It won't be long now until Jason Morgan once again makes his way back to Port Charles and General Hospital.
As soon as the announcement of Steve Burton's return to the role was made on January 4 at the end of the GH primetime special, General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Stories, fans took to social media to debate which woman should claim Jason's heart this time around.
When Burton emerged through those smoky doors at the end of the special, he was joined by Laura Wright and Kelly Monaco. While Carly and Sam are certainly contenders for Jason's affection, there are other candidates who can shake things up a bit while offering some fun surprises.
The Jason "Ship Wars" have been going on for decades, with a twist thrown into the mix not long before Burton's last departure. There are cases to be made for the three most prominent and obvious ones.
When Jason arrived back in Port Charles in 2018, the first thing he did was visit his old penthouse to learn that Sam McCall was married to another man she called Jason. Sam was the only person the real Jason wanted at the time, as she was the last woman he'd been with before being shot and shoved into the river in 2012. The man Sam called Jason turned out to be his long-lost twin (who had had plastic surgery), Drew Cain, then played by Billy Miller.
It looked like "Jasam" would pick up where they left off and live happily ever after, but by the time Jason was presumed dead again in 2021, he and Sam had broken up and she had moved on with Dante Falconeri. Some fans say the old spark wasn't there, while others hold out hope that GH rectifies the situation in 2024 and rights their ship.
As Jasam @crimsonrun put it on Valentine's Day on X (formerly known as Twitter): #GH #jaSam Is it time to bring out the leather jackets for Sam and Jason? I'm ready... 19 days...the countdown to March 4th is on..."
#GH #jaSam Is it time to bring out the leather jackets for Sam and Jason? I'm ready... 19 days...the countdown to March 4th is on... 👏❤️😍😎💥🔥 pic.twitter.com/bk38TARoru
- aimee (@crimsonrum) February 15, 2024
Oddly enough, Jason had moved on with Carly in 2021 and even married her. It was supposed to just be a marriage of convenience to show a united mob front while Sonny was presumed dead, but Jason and Carly declared their undying love for one another just days before the wedding and were ready to consummate their marriage. Too bad a very much alive Sonny walked in on them right before they made it to the bed.
Jason sadly took off his wedding ring and headed off to help his last (brief) girlfriend Britt Westbourne track down her mother on Cassadine Island. That's where he ended up pronounced dead again after a tunnel explosion. Carly is now with Jason's brother Drew, but we all know he is just a Jason replacement in her mind. Jarly fans are ready to see if they will give it another go -- and they just might.
X fan Jarly29214161 wrote, "Jason. The one and only person who loves and accepts her as she is, flaws and all, and never presumes to speak for her.... The fact that he always puts her first is also a big positive. Carly has done her time with lesser men. #Jarly"
Jason. The one and only person who loves and accepts her as she is, flaws and all, and never presumes to speak for her....
- Jarly❤ (@Jarly29214161) February 21, 2024
The fact that he always puts her first is also a big positive. Carly has done her time with lesser men.#Jarly https://t.co/Fn6x68zPo0 pic.twitter.com/pVhYDEm57S
Some Jason fans may say that Carly is the one who got away, but others would put Elizabeth in that category. Liaison fans argue that their couple never got the chance they deserved. Jason and Liz were that star-crossed pair that could never seem to get it together long enough to have a real relationship, but one night together did lead to a child, the now-teenage Jake.
In fact, Liason fans are celebrating 25 years of their ship this month on X by sharing clips, pics, and memories of Jason and Elizabeth's time together. They thought their wish had come true in 2015 when Liz nearly wed Jake Doe before learning he was Jason. (Of course, we later learned that Jake Doe was really Drew and not Jason, after all.)
Is it finally time to give Jason and Elizabeth their due? @TVfan43 seems to think so and even has a fantasy scenario in which it can happen: "ITALY!!!!! I need for Elizabeth to take a trip to Italy and stumble upon Jason. My dream story #gh #Liason," they posted on Twitter with an old clip of Jason and Liz discussing a trip there.
ITALY!!!!! I need for Elizabeth to take a trip to Italy and stumble upon Jason. My dream story #gh #Liason https://t.co/KSVV5DFF6N pic.twitter.com/9uhFjwCygz
- My Dark Prince.. My Niz ❤️ (@TVFan43) February 16, 2024
Imagine if Jason returns but already has someone new in his life -- or someone old.
Before Jason ever married Sam, he was wed to Brenda Barrett. It was a marriage of convenience between these old frenemies, but it worked. Maybe that's because when Jason Morgan was still Jason Quaetermaine with all his memories intact, he was Brenda's senior prom date in high school. Since some may argue that Brenda is the love of Sonny's life, imagine the triangle if Jason is now the love of Brenda's life.
Speaking of Jason Q, some fans are clamoring for the original Jason to emerge from that rubble in the Cassadine tunnels. We have no idea where Jason has been for two years, so maybe when he awoke after the explosion, memories of his young years started to flood his mind, and our newly returned Jason will be a hybrid version who somehow tracks down the woman Jason was in love with before the accident that turned him into a mob hitman. Wouldn't it be the ultimate surprise if Jason showed up in Port Charles with Keesha Ward by his side?
Then again, Jason might just arrive all by his lonesome and fall for someone new. Imagine the drama and tossed barware if Jason falls for Nina Reeves, Drew and Carly's mortal enemy and Sonny's soon-to-be ex-wife. That would be the ultimate pairing to rock the GH fandom like never before.
So which team are you? Jasam? Liason? Jarly? Or are you interested in seeing something else for Jason? Hit the comments section and let us know!
Who do you think Jason will end up with during this GH stint? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
