Less than three months after his final on-air appearance on All My Children, Michael Nader (Dimitri Marick) is said to be mulling a possible return to Pine Valley.

Nader's character, who last was seen September 20th of this year, is presumed dead. Of course in the soap world few deaths are final.

There was much talk about exactly why the actor left AMC. After all, he'd played the part for the better part of a decade -- starting back in 1991. Long-time viewers will remember that the dashing Hungarian count was the one who finally rescued Natalie Hunter from the infamous well.

Rumors began circulating this past spring that the signing of Finola Hughes (Alexandra Devane Marick) meant that AMC would have to cut its budget. As those reports swirled out of control, it was said that Hughes' arrival meant that Nader -- reportedly one of the higher paid actors on the show -- would be let go.

From Nader's camp came an entirely different tale. The actor was said to be quite vocal about his displeasure with his lack of air time. In fact, the character of Dimitri had been floating about town for many months with little meaningful dialogue. A romance with Brooke English never went anywhere.

And then came the incurable brain disorder.

All along the writers and executives at AMC have said that the door would be left open for Nader's return. No one, though, expected the return to be so soon.

There's still no definitive word from either side about the rumored return. If the actor does return, he's said to have asked that his schedule only require taping a few days per week.