There is no doubt that Maurice Benard as Sonny Corinthos has been the backbone of General Hospital, and continues to be so. He is one character that gets pulled into absolutely every single storyline that plays out on the canvas of Port Charles. So it really is difficult to imagine GH without him at the center of it all. However, stranger things have happened in the soap universe. So could it be possible that the time for Maurice Benard to leave the soap is upon us? Let’s find out!
Maurice Benard’s Debut As Sonny Corinthos
Back in August 1993, Sonny first arrived in Port Charles on General Hospital. Upon his arrival, he began running a strip club for notorious mobster Frank Smith. His next stretch included the intense story of how he got involved with Karen Wexler and got her addicted to drugs.
There was no doubt by then that there was something special about him. But what actually cemented Sonny on GH was his storyline with Brenda Berett. Their romance was so epic that it is talked about even till date. None of his other relationships have come close to their chemistry.
It all started when Sonny was working security for Miguel Morez in Puerto Rico on General Hospital. He got jealous of a singer incessantly trying to flirt with Brenda. Sonny’s whole life changed when Luke killed Frank, and Sonny took over the organization. Frank’s partner Hernando Rivera, kidnapped his daughter. But Sonny, Brenda, Lily and Miguel managed to escape. Sonny pretended to retire from the organization at that point.
Sonny, Brenda and Lily On General Hospital
He started a club with Luke, and was dating Brenda on General Hospital. But things got messy when their club got blown up. At the same time, he found out that his buddy’s driver – Mike Corbin was actually his bio dad – Michael Corinthos Sr. Unfortunately, their father-son reunion was tainted. Sonny’s old pal Joe Scully started to make a move on his territory, and in the attempt shot Mike. Sonny was enraged and killed Joe.
Later, Lily exposed that it was all Brenda’s plan as she was hoping to record Sonny and hand over the evidence to the police on General Hospital. This upset Sonny and he dumped Brenda, and started dating Lily. Later, Sonny and Lily tied the knot. However, their marriage was short lived. She died in a car bombing, that was actually meant for Sonny.
Eventually, Sonny found out that her own father was behind the attack and killed. He inherited 30 mil from the marriage and Lily’s passing, which he donated to General Hospital for a new wing in Stone’s name. He later considered wooing Brenda back, and even stopped her wedding to Jax. But left her when he realized that his life was too dangerous. So he left town alone. And when he returned, he found out that Brenda had passed in a car accident.
Sonny and Carly on General Hospital
When Sonny and Carly met on General Hospital, it started as a hookup and she got pregnant. Although she miscarried, but they had already fallen in love. Thus, the couple tied the knot and he adopted Carly’s son Michael. However, when she tried to get him to leave the mob, he left her instead. He then started dating his attorney- Alexis, and had a daughter with her named Kristina. But eventually Sonny and Carly reconciled and they remarried.
Unfortunately, tragedy was never too far from them on General Hospital. Sonny’s half brother kidnapped Carly while she was pregnant. A scuffle ensued between him and Sonny, and he accidentally shot Carly in the head, thus, rendering her comatose. But she did give birth to their baby – Morgan. When she woke up, she became distant from Sonny, and he started an affair with Sam McCall. But eventually, he and Carly reconciled again. Over the years, Sonny-carly fell apart and came back together many times. That was until Sonny met Nina.
Sonny and Nina’s Love Story
During a struggle on a footbridge in New Jersey between Sonny and Julian, the latter was shot on General Hospital. However, before Jason Morgan could reach Sonny, the bridge collapsed. Sonny fell in to the icy water below and was engulfed. Thankfully, he survived and was brought to the hospital by a man named Eddy. Unfortunately, he woke up amnesiac and could not recall his past life. Thus, he accepted a new life with the name – Mike.
Thus, a new chapter began for him in Nixon Falls on General Hospital. One day, Nina and “Mike” came face to face and everything changed for him. He found himself growing closer to Nina everyday. They even worked together to fight off a shade business man named Elijah. Even though Nina knew exactly who Sonny was, she kept it a secret from him. But when Sonny/ Mike got trapped in a fire, his memories came back. He lashed at Nina for lying, and returned to PC.
Unfortunately, by the time he got there, Carly had already married Jason on General Hospital. Although, Sonny and Carly tried to put things right between them, it just did not happen. Eventually, Sonny slept with Nina, and Carly walked in on them. That cemented the end of their relationship. Meanwhile, Nina continued to help Sonny heal from his past by getting back on his meds, and quit drinking. The two eventually restarted their relationship and have been together ever since.
Currently on General Hospital
Although there is no doubt that Sonny is the star of the soap, but in the previous few months, General Hospital’s story has been all over the place. Moreover, Sonny has not been seen in his “real element” for quite some time. He has been rather passive. The highlight only being his marriage to Nina. Speaking about that, fans though the marriage would go kaboom when he learns the truth about Nina being the SEC leak. But even that didn’t happen.
The old Sonny would have exploded at Nina on General Hospital. But nope! Sonny didn’t even rap the back of her hand. All he did was ask her to apologize to Carly. Thus, we can’t help but wonder if he is losing his touch! Well, maybe he is mellowing a little, but that does not mean he is done! Maurice Benard did talk about retiring eventually. But We don’t think the time for it is upon us just yet!
Especially, since we now know that Steve Burton is returning as Jason Morgan! Sonny and Jason go too far back on General Hospital. So this return is definitely going to spice up Sonny’s storyline even more! All in all, Maurice Benard is here to stay as Sonny for years to come! But stay tuned to TV Season & Spoilers for more General Hospital updates incase anything changes!