General Hospital fans, we have the most incredible news! We said a week ago that we had heard Ryan Paevey was coming back to GH, and now it’s confirmed. The hunk is back in just a few weeks. But the big question is, will he play the not-so-dead Nathan West? If so, it’s going to change so many things—everything, really.

We’re going to talk about why we think Ryan Paevey might really be reprising the role of fan-favorite Nathan West.

Nathan West’s Shocking Death and Britt Westbourne’s Return Explained

So, in case you don’t remember, Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud)’s brother Nathan West died on January 31st, 2018. He was shot by his father, Cesar Faison (Anders Hove), while trying to protect his pregnant wife, Maxie Jones (Kirsten Storms). Fans were devastated that General Hospital killed off Nathan West. I was so upset. It was awful the way they did it.

Since then, fans have been wanting Ryan Paevey back. For 7 years people have been asking for him to come back. It took a while, but he is back. His first air date back to General Hospital is this September. He’s already filming, and that’s coming up fast.

Family Reunion for Liesl Obrecht, Britt, and Nathan? Big Clues from GH

The ex-Nathan actor said he will be back for a while, so yay! Now, it has not been confirmed if he is returning as Nathan West or not, but it seems a big possibility. The fact that Britt Westbourne returned as his sister Britt—and she’s supposedly been dead for the last two years—is a big red flag. So if Faison’s daughter can be resurrected, then Nathan certainly can too.

Another red flag is that Britt and Nathan’s mom, Liesl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati), just got back to town. So this could be turning into a family reunion for Liesl and both of her kids. When Soap Digest confirmed Kelly Thiebaud’s return, they said they weren’t sure if she’d be back as Britt. Now they’re saying the exact same thing about Ryan Paevey’s return. Another red flag that the ABC press office is using the same language.

Also, the Nathan actor said of his return, “I thought if we’re going to do this, we should really do it and surprise the fans with a meaty storyline.” I mean, that sounds like a huge hint he’s back as Nathan West. Just seeing his face is a little surprise, but a big surprise and a meaty return—that’s to me all signs of Nathan West.

Will Faison’s Family Get a New Chapter? The Faison-Obrecht Clan’s Future

Another big clue is in a recent interview on Britt Westbourne’s return before the whole Ryan Paevey thing came up. GH showrunners said, “The excitement won’t end with Britt Westbourne. The Faison-Obrecht clan is just getting started.” I mean, come on. A clan is more than two people:

Liesl Obrecht and Britt Westbourne, and they’re just getting started. The excitement won’t end. Just all of it. My money’s on Nathan West. Let’s dive in real quick on just a few things that could really change on General Hospital for a lot of people because of this return.

Could Nathan West Be the Mysterious Mastermind on GH?

The first thing that could shake things up is whether not-so-dead Nathan West might be the mystery boss who has got Britt Westbourne doing sinister science for him in the lab. Now, I’m of two minds on this. One, maybe Nathan West is the boss, and I’ll talk about why he could be doing that.

But the second is, he’s not the boss. Instead, he’s the leverage the boss is using to keep Britt Westbourne there. So I do feel like definitely that he’s wrapped up in it. The thing is Nathan is a sweetheart, the very best of Cesar Faison’s family. But maybe Nathan is not quite himself.

GH Memory Mapping: Is Nathan West Under Faison’s Influence?

So we’ve got a theory that maybe Nathan starts out awful at first because Faison’s memories are implanted in his head. You know, General Hospital has used memory mapping before. Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) had fake Alex Merrick’s (also Anna Devane) memories in her head. We had it with Drew Cain Quartermaine (Cameron Mathison), and we had it with Franco (Roger Howarth), so there is precedent for them to do it.

It’s a very WSB sort of thing. But that also means that they can strip those memories back out. So maybe Nathan West starts out dark because of his dead dad’s influence and then he can be restored to his sweet self. Faison was working with Andre Maddox (Anthony Montgomery) on memory mapping if you remember, so it’s totally plausible.

