General Hospital spoilers: Michael’s recovery in Germany brings about the shocking return of a character?

With General Hospital’s Michael (Chad Duell) now squared away in Germany at the clinic and undergoing his experimental burn recovery treatments, we can’t help but think about what the future of his storyline could bring.

For starters, we’ve previously hypothesized that when the time came for Michael to return to Port Charles, he would be a different person. More mysterious and brooding, and out on a relentless quest of revenge. He could want payback on Drew (Cameron Mathison) and Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) for cheating on him and trying to carry on in a relationship around his kids. He could also want payback on Sonny (Maurice Benard) for him and his business again being the reason he's in a life-or-death situation. Either way, we think there’s a chance that Michael will return to the show’s canvas different. Perhaps there’s even a chance he actually assumes the role of the Kingpin of Port Charles, against Sonny’s wishes.

Beyond that, we also have been considering the possibility that writers will use Michael’s stint in Germany as a vehicle to usher some familiar faces back to General Hospital. Dr. Liesl Obrecht (Kathleen Gati) is a name that’s been thrown around in the realm of social media. Since donating bone marrow to Willow, she really hasn’t been seen around town and has been thought to be traveling.

Going along with this fan theory of Obrecht being tied to Michael’s recovery, perhaps it is soon revealed that she is a physician at the clinic. Taking this further, what if she’s a physician at the facility being forced to work on a patient against her will? Someone like Victor (Charles Shaughnessy). Yes, Victor has been presumed dead, but this is General Hospital so death is not necessarily a barrier to bringing a character back to the fold.

But what if neither Obrecht nor Victor is at Michael’s clinic, but rather Spencer or Esme (Avery Kristen Pohl)? Either one returning could certainly spice things up for a lot of people in Port Charles. A Spencer return would certainly rock Trina (Tabyana Ali) to her core, especially as she’s finally in the process of moving on with Kai (Jens Austin Astrup).

As far as Esme is concerned, her return would cause even more drama. Trina and Josslyn (Eden McCoy) both have a bone to pick with her for Spencer’s alleged death, and would be sure to make her their public enemy number one. Laura (Genie Francis) would also find herself in a pickle, as she’s currently raising Esme’s son while Esme has been presumed dead and Nikolas (Adam Huss) is in prison. Esme's return could cause a big custody war that could even see Heather (Alley Mills) return to support her daughter.

Now both Esme and Spencer are thought to be dead after their plunges into the ocean, but their bodies were never recovered. We can imagine a scenario in which one of them was pulled out of the water and taken to the clinic where Michael is currently receiving treatment. To our recollection, the clinic may not just be a place that treats burns. Unfortunately for either Spencer or Esme, they may have lost their memory, but interactions with Michael (whether they bump into him at the hospital cafeteria, gift shop, or chapel) jog their memories. Should this occur, fans could be looking at a two-for-one return when Michael heads back to Port Charles.

This is all again speculation, but should one of our theories here prove true, there’s some explosive drama on the horizon.

New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Hulu.