Do you want to see Vision face off against Doctor Doom in the MCU?

The mystery surrounding Wil Traval‘s General Hospital character is over. As revealed on the Thursday, October 29 episode, the actor is playing Jude Jacks, the son of longtime Port Charles troublemaker Jerry Jacks.

Traval says he had no idea who he would be playing when he submitted his self-tape in June. “It’s interesting because when I auditioned, I wasn’t auditioning for the role of Jude,” he tells TV Insider. “It was a very neutral, safe script. After I got in the role, they were like, ‘We’ll let you know about it all later on,’ so I was waiting eagerly to hear about who I would be playing.”

He was soon brought up to speed by the show’s writers and executive producer Frank Valentini and was thrilled to learn he’d be joining the storied Jacks family.

“When they told me about the role, I was like, ‘You’re kidding me. This is a gift,’” Traval recalls. “They said, ‘Audiences won’t see what’s coming with this guy. Just think of a James Bond villain and James Bond mixed.’ And then they told me the storylines and how I was connected to the entire world, and the history of my family. I was given a run-through of who the Jackses were, and I was like, ‘I must be one of the luckiest people, right?’ It’s such a gift to be so well entrenched and connected to the Port Charles universe and the GH universe that it feels like I’ve been there for 100 years. It’s so good.”

The Jacks family was introduced in 1996 when Jasper “Jax” Jacks (Ingo Rademacher) arrived in Port Charles. A charming corporate raider, Jax romanced Brenda Barrett (Vanessa Marcil), sparking a rivalry with her ex, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). Both men also married Carly Spencer (Laura Wright), and Jax and Carly welcomed daughter Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy).

Jax’s brother, Jerry, first played by Julian Stone, came to town in 1998 and romanced Bobbie Spencer (Jacklyn Zeman). He skipped town after being arrested for money laundering and released on bail.

Jerry returned in 2007 with a new face and a new portrayer: Sebastian Roché. His long list of villainous deeds included taking hostages at the Metro Court to get his hands on an important briefcase, an incident that ultimately led to the death of Alan Quartermaine (Stuart Damon); attempting to kill Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco); and poisoning Port Charles’ water supply. In 2015, Jerry was arrested after holding Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough) hostage and sent to Steinmauer Prison. Four years later, it was revealed that he had escaped. Other members of the Jacks family who have appeared in Port Charles include Jerry and Jax’s mother, Jane Jacks (Barbara Tarbuck).

Traval became aware that savvy fans were speculating he was a member of the Jacks family because he was Australian. He tried to steer clear of the online chatter.

“I have a little thing about reading things before I’m on the air,” he explains. “I didn’t want to read too much in case it affected anything I was doing before we got into the swing of things, but I vaguely saw little snippets here and there of people going, ‘Oh, he’s gotta be part of the Jacks family.’ The GH audience isn’t stupid. They know what’s up, and I think they’re pretty clever, and they can read between the lines, which is good.”

A memorable post did catch his attention, however. “Someone sent me a thing where there was a whole fan theory that I was going to be Jerry Jacks with facial reconstruction and vocal alteration,” he muses. “And that made me giggle. I was like, ‘That is a way-out-there conspiracy theory.’ And that could have been the reason why I didn’t look any further.”

One dynamic Traval is particularly eager to explore is the one between Jude and his cousin Josslyn, a WSB agent who is currently running the family company, JJE.

“I think the relationship between Josslyn and Jude is the one that’s going to be the most fraught with tension,” he notes. “And certainly, that’s the one to look out for. Let’s just hope that he can come out the other side with family and not an enemy.”

Traval is equally enthusiastic about his scenes with Maurice Benard. “There is a great interaction between Jude and Sonny,” he teases. “Working with Mo was such a delight. He’s just so still and so beautifully measured. He plays that role right, and it was just great. The two characters mesh well together, a couple of predators sizing each other up in the least threatening ways. You don’t want to jump the gun on that one. You don’t want to get anyone on your bad side straight up.”

As for what to expect from Jude as he settles into Port Charles, Traval says the character shares some of his father’s qualities.

