Grey’s Anatomy’s Maternity Twist Sets the Stage For [Spoiler]’s Surprise Return Next Season (2024)

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Ever since it was revealed that Lucas Adams is a Shepherd and the nephew of the late Dr. Derek Shepherd, fans have been trying to figure out which one of Derek’s sisters is his mom. Keep reading to see who Lucas’ mom is on Grey’s Anatomy.

Who is Lucas’ mom on Grey’s Anatomy?

Played by Niko Terho, Lucas Adams was first introduced in the Season 19 premiere as one of five new surgical interns at Grey Sloan Memorial. The episode ended with the shocking revelation that the newbie is actually the nephew of the late Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and Dr. Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone). As Lucas prepared to assist with a surgery, he used Derek’s signature catch phrase, telling the other surgeons in the room: “It’s a beautiful day to save lives.” Amelia, who was observing the surgery from the gallery, then told Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo): “Derek was a god to him … And Lucas was Derek’s favorite nephew.”

Amelia did not reveal which one of the Shepherd siblings is Lucas’ mother, but Meredith did note that the first-year resident is “a bit of a black sheep.” She also remarked that he reminded her of Amelia, which is why she hired him. “He is a mess and he does need to do things his own way, but he also has a stroke of the family genius,” she told her sister-in-law.

Lucas’ past remains a mystery, but as longtime fans of the show know, Derek had four sisters: Nancy, Kathleen, Liz and Amelia, all of whom are doctors. Aside from Amelia, not much is known about Derek’s sisters and they’ve only made a few appearances on the show in the 20 years that its been on air.

The eldest sister, Nancy (played by Embeth Davidtz), first appeared in Season 3 to pay her brother a visit, during which she disapproved of his blossoming relationship with Meredith. She showed up again in Season 15 when Amelia attended a tense dinner with her siblings. Little is known about Nancy, aside from the fact that she is an OB/GYN and lives in Connecticut. Kathleen’s (Amy Acker) only appearance was during that same dinner, and the only thing viewers know about her is that her speciality is psychiatry. Liz (Neve Campbell), on the other hand, had a memorable story arc during Season 9. Following Derek’s plane crash, Liz was the only sister to show up at Grey Sloan Memorial to donate a nerve in attempt to fix the late neurosurgeon’s hand. Her speciality, however, was not revealed.

In the third episode of Season 19, viewers got a clue about who Lucas’ mom could be when he revealed that he grew up in Connecticut. In a Reddit thread, several fans theorized that this could mean Nancy is his mother. “I believe Nancy Shepherd is Lucas mother only because Lucas stated to Simon’s grandmother that he lives in Connecticut and his father is from Barbados,” one fan wrote. Another fan agreed, adding: “Nancy seemed to be the type who had a son who idolized Derek. Besides, she’s the oldest girl sibling, so Lucas’ age makes more sense.”

While Nancy seems to be the most logical choice, neither Amelia nor Derek have ever revealed where the other two sisters live or how old they are. Additionally, it was implied during the dinner Amelia attended that all three sisters live in the New York tri-state area. Other fans pointed out that it could be Liz, since Cambell recently exited the Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer. “I always loved her guest appearance as Lizzie … Maybe Lizzie will join as Lucas’s mom and fill one of the ‘sisters’ roles that were vacated by Maggie and Meredith. Idk, the timing of her leaving Lincoln Lawyer and Lucas having an unknown Shepherd mom is a cool coincidence,” one user wrote on Reddit.

Throughout Season 20, viewers have watched as Lucas faced the consequences of his actions in the Season 19 finale. After operating on a patient named Sam Sutton without an attending present, ultimately leading to Sam’s death, the board at Grey Sloan Memorial recommended that he repeat his intern year. In the penultimate episode, Dr. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) returned and offered Lucas a job at her new hospital in Chicago as a second-year cardiothoracic intern. Lucas told Maggie that he’d always considered specializing in neurosurgery, to which Maggie responded: “Why? Because You’re a Shephard?” Lucas later told fellow intern Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd) that he was “considering” the offer.

With the newbie’s future at Grey Sloan hanging in the balance, perhaps he’ll get a visit from his mom to help him make this tough decision. Our bet is on Liz being the one to show up in Seattle, but viewers will just have to keep tuning in to find out.

Grey’s Anatomy is available to stream on Hulu.

For more on Grey’s Anatomy, check out how much the cast makes — including who’s the highest-paid — in the gallery below.