Michael McBain is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. Casting The role was originated by R. Brandon Johnson in November 2003. Nathaniel Marston stepped in on February 16, 2004, and ultimately left on November 29, 2007. On January 9 and 10, 2007, Robert Harte temporarily filled in for Marston as Michael. Chris Stack took over the role from December 3, 2007, to June 17, 2009, later making a guest appearance from July 14 through July 16, 2009, and on November 12 and 13, 2009. Michael returned on October 25, 27, 28, 2011. Marston originally played the role of Al Holden from 2001 to 2004. Al was romantically involved with Marcie Walsh; when Al was killed off, fans of the couple organized a write-in campaign calling for Marston's return. Marston later returned to the series in a storyline in which Al's "spirit" helped Michael change his selfish ways and win Marcie's heart. Johnson and Marston alternated in the role of Michael as Al's spirit sometimes "took control" of Michael. At the conclusion of the story on February 16, 2004, Al's spirit took over Michael's body permanently and lost all memory of Al's life; Marston assumed the role full-time with no mention of Al's spirit being inside Michael's body. To the viewer Michael looked like Al, but presumably to everyone else he looked like he did before Al's spirit got inside him. Storylines Dr. McBain worked at Llanview Hospital and is the brother of Detective John McBain and husband of Marcie Walsh (whom he married on May 5, 2006). He and Marcie adopted an abandoned baby boy whom they named Tommy McBain. Michael was told by Rex Balsom that the baby was really the missing son of Todd Manning. When Dr. Spencer Truman is murdered, Rex, who ran into Michael at the hospital on the night of Spencer Truman's murder, believed Michael was the one who stabbed Spencer to prevent him from revealing the paternity of Tommy to Todd Manning (Spencer had kidnapped Tommy, who was really the child of Todd Manning and Margaret Cochran on the day of his birth); Michael believed Rex had committed the murder for the same reason. However, after John had Rex and Michael held overnight in a holding cell for questioning because he believed they were hiding something and wondered what the two could possibly be keeping secret between them,