Marcus Coloma on General Hospital: Why did he leave GH?

A few weeks after rumors began about Marcus Coloma and his status on General Hospital, the actor and network confirmed he would no longer be a part of the ABC soap.

Marcus stepped into the role of Nikolas Cassadine in 2019, bringing the presumed-dead character back to life after long-time portrayer, Tyler Christopher left the part.

The writing for Nikolas hasn’t been what some GH viewers wanted, especially after Victor Cassadine (Charles Shaughnessy) was added to the mix. His relationship with Ava (Maura West) went south; from there, it hasn’t been the same.

There has been some debate about what happened to Marcus and how his end at General Hospital went.

It was rumored the actor was let go, leading to speculation the role would be recast. Nikolas is involved in a big storyline, and wrapping it up in a month is unlikely.

However, it appears that Marcus wasn’t fired from the ABC soap and that he simply just fulfilled his initial three-year contract.

Marcus Coloma releases statement about General Hospital exit

Following several different versions of how things went down between Marcus Coloma and General Hospital regarding his departure, the actor decided to write a letter to his fans. It was released through his spokesperson and given to Deadline.

They confirmed that Marcus would end his run as Nikolas Cassadine at the end of January as his contract was fulfilled. Because of the taping schedule, he was likely done at General Hospital in November. However, due to health concerns, Marcus could not finish his final scenes as Nikolas Cassadine.

The statement read, in part, “Unfortunately, due to health issues with his recent Covid exposure, the network graciously agreed that he should not film the remaining few days of the year.”

It also highlighted the 300 episodes Marcus filmed as the disgraced prince. Marcus penned a thank you to fans in the release, writing, in part, “I fell in love with the extremely passionate fanbase. Their outpouring of love and excitement, week after week has been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. I will always be grateful for their kindness and support.”

Will Nikolas be killed off or recast?

ABC has yet to announce the next step for Nikolas Cassadine in Port Charles. He is currently knee-deep in the storyline with Esme (Avery Pohl) and their affair, and his Uncle Victor has something up his sleeve.

There doesn’t seem to be enough information available, especially since a decision about a fill-in had to be made when Marcus fell ill. Several long-time viewers would love to see Tyler Christopher return to the role now that he appears to be on a healthy path. However, that likely won’t happen.

Two men filled the role during different times, and both would fit well in the part. There will be a temporary person in the final scenes that belonged to Marcus, but after that, everything appears to be up in the air.

With the end of January just a few weeks away, viewers will have to wait and see what happens to Nikolas Cassadine.

General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC.