Alexis' Disturbing History With Men On General Hospital
Nancy Lee Grahn originated the role of Alexis Davis on "General Hospital" in 1996. Born Princess Natasha Alexandra Mikkosovna Cassadine to the villainous Greco-Russian prince Mikkos Cassadine and his mistress Kristin Bergman, her life was full of turmoil from the very beginning (via Soap Central). As a young child, she was witness to Mikkos' violence to her mother, and years later it was revealed that her stepmother Helena Cassadine (Constance Towers) killed her mother right in front of her.
Following that loss, Natasha was brought into the Cassadine home and raised under the alias of a distant cousin Alexis Davidovitch, unaware of her true identity. After graduating from Yale with a law degree, Alexis was implored by her half-brother (who she believed to be her cousin) Stefan Cassadine (Stephen Nichols) to change her last name to Davis and come to Port Charles to aid him in a legal coup.
After establishing a life for herself in Port Charles, the newly minted Alexis Davis quickly found herself keeping company with hardened criminals. Coupled with the discovery that she was Mikkos' child and her history bearing witness to the nefarious Cassadine clan, it's no surprise that Alexis has struggled in the romance department. With a bad habit of getting involved with tortured, damaged, and criminal men, she has yet to experience a relationship that didn't end in serious danger, heartbreak, or both.
Alexis had a child with mobster Sonny Corinthos
Following a brief marriage of convenience with Jasper "Jax" Jacks (Ingo Rademacher) and a failed romance with Quartermaine heir Ned Ashton (Wally Kurth), Alexis Davis found herself working as the go-to attorney for Sonny Corinthos' mob organization after they bonded over their mutual affection for troubled teen Zander Smith (via Soaps in Depth). An expert at legal maneuvering, Alexis was able to get Sonny and his enforcer Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) out of whatever trouble they found themselves in.
In 2002, Alexis and Sonny's bond grew deeper when she convinced him not to put out a hit on his enemy AJ Quartermaine, who had run off and eloped with his sister. That night, the pair fell into bed together, and their one-night stand resulted in a pregnancy. Ned helped Alexis desperately try to hide the paternity of her daughter from Sonny, especially after he inadvertently caused the death of her sister Kristina Cassadine. However, the truth eventually came out when baby Kristina (named after her late aunt) was diagnosed with leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant, per Soap Central.
Though Alexis never wanted her child to be anywhere near Sonny's dangerous lifestyle of bodyguards, shoot-outs, and warehouse explosions, there was no keeping the kingpin away from his flesh and blood. Over the years, Alexis and Sonny have butted heads many times regarding their daughter, causing Kristina to grow up as a daddy's girl with a tumultuous relationship with her mother. The one thing that Sonny and Alexis can always agree on, though, is their unconditional love for their child.
Alexis was betrayed by Ric Lansing
Before the truth about Kristina Davis' paternity was even revealed, Alexis Davis found herself in a new romance. She often battled fellow attorney Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) in the courtroom, and their legal banter quickly turned to flirting. When they began a relationship, no one knew that Ric was Sonny Corinthos' long-lost half-brother who came to Port Charles to enact revenge against the man he felt had taken his mother away from him (via Soaps). He discovered that Sonny was Kristina's father and started dating Alexis as a way to secretly stick it to his brother by helping to raise the daughter the other man didn't know he had.
Eventually, Ric realized that he had genuine feelings for Alexis, and the two tried to make their relationship work despite the fact that he had a history of sexual assault, kidnapping, and attempted murder (via Soap Central). They were married in 2004 in an attempt to fight Sonny for custody of Kristina, though by the time their daughter Molly Lansing-Davis was born in 2005, their relationship had deteriorated. This was partially due to the fact that Alexis caught Ric sleeping with her adult daughter Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco), whom she had given up for adoption as a teenager.
Ric and Alexis officially divorced in 2006 and agreed to co-parent their daughter, though he has been absent from Molly's life many times over the years.
