Legal and relationship complications ruled the Days of Our Lives' plot for the month of July 2025. Since Johnny DiMera's court hearing took priority in the current storyline, many characters were involved in this arc. Meanwhile, in the wake of Holly and Arianna's abduction and rescue, some characters worked towards helping the hostages.At the same time, Sophia's baby birth arc played out, pulling some townspeople into the plot. Tate Black had double duty on the previous episodes of Days of Our Lives. On one hand, he helped save Holly from the kidnapper, while on the other, he tried to keep track of Sophia's condition. However, he could not catch her lies. Melinda Trask helped Sophia plan her fake narrative.Meanwhile, EJ pulled out all stops to help Johnny's case. While he went under hypnosis in Marlena's guidance, the latter's health issues escalated during the court hearings. Elsewhere, Xander's overtures in his upcoming custody battle with Sarah continued to pull the couple further apart on the long-running Peacock daily soap.Days of Our Lives: All arrivals and exits for the month of July 2025Returns and new arrivals on the soap View this post on Instagram Instagram Post1) Emily O'Brien as Gwen RizczechEmily's Gwen has been part of the Days of Our Lives storyline for more than five years. However, the fiery daughter of Jack Deveraux left the town after her marriage to Dimitri von Leuschner. While her romance with Xander failed due to the latter's interest in Sarah, her friendship with Leo broke off after he seduced Dimitri.Gwen returned to Salem a rich woman. She decided to torment Julie for the hatred she holds towards the Hortons. As such, she wore the family's heirloom necklace but refused to give it back to Julie. She also tried to seduce Xander, move into the DiMera mansion, and fight with Gabi.2) Michael Masini as a moneylender thugWhile briefly seen on the soap in June 2025 as he stalked Arianna, Masini had a more prominent onscreen presence in mid-July. After he kidnapped Holly and Arianna, he was seen interacting with his hostages.He was also seen approaching Doug III to take the money the latter owed. He was caught by Rafe and interrogated by Shawn.Also Read: Days Of Our Lives: 3 major developments to expect this week (July 28 to August 1, 2025)3) Karole Foreman as Judge DabneyKarole has been cast as the Judge overseeing Johnny's court hearings. While July 2025 gave her a few frames, she will likely have more appearances as the court case arc moves ahead.4) Christopher Cary as Thomas DiMera View this post on Instagram Instagram PostChad's son, Thomas, was seen in a few scenes on the soap, many of them connected to Kennedy Garcia's Felicity, such as going to classes. However, in one of the scenes, Thomas asked Cat to join them as he and his father were playing.5) Miles Anderson as FosterAnderson's Foster owns a local bookshop on the square. As presented by the storyline, Foster shared with Julie that he wants to sell his business. While the two chatted up, whether Foster will continue on the soap as Julie's new friend remains to be seen.6) Judi Evans as Bonnie KiriakisAfter a long gap, Bonnie made an appearance on Days of Our Lives as she reconnected with Sarah. While her onscreen time was limited, it was refreshing to find the fan-favorite character return after her survival from the perilous lift accident.7) Stacy Haiduk as Susan BanksWhile Haiduk's Kristen DiMera continued to be part of the plot, she was seen in her other character as EJ's mother, Susan. Susan has returned to Salem to attend her grandson's court hearings and provide him with emotional support. Susan may stay back in town, pushing Haiduk to play both the characters simultaneously. View this post on Instagram Instagram Post8) Thaao Penghlis as Tony DiMeraWhile Thaao Penghlis returned to town on June 23, 2025, he was missing from the screen for almost three weeks. On July 10, 2025, he was seen reconnecting with EJ, intent on taking their family company back from Titan.Later, he reached out to Gabi and tasked her with seducing the two Kiriakis CEOs. He will continue on the Days of Our Lives plot as the DiMera versus Kiriakis feud plays out in the upcoming weeks.An unexpected exit from the soap1) Peyton Meyer as Doug Williams IIIPeyton joined the Days of Our Lives cast in November 2024. His character, Doug III, shares the name with his grandfather, Doug Williams, leaving Julie inexplicably fond of him. However, his theft caused a fallout between them, and he moved out.His affair with Arianna, his friendship with Holly, and his association with the moneylenders landed everyone in trouble. The moneylenders kidnapped the two girls in his life to extort him. Tate offered the money in exchange for his departure after the girls were rescued. As such, he kept his word, bid farewell to Julie, and left Salem.Stay tuned to Days of Our Lives to watch the upcoming drama as a court case plays out while lies and frictions create chaos in town.