EJ DiMera Just Became Salem’s Most Evil Problem on DAYS and Even His Own Mother Knows It

THE PHOENIX RING TURNED EJ DIMERA INTO HIS FATHER AND SUSAN BANKS SAW IT COMING

TL;DR: Dr. Rolf handed EJ DiMera the original Phoenix ring in the DiMera crypt on Days of Our Lives, and within twenty-four hours, both Susan Banks and Gwen sensed something deeply wrong. Salem just got a brand new Stefano, and he’s younger, smarter, and has better hair.

That Ring Should Have Come With a Warning Label

Someone on the Days of Our Lives writing team decided that what Salem really needed was another Stefano DiMera. Not a flashback. Not a portrait staring ominously from the living room wall. An actual, breathing, ring-wearing version of the man who terrorized this town for decades. And they chose EJ to carry that torch.

Dr. Wilhelm Rolf crept into the DiMera crypt after the family finished laying Stefano to rest and delivered what he called his final instruction from the patriarch. The original Phoenix ring. Not a copy. Not a replica. The actual ring that Stefano wore for most of his villainous life. Rolf told EJ to continue his father’s legacy “with poise and precision,” and EJ slid that ring right onto his finger like he’d been waiting his whole life for it. Then he placed his hand on his father’s urn, and the show gave us a flashback of Stefano conducting music. Subtle, writers. Real subtle.

Have thoughts on EJ’s transformation? Think Salem should be terrified? Write to our editor at [email protected] with your wildest theories!

Of Course Susan Banks Sensed It Before Anyone Else

Here’s the thing about Susan Banks. She’s been telling everyone for MONTHS that Stefano’s presence was alive and well. Back in the summer she declared she could feel him in the mansion. Everyone patted her on the head and told her to have another cookie. Then the moment she walked into that room and saw EJ wearing that ring, Susan knew something had changed. Her psychic gift kicked into overdrive and she told her own son she was sorry that Stefano – and his evil – was alive in HIM.

‘Oh my poor, poor baby boy,” exclaimed Susan to her beloved Elvis, Jr. as she literally mourned the loss of the son she had. Let that sink in. EJ DiMera’s own mother looked at him and knew instantly that the man she feared most in this world now lives inside her child.

Even Gwen Noticed, and She’s Not Exactly Known for Her Emotional Radar

If Susan’s psychic alarm bells weren’t enough to convince us, Gwen von Leuschner walked into the room on Wednesday’s episode and immediately sensed something different about EJ. His aura had changed. This is a woman who has been scheming alongside EJ for weeks, framing Dimitri, plotting with Vivian, and generally being her usual chaotic self. If GWEN thinks you’ve gotten darker, and she officially referred to it as “woo woo” stuff, you have officially crossed a line.

The timing is everything. One day EJ is giving a heartfelt eulogy about his father’s legacy of love. The next day he’s radiating villain energy so strong that two different women independently clock the transformation. That ring didn’t just accessorize his hand. It rewired his persona.

The Pen That Proved Stefano’s Power Over People

One peculiar detail from the memorial deserves attention. While he was in the crypt saying goodbye to his father, EJ pulled a fountain pen from his pocket that Rita had sent along. Rita, Stefano’s longtime secretary, played by Maggie Carney, apparently kept the pen her boss always insisted on using. And she sent it to be placed with his remains because even in death, Stefano DiMera inspires loyalty from the people who worked for him. Think about that. A secretary who endured decades of working for Salem’s most dangerous man still wanted to honor him with a personal keepsake. If that doesn’t tell you everything about Stefano’s ability to command devotion, nothing will. And now EJ has inherited that same power, along with his ring.

Should Marlena Evans Start Sleeping With One Eye Open?

Here’s the question nobody in Salem is asking loudly enough. Stefano’s defining obsession was Marlena Evans. He kidnapped her, brainwashed her, called her his Queen of the Night. If EJ is truly becoming the next Stefano, does that mean Marlena is in danger again? EJ has already inherited his father’s ruthlessness and his company. With Cat Greene already positioned as a potential Queen of the Night replacement and EJ inviting her to a Valentine’s dinner, maybe Marlena is safe for now. But this is Salem, where history doesn’t just repeat itself. It shows up wearing a Phoenix ring and a smirk.

Do you think EJ DiMera is becoming Stefano 2.0 or is this just grief? Drop your hottest takes in the comments below!

WATCH THIS: Is EJ turning into his father?

@soapoperamag Could the rumors be true… Is EJ turning into his father…mind, body, and soul?!?! #DaysofOurLives ♬ original sound – Soap Opera Magazine