam worked together to discover that A.J. Quartermaine and Faith Roscoe were the kidnappers; A.J. had done so in an attempt to get Michael back. They tracked down the children and were able to bring them home safe. Jason's father, Alan, was initially sympathetic to A.J. and helped him, but turned him in to the police due to A.J.'s violent methods. While trying to apprehend A.J., Jason accidentally breaks his back. When A.J. is smothered to death in the hospital by Dr. Asher Thomas, a regretful Jason realized that, in helping Sonny and Carly keep Michael away from A.J., he had robbed his brother of his only chance to be a father and to get to know who his son was.
After Jason lost his memory, he fell in love with Sam all over again and they move to Hawaii when Jason decides he wants nothing to do with his old mob life. In late November 2005, Sam convinced Jason to go on an experimental drug that Robin Scorpio
Robin Scorpio
Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital and its prime time SOAPnet spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift, originated and portrayed by Kimberly McCullough since 1985. The character came to mainstream attention when she was diagnosed as HIV-positive...
founded, that would help him regain his memory. The drug worked but this caused a brain aneurysm and they moved back to Hawaii where they planned to spend the last days of Jason's life. Although Jason initially refuses, Robin and Patrick Drake operate on him saving his life, when he comes to the decision that he wants to live in order to stay with Sam.
Jason also had to come to terms with Sonny dating his sister, Emily. The relationship drove a wedge between Jason and Sonny, and Jason took over Sonny's business entirely without Sonny's consent. This resulted in a fist fight between the two that a teary-eyed Emily had to break up.
Jason and Sam later discover that Sam's mother is Alexis Davis
Alexis Davis
Alexis Davis is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. Nancy Lee Grahn originated the role in April 1996. She is the daughter of Mikkos Cassadine and Kristin Bergman. She is also the mother of Sam McCall, Kristina Davis and Molly Lansing...
. Although Sam wanted to have children, she was shot with a bullet that, at the time everybody though was meant for Jason, resulting in her inability to become pregnant again. Alexis guilted Jason in to breaking up with Sam for her own safety even though they were still very much in love. But after months of trying to win him back and not succeeding, Sam slept with her mother's husband, Ric Lansing who happens to be one of Jason's biggest enemies, to cause her mother grief but Jason also witnessed the incident. After seeing Sam and Ric together, Jason went back to the penthouse to drown his sorrows in alcohol and Elizabeth showed up during a heatwave/blackout needing a shoulder to cry on having just seen her husband Lucky in her apt making love to her co worker, Maxie. Jason and Elizabeth slept together, which resulted in a pregnancy. Initially Elizabeth claimed Lucky was the father but later she said to Jason when their lives were in danger that he was the father. They continued to maintain the lie to let Lucky believe he was the father in order to protect the feelings of their significant others and to protect the child from Jason's enemies.
Jason's estranged father Alan died in early 2007 during the Metro Court hostage crisis, just as they were beginning to rebuild their relationship. Jason took his death hard, and privately confided to Monica during the memorial service that he had flashes of good childhood memories of Alan and that he regretted all the years he pushed him away.
Mob entanglement
Elizabeth gives birth to a son, Jacob Martin Spencer, in May 2007. Sam watches and says nothing when she sees Jason and Elizabeth's son, Jake, being kidnapped. Jason and Sam's relationship ends, and Jason recovers his son with the help of Amelia Joffe. Sam later hired two men from her Everyday Heroes set, to pull a gun on Elizabeth and her children in the park in order to make Elizabeth afraid to be with Jason. Her plan worked. When Jason discovered this he threatened to kill Sam if she ever hurt Elizabeth and her kids again. Later because of Sam's continuing threat to reveal to Lucky, his son Jake's paternity, Jason reveals Jake's paternity to Lucky himself at the Black and White Ball to end it, where his sister, Emily is killed. Lucky and Sam agree to keep the secret and Elizabeth and Jason begin to meet secretly. Later, Jason asked Elizabeth to marry him and as he was asking her to marry him, Michael was shot in the head by a gunmen, Ian Devlin, who was targeting his father and Jason's partner, Sonny. Jason became so worried about his son's safety that he broke off his relationship with her on that same day and told Elizabeth that he couldn't marry her and put his son's life in danger. Jason and Elizabeth would still continue to try and make their relationship work by meeting secretly until Jake was kidnapped a second time by the Russian mob in November, 2008. After Jake was saved this time by Sam, who risked her own life, both Elizabeth and Jason agreed to never see each other or try to contact each other again.During this time, Jason's relationship with his mother, Monica, becomes increasingly strained because she blames him for the deaths of Alan and Emily and becomes an alcoholic, eventually being sent to a rehab clinic after she hits Sam while driving drunk, where she continues to blame Jason for everything that has gone wrong in her life. However, when Monica's self-destructive behavior and drinking land her in the hospital after a horrific car accident, she has an epiphany and reconciles with Jason, reassuring him that he is her son and she loves him no matter what. Promising to be a better son in the future, Jason subsequently hires Diane to defend her when she goes on trial, and, after much persuasion, the judge lets Monica off with rehab and community service.