“He knows how to get things done,” Traval previews. “And if he doesn’t get it done, then he knows that there are other routes, probably not so legal or ethical. I don’t know how far the apple fell from the tree when it comes to Jerry Jacks and Jude Jacks, so when you’re thinking about who his father is, think about the kind of man Jude might have been brought up to be. Always keep that in your back pocket.”

General Hospital, Weekdays, ABC, Check Local Listings

Local

The Philadelphia Eagles are getting healthier, as they "only" listed 20 players on their initial injury report this week. Their Week 8 opponent, the Washington Commanders, have their share of injuries as well, as a lot of key players are on injured reserve.

Here's the Eagles-Commanders injury report, with analysis.

Wednesday notes (walkthrough): 

• Wednesday's walkthrough was just an estimation.

• WR1 DeVonta Smith and WR2 Dontayvion Wicks began their weeks of prep as non-participants in practice, just like last week.

• Unsurprisingly, Saquon Barkley was listed with a DNP after he struggled to stay on the field last Monday night against the Cowboys.

• The Eagles are getting healthier on the edge, as Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, and Jonathan Greenard were all limited participants.

Thursday notes:

No notable changes.

Friday notes:

• DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks are both out again.

• Saquon Barkley will play. Credit his toughness. But it also feels like a desperation move by the team.

• Jihaad Campbell is out. Jeremiah Trotter will get the start.

Notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.

• QB Jalen Hurts (IR, season over): Hurts is out indefinitely with blood clots in his lungs. Tanner McKee has taken over as the team's starting quarterback.

• RB Tank Bigsby (IR, eligible to return after Week 8): Bigsby suffered an injury Week 4 against the Rams that required core muscle surgery. He will likely return this season, but could miss up to two months.

• RB Will Shipley (IR, eligible to return after Week 9): Shipley suffered a Lisfranc injury and will be out a while. Shipley is the Eagles' best RB in pass protection, but he only has 57 yards on 20 carries this season.

• RB Dameon Pierce (IR, eligible to return after Week 12): The Eagles' top four RBs are all injured.

Wednesday notes:

• The Commanders have a bunch of guys on injured reserve (below), but the only two names of note who did not practice on Wednesday were WR Stefon Diggs and DT Javon Kinlaw.

Thursday notes:

• Stefon Diggs was a full participant after sitting out on Wednesday.

Friday notes: 

• The Commanders could be light on their interior defensive line, with Javon Kinlaw out and Daron Payne popping up on the injury report on Friday.

Notable players on IR, PUP, suspension, etc.

• LT Laremy Tunsil (IR): During training camp, Tunsil tore his triceps and will be out for a chunk of the regular season. He is arguably the best player on Commanders' roster. The Commanders didn't have much in the way of ideal replacements. They settled on Brandon Coleman, who was in a camp battle with Chris Paul for the starting LG spot. Coleman started 12 games for the Commanders at LT in 2024. He also started three games at LT when Tunsil got hurt last season. Massive downgrade. So far in 2026, PFF has Coleman down for 4 sacks allowed.

The Commanders were likely hoping that Coleman, a 2024 early third-round pick, would win the starting LG job over Paul. Instead, Coleman had to move to LT, and Paul had to start at LG. In other words, the Tunsil injury didn't just cause a downgrade at LT. It also caused a less than ideal outcome at LG too.

• WR Terry McLaurin: McLaurin has long been the Commanders' WR1, although his play has declined sharply the last two seasons. He suffered a torn patellar tendon, and his season is over.

• RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt: Croskey-Merritt is the Commanders' RB1. He had a good rookie season as a runner, carrying 175 times for 805 yards (4.6 YPC) and 8 TDs. However, he also had fumbling issues and was not a threat as a receiver. In 2026, he carried 67 times for 239 yards (3.6 YPC) and 2 TDs before landing on IR with a groin injury. With Croskey-Merritt out, Rachaad White is the Commanders' lead back, with Jeremy McNichols working in as well.

• LB Leo Chenal (IR): Chenal is an interesting linebacker / edge hybrid who is big, fast, and physical, who the Commanders signed away from the Chiefs in free agency. Steve Spagnuolo didn't often ask Chenal to cover tight ends and running backs, instead allowing him to attack the line of scrimmage from multiple alignments and occasionally spy mobile quarterbacks. He did not fit in well in the Commanders' defense the first few weeks of the season, and then landed on season-ending IR after suffering a fracture in his neck Week 3 against the Seahawks.

