General Hospital’s Jonathan Jackson Credits [Spoiler] With Holding Open the Door for His Comeback (2024)

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Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

1/14

<p>There was never any doubt that adventure was going to follow Lucky Spencer wherever he went: In 1985, he was welcomed into the family of Luke and Laura Spencer, the supercouple whose exploits included saving the world from being turned into a popsicle by the nefarious Cassadine clan.</p>

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2/14

<p>After the Spencers spent years trying to stay one step ahead of mobster Frank Smith, Lucky (Jonathan Jackson) and his folks finally relocated from the Canadian diner in which they’d been hiding out to Port Charles. Which wasn’t nearly as bad as it sounded; the food at <span style="text-decoration: line-through">Kelly’s</span> Bobbie’s is terrific.</p>

Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

3/14

<p>In 1996, Lucky’s baby sister Lulu was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. If only any of her relatives had been able to donate the bone marrow that would save the tot’s life. Or if only there had just happened to be, dunno, a spare relative that almost no one knew about…</p>

Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

4/14

<p>In 1996, Lucky discovered that while Mom was being held captive by the Cassadines, she’d given birth to his half brother, Nikolas (then Tyler Christopher). Not only that, but the prince’s bone marrow was just the ticket to remake Lulu as the picture of health. Too bad the newfound siblings were insta-rivals!</p>

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5/14

<p>Ah, Lucky probably would have remained closer than close with his first Port Charles pal, Alan and Monica Quartermaine’s adopted daughter Emily, had she not been made a victim of the Text-Message Killer (long after Amber Tamblyn had left the role to Natalia Livingston).</p>

Image: Craig Sjodin/ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

6/14

<p>After Audrey Hardy’s granddaughter Elizabeth Webber was raped in 1998, Lucky looked after her, and despite the nightmarish circ*mstances of their bonding, the teenagers fell head over heels for one another. A year later, they even exchanged unofficial marriage vows in a church on Valentine’s Day.</p>

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7/14

<p>As pretty much everyone in Port Charles is at some point or another, Lucky was presumed doomed in 1999. But he was fine, he was just busy being brainwashed by the supervillain tag team of Helena Cassadine and Cesar Faison — oh, <em>and</em> being recast with Jacob Young, who’d played Rick on <em>Bold & Beautiful.</em></p>

Image: ABC/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

8/14

<p>When Liz realized that Lucky had never managed to remember his love for her, she called off their wedding. He soon refocused his attentions on Summer Halloway, the ill-fated new squeeze whose murder prompted Luke’s son (then Greg Vaughan) to join the police academy.</p>

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9/14

<p>Following Lucky and Liz’s marriage (at last!), an on-the-job injury left the cop hooked on painkillers — and susceptible to the charms of a conniving Maxie Jones. When Lucky was busted for two-timing, Liz retaliated by getting horizontal with on-again/off-again sweetheart Jason Morgan.</p>

Image: Howard Wise/JPI

10/14

<p>After Lucky completed rehab, he convinced Liz to un-divorce him. But the damage had already been done. He wound up dating Jason’s ex, Sam McCall, but agreeing to keep the secret that “his” and Liz’s son Jake had actually been fathered by his former wife’s favorite hitman.</p>

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11/14

<p>When Liz became jealous of Lucky’s fling with Emily’s twin sister Rebecca Shaw, she kissed Nikolas to turn her ex green with envy. Instead, what it did was set the stage for her to actually sleep with her sometime half brother-in-law on the very day that Lucky proposed again.</p>

Image: Howard Wise/JPI

12/14

<p>In 2010, Lucky posed as Irish hitman Ronan O’Relly in hopes of identifying a baddie nicknamed The Balkan. Mostly, what the cop’s undercover work did, though, was get him attached to Siobhan McKenna, who he married so that she could obtain a green card.</p>

Image: Paul Skipper/JPI

13/14

<p>After Liz learned in 2011 that Lucky, not Nikolas, was son Aiden’s father, she kept that info to herself in the wake of Jake’s “death.” But when it came to light that Luke had been drunk-driving the car that had “killed” the boy, Liz disclosed the truth to her ex in order to keep him from diving into the bottle himself.</p>

Image: Howard Wise/JPI

14/14

<p>Following Siobhan’s murder at the hand of mobster Anthony Zacchara, Lucky struggled mightily to avoid going into another downward spiral. But despite Liz’s presence in Port Charles, as well as Aiden, Cameron and Jake’s, he took off to do some serious —and seriously long-term — soul-searching.</p>