With Chad Duell set to leave his role as General Hospital’s Michael Corinthos in January and the show choosing not to recast for now, Michael has to

be written off the canvas somehow. After the December 18th episode of GH, we think we know exactly how it will happen.

Did General Hospital’s Michael fall into a trap?

When Jordan (Tanisha Harper) advised Curtis (Donnell Turner) to only look out for himself and play both Michael and Drew (Cameron Mathison), we knew he would come up with a clever plan that would land him on top. He revealed that plan to an already stressed Michael, who hesitantly did as Curtis asked.

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Curtis’ plan was simple. He would have Michael leak an unfinished year-end Aurora financial report to the business press so that the stock would tank. Then, Michael would buy up all the cheap stock so he’d become the majority shareholder and make Drew CEO. Curtis even wanted it all in writing, so Michael signed some papers, but did he read them? What did Michael really sign away?

And, what did Michael really do as he betrayed Drew, who already betrayed him? His actions seem an awful lot like insider trading to us — or at least like something GH would play off as insider trading if they took some legal liberties as soaps are apt to do.

Michael never learns

Michael is Carly’s (Laura Wright) son through and through. He keeps making the same mistakes over again and never learns his lesson. He married a woman who cheated on her first husband with him, but it never occurred to Michael that Willow (Katelyn MacMullen) would one day cheat on him.

Now, it seems he may have engaged in a little insider trading, something he kinda-sorta already did two years ago when he and Drew let Carly in on their plan to merge Aurora with ELQ. Thinking the merger would make her rich, Carly bought as much stock as she could and then lost it all when the merger never happened.

Carly was nearly charged with the crime, Drew went to jail for the crime, and Michael somehow got off scot-free, but will that happen this time? Michael did exactly what Carly did. He bought stock with insider information, knowing Aurora stock was about to plummet. Not only that, but he manipulated the stock to make it happen.

It would be ironic, hilarious, and quite frankly genius if GH finally sent Michael to jail for insider trading after he was the one who initiated the last round of Aurora stock shenanigans because he couldn’t wait to tell his Mommy what he was up to.

With Michael behind bars, it would be easy to bring the character back down the line with a new actor in the role. It would also serve him right and perhaps humble him so a new and improved Michael could emerge when all is said and done.

So, where’s Nina (Cynthia Watros) when you need her? Surely, she has the SEC on speed dial…

Catch all-new episode of General Hospital weekdays on ABC and Hulu.