Alexis was seduced by international criminal Jerry Jacks
In 2008, Alexis Davis agreed to represent international criminal Jerry Jacks (Sebastian Roché) in court at the behest of his brother and her ex-husband and friend Jasper "Jax" Jacks. Jerry relentlessly pursued Alexis; she continued to rebuff his advances, though she was admittedly charmed by the suave Aussie (via Soap Central). When Jerry promised to protect Alexis' daughters from mobster Anthony Zacchara's threats, she finally gave in, and the two began a passionate affair. Although their relationship became public and was looked down upon by everyone in Port Charles, including the police department, Alexis stood by her new man.
Later, Alexis caught Jerry and her daughter Sam McCall kissing, though Sam claimed she was running a con on the man in order to gather evidence against him (via TV MegaSite). Alexis decided to believe Jerry over her private investigator daughter and even went so far as to have Sam thrown in jail. Alexis and Jerry's relationship then fizzled out, and he left town for a number of years.
However, he returned to Port Charles in 2012 to poison the city's water supply with a deadly biotoxin, per Michael Fairman TV. It turned out that Jerry had injected Alexis with a vaccine that would prevent her from getting sick, though her daughters and other loved ones became exposed. Things became even more volatile when Jerry kidnapped Alexis in an attempt to run away with her. Thankfully, she was rescued before Jerry could execute his sinister plot.
Alexis gave Shawn Butler an ultimatum
Around the same time that Jerry Jacks was terrorizing Port Charles, Alexis Davis found herself smitten with a new man. Her now-teenaged daughter Molly Lansing-Davis (Haley Pullos) was dating a young man named TJ Ashford (then Krys Meyer), and Alexis became friendly with his guardian Shawn Butler (Sean Blakemore), per Soap Central. Shawn was the one who was able to save Alexis from Jerry, and the two grew closer during her recovery. Just as things started to turn romantic, however, Alexis discovered that Shawn was working as an enforcer for Sonny Corinthos' organization.
Due to her feelings for the man, Alexis begged Shawn to leave the mob because she didn't want him to be killed. Nor did she want that level of danger back in her life. Alexis eventually gave him an ultimatum, and he chose to continue working with Sonny, thus sacrificing their relationship. The two continued to have a distant friendship over the years, but were separated when Shawn was imprisoned for the attempted murder of Hayden Barnes in 2015, though the real culprit was Alexis' own nephew Nikolas Cassadine (via Soap Opera Network). Upon Shawn's release in 2021, they rekindled their friendship since he was officially out of "the business."
However, they didn't get to spend much time together before he decided to leave Port Charles for new opportunities.
Alexis couldn't get Julian Jerome to leave the mob
As a teenager, Alexis Davis snuck out of boarding school and had a one-night stand with a guy she met at a bar, resulting in the birth of a child she later gave up for adoption, per Soap Opera Spy. It wasn't until years later when she found and formed a relationship with Sam McCall, that Alexis learned that her daughter's father was none other than mobster Julian Jerome (William deVry).
Though he originally showed up in Port Charles in 2013 under the alias Derek Wells, Julian's real objective was to take down rival mob boss Sonny Corinthos (via Michael Fairman TV). Shortly after, Julian's true identity was revealed, and Alexis found herself drawn back into his orbit. Things grew complicated when Ric Lansing returned to town, and Sonny asked Alexis to help him figure out if Ric was working with Julian. As she tried to keep the peace between the three fathers of her daughters, Alexis found herself falling in love with Julian.
She told Julian he had to leave the mob if there was any chance of them having a future together, and he agreed (via Soap Central). Julian suggested they meet in secret due to Alexis' daughter Molly Lansing-Davis' disdain for their relationship, but after a few months Alexis realized that Julian had an ulterior motive. His real reason for wanting to sneak around was to prevent Alexis from finding out that he hadn't left the mob after all. She promptly dumped him, though that was certainly not the end of their story.
