In the wake of Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) recent health scare on General Hospital, he’s found himself thinking about retiring from the mob and naming his successor.
Given his line of work, he knows he can’t exactly leave the company to anybody as the candidate has to be someone he trusts, someone who knows the risks that come with the job, someone who can handle doing what it takes to fend off rivals and someone who vows to protect the residents of Port Charles from more dangerous threats in the underworld. Plus, this person has to promise not to eliminate Sonny and his family after he steps down as part of some weird power play to erase the legacy of the Corinthos name.
The logical choice to replace Sonny as The Kingpin of Port Charles is Jason (Steve Burton). He’s been Sonny’s number two for decades and has an extensive knowledge of the business. Additionally, Sonny arguably trusts no one more than his longtime best friend (aside from Carly [Laura Wright]). Unfortunately for the Corinthos patriarch, Jason turned Sonny down when offered the role in the General Hospital episode airing on December 3, a move I predicted. As Danny’s (Asher Antonyzyn) sole surviving parent, Jason has to think about his son’s needs more than ever.
With all that being said, I started to think about who else could be a good fit to replace Sonny, and I came up with three contenders. First up on my list is Michael.
Yes, Chad Duell’s Michael is exiting the General Hospital canvas at the top of the year, and rumor has it that his exit will come after he’s caught in a fire. Should that fire storyline prove true, I can imagine the Michael character going off the canvas to a burn care facility to recover. Then when Michael is eventually brought back, he returns a changed man, brooding with a major chip on his shoulder. Characteristics that lend themselves to a position such as mob boss.
It’s worth noting that after Michael spent time in a coma years ago, he woke up a changed person who was determined to join his dad’s business. Also, Michael knows his father’s business very well and can be quite cunning. The latter part is evidenced in all of Michael’s methodical revenge plots over the years. And a cunning mafioso can be a good one.
Although Michael is an interesting choice, I know Sonny doesn’t really want any of his kids following in his dangerous footsteps. So Michael likely would face pushback from his dad. But could Michael outmaneuver his dad upon his return to the canvas and take the Corinthos Empire? Perhaps.
Another option I’m considering is Kristina (Kate Mansi). Sonny would resist his oldest daughter inheriting his business as well (along with Alexis [Nancy Lee Grahn]), but I can’t ignore that General Hospital has made several references lately about how much she’s like her father. Could the comparisons be foreshadowing that Kristina is Sonny’s heir apparent?
I agree that Kristina is impulsive like Sonny and may even share his temper, but I don’t think she’s as methodical. Plus, she lacks the extensive knowledge of the empire. While she can learn everything she needs to know, instantly becoming the head of a criminal organization is far from an internship job where you have the opportunity to learn and make mistakes along the way.
If you’re wondering how Kristina could even get the company, it would take a few things happening. First, Sonny would have to be incapacitated, which could happen considering Sonny’s recent heart issues. Additionally, Jason would have to be out of town somewhere that he can’t step into Sonny’s shoes should a medical emergency happen. With Jason usually being sent to places by either Carly or Anna (Finola Hughes), that too could happen.
Should neither Michael nor Kristina be the chosen one, I have one more candidate in mind — Johnny Zacchara (Brandon Barash). Let me get all the reasons why it can’t be Johnny out of the way. He’s currently in prison and hasn’t been spotted in Port Charles for years, Sonny has a deep disdain for him and Johnny doesn’t have a track record of being loyal to the Corinthos organization.
Countering all these points one by one, first, it’s worth remembering that Barash officially parted ways with Days of Our Lives this past fall, so he’s seemingly available to step back into the role of Johnny. And while Sonny has hated Johnny historically, even he can’t deny that out of all of his past foes, Johnny was the most sane, the most compassionate toward Port Charles civilians and has a deep knowledge of how the underworld works. To add, Johnny and Sonny may not get along, but Johnny cares deeply about many in Sonny’s orbit including Kristina and Carly. That likely would make Johnny motivated to ensure the safety of Sonny’s family.
I’m pretty certain it would take Sonny suffering another heart episode and some serious convincing from Jason for Sonny to even entertain the idea of Johnny becoming his replacement. But hey, strangers things have happened.
Only time will tell if Sonny actually retires from the mob and chooses a successor. So we’ll all have to stay tuned to see what happens.
New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Hulu
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