Days Of Our Lives' Most Outrageous Resurrections

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.

"Days of Our Lives" has garnered a reputation as the soap opera that brings back characters who have died in the most outlandish ways possible. Between a mad scientist who injects the deceased with life-spurring serum and microchips filled with other people's essences, Salem is the place to be if you want to return from the dead with a flourish. Although some characters sadly never made it back to the land of the living, these five had some of the most outrageous resurrections in soap history.

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.

However, Nicole reappeared in 2019, completely uninterested in rekindling her relationship with Eric, instead pursuing his half-brother Brady Black (Eric Martsolf). After weeks of odd behavior and secretive meetings with Xander, it was revealed that "Nicole" was actually Kristen Dimera (Stacy Haiduk) in a Nicole mask. The real Nicole was found living in Chicago, and Eric brought her home to Salem. "Days" is known for its resurrections, but thrown in Kristen's crazy masks and some Dimera meddling and Nicole's return from the dead became one of the most iconic storylines in her character's history.

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's (Stephen Nichols) new bionic eye had been recording and leaking classified government information, and he left town to resolve the charges brought against him. When Steve returned to Salem, he wasn't quite Steve anymore. Dr. Rolf (then-William Utay) had brought back Stefano Dimera from the dead by implanting a microchip with Stefano's essence into Steve's head, making him believe he actually was the head of the Dimera family. After attempting to reunite with his love, Marlena (Deidre Hall), "Steveno" was caught, and the chip was removed. Well, if you can't return from the dead in your own body, your sworn enemy makes a nice substitute in a pinch.

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.

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.

Perhaps the most shocking (and welcome) resurrection on "Days of Our Lives" was that of Bo Brady (Peter Reckell). Coveted as one of the most popular characters on the soap, Bo was sorely missed after his death from an incurable brain tumor in 2015. In 2022, at the very end of the second season of "Days" Peacock spin-off "Beyond Salem," it was revealed that Bo was, in fact, alive. It wasn't until 2023 that, on the main show, his family found that he had been "on ice," or cryogenically frozen by Megan Dimera (Miranda Wilson) since his supposed death.

Megan had taken his body after the funeral and miraculously cured his brain tumor (don't ask us how), keeping Bo locked away until he was healed enough to resume normal life. When he was found by his family, Bo was suffering from amnesia and determined to start a new life in Greece. However, his love, Hope Brady (Kristen Alfonso), was finally able to get through to him, and he finally regained his memories of their relationship – right before his son Shawn Brady (Brandon Beemer) shot him and promptly sent Bo into a coma. Oh well, better luck next time, Bo.