A tale of three dads: Who is Michael's real father on General Hospital?

General Hospital
General Hospital's Michael Corinthos | Image Source: ABC

General Hospital's Michael Corinthos has never been lacking in the father department. Now that he has been horribly burned in an explosion at Sonny's penthouse, two of the men who helped raise him refuse to leave his side.

General Hospital's Carly makes a choice

Jason has always thought of Michael as a son | Image Source: ABC
Jason has always thought of Michael as a son | Image Source: ABC

As Carly (Laura Wright) and Jason (Steve Burton) discussed Michael's condition on the January 14, 2025, GH episode, Carly told Jason that she used to want him to be Michael's father, but she realized that if he were, then the son she raised wouldn't be the person he is. However, when Michael was first born, Carly named him as her baby's father because she feared his real father would take him from her.

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While Carly was pregnant, she claimed Tony Jones (Brad Maule) fathered her child but knew that it was really AJ Quartermaine (then played by Billy Warlock). However, naming AJ's brother, Jason, as her baby daddy worked for a while. AJ and Jason had the same blood type, so everyone believed Jason was a dad during Michael's first year of life.

A post-partum Carly couldn't even handle the idea of motherhood, so she ran off for a while, leaving Jason with a newborn he was determined to raise as his own. Jason even named the baby Michael after his mentor, Michael 'Sonny' Corinthos (Maurice Benard).

Eventually, AJ learned he was Michael's father, and Carly agreed to marry him to keep her son with her and live a life of luxury as a Quartermaine. As expected, the marriage didn't work out because AJ and Carly couldn't actually stand one another.

Another dad takes over

Sonny is Michael's legal father | Image Source: ABC
Sonny is Michael's legal father | Image Source: ABC

After falling for Sonny Corinthos and marrying him, Carly's life with her son grew more complicated. Sonny wanted to adopt Michael, but he went about it in a gruesome way. Sonny had his henchmen kidnap AJ and hang him from a meat hook. While he tortured AJ, he forced him to sign over his parental rights to Michael.

Sonny took over dad duties and legally adopted Michael, who grew up as a mobster's son and lived a life of danger throughout his childhood. Michael watched Carly and Sonny marry and divorce multiple times. He even endured a year-long coma and a prison sentence as a teen.

A torn Michael

AJ is Michael's biological father | Image Source: JPI Studios
AJ is Michael's biological father | Image Source: JPI Studios

Michael knew that his biological father was AJ (now played by Sean Kanan) and wanted to get to know his father as a young adult. However, Sonny took that chance from him when he shot an unarmed AJ in 2014.

Sonny believed that AJ had killed Connie Falconeri (Kelly Sullivan), Sonny's teenage love and a woman he had wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Ava Jerome (Maura West) was the real culprit, but a rage-filled Sonny refused to listen to AJ's explanation of what really happened and pulled the trigger.

When Michael learned what had happened, he disowned Sonny, adopted the Quartermaine last name and moved into the Q mansion. Michael learned to forgive Sonny for his actions. Although they were estranged for much of 2022 and 2023, Michael and Sonny grew close again and considered one another father and son.

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Edited by Erin Goldsby
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