Alexis was almost murdered by Julian
Alexis Davis' entanglement with Julian Jerome is by far the most complex, passionate, turbulent, and dangerous of all of her relationships. In early 2015 the couple reconciled, though they broke up again a few months later when Alexis discovered that Julian had ordered his henchman Carlos Rivera (Jeffrey Vincent Parise) to murder Duke Lavery (via Soaps in Depth). However, they got back together again when Julian promised, again, to leave the mob for good. By February 2016, the two were married.
Just a few months later, Carlos was found murdered, and Alexis realized that Julian was to blame and that he was still involved in the mob, per TV Insider. Julian tried to defend himself by explaining that he was protecting his sister Ava Jerome, but Alexis had enough. By July, she began working with the police to get evidence of Julian confessing to his crimes, but things got ugly when he caught her wearing a wire (via Michael Fairman TV). In a rage, Julian held a dagger to Alexis' throat and was prepared to kill her before Sonny Corinthos showed up to the rescue.
Due to the trauma of that event, Alexis' mental health deteriorated drastically, and she began drinking heavily to deal with the psychological effects. In November, Alexis inadvertently ran over Julian with her car while she was drunk driving, nearly killing him (via TVOvermind). Following that ordeal, they two decided they were even and maintained a cordial relationship until Julian's death in 2021.
Alexis fell for her psychiatrist Neil Byrne
In 2019, Alexis Davis began seeing a psychiatrist named Neil Byrne (Joe Flanigan), per Soap Central. In addition to helping Alexis' family deal with Kristina Corinthos-Davis' (Lexi Ainsworth) involvement with a cult called Dawn of Day, he also helped her get treatment for her alcoholism. Alexis told Neil that she wanted to figure out why she had a habit of getting involved with dangerous men; it was during their sessions that she recalled memories of her father's abuse and her mother's murder.
Despite their professional relationship, Alexis and Neil found themselves interested in each other romantically. Eventually, Neil decided to stop treating Alexis so that they could be together. She was thrilled to finally get her happy ending. Unfortunately, legally they were forbidden to see each other socially for two years following the end of Alexis' treatment. They decided to wait, but when a secret one-time tryst out of town was witnessed and reported, Dr. Byrne's medical license came under attack (via Celebrating the Soaps).
During a meeting in which an ethics committee was going to make a decision in his case, Alexis lied under oath in an attempt to protect Neil's career (via Soaps in Depth). However, her plan backfired when she was caught and not only did Neil lose his credentials, but Alexis was also disbarred. After both of their careers had been blown to pieces, the two realized they had nothing left to lose and decided to be together. However, the morning after their first night as an official couple, Alexis woke to find Neil dead in her bed.
Alexis is trying to pick up the pieces of her life
Alexis Davis was understandably distraught to find her new lover Neil Byrne dead from an apparent drug overdose the morning after they made their relationship official (via Soaps in Depth). Not only was she heartbroken, but she continued to beat herself up for not realizing that Neil had a substance abuse issue. Her grief, coupled with Neil's brother Brendan Byrne blaming her for his death, caused Alexis to relapse and begin drinking again. Known to make poor decisions while incapacitated, Alexis ended up having a one-night stand with her ex Ned Quartermaine, which almost destroyed his marriage to Olivia Falconeri.
Eventually, Alexis made friends with a woman named Harmony Miller (Inga Cadranel) who was previously involved in the same cult as her daughter Kristina. She even let the woman temporarily live in her home when she fell on hard times. However, Alexis was shocked when months later it was revealed that Harmony murdered Neil and staged his death to look like an overdose. She had previously seen Dr. Byrne as a patient and was concerned that he would reveal her secret she'd told him about her daughter's real mother.
Since Neil's death, Alexis has remained single, though she's made some new connections through her job running the Invader newspaper, per HubPages. Her recent professional banter with professor Gregory Chase (Gregory Harrison) has fans hoping Alexis might finally have found a man who challenges her intellectually and isn't going to put her life at risk. However, Alexis is clearly attracted to danger, so only time will tell.