Jason denies Sonny access to the organization when he wants it back. In order to regain his power, Sonny becomes head of the Zacchara organization by marrying Claudia Zacchara
Claudia Zacchara
Claudia Antonia Corinthos is a fictional character from the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital. The daughter of New York City mob boss Anthony Zacchara, Claudia was portrayed by Sarah Brown beginning January 31, 2008. She left the role of Claudia on November 6, 2009 to join the cast of The...
. Jason is later offered a blanket of immunity by Agent Rayner if he informs on Sonny Corinthos
Sonny Corinthos
Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera General Hospital. Maurice Benard has played the role, that of a manic depressive Mob boss living in Port Charles, since the character's storyline originated on August 13, 1993...
and Anthony Zacchara, but he refuses to give up Sonny. After Spinelli was set up by a geeky undercover agent named Winifred Leeds, he was arrested for his illegal activity. Jason is forced to agree to Rayner's deal to gain Spinelli's freedom. Jason asks Sonny to quit working with the Zaccharas, but Sonny refuses. Spinelli is freed from the FBI's hold when Sam, with the help of Winifred, destroys all the evidence against him. Jason and Sonny reconcile, and Jason is more than happy to give Sonny back the business and go back to being an enforcer.
Jason obtains evidence that Claudia Corinthos is responsible for Michael's shooting. Jason is also dealing with Carly Corinthos
Carly Corinthos
Caroline Leigh "Carly" Corinthos Jacks is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Originated by Sarah Brown on April 8, 1996, the role of Carly has been portrayed by Laura Wright since 2005...
and her unstable son. In May 2009, his nephew Michael Corinthos wakes up from his year-long coma, but due to brain damage he is now an aggressive 17-year-old. Jason refuses to allow Michael's request to join his father's business and agrees with Carly that Michael should live at the Quartermaine Mansion for his own good. Jason resumes a friendship with Sam, who has partnered with Spinelli in her quest to start a private investigation firm. She lends him an ear and helps him figure out what to do about Claudia and Michael, and he in turn gives her and Spinelli the money they need to set up their detective agency.
Life with Sam
When Kristina Corinthos causes Sonny's latest wife ClaudiaClaudia Zacchara
Claudia Antonia Corinthos is a fictional character from the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital. The daughter of New York City mob boss Anthony Zacchara, Claudia was portrayed by Sarah Brown beginning January 31, 2008. She left the role of Claudia on November 6, 2009 to join the cast of The...
to crash her car and lose her unborn child, Kristina and her half brother Michael Corinthos run away to Mexico, both believing themselves to be responsible for the accident. Sam and Jason track the siblings but a resurfaced Jerry Jacks
Jerry Jacks
Jerard Aloysius "Jerry" Jacks was a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He was portrayed by Julian Stone from April 10, 1998 to December 14, 1999. In January 2007 the role was resumed by Sebastian Roché with the in-universe explanation that character James Craig ...
manages to capture Sam, luring Jason into a trap. During the ensuing shootout, Jason is pinned beneath a pile of rubble and Jerry taunts Jason with lies about Claudia's innocence before shooting him twice and leaving him for dead. While trapped Jason hallucinates Michael, Kristina and Carly separately. Sam escapes and returns just in time to rescue Jason and takes care of him. Jason starts hallucinating and thinks he's in Hawaii with Sam. Sam helps her former lover heal and the two reconnect. Once Jason is back to his old self and is no longer hallucinating, he and Sam give in to their feelings and make love. They decide not to talk about it afterwards, but are still drawn to each other. Jason and Sam find Michael and Kristina in Cancun, Mexico, and bring them back to Port Charles a few days later. Jason tells Sonny about his altercation with Jerry and about Jerry's claims of Claudia's innocence in Michael's shooting.
