Days of Our Lives Preview: Dimitri’s Return Shatters Leo and Javi’s Wedding Night — Plus, Salem Faces a Chilling Double Awakening

In an unforgettable Days of Our Lives preview, Salem teeters on the edge between joy and devastation, as one picture-perfect celebration collapses under the weight of a resurrected past—while, across town, fate stirs inside the quiet halls of the hospital. What should have been a night of romance, renewal, and second chances instead becomes the opening act of chaos, proving once again that in Salem, happiness is never left unchallenged.

The Salem Inn chapel glowed with warmth and promise, filled with the soft perfume of fresh flowers and the hum of cautious optimism. For Leo Stark and Javi Hernandez, this wedding symbolized more than love—it was redemption. After years of manipulation, ambition, missteps, and heartbreak, Leo had finally reached a place where sincerity mattered more than schemes. Javi, with his earnest heart and unwavering belief in second chances, had chosen to trust Leo completely. Hand in hand, exchanging vows with emotion shining in their eyes, they seemed ready to step into a calmer, more honest chapter of their lives.

Their wedding night was supposed to be quiet. Intimate. A gentle exhale after years of turmoil. No plots, no secrets—just laughter, tenderness, and the fragile hope that love could finally rewrite their story. But Salem has never been a town that allows the past to stay buried. Old sins don’t fade; they wait. And just as Leo and Javi prepared to leave for their honeymoon, the past came crashing back in the most dramatic way possible.

Dimitri von Leuschner—thought to be safely locked away, paying for his crimes—reappears like a thunderbolt from nowhere. His arrival slices through the celebratory haze with brutal precision, shattering the peace as violently as a brick through stained glass. Champagne flutes freeze mid-air. Conversations die instantly. The room seems to hold its breath as the impossible becomes reality.

For Leo, the sight of Dimitri is nothing short of terrifying. This is the man he once married in a calculated bid for wealth and status, a man whose downfall Leo himself helped orchestrate. Years of carefully rebuilt composure crumble in seconds. Panic floods his face as every buried memory, every compromise he made for survival, comes roaring back. Dimitri is not just an ex-husband—he is a living reminder of the darkest version of Leo Stark.

For Javi, Dimitri’s presence hits differently but just as hard. Standing beside his new husband, Javi sees every doubt he ever suppressed suddenly validated. Every warning he brushed aside. Every lingering question about Leo’s past choices now has a face—and it’s staring straight at them. Their wedding night, once a private promise of forever, is ripped open and transformed into a public reckoning Leo hoped he’d never face again.

Yet Dimitri doesn’t storm in with rage or accusations. Instead, he arrives eerily composed, almost amused. This is not a man acting on impulse. This is someone who has planned this moment carefully. His calm demeanor only deepens the unease, as if he’s holding all the cards and enjoying the suspense. Revenge seems like the obvious motive—but Days of Our Lives rarely settles for the obvious.

Is Dimitri back to punish Leo for testifying against him? Or does his return hint at something darker, more obsessive, and far more dangerous? Previews suggest a chilling confrontation where Dimitri casually drops a bombshell—one that implies Leo’s testimony, and perhaps even Dimitri’s imprisonment, may not be as straightforward as everyone believed. The suggestion alone threatens to dismantle Leo’s entire redemption arc.

This isn’t just about ruining a wedding night. It’s about rewriting history. Dimitri’s words plant doubt where trust once lived, pulling the ground out from beneath Javi’s feet. Suddenly, Javi must confront the terrifying possibility that the man he married may still be entangled in lies he never fully escaped. The honeymoon doesn’t just end early—it never truly begins. In its place rises a cold war of secrets, survival instincts, and emotional fallout that could destroy this marriage before it has a chance to breathe.

While love fractures at the Salem Inn, a very different kind of turning point unfolds at Salem University Hospital. After weeks suspended between life and death, Theo Carver finally shows signs of waking from his coma. For his loved ones—especially his father, Abe—relief washes in like a tidal wave. Theo’s stirring feels like a miracle, a long-awaited answer to countless prayers.

But this is Salem, and miracles rarely arrive alone.

Previews tease that Theo will not be the only one opening their eyes. A second awakening looms—one that could send shockwaves through multiple families and reshape the balance of power across town. Speculation runs wild, and each possibility carries its own brand of terror.

One chilling theory points toward Megan Hathaway, the brilliant yet dangerously unhinged scientist whose past schemes involved stolen power, manipulation, and even the devil’s essence itself. If Megan regains consciousness, it wouldn’t simply reopen old wounds—it would detonate them. Her return would reignite unfinished business within the DiMera empire, where Stefan and EJ are already locked in a fragile stalemate. Megan’s mind, once awake, could unravel that uneasy peace in seconds.

Another disturbing possibility centers on Colin Bedford, the unstable former flame of Allie Horton. His awakening would pose an immediate threat, resurrecting trauma Allie has worked desperately to overcome. With her life now intertwined with Chanel and baby Henry, Colin’s return would endanger not just Allie—but her entire family. Fear would replace safety overnight.

Then there is the most shocking possibility of all: Dr. Marlena Evans. Long believed dead after her horrifying possession left her in a deathlike state, her awakening would be both miraculous and terrifying. For some, it would mean hope reborn. For others, it would raise impossible questions. What returned with her? Is she truly free of the darkness that once consumed her—or has something ancient been stirred once more?

Whoever awakens beside Theo, one thing is certain: their return will not be quiet. It will be catalytic, sending carefully balanced lives spinning back into chaos.

These storylines are not unfolding separately. They are destined to collide. Salem is standing at a crossroads where personal betrayal meets legacy-level danger. Connections between these events run deeper than they first appear. Leo’s mother, Diana Colville, has a tangled history with both the DiMera and Kiriakis families. If Megan wakes, Diana could be dragged back into a dangerous world she’s fought hard to escape—just as Leo’s life is unraveling.

Meanwhile, a fully conscious Theo brings something Salem rarely sees: moral clarity. His intelligence, integrity, and technological expertise could make him a powerful ally—or a prime target—in whatever twisted game Dimitri or a revived villain is playing. Theo’s return could shift the board in ways no one anticipates.

At its heart, this preview paints Salem as a town caught between celebration and catastrophe. At the inn, the story is deeply human—a test of whether love can survive the gravity of a toxic past. Leo must decide whether he will fall back on manipulation and self-preservation or finally fight honestly for the man he loves. Javi faces the ultimate question: is his faith in Leo strong enough to endure the storm that’s just begun?

At the hospital, the stakes stretch far beyond romance. An awakening like Megan’s—or Marlena’s—could alter Salem’s very soul, transforming private betrayals into existential threats. Power, legacy, and even supernatural forces loom large.

As these threads weave together, one question echoes across Salem: not just who has awakened—but what has awakened with them. Has Dimitri’s return stirred Leo’s darkest instincts? Has the hospital’s double awakening unleashed a new ancient evil? And can any of Salem’s fragile happiness survive what comes next?

In the wreckage of what should have been their happiest night, two newlyweds stand surrounded by broken glass and broken illusions. And in Salem, that can only mean one thing—the storm has just begun.