Days of Our Lives: EJ’s BRUTAL Revenge on Gwen & Kristen’s DEADLY Trap Revealed! (Jan 26–30)

As Days of Our Lives barrels toward the explosive week of January 26–30, Salem finds itself standing on the edge of a dangerous precipice—one carved deep inside the walls of the DiMera mansion. What unfolds during these episodes is not a simple feud or a fleeting clash of tempers, but a slow-burning psychological war involving vengeance, broken families, and the terrifying cost of power. At the center of it all stand EJ DiMera, Gwen von Leuschner, and Kristen DiMera—three forces on a collision course that threatens to tear Salem apart.

The coming week promises a masterclass in soap opera intensity. Long-simmering grudges finally boil over, alliances crack under pressure, and the DiMera dynasty once again proves that wealth and influence cannot shield anyone from emotional devastation. While some characters plot in the shadows, others return home armed with rage—and none of them are prepared for the full scope of what awaits.

Kristen DiMera: Silence Before the Storm

Within the DiMera mansion, a dangerous calm has settled—and longtime viewers know better than to trust it. Kristen DiMera is waiting, watching, and calculating. To the untrained eye, she may appear patient or even subdued. But history has taught Salem one crucial lesson: Kristen is most lethal when she says nothing at all.

As the week approaches, Kristen is quietly assembling a plan that could redefine sibling rivalry within the DiMera family. Her target is her own brother, EJ DiMera, and her motivation is deeply personal. This is not about corporate control or petty jealousy. This is about her daughter, Rachel Black—and in Kristen’s fractured worldview, EJ is the architect of Rachel’s suffering.

Kristen’s rage has been festering ever since Rachel was institutionalized at Bayview. Rather than confronting her own instability or the chaos she has exposed her child to, Kristen has redirected her pain outward. In her mind, EJ’s past choices, manipulations, and perceived betrayals set off the chain reaction that destroyed Rachel’s emotional well-being. To Kristen, EJ is no longer family—he is a traitor who sacrificed her child for his own ambition.

And now, he’s coming home.

EJ DiMera in Italy: The Father Beneath the Villain

Thousands of miles away, EJ DiMera has been fighting a very different kind of battle—one that strips away his usual icy composure and reveals the man beneath the ruthless exterior. EJ’s sudden trip to Italy was never about business or pleasure. It was a desperate attempt to save his daughter, Sydney DiMera.

Sydney has been living in quiet terror, haunted by the trauma of EJ’s past kidnapping. The psychological scars left her plagued by panic attacks so severe that they robbed her of any sense of safety. In Italy’s tranquil yet isolating landscape, EJ has been forced to confront the consequences of the DiMera lifestyle—not in boardrooms or courtrooms, but in the trembling hands of his child.

Spoilers indicate deeply emotional scenes where EJ becomes Sydney’s anchor, repeatedly proving that he is alive, present, and capable of protecting her. This arc reshapes EJ in a crucial way. Before he can return to Salem as a predator, the audience must first see him as a wounded father—terrified of losing his daughter to demons he cannot fight with money or intimidation.

Dr. Marlena Evans plays a key role here, monitoring Sydney’s progress from afar. When Marlena finally determines that Sydney is stabilizing, EJ is given the reassurance he needs to leave Italy. But relief quickly hardens into resolve. The protector transforms back into the avenger—and EJ boards his plane with vengeance in his heart.

Gwen von Leuschner: EJ’s Chosen Target

EJ’s return to Salem is not a homecoming—it’s a declaration of war. His sights are locked firmly on Gwen von Leuschner, whom he holds directly responsible for the chaos unleashed by Dmitri von Leuschner. To EJ, Gwen is no longer a nuisance or a rival. She is a liability that must be eliminated.

What Dmitri did was not merely disruptive—it was an assault on order. And EJ DiMera does not forgive threats to his control.

The spoilers suggest EJ’s revenge will be ruthless and methodical. This won’t be a shouting match or a public confrontation. EJ is likely to dismantle Gwen’s life piece by piece—targeting her power, her reputation, and possibly her freedom. Whether he chooses legal warfare, financial ruin, or the DiMera family’s infamous extralegal tactics remains to be seen.

What makes this revenge especially chilling is EJ’s emotional state. Gwen is about to face a man who has spent weeks watching his daughter suffer because of her family’s actions. She may believe she’s prepared—but she has never encountered an EJ DiMera fueled by paternal fury.

The Trap Waiting at Home

But while EJ sharpens his claws for Gwen, he is blind to the far greater danger awaiting him inside his own home. The week’s spoilers reveal a devastating twist: EJ may think he’s the hunter, but Kristen has already turned him into prey.

Kristen’s vengeance is fundamentally different from EJ’s. His is cold, strategic, and corporate. Hers is raw, emotional, and rooted in maternal desperation. She has been studying EJ’s weaknesses, cataloging his vulnerabilities, and preparing to strike at the exact moment he is most exposed.

The parallels between them are impossible to ignore. Both are dealing with traumatized daughters. Both believe they are fighting for their children’s survival. Yet instead of finding common ground, they weaponize that shared pain against each other.

Kristen is expected to confront EJ with brutal accusations the moment he returns—tearing into his decision to cross the world for Sydney while, in her eyes, abandoning Rachel. She will twist his guilt, using his fear of failing as a father as a blade aimed straight at his heart.

Bayview’s Shadow and Kristen’s Endgame

Rachel’s stay at Bayview looms over the DiMera mansion like a dark specter. Kristen’s inability to control the doctors, the custody arrangements with Brady Black, or her own impulses has left her feeling powerless—and Kristen DiMera does not tolerate powerlessness.

Her revenge against EJ may be her attempt to reclaim control. If she cannot save Rachel on her own terms, she will ensure that EJ feels the same helplessness she does. The spoilers hint that Kristen may have uncovered a devastating secret during EJ’s absence—or forged alliances with his enemies that could destroy him professionally and personally.

EJ, exhausted from Italy and laser-focused on Gwen, is dangerously vulnerable. Kristen is counting on that distraction. Her trap is designed not just to hurt him, but to break him.

A Week of Explosive Collisions

The January 26–30 episodes promise three massive storylines crashing together at once:

• The emotional resolution of Sydney’s crisis, which humanizes EJ and heightens the stakes of his rage.
• EJ’s brutal revenge campaign against Gwen, delivering long-awaited consequences for months of chaos.
• The all-out war between Kristen and EJ, fueled by mirrored trauma and irreparable betrayal.

The tragedy of the DiMera family has always been clear: they possess unimaginable power, yet remain helpless against the generational damage haunting their bloodline. As EJ returns from Rome believing he is the apex predator, he fails to see that in Kristen’s eyes, he is the target.

By week’s end, the DiMera mansion will no longer be a home—it will be a battlefield. Loyalties will shatter, secrets will detonate, and no one will emerge unscathed.

Prepare for emotional whiplash, ruthless schemes, and the kind of jaw-dropping betrayal that defines Days of Our Lives. Because when the DiMeras go to war, Salem never recovers quietly—and this time, no one is safe from the fallout.