After returning to Port Charles, Sam and Jason remain drawn to each other and continue sleeping with each other. They soon admit that they are in a relationship. Sam and Jason attend the carnival together. Jason sees Jake with his family at the Merry-go-Round. As Lucky and Elizabeth chase after their brood, Jake runs off. The carnival takes a chaotic turn when Jason's grandfather Edward Quartermaine
Edward Quartermaine
Edward Louis Quartermaine is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. The character was created in 1978, originally played by David Lewis. When ill health forced Lewis to step down from the role in 1989, the character was killed off in a plane crash. Lewis' voice was still...
has a drug-induced heart attack and passes out behind the wheel, plunging his car down the carnival midway. Jake is injured at the carnival.
Jason and Sam find the proof they need to bring Claudia down on Michael's shooting. When he brings the evidence to Sonny, Claudia is brought down in front of Port Charles by Sonny for getting Michael shot. She kidnaps Carly, who is pregnant and goes into labor just as Claudia escapes. Jason heads out and bursts into a cabin with a woman and two children. He heads back to his penthouse to regroup. Jason and Sam go looking for them, but Michael finds them first and kills Claudia. Sam takes Carly and her newborn baby, Josslyn Jacks to the hospital, while Jason helps Michael deal with killing Claudia. Jason and Sam admit that they are in love with each other, right before Christmas.
Sam, Lulu and Carly are taken by the crazed artist Franco. Jason finds Carly in Franco's workshop and saves her. Later Franco finally confesses where he is holding Sam and Lulu Spencer
Lulu Spencer
Lesley Lu "Lulu" Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She is the daughter of supercouple Luke and Laura Spencer. She has notably been portrayed by Julie Marie Berman, who debuted in the role in November 2005...
. Jason calls Dante Falconeri to save Lulu, while he goes after Sam. Sam was never in actual danger, but Jason feels bad when it is believed that the only bomb Franco set has killed Lulu and Dante. He later reassures Sam that he does not regret coming after her first. Thankfully Lulu and Dante survive and Jason is now in arguments with Sonny on how to handle Claudia's death and Franco since he left town giving Jason a warning that he will kill for every person Jason kills. Carly officially asks Jason to be Josslyn's Godfather, and although he first tries to get out of it for Josslyn's protection he finally agrees.
When Kristina is abused and hospitalized by her boyfriend Kiefer Bauer and tells everyone that it was Ethan Lovett
Ethan Lovett
Ethan Lovett is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, portrayed by Nathan Parsons since January 30, 2009...
who committed the crime, Jason is the first to suspect her of lying because the timeline in her version of events is off, and is thus one of the very few people in Port Charles to give Ethan the benefit of the doubt
Benefit of the Doubt
Benefit of the Doubt is a 1967 documentary on Peter Brook's anti-Vietnam protest play, with the Royal Shakespeare Company, known under the title US. It was filmed at London's Aldwych Theatre and features Peter Brook, Michael Kustow, Michael Williams and Glenda Jackson. It was directed by Peter...
. Though Alexis, Sam, and Sonny dismiss the inconsistencies in Kristina's story, unable to think of any reason why Kristina would lie about her attacker, Jason convinces Lucky and Dante to investigate further. Eventually, Kiefer's abusive nature, along with the truth about Kristina's attacks, becomes public knowledge after he beats her a second time; however, Alexis accidentally hits Kiefer with her car and kills him while taking Kristina to the hospital that same night, causing his father, Warren Bauer, to become obsessed with getting revenge on Kristina and Alexis. In response, Jason is approached by Molly, who desperately begs him to "make Mr. Bauer disappear." Jason turns her down, explaining that he doesn't want to get children involved in the mob after what happened to Michael.
Franco's return
During this time, Sonny is put on trial for Claudia's murder following semi-doctored evidence found by Dante. To keep him from confessing, Jason, Sonny, and Carly arrange for Michael to be sent to Sonny's private island in the Caribbean until the trial ends; however, this only convinces the prosecutor, Claire WalshClaire Walsh
Claire Walsh is a fictional character from the original American daytime drama, General Hospital. She has been portrayed by Dahlia Salem as a recurring character from February 24, 2010 to January 21, 2011.-Early history:...
, that Michael has information that will ensure Sonny's conviction. As part of the cover-up, Jason convinces Maxie Jones
Maxie Jones
Mariah Maximilliana "Maxie" Jones is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital currently portrayed by Kirsten Storms. She is the oldest daughter of supercouple Frisco and Felicia Jones. In 2009, Storms was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her role of Maxie Jones...
