TV soap news and spoilers say that a devastating tragedy may be unfolding in Salem, and longtime Days of Our Lives fans are left in shock. Could John Black really be dead? And if so, was his death a carefully orchestrated murder at the hands of someone from his past?

For weeks, Marina has been growing more and more anxious. Her intuition, which has rarely led her astray, has been screaming at her that something is wrong. She hasn’t been able to reach John, and the longer he remains out of contact, the more her worries intensify.

At first, she tried to reason with herself—John has been on missions before, he has disappeared for stretches of time before—but this time feels different. This time, it feels final.

Marina’s concerns lead her straight to Steve Johnson, John’s longtime best friend and trusted partner in dangerous situations. If anyone could track John down, it would be Steve. But even Steve hit a dead end. Desperate for answers, Steve reached out to Shane Donovan, hoping he could provide some insight into John’s whereabouts.

The Mysterious Message from Shane

Steve eventually received a message claiming to be from Shane Donovan himself. The explanation was both simple and chilling:

John was on a secret mission, and any attempt to contact him could put his life at risk.

On the surface, this seemed like something Shane might say. After all, he has worked for the ISA for years, and keeping covert operations under wraps is standard protocol. But something about the response didn’t sit right with Steve.

That’s because Shane Donovan would never be this dismissive. He values John as both a friend and an ally. If John were truly in danger, Shane wouldn’t just brush Steve off with a vague warning. And that’s when an even darker possibility crept into Steve’s mind—what if the person claiming to be Shane wasn’t Shane at all?

Drew Donovan—The Evil Twin Who Could Be Responsible

For those who may not remember, Shane Donovan has a twin brother, Drew Donovan. While Shane has always been one of the good guys, Drew is the exact opposite—a ruthless assassin with a sinister past.

Drew has long been associated with some of Salem’s most notorious criminals. Years ago, he worked under Stefano DiMera, one of the most dangerous and cunning villains Salem has ever known. Using the alias “Iago,” he carried out deadly missions, eliminating targets without hesitation.

But what makes him truly terrifying isn’t just his skills as a killer—it’s his ability to impersonate Shane so flawlessly that even those closest to them have been fooled.

Drew has done it before. He has kidnapped Shane. He has impersonated him. He has manipulated situations for his own twisted reasons. Could he be doing it again?

A Sinister Plot Unfolds

If Drew has once again taken Shane’s place, then the message Steve received was a lie. That means John may never have been on a mission at all.

Instead, it’s entirely possible that Drew lured John into a trap, setting him up for a fate far worse than anyone imagined. Perhaps John was getting too close to uncovering something Drew wanted to keep buried. Perhaps Drew saw John as a loose end that needed to be taken care of.

If John truly is dead, then this wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t some mission gone wrong. It was murder.

And if Drew is behind it, then one question remains—why?

Was this a personal vendetta, or part of a larger scheme? Drew’s motives have always been shrouded in mystery, but one thing is certain—he thrives on chaos. Could this be revenge for something in his past? Or is he still working under orders, carrying out someone else’s sinister plan?

If Drew is indeed responsible for John’s death, then Marina and Steve won’t stop until they uncover the truth. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that in Salem, the dead don’t always stay dead, and the truth is never as simple as it seems.

One thing is for certain—this is only the beginning of a dark and twisted storyline that will shake Salem to its core.