Get ready for a chilling blast from the past on Days of Our Lives! Monday’s episode finally pulled back the curtain on the mysterious goings-on with Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), revealing the unsettling truth about her recurring “Queen of the Night” dreams. While new viewers might be confused by this decades-old storyline, long-time fans are on edge, fearing a dreaded “Possession 3.0.” But don’t fret too much about the literal devil just yet, because a terrifying twist suggests that the real threat to Marlena’s soul might come from a very human, and very familiar, source – a certain resurrected villain with a penchant for mind games!

Marlena’s Haunting Dream: A Link to the Past

The episode immediately set an ominous tone as Marlena confided in Kayla Johnson (Mary Beth Evans) about her perplexing dreams of being the “Queen of the Night once again.” This revelation instantly sent shivers down the spines of long-time Days of Our Lives viewers, who recognized the chilling callback to a storyline that first aired over 30 years ago.

For those not familiar with the past, the very name “Queen of the Night” coupled with Kayla’s probing questions about “the devil” is enough to make anyone nervous about a potential return of demonic possession. However, the show provides a crucial distinction: while the “Queen of the Night was a lead up to Mardevil,” it’s important to remember that she “was not Satan” herself. This detail is key to understanding the nuanced (and equally terrifying) direction the current storyline is likely heading.

The Original Nightmare: Stefano’s Twisted Game

To fully grasp the gravity of Marlena’s current dreams, one must revisit the origin of the “Queen of the Night” saga, which began “towards the end of 1994.” This dark chapter saw the notorious villain Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo) making a calculated return to Salem. This wasn’t one of his legendary “deaths,” but rather a tactical comeback “after skipping town for a bit when things got a bit too heated for him.”

Upon his return, Stefano embarked on one of his most elaborate and disturbing schemes to torment Marlena. He meticulously rented “the apartment next to Marlena’s to stalk her.” His first move was to “blackmail Mike Horton into giving him the key-code to Marlena’s apartment,” gaining illicit access. With this, he created a secret passage, “hollowed out… between her armoire and his rented apartment.” This hidden connection allowed him to enter her private space undetected, unleashing a campaign of psychological torture.

Once inside, Stefano began “slipping drugs to Marlena and visiting her in the middle of the night while wearing a Phantom of the Opera-esque mask to hide his identity.” His objective was clear: to “messed with her mind, making his visits seem like creepy, weird dreams,” while taunting her by calling her his “Queen of the Night.” This systematic psychological manipulation was “all kinds of twisted,” designed to break Marlena’s will and sanity.

The insidious nature of Stefano’s drugs and mind games had a devastating long-term effect: they “ended up scrambling Marlena’s mind enough to leave her an ‘open vessel’ for the devil to come in and possess her.” This shocking revelation confirms that while Stefano initiated the “Queen of the Night” torment, his actions inadvertently paved the way for the infamous “Mardevil” storyline, proving his villainy had unintended, demonic consequences.

Stefano’s Ironic Downfall and Marlena’s Penance

The irony of Stefano’s scheme was not lost on the devil. “The joke was on Stefano,” the article notes, “because once Satan took over, his Queen of the Night days were done.” The tables dramatically turned when “Mardevil attacked him, then tossed him out her bedroom window during her attempted exorcism.” This brutal retaliation left Stefano “paralyzed and with amnesia,” a poetic justice for his torment of Marlena. In a surprising twist, this traumatic experience actually “kind of made him a half-decent human being for a bit!”

Eventually, “Marlena was freed from the devil,” but the trauma of the possession left its mark. She “felt horrible about what she’d done and insisted on treating Stefano herself as a sort of self-imposed penance.” This period of Marlena caring for her former tormentor created an unusual dynamic. However, this fragile peace was shattered when “Stefano’s memory returned with a literal bolt of lightning (no really, he was struck by one)”—a classic Days of Our Lives plot device! With his memory (and villainy) restored, “the villain came with a vengeance—having learned nothing, of course.”

The Chilling Hint: Is Stefano Back?!

All of this historical context brings us back to Marlena’s present-day anxieties. It is “All of that… why Marlena is worried about her soul with these dreams returning.” Kayla, understandably concerned, “made sure to ask if she might be heading towards possession again.” But Marlena’s response offers a crucial distinction and a spine-chilling hint at the true nature of her fear.

“No, Marlena assured her, she’s not worried about the literal devil… But perhaps Salem’s own.” This profound statement points directly to the possibility of a human, rather than supernatural, evil at play. The biggest clue, however, comes from Marlena’s own slip of the tongue: “Between that reassurance and Marlena letting that ‘Hopefully’ slip out when Kayla reminded her that Stefano was dead, it feels like we just got a preview of where the story is heading.”

The “Hopefully” is the key! It directly implies that Marlena, deep down, fears that Stefano DiMera, the true “Queen of the Night” tormentor, is not actually dead, or that his malevolent presence is still somehow impacting her. This chilling prospect suggests that while the literal devil may not be making a grand return, the psychological and emotional torment inflicted by Salem’s most iconic villain could be far from over. Is Stefano back, or is someone else continuing his legacy of manipulation? The return of these dreams, combined with Marlena’s subtle slip, sets the stage for a truly terrifying and deeply personal battle for Marlena’s sanity, with the ghost of Stefano DiMera lurking in the shadows, ready to reclaim his “Queen of the Night.” The implications are massive, promising a high-stakes psychological thriller that will keep fans on the edge of their seats!