Jack Brennan may be gone, but General Hospital could have an unexpected way to bring Chris McKenna back to Port Charles. A reference to Kevin Buchanan, the longtime One Life to Live character, has sparked an intriguing casting theory connecting Brennan’s apparent death, Drew Cain’s media maneuvering, and an actor whose history with ABC daytime television goes back decades.

The possibility is fascinating. It is also, for now, entirely speculative.

Drew Cain’s Kevin Buchanan Suggestion Opens an Unexpected Door

According to the storyline described in the source, Drew Cain recently pointed Monae Mitchell toward Kevin Buchanan and The Banner in Llanview when she sought media support for Curtis Ashford.

Monae’s objective was straightforward. Curtis needed favorable, credible coverage as he faced the consequences of his Pentonville ordeal and the legal fight surrounding his case. Aurora Media appeared to be one possible avenue, but Drew rejected the proposal, citing potential conflicts involving Curtis’s former executive position and Jordan Ashford’s connection to the company.

His alternative was more interesting.

Rather than offering Aurora’s resources, Drew suggested Kevin Buchanan, a name familiar to longtime One Life to Live viewers.

The source claims Kevin has been referenced twice in recent storylines. If those references are accurately reported, they offer an intriguing possibility: General Hospital may be laying groundwork for a character with connections beyond Port Charles.

That does not establish a planned return. A legacy character can be mentioned without ever appearing onscreen.

Still, Kevin’s connection to journalism gives the reference a practical purpose within the current story. He could provide an independent media voice at a moment when local reporting and corporate interests are becoming increasingly entangled.

Chris McKenna’s One Life to Live History Makes the Theory Especially Interesting

The casting connection is what gives this theory its appeal.

Before portraying Jack Brennan on General Hospital, Chris McKenna played Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live from 1990 to 1993.

Joey is Kevin Buchanan’s younger brother.

That history creates an unusual opportunity. McKenna could theoretically return to ABC daytime drama as Kevin, playing the older brother of the character he portrayed more than three decades ago.

It would be a conspicuous recasting choice, particularly for viewers who remember his original work in Llanview.

Dan Gauthier, who previously portrayed Kevin Buchanan, remains another recognizable face associated with the character. A revival featuring Gauthier would preserve that particular casting connection.

But the McKenna theory offers something different: the opportunity to restore a recently departed performer to the General Hospital ensemble without necessarily reversing Brennan’s reported fate.

There is no confirmation in the supplied material that McKenna has been approached to play Kevin, that Gauthier is returning, or that Kevin will appear onscreen.

The connection is compelling because of the actors’ shared history with the franchise, not because a casting decision has been announced.

General Hospital Has Recast Familiar Actors Into Entirely Different Roles Before

The idea of an actor returning as someone else has considerable precedent in Port Charles.

Roger Howarth offers one of the clearest examples.

After appearing as Todd Manning, his established One Life to Live character, Howarth subsequently portrayed Franco Baldwin and later Dr. Austin Gatlin-Holt on General Hospital.

Each character came with a different history, relationships, and place within the ensemble.

Michael Easton’s ABC daytime career provides another example. After playing John McBain, Easton appeared in the Caleb Morley storyline, portrayed Dr. Silas Clay, and eventually became Dr. Hamilton Finn.

Those transitions demonstrated the willingness of General Hospital to retain established performers while introducing substantially different characters.

They do not guarantee that the same approach will be used with McKenna. Character rights, production plans, contracts, and casting priorities would all affect such a decision.

Nevertheless, the show’s history makes a second role for McKenna a plausible creative possibility.

Kevin Buchanan Could Become a Serious Problem for Drew and Ava

Kevin’s potential arrival would matter beyond the casting novelty.

The source describes a Port Charles media environment already strained by allegations, legal disputes, and competing personal interests.

Lulu’s reporting concerning Willow and Drew has become part of that conflict, while Curtis’s situation creates another opportunity for an outside journalist to investigate events involving powerful local figures.

Kevin, as a publisher associated with The Banner, could enter that environment without the same business relationships that complicate Aurora Media’s involvement.

An investigation into Curtis’s treatment might place him in direct conflict with Drew.

The theory becomes even more dramatic when Jack Brennan’s reported death enters the picture.

According to the source’s account, Drew and Ava Jerome are implicated in concealing what happened to Brennan after his death at the Metro Court pool.

Imagine their reaction if a journalist arrived in town bearing an unmistakable resemblance to the man they believed was dead.

Kevin would have no need to know Brennan’s history for his appearance to unsettle them. His resemblance alone could provoke suspicion, particularly if he began asking questions about the same people and institutions they wanted to keep out of public scrutiny.

That scenario remains a hypothetical extension of the source’s storyline. No supplied evidence establishes that Kevin will investigate Brennan’s death or confront Drew and Ava.

Yet the potential is substantial: a journalist pursuing one scandal could inadvertently threaten the concealment of another.

Carly’s Reaction Could Be the Emotional Center of a McKenna Return

For Carly, the consequences would be more personal.

The source emphasizes the romantic possibilities that developed between Carly and Brennan before his reported death. Their connection was one of the reasons the character’s departure generated such a strong emotional response from the video’s narrator.

A McKenna return as Kevin would create an entirely different complication from a conventional resurrection.

Carly could encounter someone with Brennan’s face, voice, and mannerisms, only to discover that he was a journalist from Llanview with a separate identity and history.

The resemblance could bring back unresolved feelings without restoring the relationship she previously knew.

That distinction would give the writers an opportunity to explore grief, attraction, and suspicion simultaneously.

It could also produce a more complicated situation if Kevin developed professional relationships with people connected to Brennan’s disappearance.

However, a romantic storyline between Carly and Kevin is not confirmed. Nor does the source establish that Carly will encounter Kevin or that the show intends to revisit her chemistry with McKenna through another character.

The appeal lies in what such a casting decision could make possible.

Will Chris McKenna Return as Kevin Buchanan or Could Jack Brennan Still Be Alive?

There are ultimately two competing possibilities within the theory.

The first is that Brennan’s death remains part of the show’s established storyline, while McKenna returns in a completely different role as Kevin Buchanan.

That approach would allow the writers to preserve the consequences of Brennan’s departure while reintroducing an actor who already has connections to ABC’s soap history.

The second is that Brennan’s reported death could eventually be reversed.

Given his intelligence background and the mystery surrounding his disappearance, the source proposes the possibility of an elaborate deception. Such a development would preserve Brennan’s identity and allow his unfinished relationships to continue.

Neither outcome has been confirmed.

The source also mentions an alleged secret daytime audition involving McKenna, but provides no verifiable documentation, named source, or official announcement supporting that claim. It therefore cannot be treated as evidence of an imminent return.

What makes the Kevin Buchanan theory worth watching is its combination of an existing legacy character, McKenna’s earlier television role, and the current storyline’s interest in journalism and corporate influence.

If Kevin eventually appears, the casting choice will determine whether this remains a nostalgic reference or becomes something considerably more consequential.

For now, the image is irresistible: Carly comes face-to-face with a man who looks like Jack Brennan, while Drew and Ava wonder whether the past has somehow returned to confront them.

Would you rather see Chris McKenna return as Kevin Buchanan, or should General Hospital find a way to bring Jack Brennan back from the dead? Share your choice in the comments.