Here is everything fans need to know about Character Guide, written in plain English and updated for September 2026.

New to General Hospital? Three characters are the key to everything: Sonny, Carly and Jason. This guide explains who they are, why they matter, and how their triangle generates the show's biggest storylines in 2026.

Sonny Corinthos: the center of gravity

Maurice Benard has played mob kingpin Sonny since August 13, 1993 — over three decades, multiple Daytime Emmys, and a character whose bipolar disorder is written into his core (our full Sonny explainer). Sonny's empire runs on trust, which is why trust stories are GH's modern signature: the current mole hunt in his organization is a direct attack on the thing his world is built from.

Carly Spencer: the history holder

Carly (Laura Wright in the role currently) is Sonny's most consequential partner and the co-owner of his history — marriages, children, wars. Her other defining relationship is the show's most durable: Jason. Their bond is GH's constant — the partnership that survives every reset — and its current renewal is documented in our Carly-Jason reunion recap. Carly's story function: she is the person both sides of any war try to recruit first.

Jason Morgan: the loyalty constant

Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) is the show's loyalty architecture: enforcer, best friend, and the man whose choices re-weight everyone else's world. Jason in a conflict is never tactical — his loyalties are existential. That is why the fall's Sonny vs. Drew war positions him as its hinge: whichever side Jason stands on becomes the legitimate one. And in the triangle's current geometry — Sonny weakened by the mole hunt, Carly renewed with Jason, Drew ascendant — Jason's choice is the season's most valuable piece.

The supporting map around the triangle: Anna Devane (the espionage lane), the hospital's legacy families, and the next generation — all documented in our 2026 comings-and-goings breakdown.