I absolutely love that Days of Our Lives made John a hero in the end—even if viewers couldn’t see him

John Black's exit storyline is playing out on Days of Our Lives currently and is likely ready to make fans emotional. Played by Drake Hogestyn, the character's initiation was controversial since Hogestyn joined the soap to play Roman Brady and romanced Marlena. However, when Wayne Northrop, the original actor playing Roman, was ready to return to the storyline, Hogestyn's arc was retconned into the new character of John Black.

After actor Drake Hogestyn's demise in September 2024, John Black's arc remained hanging. While Days of Our Lives announced that John would get a proper exit arc, fans like me worried about it since Drake was no more. However, recent developments in his plot seemed to build up to the imminent end.

The show had filmed John's death when Hogestyn was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was on his last journey. However, the plot remained a complete surprise till recently, when John was tracked in his international mission. The show has written John Black's exit as his last heroic mission, which is attributed to both agent John Black and his portrayer, Drake Hogestyn.

Meanwhile, Days of Our Lives will present the other characters struggling with their relationship dynamics in the fictional Salem township. The long-running daily soap, airing on Peacock, will bring a twist to John and Bo's story arcs.

Disclaimer: This article contains the author's personal opinions.

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Days of Our Lives: How is John's exit arc shaping up?

Fans like me wondered what might happen in the pre-filmed exit storyline showing John's death. Since he was in a remote place in Europe, there were various options to bring in his death.

John could have died in a combat with enemies, or he could have died in a plane crash while returning home. There were also speculations of his organs being donated to save Bo Brady.

However, Thursday's episode, dated May 22, 2025, saw John back in Salem. In an unexpected twist in the plot, Steve and Shawn located the place where they planned to buy Versavix illegally. They offered to take Dr. Russell with them to the ruined-looking warehouse for the deal.

When they reached the spot, the doctor panicked that it was a meth lab and could randomly explode. Steve left them to put an idea to work, but returned empty-handed. However, as they tried to get in, a hooded figure walked up to them, and a delighted Steve introduced him to the doctor as John Black.

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Days of Our Lives: How does the meth lab scene pay tribute to John?

Instead of returning to Salem in a crippled condition or injured and sick, John was shown to arrive as an agent helping to locate Versavix. As a courageous agent all his life, John is expected to take up the challenging task of locating the Versavix, its thief-cum-dealer and get the high-value drug off the black market. That will help them save Bo Brady.

As the soap's spoilers suggested that John will be stuck in an explosion in a lab, this will possibly be John's last mission. John will likely get the drug and hand it over to Dr. Russell before the explosion. He may also push Shawn and Steve to safety, but end up being the victim himself.

While fans did not get to see John in the scene under his hoodie jacket, they know this scene was possibly not filmed with Hogestyn. His exit arc suggests a bold mission of getting a life-saving drug away from the black marketeers and laying his life in the process like a true hero.

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Whether Steve ends up blaming himself for his friend's death remains to be seen in the upcoming episodes. Stay tuned to Days of Our Lives to witness John's valiant exit from the soap.