The character of Carl Hutchins made his debut in Bay City in 1983. For his arrival Felicia threw him a party, not knowing he was Perry's father and Donna's ex-husband. He blackmailed Donna into not telling Felicia about their relationship. Donna quickly realized she was not the reason the had come to Bay City. He tried to comfort his son Perry, after his ex-wife died, but, Perry rejected him. Carl started making himself known in Bay City, he bought a hotel, secretly some ex-Cory property and an art magazine. He began to having a repetitive nightmare..
Carl and Perry repaired ties, and he rejected Felicia's offer to rekindle their romance. Carl employed Cass to be his informant. Carl and Donna resumed their affair, and he told her his nightmare was about Mac Cory, because he believed Mac was the reason his Father committed suicide.
In 1985, Carl was shortly thought to have been killed in a plane crash. Carl didn't stay away and he went to New York, where he kidnapped Rachel. Carl was angered when Rachel refused all of his advances and Nancy was injured in a fight with him. Mac agreed to secretly meet with Carl. Rachel was shot during the shoot out with them, as Mac tried to rescue her. Carl was sent out of state to face federal charges. Upon his return he made a promise to finally have his revenge on Mac once and for all.
His son Perry was killed in a fall at the Love's barn later that year. Carl started his quest to find a statue that belonged to Perry, he had Daphne Grimaldi assist him in his search. He turned against Daphne Grimaldi and had a poisonous snake bite her while they were in Egypt seeking a mysterious Pharaoh's daughter statue, and framed Cass for it. Marley purchased the statue and gave it to Nancy.
Following that he later kidnapped Marley, but, saw that Chris and Nancy had the statue.. Carl and Chris Chapin fought, and Carl was presumed drowned in the lake in, December 1985.
When Carl returned in 1991, Bay City began measures of security to protect themselves from him. Kathleen and Paulina moved into the Cory mansion, and Amanda back with Sam. Carl initiated his plan to find out who "Signet:, Kathleen's informant who told her, he was alive. Soon, Carl presented himself to Kathleen and stated that he was only there to make amends, and clear his name. Lucas was working with Carl.
That changed, when Carl ordered someone to shoot Ryan, Vicky threatened Carl to stay away from Ryan, and Carl realized that she was his way to figure out Ryan's plans. When Lucas, quit working for Carl, he decided to exact him revenge by tampering with the brakes on Lucas' car. Carl later discovered it wasn't Lucas who working for Kathleen, but it was too late, Jenna and Lucas were driving the car and ended up crashing. After months of investigating, Grant was revealed to be the "Signet", and the reason Carl was locked up in 1987, Carl shot him.
During 1992, Jake became involved with Carl's counterfeit operation. Carl's trial for counterfeiting ended up having its conviction overturned. Carl explained to Vicky that he was trying to change. Carl stole a box of Justine's things, from Vicky's apartment. She didn't realize later when he kissed her that he was trying use that as a cover and get closer to her for information about Ryan. In June, as Ryan was running from the law, he agreed to meet with Carl during one of Dean's concerts.
As Carl and Ryan's meeting didn't go off as planned, he kidnapped Jenna.
After Jenna was safe, Ryan saved Carl from falling off a scaffolding at a nearby construction site, after he revealed he was his father. Vicky and Ryan later confirmed his parentage, from a letter of his Mother's.
When Ryan wasn't as accepting of Carl as he had hoped, Carl told him he would be leaving Bay City, and that they could have been a wonderful team had they worked together. Ryan was angered at that comment and disliked the fact Carl may have been using Vicky to be closer to him.
After four months away from Bay City, he returned and he was determined to be a part of Ryan's life once and for all. Grant began to receive threatening letters, which he believed were from Carl, an enlisted Ryan's help, but Carl had disappeared. Ryan received an encrypted note from Carl after he had failed to meet Spencer in Jamaica. Ryan told Grant he believed that Carl has been working on protecting him and not behind the threats.
Carl tried to convince Ryan that Vicky was his one true love and he needed to fight for her, but Donna refused his request to help him break them up. He hired a henchman to kidnap Vicky and made it so her and Ryan would be together. Ryan and Vicky were together and Carl after learning he was behind the kidnapping, was presumed dead, again, after a helicopter crash.
Carl quietly returned during the summer of 1993, but, Lorna began to suspect he was alive after she received a picture that only he knew existed. Soon all of Bay City realized he was alive, Carl followed Ryan to Canada and had him released from prison. Ryan was angry that he had, had Vicky kidnapped, but Carl insisted it never would have had to happen if Ryan had fought for her in the first place.
Jake began his takeover plans for Cory Publishing and Rachel decided she needed to enlist Carl's help in order to stop him. Carl revealed to her he owned a large share of Cory stocks. Together they were able to save Cory from a takeover.