The 10 Most Memorable Soap Opera Characters Who Came Back From the Dead

Reports of their deaths have been greatly exaggerated.

Like baby swapping and cheating partners, one of the biggest tropes in soap operas involves characters falling into a fatal situation and presumed dead, only to be resurrected and returned from the grave. While storylines can be overblown, it's always guaranteed to shock characters and audience alike with unexpected twists.

Dozens of characters came back from the dead over the decades of Daylight, but only a few remain memorable. From the haunting return of the General Hospital legend to the father of twins on One Life To Live, the return of some presumed dead characters will never be forgotten.

Jason Morgan – 'General Hospital' (1963 - )

As the right-hand man to mob boss Sonny Colinthus, Jason Morgan has been a GH legend since the '90s, and he has had multiple near-death escapes. But in 2012, Jason's Steve Burton chose to take some from the soap, making the character's fate very uncertain.

Jason was shot and fell into the harbor at the infamous Pier 52, and was later presumed dead by all Port Charles despite a scuba diving search by Sam and Spinelli. The city was shocked until five years later when Jason was still alive and escaped from his kidnappers Upon returning home, he learns that his wife Sam, Sonny and everyone he loves has changed.

Todd Manning – 'One Life To Live' (1968 - 2012)

When soap opera actor Roger Howarth returned to One Life To Live in 2011 after leaving the show in 2003 and having his character Todd Manning replaced by Trevor St, the storyline was less about resurrection and more about the return of the lost twins. john.

Howarth's return gave the soap a major twist in its final year on ABC. Howarth's character makes a shocking appearance in Llanview to be reunited with his family, revealing that he is the real Todd, while St. John's character is actually his twin brother Victor, who has been brainwashed into believing he is Todd.

Will Horton – 'Days Of Our Lives' (1965 - 2022)

Will Houghton has been one of the most popular soap opera characters since his Days of Us debut in 1995, when he was the son of Sammy and Austin (who later learned he was not Will's father). Over the years, Will has been loved for his underdog personality, his mischievous ways for the greater good, and his epic love story with husband Sonny.

2015 was a dark day in Salem when Will was brutally murdered by a tie killer and believed Dead for two years, then unexpectedly found living in Memphis by Sonny's new boyfriend. While Will did initially die as a result of the murder, thanks to Dr. Rolf's life-renewing serum, it gave Will a second life while away from his family.

Lucky Spencer – 'General Hospital' (1963 - )

Lucky Spencer is the iconic son of Luke and Laura of the General Hospital, a character created by actor and musician Jonathan Jackson in 1993. But when Jackson left the show in 1999 for the possibility of playing an Anakin Skywalker clone in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack, it was the perfect opportunity to temporarily kill off a beloved character.

Lucky is said to have died in a fire, but in 2000 the character made a triumphant return, now played by Jacob Young, and revealed that he had been captured by his parents' nemesis, Helena Cassadine.

J.T. Hellstrom – 'Young And The Restless' (1973 - )

Thad Luckinbill, the real-life husband of his on-screen sweetheart, is played by Amelia Heinle, who reprises J.T. Hellstrom as Young and the Restless in 2017, but when he starts abusing Heinle's Victoria and causes her mother , the character's return was brief Nikki punches him with a fire poker and probably kills him.

Nikki teamed up with Victoria, Sharon and Phyllis to lay J.T.'s body on the carpet and dispose of the body, but a year later, Luckinbill returns to the soap opera as the not-yet-dead J.T., who intimidates from afar before finally revealing himself .

Nick Fallon – 'Days Of Our Lives' (1965 - 2022)

Nick Fallon returns to Salem with homophobic hatred of gay couple Will and Sonny and manipulates Gabi into dating him, who Had to be one of the most annoying characters of the day. But after trying to assault Gabi, she hits him with a rock, which presumably killed him and caused her to team up with Sami and Kate to throw his body in the river.

But a few months later, at Gabi's daughter's christening, Nick makes a shocking return by showing up at church with a scar on his head and claiming to have lost his memory, but his nefarious revenge plan is later revealed.

Adam Newman – 'Young And The Restless' (1973 - )

Adam Newman, one of those love-hate characters in Young and the Restless, is Victor Newman's veritable "bastard son", inheriting all the sins of his father. but after the characters Presumably, Chloe was killed in a cabin explosion in revenge for him accidentally killing her daughter, and he reappeared in the city of Genoa shortly afterwards.

Adam returns to town with a new face - thanks to some reconstructive surgery, but also because he was replaced by future This Is Us star Justin Hartley - before finally revealing his true identity Pseudonym Gabriel Bingham.

Ridge Forrester – 'Bold And The Beautiful' (1987 - )

Ridge Forrester, one of Bold and the Beautiful's most important characters, came back from the dead in 2003 and is most memorable to show fans. During his honeymoon with Brooke, the wild Sheila kidnaps Richie, and it all ends with the character going down in flames.

In a freak twist that lasted only a few days, Richie survives the fire and returns to Brooke. But their reunion was cut short when Brooke had to admit to Richie that she slept with another man after he was presumed dead.

Laura Spencer – 'General Hospital' (1963 - )

General Hospital's Luke and Laura had the most epic love story of any soap supercouple and the most-watched wedding after Princess Diana and Prince Charles 1981. But just a few months later, Laura's star, Francis the Genie, left the soap opera, leaving the character in a presumed missing person predicament.

A distraught Luke, while mourning the loss of Laura, managed to live with Jackie Templeton and become the mayor of Port Charles, but in 1983 Luke spotted the man outside the window of the mayor's mansion A familiar blond woman, and runs outside to reunite with Laura when Francis returns.

Jack Deveraux – 'Days Of Our Lives' (1965 - 2022)

Jack Deveraux died and came back several times during his 25 years playing the role on Days of Our Lives, but the 2020 return of his most memorable performance, Matthew Ashford, is one that no one will forget.

Jack has been presumed dead since 2012 when he was trapped in an elevator in a hotel bombing to save his daughter's life, but in 2018 Ashford's return means Jack will be brought back to life again, this time thanks to Dr. Rolfe's Life - Preserve the serum that caused him to lose his memory and forget his life in Salem.