Salem is draped in black once again, and the DiMera family is once more whispering the word death. But if longtime Days of Our Lives viewers

have learned anything across decades of resurrections, masks, and miracle returns, it’s this: when a body drops and Vivian Alamain is anywhere in the vicinity,

certainty is a luxury no one should afford. Stefan DiMera is being mourned. But is he actually gone?

Because the deeper this story unfolds, the more the official version begins to wobble — and at the center of every contradiction stands his formidable, famously untrustworthy mother.

A Familiar Pattern of Chaos

Vivian Alamain does not enter Salem without detonating something. Love, loyalty, common sense — all tend to crumble in her wake. And more often than not, her elaborate schemes revolve around protecting, manipulating, or outright controlling her beloved son.

We’ve been here before.

The last time Vivian feared losing Stefan, she arranged for him to be kidnapped, spiriting him away from Gabi and anyone else she deemed a threat. It was extreme, outrageous, and completely on brand.

So now the audience is expected to believe that Stefan has died under mysterious circumstances… and Vivian had absolutely nothing to do with it?

That’s a stretch even by soap standards.

A Mother’s Grief — or a Performance?

What truly has fans raising their eyebrows is not just the death itself, but Vivian’s reaction to it.

When Stefan was previously gunned down by Lani Price, Vivian unraveled. She was hysterical, vengeful, a woman carved hollow by loss. Her anguish consumed her. Anyone within reach risked becoming collateral damage.

This time, the sorrow feels… curated.

Yes, she is mourning. Yes, she is dramatic. But between dabbing her eyes, Vivian somehow found the time and emotional bandwidth to orchestrate yet another high-risk operation — working with Peter to abduct other DiMera heirs.

That’s not grief.

That’s project management.

If your son has truly died, would revenge plots and kidnappings really top your to-do list? Or would you be shattered beyond function?

Salem is beginning to notice the difference.

The DNA Bombshell

Then came the detail that sent speculation into overdrive.

When Rafe and Eli began digging, they uncovered testimony from someone who used to work for Vivian — someone claiming Stefan had been held against his will before his supposed death. That alone would be enough to ignite suspicion.

But the real gasoline? The DNA results.

In a town where identical twins, secret siblings, and surgical swaps are practically municipal policy, viewers immediately clocked the possibility: what if the sample tested wasn’t Stefan’s at all?

What if it belonged to Jake?

Brandon Barash playing both men only sharpens the theory. A convenient mix-up, a mislabeled file, a deliberate substitution — it would be classic Days. The kind of twist the show has executed, with relish, for generations.

Suddenly, Stefan’s “death” starts to look less like a tragedy and more like stagecraft.

Vivian’s Silence Speaks Volumes

If Stefan were truly gone, Vivian would be a wildfire.

Instead, she is controlled. Strategic. Already moving pieces across the board as if the endgame has yet to arrive. For a woman whose entire identity is wrapped around her son, the composure feels downright suspicious.

Is she hiding him?

Protecting him?

Waiting for the perfect moment to reveal he never died at all?

Every version feels possible, and none of them require a funeral.

Fans Aren’t Buying It

Across social media, the verdict from viewers is swift and nearly unanimous: they don’t believe a word of it.

The prevailing theory is simple — Stefan is alive somewhere, and Vivian knows exactly where.

Maybe he’s being kept out of sight until a wedding day explosion. Maybe until Gabi finally moves on. Maybe until the DiMera power structure is most vulnerable. Soap timing is rarely accidental; it’s theatrical.

And bringing someone back from the dead right when hope has evaporated? That’s practically tradition.

What Would It Mean for Gabi?

If Stefan is alive, the emotional fallout would be seismic, especially for Gabi.

Grief would turn to fury in an instant. Was she manipulated? Protected? Betrayed? Vivian might claim she acted out of maternal devotion, but robbing Gabi of the chance to fight for Stefan — or mourn him honestly — would be unforgivable.

It would also reignite a love story that has never truly settled, only paused.

And in Salem, paused love is the most dangerous kind.

The DiMera Legacy: Death Is Negotiable

The shadow of Stefano looms large here. The Phoenix built an empire on the idea that death is flexible, reversible, occasionally optional. His children inherited that mythology along with the fortune.

So when another DiMera “dies,” skepticism isn’t cynicism — it’s experience.

If anything, believing Stefan is truly gone might be the wildest theory of all.

Waiting for the Curtain to Rise

For now, Salem proceeds with its mourning rituals. Tears are shed. Suspicions whispered. Vivian plays her part, regal and wounded, while chaos quietly ferments underneath.

But somewhere, perhaps in a hidden room, perhaps under another name, perhaps waiting for a cue only Vivian can give, Stefan DiMera may be very much alive.

And when he walks back into town?

Every lie will ignite at once.

Because if Vivian Alamain is involved, this isn’t the end of Stefan’s story.

It’s the setup for his entrance.