, who had seen Michael's car at the cabin on the night of Claudia's murder, to perjure herself and make sure that Claire and Judge Carroll do not find out that Michael was there; despite Sonny and Carly's skepticism, Maxie pulls through for them. Unfortunately, the cover-up is blown when Dante, having discovered that Michael was the one who killed Claudia and brought him back to Port Charles, enters the courtroom just as the jury is about to announce their verdict and tells all those present as such. Though Jason attempts to once again spirit Michael out of the country, Lucky finds Michael first and, despite Jason's pleas, brings him in to testify. However, everyone is taken aback when Judge Carroll, furious that the trial was a farce and determined to show everyone the legal system cannot be manipulated or circumvented, decides to make an example of Michael by giving him the particularly harsh sentence of two-to-five years in the Pentonville Adult Correctional Facility.
On May 20, in order to protect Michael, Jason makes a deal with Claire and is sent to Pentonville as well. Jason was regularly visited by Sam, who at one point posed as his ex-wife, Brenda Barrett, in order to get a conjugal visit
Conjugal visit
A conjugal visit is a scheduled extended visit during which an inmate of a prison is permitted to spend several hours or days in private, usually with a legal spouse...
. He is also visited by Alexis for advice on how to handle the increasingly rebellious Kristina, who is pretending to date Johnny to spite Sonny. Dante, Claire, and Jax
Jasper Jacks
Jasper "Jax" Jacks is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital. He has been played by actor Ingo Rademacher from January 1996 to August 2000, and from August 2001 to July 2011. In January 2008, the role was temporarily filled by Gideon Emery...
, guilt-ridden over their roles in Michael's incarceration, eventually convince the judge to release Michael on parole. Unfortunately, Jason is forced to remain in Pentonville, and Diane, despite her best efforts, is unable to find a way to get him out.
On June 30, Franco returns to Port Charles with the intent to resume his feud with Jason; in response, Jason makes a deal with Dante and Claire and is temporarily released from Pentonville to draw Franco out of hiding. In July, Jason and Dante go to L.A. to find Franco. In late July/early August, they had thought that Franco had died (from his fall off the roof), but it was someone else. Franco revels that he had Carter beat and 'mess' up Michael. Franco also has a nurse named "J. Morgan" take Aiden Cassadine, the newborn son of Elizabeth and Lucky Spencer, because he had the number 66 on his ID bracelet. Franco was obsessed with the number 66 and wanted his mom to have the "perfect" son. Aiden is found and returned to Elizabeth by Lucky. Franco eventually escapes, and Jason is sent back to prison. However, on August 16, Jason is permanently released from Pentonville on a technicality after Claire discovers a loophole in his plea bargain. Though Jason is naturally suspicious of Claire's intentions, Sonny assures him that Claire was only righting a wrong because neither Jason nor Michael should have been in prison to begin with.
Brenda's return
On September 16, 2010, Jason went to Rome, to serve as a bodyguard to help protect BrendaBrenda Barrett
Brenda Veronica Barrett is a fictional character from the ABC daytime soap opera, General Hospital. The role was originated by Vanessa Marcil on September 18, 1992. After a six-year run with the show, the character of Brenda was believed to have died after her mentally ill mother drove their car...
from the Balkan. This is the first time they have seen each other since she went back to Paris in early 2003. Jason and Brenda return to Port Charles in late September. Brenda moved into the Penthouse with him because it was the best way to protect her from the Balkan.
With Brenda living with Jason, he and Sam barely get to spend anytime together. He briefly asks Sam to move in but she says no saying that it is not right timing. Jason and Sam continue to work on protecting Brenda and finding out the identity of the Balkan. In early 2011, Sam finds out that there is a fertility construction surgery that she can have that might give her the possibility of having a baby. She and Jason talk about it and they agree that their lives are too dangerous to have kids. At one point she thinks she is pregnant but results prove that she is not. On January 31, 2011, Jason leaves Dante's loft and hears screams, coming across Michael brutally strangling a man named Brandon after the latter attempted to rape his friend, Abby Haver. Jason pulls Michael off of Brandon, and is hit really hard when Michael admits that Carter raped him in prison.
