Terrifying Twist: Susan Summoned the Wrong Spirit, Stefano Isn’t Back — Is Stefan About to Rise?

The Mistaken Haunting of the DiMera Mansion

By Days of Today Staff

Salem is buzzing again. Whispers in the halls, portraits watching from the walls, and a chill that runs the length of the DiMera estate. The talk is everywhere: has the legendary Stefano DiMera returned from the grave? Let’s set the record straight. He has not.

What’s unfolding isn’t resurrection—it’s misdirection. A cocktail of grief, superstition, and expertly played manipulation has cast shadows in the mansion. But the shadows aren’t of the dead. They’re cast by the living.

Susan Banks: Instincts and Illusions

Susan Banks has returned to Salem in signature style—half conviction, half calamity. She claims she can feel Stefano’s spirit lingering in the house, reading signs in the creaks of the floorboards and the whispers in the halls.

But strip away the theatrics, and her visions reveal something else: she’s sensing real energy—but it’s not Stefano’s.

Chanel had hoped Susan could help unravel who shot EJ DiMera. Instead, Susan’s suspicions have landed squarely, and without evidence, on Gabi Hernandez. The result? More chaos than clarity. Susan’s radar isn’t broken—it’s tuned to the wrong signal.

Johnny’s Reality Check

While Susan reads omens, Johnny DiMera sticks to hard evidence. For him, legal defense trumps séance work, and strategy beats superstition. His approach keeps the family tethered to reality, but it also highlights a dangerous divide between emotion-driven instinct and fact-based action.

Marina Evans: Grief in Disguise

Since the loss of John, Marina Evans has been unraveling quietly. No public meltdowns—just subtle withdrawals: sleeping more, eating less, avoiding deep conversation.

Her dreams of the “Queen of the Night” hark back to a time when Stefano pulled strings from the shadows. These aren’t prophecies—they’re memory echoes. Her subconscious is warning her: someone is staging the same kind of power play Stefano once perfected.

The Mansion as a Character

The DiMera estate is more than a home; it’s a labyrinth of secrets. Portraits conceal passageways. Tunnels carry whispers. In a place like this, feeling watched might not be supernatural at all—it might be someone alive, hiding in the walls.

If Susan feels a presence beneath Stefano’s portrait, it could be a living DiMera—specifically, Stefan O. DiMera.

Vivian Alamain’s Method

Stefan’s name has been surfacing often, especially from Tony and EJ. Combine that with Vivian Alamain’s history, and a chilling picture emerges: she may have kidnapped Stefan, isolated him, and subjected him to psychological conditioning designed to bend his will.

If true, Stefan’s absence isn’t voluntary—and his return may not be the reunion Gabi hopes for.

Gabi’s Crucible

Gabi Hernandez is used to fighting for love, power, and survival. But Vivian’s scheme cuts deep: separating her from Stefan, pushing through divorce papers under duress, and weaponizing his silence to break her resolve.

History suggests Gabi won’t yield—she’ll search every inch of the mansion until she finds the truth.

The Bigger Game

EJ’s shooting is more than a violent act—it’s a destabilizing move in a corporate power struggle. A conditioned Stefan could be the perfect pawn to dismantle DiMera Enterprises from within.

Susan’s “ghost” may be no ghost at all—it’s the echo of Stefano’s methods, now wielded by someone alive and dangerous.

The Stefan Hypothesis

Put the pieces together:

• Susan senses Stefano near his portrait.

• The mansion’s tunnels allow for unseen movement.

• Tony and EJ keep invoking Stefan.

• Vivian has motive, history, and method.

The simplest answer is also the most unsettling: Stefan is alive, hidden, and reshaped into a weapon. Susan’s instincts are right—just mislabeled.

What Comes Next

If Stefan emerges under Vivian’s control, his first actions may be cold, calculated, and entirely out of character. Gabi will be the test: if he turns on her, the conditioning has taken root; if he hesitates, there’s hope.

EJ will focus on legal defense, clashing with family members clinging to supernatural explanations. Marina, once she recognizes the pattern, will step forward as a strategist, not a mourner.

Verdict

This isn’t a haunting. It’s a hijacking.

Stefano DiMera is not back—but someone is using his playbook. The battle ahead won’t be against a ghost. It will be against a living DiMera fighting to reclaim himself before someone else decides who he should be.