• iDL Jer'Zhan Newton (IR): Newton suffered a torn pectoral muscle during the offseason and will miss a big chunk of the season. Newton hasn't lived up to the expectations of being a 2024 second-round pick largely due to injuries, but he did finish fourth on the team last season with 5 sacks and the team was hoping he could make a leap in his third season.

• WR/RS Jaylin Lane (IR): Lane was a Commanders fourth-round pick in 2025. He hasn't done much as a receiver, but he did house two punts for them last season. He suffered a fractured and dislocated left ankle Week 4 against the Colts. His season is over.

Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | thePhillyVoice

Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports

Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader

An outbreak of bird flu at a mink farm in Utah – and the response from its owner and regulators – has sparked concerns from infectious disease experts about the Trump administration’s ability to manage such viruses.

While the mink becoming sick was unlikely to produce a “tidal wave of human infections”, an apparent lack of transparency from government officials about the infections was very troubling, said Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiology professor and director of the pandemic center at Brown University School of Public Health.

“No animal or human will be protected from the toll of this virus through secrecy,” Nuzzo said in a phone interview on Saturday. “The risk is greatest among people who have exposure to sick animals. If that is not you, I think you can take this off your worry list, [but] it does not abdicate the government of its responsibility to try to prevent a pandemic.”

For two months, an outbreak of bird flu has spread at a farm about an hour from Salt Lake City that raises thousands of mink for their fur, ProPublica reported earlier this week.

A state veterinarian, Amanda Price, handled the response and tried to get help from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), but the federal officials told her that they didn’t regulate mink or have a vaccine approved for the animal, according to ProPublica, which obtained messages through the state’s public records law.

The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials spoke with Utah health department staff but did not communicate with Price, the outlet further reported.

In other countries where such outbreaks have occurred, the government has ordered farms to kill their mink. Veterinarians told ProPublica that is what the Utah farm owners should already have done.

This is not the first outbreak in recent times at a Utah fur farm. During the Covid-19 pandemic, nearly 10,000 mink in Utah died from the coronavirus and quarantines were implemented at nine farms.

The virus was probably transmitted to the animals from infected workers, according to a report in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Mink are very susceptible to infection with several viruses that also infect humans, according to a report from the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

But Nuzzo said she didn’t “see any signals that the virus is spreading”.

“The scenario I’m worried about is this one: workers who are exposed to these animals will get sick, and some of them might die, and that is awful because we potentially could prevent that through thinking about protecting farm workers with a vaccine, like other countries are using,” Nuzzo said.

The virus could infect humans and become a pandemic if it were to combine with an influenza virus, “a worry that grows with the onset of each human flu season when there are more influenza viruses in circulation”, Nuzzo said.

“I cannot tell you what the probability of that is. It could be zero,” she added.

In Utah, a fur trade representative told Price that culling the mink at C&T Fenn Farms would kill the business and the industry, ProPublica reported.

But Tom Peacock, an avian influenza researcher at the Pirbright Institute, told the news organization that in such situations, depopulation – ie, culling the mink – typically happens quickly and the fact that it didn’t in this case was “very concerning”.

Officials reportedly also did not monitor the farm workers for symptoms, despite CDC guidance to do so. ProPublica found two people who worked at the farm, one of whom had a red eye. The federal health agency urges testing for that symptom.

Price and the Utah department of agriculture and food did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The farm owner, Chad Fenn, told the news organization that the worker had dust in his eye and that the state health department did not recommend testing.

The Guardian could not immediately reach Fenn.

Nuzzo worries about how, she said, during Donald Trump’s second term, the federal government appears to be doing less monitoring of farms for such potential viruses than previous administrations.

Shortly after Trump took office, his administration fired federal employees who were responding to a bird flu outbreak among dairy cows.

Nuzzo said federal officials used to hold regular calls with disease experts such as her to “keep us informed about what they were doing”. That no longer happens, she said.

“I found them quite useful because it allowed us to push them and say, ‘Well, what about this?’, and to interrogate some of the ideas,” Nuzzo said. “A lot is lost when that doesn’t happen … It might mean that things are going on that people don’t see or know about. It might also be that actions don’t get the scrutiny they deserve.”