In 2011, "General Hospital" included a plot twist that was quite explosive (literally), and it involved Sonny Corinthos and Brenda Barrett as they settled into domestic bliss. At that point, the happy couple just married. Not even Carly's attempt at stopping their ceremony with news that Corinthos' son, Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna), had been named on Alec's birth certificate as the child's father could ruin the wedding. Following Sonny and Brenda's nuptials and merry reception, they prepared to drive off together.
Brenda settled into their limo alone, but Sonny delayed getting in so he could grab a key from Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary) and hug his daughter, Kristina (Lexi Ainsworth). As he turned to join his bride, the vehicle exploded (via SoapHub). It was a similar plot twist to one the show had used before and caused the soap opera-focused website Serial Drama to refer to Bob Guza, the "General Hospital" head writer at that time, as "a miserable hack."
In the aftermath, only Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco) was found alive in the wreckage. It turned out that Sam had was as a decoy for Brenda, who had been kidnapped by Theo Hoffman, aka The Balkan (Daniel Benzali). Hoffman was a rival mobster who thought Brenda had murdered his son, Aleksander Janáček. Sonny soon rescued Brenda, and it was revealed that Aleksander was Alec's biological father. The limo explosion was a shocking start to Brenda and Sonny's marriage and would presage a brief and tumultuous union that would end a few months later.
