Days Of Our Lives Relationship Timeline: John And Marlena
"Days of Our Lives" is known for being chock-full of drama. In the past, the NBC soap opera has tackled storylines involving demonic possession, serial killers, faked deaths, resurrections, and more (via Fame 10). However, the show's couples have always been the backbone of the soap. Whether it's Bo and Hope Brady, Steve and Kayla Johnson, Will Horton and Sonny Kiriakis, Chad DiMera and Abigail Deveraux, or Philip Kiriakis and Chloe Lane, fans can't get enough of the "DOOL" super couples, per Soap Hub.
Of course, there is one beloved couple that fans have been obsessed with for decades. John Black (Drake Hogestyn) and Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) have shared enough love and drama for two lifetimes. However, they always seem to find their way back to each other no matter what life throws at them. The couple has been going strong for the better part of four decades, but it hasn't been easy for them.
John and Marlena's early years included an identity crisis
"Days of Our Lives" fans have been watching Dr. Marlena Evans and John Black since the late 1980s. The couple first met when John arrived at Salem University hospital with amnesia and a face covered in bandages due to reconstructive surgery, reports Soap Hub. Marlena opted to help John get his memory back but failed to do so through hypnosis. Months later, the pair met again when John saved Marlena from robbers, although she didn't recognize him at the time.
Later, it was shockingly revealed that John was actually Marlena's husband, Roman Brady, who was presumed dead at the hands of Salem's most evil villain, Stefano DiMera. It was believed that the surgery had changed his face, but X-rays served as proof that John was really Roman. The two reunited and planned another wedding. Sadly, their happiness wouldn't last, as a former ISA agent named Orpheus kidnapped Marlena and staged her death in an explosion. He traded her to Stefano for cash (via Soap Hub). Marlena would spend years in a vegetative state before waking up and returning to Salem to reunite with John, whom she still believed to be Roman.
Their other romances challenged and strengthened them
"Days of Our Lives" viewers watched the dramatic scenes as Marlena returned to Salem, only to find that John had entered into a romance with Isabella Toscano (via Soap Hub). The two had a son that they named Brady, and after Isabella died from cancer, John and Marlena reunited. However, they were stunned to find out that John was actually not Roman as they'd previously believed. Instead, the real Roman returned to Salem, which complicated their romance further.
Marlena eventually decided that it was John that she loved, although he had already gotten engaged to Kristen DiMera. Marlena saved him from the situation, but there was more drama in store. In addition to Marlena and Roman's daughter, Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney) causing problems for her mother and John, the two also battled the devil when Marlena became possessed. John's identity also played a huge part in their relationship, as Stefano's brainwashing made John forget about his love for Marlena and set his sights on Princess Gina.
The couple has also had to deal with other obstacles, such as John being paralyzed, Marlena's first husband Dr. Alex North returning to Salem, and Marlena being held against her will at the mental hospital in Bayview (via Soap Hub).
John and Marlena continue to fight through adversity
Longtime "Days of Our Lives" viewers have watched John Black and Marlena Evans walk down the aisle multiple times. However, only one of those marriages turned out to be legal, per Soap Hub. The couple's first union took place in August 1986. They later remarried in July 1999. However, both of those marriages were invalid due to the fact that Marlena was legally still married to her first husband, Dr. Alex North. In January 2009, the couple held another wedding inside a hospital room but was invalid because John was married to Hope at the time. This means that the pair's most recent wedding in November 2018 is currently the only legal ceremony they've had.
Over the years, there have been many hardships for John and Marlena to fight through. However, they've always bounced back and continue to love their daughter Belle Black, John's son Brady Black, and Marlena's children with Roman, twins Sami and Eric Brady, making them a big, dysfunctional, and blended family. John and Marlena have defied the odds too many times to count, and "DOOL" fans still love watching them triumph through adversity after all these decades.