Jason's relationship with Brenda is that of a love/hate or brother/sister relationship. Jason finds her irritating and a pain in the ass, and Brenda finds his unemotional facade aggravating. But despite this, Jason is shown to be protective of her and walks her down the isle at her wedding to Sonny, despite his reservations about the wedding.
Jason and Sam discovered that Brenda's defense attorney, Theo Hoffman, was the Balkan, and immediately went out to stop him; in the process, Jason was caught in an ambush and barely escaped. After the reception, Brenda was seemingly killed in a car bomb. Though it was believed that the Balkan was the one who planted the bomb, Jason received a call from the newly returned Franco, who hinted that he was the one who planted the bomb. When the authorities managed to get through the wreckage, everybody was shocked to discover Sam within the limo, with no sign of Brenda. Fortunately, due to bomb-proofing, Sam survived the explosion with only a concussion and temporary hearing loss.
In the meantime, Jason interrogates Shawn Butler, a mercenary who had previously worked for Theo, for information. Shawn insists that he does not know where Theo and Brenda are and he wants Theo taken down just as badly as they do, but Jason does not believe him. Shawn says that he has access to records on Theo that may help them, but they are contained in a biometric
Biometrics
Biometrics As Jain & Ross point out, "the term biometric authentication is perhaps more appropriate than biometrics since the latter has been historically used in the field of statistics to refer to the analysis of biological data [36]" . consists of methods...
lock that only he can bypass. After much persuasion, Jason agrees to let Shawn get the information, and also asks him to check the records to see if Theo has any connection with Franco.
Later, Jason discovers from Michael that he had gone after an assassin hired by Theo to kill Shawn and apprehended him with Dante's help. Jason is anything but pleased that Michael risked breaking his parole and got "too close to the business," only for Michael to snap and shout that he wants to help and is sick of people not believing in him. Jason explains that he gave up a lot of choices when he went to work for Sonny, revealing that he is Jake Webber's biological father, and tells Michael that he merely doesn't want him to make the same mistake.
Eventually, Jason, Sonny, and Dante manage to track down Brenda, finding her near-death after being injected with a neurotoxin
Neurotoxin
A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...
. Sonny rushes her to the hospital while Jason and Dante attempt to stop Theo, who escapes. Jason and Dante quickly begin to butt heads over their differing opinions regarding apprehending Theo; Jason is perfectly willing to kill him for hurting Sam, while Dante is determined to arrest Theo despite Jason's insistence that Theo, being a lawyer, would easily find a way out of it. Though Brenda has been found, Jason vows to keep looking for him until he pays for what he did to Sam.
While Brenda is recovering in the hospital, Jason has Spinelli surf the Web to find out if Theo has any connections in Port Charles, discovering that he did indeed have one with a family aligned to the Corinthos organization. Jason immediately departs, vowing that anyone who hurts Sam needs to be dealt with. In the ensuing confrontation, Theo's contact insists that he has no idea where the Balkan is now, and explains to Jason that he put Theo in contact with Johnny Zacchara. The contact declares that it was a mistake to help Theo and doesn't to business with people who attack women.
Jason immediately confronts Johnny, who insists that he had no idea that Theo was targeting Brenda and had nothing to do with Sam's kidnapping. However, Johnny does admit that he lent some muscle to Theo and killed the man who was following Sam. Johnny even declares that he could have easily killed Jason too, and for that, Jason owes him a life debt.
Jake's death
On March 18, 2011, Jason's son, Jake runs out his mother's house, into the street and gets hit by a car. Jake is rushed to the hospital, and Patrick and Robin Drake operate on him to try and save his life, but there was just too much damage, and Jake dies on the operating table as Jason watches from the observation window. Jason later had to break the news to Lucky, who then went and broke the news of Jake's death to Elizabeth. Carly, who was also at the hospital because her daughter Josslyn had just been diagnosed with kidney cancer, found Jason at the hospital rooftop and told him of Josslyn's illness. She felt horrible for Jason's loss, but wanted him to consider donating Jake's kidneys to Josslyn in order to save her daughter's life.As the decision is not up to him, Jason passes on Carly's request to Elizabeth. Outraged, Elizabeth slaps him and adamantly refuses to consider letting Jason and Carly use her son for "spare parts." However, after hearing of Josslyn's plight from Jason, Lucky manages to convince Elizabeth to donate one of Jake's kidneys. As Josslyn is being prepped for surgery, Jason makes his way to Elizabeth's house, and breaks down in tears upon seeing Jake's toy motorcycle, which he takes with him.
