Having trouble keeping up with the Cassadine family tree? You're probably not the only one!
The Cassadines have been wreaking havoc on the citizens of Port Charles for over 30 years. It all began back in 1981 when Mikkos and his brothers, Victor and Tony plotted to rule the world through the use of a weather machine. Mikkos' plan was foiled when he was frozen in an ice chamber by "General Hospital's" super-couple Luke and Laura Spencer. Mikkos was married to Helena and fathered sons Stavros, Stefan, and three illegitimate children (Valentin, Natasha, and Kristina).
Kidnapping, cloning, suspended animation and mind control are just a few of the crimes Helena's committed over the years. The character was killed off in 2014, but fans know she can never be counted out. Like the Phoenix, Helena has risen from the ashes time and time again. Her sole purpose in life is to seek revenge against Luke and Laura for the death of her beloved Mikkos and against anyone else that gets in the way of her control over the Cassadine legacy.
The next generation
Stefan arrived on the Port Charles canvas in 1996 with later determined-as-nephew, Nikolas in tow. Unaware he was actually the son of Laura Spencer and Stavros (conceived while Laura was held prisoner on Cassadine Island), Nikolas donated life-saving bone marrow to his sister Lulu Spencer.
After the deaths of Stavros and Stefan, Prince Nikolas was the sole heir to the Cassadine legacy. While engaged to Courtney Matthews, the sister of crime boss Sonny Corinthos, Nikolas fathered the precocious and entitled Spencer.
Mikkos' illegitimate spawn Natasha changed her name to Alexis Davis and followed her brother Stefan and nephew Nikolas to Port Charles in 1996.
Although Alexis was a successful attorney and outstanding member of the community, she was often the target of Helena because she had been fathered by Mikkos. Alexis spent much time protecting her nephew Nikolas from Helena's grasp. Resulting from a teenage one-night stand with later-turned crime boss Julian Jerome, Alexis gave birth to Samantha McCall.
In another one-night stand with crime boss Sonny Corinthos, Alexis had Kristina Corinthos Davis, named after her sister Kristina Cassadine who died in a warehouse explosion from a bomb meant for Sonny. Alexis later married Sonny's brother Rick Lansing and became the mother of Molly Lansing Davis. Sam has two children with Sonny's enforcer Jason Morgan (Danny and Emily Scout).
The legal heir
The newest Cassadine to arrive in Port Charles in 2016 was Valentin, the sole living son of Mikkos. According to Mikkos' will, Valentin was the legal heir to the Cassadine legacy and the rightful owner of Wyndemere.
Valentin came to Port Charles to claim his birth-right which included displacing Nikolas and son Spencer from the family home and fortune.
In tow, Valentin brought his daughter Charlotte. Charlotte was conceived by Lulu Spencer but carried to term by Claudette Beaulieu via in-vitro fertilization. After his marriage to Nina Reeves, Valentin and Nina engaged in a bitter battle with Lulu and her husband, Dante Falconeri for full custody of Charlotte.
The future
During a struggle with Valentin on Cassadine Island, Nikolas fell down a cliff and was presumed dead. However, his body was never recovered. Spencer has been hell-bent on avenging the death of his father and reclaiming his birth-right. Since becoming orphaned, Spencer has been under the watchful eye of his grandmother Laura Spencer and was sent to boarding school in Paris in order to protect him from Valentin.
Port Charles and the Cassadine family are eternally entwined. We'll continue to observe Valentin's custody battle for Charlotte and the outcome of Spencer's wrongful death suit against his uncle Valentin. The show seems poised to share the truth about Nikolas' alleged demise. It is all but certain that Patient 6 is not Nikolas, but rather "General Hospital" veteran actor Steve Burton (ex-Jason Morgan). Burton returns to Port Charles on September 19.
