“He Isn’t Nathan West” — General Hospital viewers try to piece together Paevey’s latest return

In the recent scenario of the daytime soap opera General Hospital, Ryan Pavey’s character Nathan West has returned to Port Charles after a seven-year break. However, the return of the actor has led fans to wonder if he has returned as Nathan, which he is pretending to be, or a doppelganger who came to Port Charles on a mission. 

Several fans of General Hospital started speculating if this return has anything to do with Britt’s return, which also happened very recently. The return of these two dead characters has stirred motion in Port Charles. A fan named Britney Porsch started a discussion post on Facebook stating,

“This is why I kept saying I Wasn’t buying that he was Nathan. I could still be wrong but my gut is telling me it’s not. The clear give away for me was how Britt looked when he mentioned his son and when she saw James at the hospital. She clearly doesn’t want the two to meet and if he was indeed Nathan and the Nathan he was prior to his fall from grace it wouldn’t be an issue. So for me DNA OR NOT This man isn’t NATHAN WEST!!!”

A fan named Tina Porreca commented a very logical explanation on how she believes that he is not Nathan West. She wrote,

“Ah ha! He isn’t Nathan West.
Key Details:
Not Nathan West: Paevey is playing a brand new character, not reprising his fan-favorite role as Nathan West, who was killed off the show in 2018.
New Role: The details of his new character are being kept under wraps, but it is a new character on the show.
Return Date: Paevey's first episodes aired in September 2025.
Reason for Return: He was contacted by the show's executive producer, Frank Valentini, with ideas for another storyline that would involve characters he was "in orbit" with, leading to his decision to come back.”

Many fans of General Hospital agreed, saying that indeed he is not Nathan but someone else. They commented

On the other hand, some fans of GH commented that they believe he is indeed Nathan, and that Britt knows something that others don’t. Meanwhile, fans also wrote that if he is not James, they feel bad for James, Nathan’s son. They commented:

Here’s everything to know about Nathan’s return on General Hospital 

As seen in the recent developments of General Hospital, Nathan met with his son James. The most profound impact falls on his young son, James West. Nathan’s return means a father who was a myth is suddenly real. With Maxie in a coma, the delicate question of introducing the two fell to others. 

Felicia Scorpio vocalized the family's deep concern about James's emotional well-being, while still asserting that the boy has an undeniable "right to know" his resurrected father. The emotional first meeting will define their relationship going forward.

Nathan’s sister, Britt Westbourne, is also back from the dead on General Hospital, but she's visibly "off." Britt is under the control of a mystery boss, potentially her father, Cesar Faison, who rations her life-saving medicine. 

This coercion explains why Britt is acting suspiciously and suggests a deeper, darker game being played, with her brother's return only intensifying the pressure on her.

Catch the latest episodes of General Hospital on ABC and Hulu