Could Faison Still Be Alive? GH’s Father-Son Twists

And in case you don’t remember, Faison found out Nathan was his son right after he shot him. So yeah, Faison might have revived Nathan and kept him hidden for years. I’m kind of torn. I’m hoping Faison is really dead, but I love Anders Hove, the actor. He’s fantastic.

So, I could totally see Nathan being only mostly dead and Faison stealing Nathan away so he can get to know his son. If Faison has had Nathan all this time, or Faison’s minions have, then Nathan may be nothing like his old self to start with. Faison’s influence could have totally changed Nathan.

General Hospital Villain Watch: Could Faison Return or Will Nathan Shine?

Yet, Faison is supposed to be dead. His brain was in a jar on Kevin Collins’ (Jon Lindstrom) desk, allegedly. But it’s a soap, so that could be any old brain. For now, no word on a Faison comeback—just actor Ryan Paevey. The second huge impact, if it really is Nathan who’s back, is going to be about Maxie. It’ll flip her world upside down. Right now, she’s facing a medical crisis. She’s unconscious. We may see her in a coma. They’re going to take her over to GH. Lucas Jones (Van Hansis) is rushing to help.

Maxie Jones and Nathan West: Reunion on the Horizon

We were kind of wondering if it might be Stella Henry (Vernee Watson) from the stress of those investigators, but no, it’s Maxie. Then Lucas has to give bad news. So that’s not a good sign, but she’s not going to die. This whole thing seems to be to cover an extended absence for Kirsten Storms, who had scheduled many weeks off for personal reasons. Presumably, she’s going to be in a coma or some kind of care facility. Then, when Maxie  is back and out of it, imagine if Nathan is there at her bedside.

Maxie’s Medical Crisis: How Will GH Handle Her Absence?

Maxie Jones is set to be back on our screens in October, after the medical issue goes poorly and then she recovers. If she wakes up and sees Nathan, the gorgeous face of the love of her life… Poor Damian Spinelli (Bradford Anderson)’s probably going to get the boot. Of course, Maxie loves Spinelli, but Nathan was everything to Maxie. She was devastated when he died. She gave birth to their son without him. So yeah, she still loves Nathan West. This would upend her life.

James West’s Role: Will Nathan West’s Son Save the Day?

The next thing to consider with this return is little James West (Gary James Fuller) would finally get the chance to know his father—if it is Nathan. James West may be critical to the storyline because there’s something generational happening with Britt and Liesl and then maybe Nathan West coming back. James is one of that family. If Nathan comes back dark, maybe James pulls his dad back to the good side.

Dante Falconeri and Harrison Chase: GH’s New Detective Dynamics

The fourth thing to think about that’s big involves Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna). You know, he and Nathan were partners at the PCPD. They were best friends—like brothers. Since Nathan’s death, Harrison Chase (Josh Swickard) came to town and kind of slid into that spot on GH, but right now Dante is on the cusp of a big falling out with Chase over this whole Michael Corinthos (Rory Gibson) and Willow Tait (Katelyn MacMullen) thing.

Dante is team Michael, Chase is team Willow — it’s about to get much worse. So then, if we bring Nathan back in, Dante has got his former bestie back, and that may widen the gap between him and Chase. Although long run, I could see Chase and Nathan becoming good friends because they are both good guys.

Is Peter August Coming Back to General Hospital? More Faison Drama

The last thing to consider, and I hate to even mention it, is with Faison’s daughter Britt back, possibly Nathan too—those are both kids he had with Liesl. We may get another sinister return. It would be bad enough if Faison was back, but what if his third child returned?

His other son, and Britt’s brother from another mother – the horrible Peter August (Wes Ramsey)? That would be insane. Maxie Jones fell for Peter. She’s got kids with two of Faison’s sons. If Peter is back, Maxie would be horrified.

She went all out to hide their daughter, Bailey Lou Jones from Peter. With the writers saying the Faison-Obrecht clan is just getting started—and by specifying Faison because Peter is related to Faison but not Dr. O.

That’s what has me a little scared about whether Peter might come back. Gosh, I hope he doesn’t. And I would love it if Ryan Paevey was back as Nathan West. That’s where I feel it’s going. Share your comments. Let me know what you think.