Jason continues to grieve for Jake's loss. He often disappears on his motorcycle, driving out of town, but comes back for Sam's sake. When Abby's ex, Brandon, is killed, both he and Michael are suspects, but they later realize neither of them killed Brandon. Eventually, Jason figures out that Anthony Zacchara, recently released from prison, had Brandon killed to try and lure Michael into the business as leverage on Sonny. Jason does his best to run interference, while dealing with Luke, who was revealed to be the hit-and-run driver that killed Jake and is determined for Jason to kill him.
Jason later discovers the extent of Carly and Jax's marital problems, and that Jax is trying to take Josslyn away from Carly. At Carly's request, Jason attempts to stop Jax from taking Josslyn home with him from the hospital, but is ultimately forced to stand aside and allow it to happen when Alexis informs him that he has no say in the matter and that, with Carly not there, Jax has every right to take Josslyn home. Nonetheless, Jason resolves not to give up without a fight and tells Spinelli to dig up dirt on Jax.
Eventually, Jax's underhanded tactics lead to Alexis resigning from the case. When the court date comes, the court-assigned mediator, Grace Yang, recommends that Jax be given full custody of Josslyn. During a recess, Jason, Sonny, and Carly realize that Jax bribed Grace to falsely paint Carly as unfit. Sonny subsequently goes behind Carly's back and blackmails the mediator into framing Jax in a hotel room for her attempted assault after drugging him and planting illegal narcotics in the room, resulting in the judge giving Carly full custody of Josslyn.
Engagement to Sam and second brain injury
After Jake's death, Jason and Sam finally realize that it doesn't matter how dangerous their lives are, they both want children because their lives are incomplete without them. Sam has the fertility reconstruction procedure, and the results are successful. Sam will be able to have children again. Jason also comes to realize that he never wants to part with Sam, and on July 21, 2011, Jason proposes to Sam, and she accepts. Elizabeth comes by, having a rough time dealing with Jake's death, but when she sees Sam's engagement "ring," she runs out, realizing she intruded on their moment. Carly later comes by, not happy about the engagement. Jason, however, tells her that he has to put Sam first, and Carly needs to respect that.Carly comes by when Jason and Sam are planning their wedding, asking for Jason's help to stop Jax from taking Josslyn. On their way to Carly's house, Jason and Carly collide with Elizabeth and Lucky's wife, Siobhan. Jason is rushed to the hospital, and subsequently has to undergo surgery. When he wakes up, he finds out Sonny is on a rampage, and hurt Robin and possibly killed Jax. However, Jason starts to have seizures. Patrick discovers a piece of nonorganic material shifting in his frontal lobe. It turns out to be a piece of the dashboard from the original accident that flew into his nose. Robin and Patrick realize Jason needs to have surgery again. Patrick performs a risky operation that nearly kills Jason, but is successful. Jason recovers and, though he hates it, stays at the hospital to recuperate for Sam's sake. He also finds out Carly sent Morgan to boarding school after Jax's plane crashed, and wants to take Sonny out of her children's lives for good. Jason later talks to Sonny, upset that he hurt Robin and put her daughter, Emma, in danger. He's eventually released and comes home in time for the wedding.
Marriage to Sam
When Maxie's wedding ring order gets mixed up, Monica gives Alan's wedding ring and Edward gives Lila's wedding ring to Sam and Jason. Sam also finds out that there are several things going wrong with the wedding plans. Sam later expresses reservations about the wedding that Maxie and her sisters have set up for her. Jason decides to take her somewhere on his motorcycle to get their mind off things. They end up at a Chinese restaurant, where Jason simply says that he would marry her right there if he could. The restaurant owner says they could, as he happens to be an ordained minister as well. Jason and Sam marry in the restaurant's garden on September 22, 2011.See also
- Quartermaine familyQuartermaine familyThe Quartermaine family is a very wealthy and prestigious fictional family on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. The Quartermaines have been a staple on General Hospital since their introduction in the late 1970s....
- Jason Morgan and Sam McCallJason Morgan and Sam McCallJason and Samantha "Sam" Morgan are fictional characters from the long running ABC Daytime soap opera, General Hospital and a supercouple...
- Jason Morgan and Elizabeth WebberJason Morgan and Elizabeth WebberJason Morgan and Elizabeth Webber are fictional characters from the long running ABC Daytime soap opera, General Hospital and a supercouple...
External links
- Jason Morgan profile at soapcentral.com
- Jason Morgan @ ABC.com