Every avid soap fan knows that feeling: their favorite character, one they’ve watched and loved for years, has just died a tragic death on the show. All those hopes for that character’s future have disappeared along with them. However, on “Days of Our Lives,” those moments are few and far between, as once a character dies on that soap, they rarely stay dead for long.
The soap opera “Days of Our Lives” has developed a reputation as the one that brings back people who have passed away in the most absurd manner. Salem is the place to go if you want to come back from the dead with a bang, thanks to a mad doctor who injects the dead with life-spurring serum and microchips filled with other people’s essences. These five featured some of the most outlandish resurrections in soap opera history, despite the sad fact that some characters never returned to the living.
Nicole returned to Salem, but not as herself
The resurrection of Nicole Walker (Arianne Zucker) is one for the history books. After Deimos Kiriakis (Vince Irizarry) was killed, Xander Kiriakis (Paul Telfer) secured Nicole’s confession to the murder on tape. He blackmailed her into marriage and kept her hidden in Nashville, where Eric Brady (Greg Vaughan) eventually found her. Eric and Nicole planned to escape together, but Nicole never made it out and was presumably killed in an explosion, much to Eric’s dismay.
Nicole returned in 2019, but she was not at all interested in rekindling her romance with Eric; instead, she was after Brady Black, Eric’s half-brother (Eric Martsolf). It was discovered that “Nicole” was actually Kristen Dimera (Stacy Haiduk) wearing a Nicole mask after weeks of strange behavior and covert encounters with Xander. Eric located the genuine Nicole, who was residing in Chicago, and brought her back to Salem. Even though “Days” is known for its resurrections, Nicole’s return from the dead became one of her character’s most famous plotlines because to Kristen’s bizarre masks and some Dimera interference.
Stefano came back as a microchip
Stefano Dimera is one of the most iconic characters from “Days of Our Lives” as the evil patriarch of the Dimera family. His many deaths and resurrections got him deemed “the Phoenix,” based on how many times he rose from the ashes and came back to life. However, after actor Joseph Mascolo died in 2016, the powers that be had to get creative if they ever wanted Stefano to return to Salem. Well, let’s just say they hit the nail on the head.
In 2019, Steve Johnson (Stephen Nichols) fled the city to deal with the accusations leveled against him after discovering that his new bionic eye had been capturing and releasing sensitive government data. Steve wasn’t entirely Steve when he got back to Salem.Steve believed he was the leader of the Dimera family because Dr. Rolf (then-William Utay) had implanted a microchip containing Stefano Dimera’s essence into his head, bringing Stefano Dimera back from the grave. After making an effort to get back together with his girlfriend Marlena (Deidre Hall), “Steveno” was discovered and the chip was taken out. Well, in a pinch, your sworn enemy will do if you can’t come back from the dead in your own body.
Will was given a life-saving serum (with a catch)
Fans were devastated when Ben Weston (Robert Scott Wilson), the Necktie Killer, murdered Will Horton (then-Guy Wilson) after discovering he had killed several other people in town. Ben was committed to Bayview, but that didn’t stop him from escaping a few years later to reveal that Will was actually alive. Yes, Ben had actually killed Will, but after his funeral, Dr. Rolf injected Will with a serum that brought him back to life. Convenient, right?
However, the serum didn’t come without side effects; Will (now Chandler Massey) was found by his family in Nashville, where he had been suffering from amnesia after coming back from the dead. He was living with Susan Banks (Stacy Haiduk), who had convinced him he was her (presumably dead) son, EJ Dimera (Dan Feuerriegel). When Will came back to Salem, his memory didn’t return right away, and he started dating Paul Narita (Christoper Sean) — even though prior to his death, Will had been in a relationship with Sonny Kiriakis (then Freddie Smith). Eventually, he remembered his feelings for Sonny, and they reunited, turning a tragic situation into a happy one — except for Paul, who ended up sad and alone.
Nick Fallon was resurrected on Halloween night
So far, we’ve established that most of the resurrected characters on “Days of Our Lives” are given a second chance to live out their days in Salem, but there is one that lasted less than 24 hours. On Halloween night in 2021, the devil himself was terrorizing Salem by possessing Marlena Evans, Doug Williams (Bill Hayes), and a slew of other characters — and he wasn’t just limited to the living. The devil possessed the corpse of Nick Fallon (Blake Berris) and brought him back to life for one night to wreak havoc on the town.
Nick died in 2014 after he abused Gabi Hernandez (Camila Banus), and she shot him, believing he was a threat to her daughter’s life. When he was resurrected by the devil, Nick immediately tried to seek revenge on Gabi and kill her, but he died again when the devil was defeated. It’s one thing to be brought back by a mad doctor, but by Satan himself? That’s reserved for only the worst of villains. Sorry, Nick.
Bo was finally reunited with his Fancy Face – for a minute
Bo Brady’s (Peter Reckell) resurrection on “Days of Our Lives” was arguably the most shocking (and welcome). Bo, one of the most loved characters on the soap opera, was sadly missed after passing away in 2015 from an uncurable brain tumor. At the very end of the second season of the “Days” Peacock spin-off “Beyond Salem,” in 2022, it was made clear that Bo was still alive. On the main episode, his family didn’t learn that he had been “on ice,” or cryogenically frozen, by Megan Dimera (Miranda Wilson), since his alleged demise, until 2023.
After the funeral, Megan had stolen his body and magically treated his brain tumor (don’t ask us how); she then imprisoned Bo until he was well enough to return to normal life. Bo had amnesia when his family found him, but he was determined to start over in Greece. Before his son Shawn Brady (Brandon Beemer) shot him and immediately put Bo into a coma, his girlfriend, Hope Brady (Kristen Alfonso), was finally able to get through to him and he finally retrieved his memories of their relationship. Oh well, Bo, try your luck again later.