General Hospital’s Ryan Paevey teases a messy 2026 for Nathan West

Nathan West has been back from the dead for a minute now on General Hospital, and everyone is acting like it’s fine. He’s walking the halls, clocking in at the PCPD, spending Christmas with his son, and nodding along as if waking up with no memory of the last seven years is just an administrative hiccup. In a new interview, Ryan Paevey leans into that tension and makes it clear that whatever looks calm right now is probably not real.

General Hospital Lets Nathan Exist Outside of Naxie

Speaking with Woman’s World, Paevey framed Nathan as someone who is floating more than he is driving. He described the character as “a bit of a ship adrift,” focusing on basics like reconnecting with James and easing back into work while Maxie (Kirsten Storms) remains offscreen. That absence matters. Nathan is moving through Port Charles without the relationship that once defined him, and the show is letting that breathe.

Paevey pointed out that Nathan never really existed outside of Naxie. The romance swallowed everything else, including Nathan’s own interior life. Being untethered from that now has opened up space to work with different characters and textures on the canvas, from old ties like Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) and Anna (Finola Hughes) to newer faces who don’t share his history.

That includes Lulu (Alexa Havins). The actor noted that Nathan has been on hand to commiserate with Lulu in light of Maxie’s comatose state. He also pointed out that Nathan and Lulu seem to have some brewing chemistry, and teased, “It’s always good to have a love interest on a soap, and Nathan could certainly do worse than Lulu.”

The Dark Side Question Isn’t Going Away

Of course, the bigger question hovering over Nathan has nothing to do with romance. It’s about Faison (Anders Hove). Paevey didn’t dodge the speculation, admitting he thinks it would be “rad” if Nathan turned out to be darker than he appears. Being liked, he noted, can be useful, especially if someone wants to gain trust and access without raising alarms.

That idea sits uncomfortably with how easily the PCPD welcomed Nathan back, something Paevey joked about with a raised eyebrow. The show hasn’t explained where Nathan’s been, and it hasn’t shown him grappling with that gap either. That silence feels loaded.

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As for Maxie, Paevey was careful. “We don’t know when Maxie’s returning,” he said. He admitted that whenever she does return, it might upend whatever Nathan built in her absence. Looking ahead, Paevey didn’t promise answers, just momentum. There are question marks everywhere, and he seems comfortable with that, as the tension mounts. (Find out what Paevey did on his hiatus.)

General Hospital can be seen weekdays on ABC and Hulu.

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