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Stefan DiMera is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, an American soap opera on the NBC network. The role was originated by Tyler Christopher on December 29, 2017. Christopher vacated the role on March 20, 2019. Brandon Barash took over the role on March 22 to October 24, 2019. He reappeared for one episode on April 20, 2020. Barash reprised the role on August 2, 2022.

Stefan is the son of Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo) and Vivian Alamain (Louise Sorel). Stefan forces himself on the DiMeras, making enemies with brothers Chad (Billy Flynn) and André DiMera (Thaao Penghlis), as well as sister-in-law Kate Roberts (Lauren Koslow) when he moves into the family mansion and fires them from the company. Stefan is smitten with Chad's wife Abigail Deveraux (Marci Miller) and takes advantage as she suffers from Dissociative identity disorder. He even helps her framed Gabi Hernandez (Camila Banus) from murder and the two fall in love after she tricks him into marriage. However, Stefan and Gabi's happiness is short-lived as Stefan is killed off later that year. In 2022, Stefan is revived having been kept alive through artificial means.

Stefan is notable for being Ron Carlivati's very first creation as head writer. Christopher had previously worked under Carlivati on ABC's General Hospital where he played Nikolas Cassadine until the summer of 2016. It took nearly 6 months for the writers to set the stage for Stefan's arrival. The character was conceived in an effort to carry on the legacy of his father, Stefano. Viewers and critics alike were very excited about the Daytime Emmy Award winner's return to daytime. Due to intense secrecy around the character's identity, there was much speculation about who Christopher would portray, with many assuming he'd been hired as a recast of another role. In 2019, Christopher was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor.

2017–2019
Stefan and Vivian crash the DiMera family's New Year's Eve party to reveal he is Stefano's son. Stefan fires Chad, André and Kate from the company and announces that he is the CEO of DiMera Enterprises. Though he provided it to the board of directors, Stefan agrees to another test to appease his brothers. Stefan causes chaos when he buys the family mansion out from under Chad and moves in. Chad and Abigail think Stefan sabotaged the company so he could come in and save it. Meanwhile, he is smitten with Abigail and takes pleasure in taunting her about Chad's failed romance with her friend, Gabi. When André fires Gabi from the company on Vivian's orders, she orders Stefan to kill André but he refuses. André is ultimately murdered and though he maintains his innocence, Stefan deletes voicemails from André's phone. Later, he catches Abigail, dressed as Gabi, trying to frame him with the murder weapon. Stefan realizes that Abigail has no recollection of that night and she accuses him of hiring a woman to frame Gabi for the murder. Abigail, calling herself "Gabby" tries to seduce Stefan to keep him quiet. Stefan hides "Gabby" from Chad and kisses her. After some research, he learns that Abigail suffers from dissociative identity disorder. He intervenes when "Gabby" tries to kill Vivian and convinces her to keep quiet by agreeing to help her frame someone else. Vivian realizes that Abigail framed Gabi and Stefan stops her from going to the police when he reveals that Abigail could place them at the crime scene too.

2022–present
In 2022, when Stefan's twin brother Jake is murdered, Rolf reveals to Kristen that he's been preserving Stefan's remains for future use. He takes Jake's heart and implants it in Stefan. Kristen forces Rolf to revive his Stefan sooner than planned. However, DiMera chairman Li Shin (Remington Hoffman) convinces Rolf to keep Stefan comatose as he is romancing Gabi.

Casting and creation


On July 28, 2017, Jamey Giddens of Daytime Confidential teased the casting news on Twitter. That same day, Pound of Butter announced that Christopher had signed a three year contract with the series but the network refused to comment on the report. On August 2, 2017, Christopher was spotted on set in a behind the scenes photograph. The next day, Christopher's casting was confirmed by Entertainment Weekly. Christopher filmed his first scenes a week prior to the announcement but would not appear onscreen until late 2017 or early 2018. At the time, the character's identity had not even been released. In a statement published in Soap Opera Digest, Christopher said "After only a week on Days of our Lives, everyone has gone above and beyond in making me feel as if I've been a long-time part of their iconic family." Christopher had previously played Signore Christofero for an episode in 2001. Christopher had been friendly with casting director Marnie Saitta since he began acting in 1995. They had even discussed the possibility of Christopher coming to Days before he returned to General Hospital in 2013. Saitta called Christopher in December 2016 to see if he was still interested. He met with Saitta and executive producers Ken Corday, Greg Meng and Albert Alarr in early 2017. The meeting occurred literally an hour after Carlivati was hired as head-writer. Carlivati explained that "It was important, given where the story goes, that it was a seasoned actor. [Christopher] brings a certain gravitas with him, and he was the perfect fit for what I wanted to do with this story."

On September 20, 2018, it was announced that Barash had been hired as a temporary recast. In November 2018, it was announced that Barash was hired permanently. Barash made his debut on March 22, 2019.

Barash was having lunch with a friend when he was suddenly contacted by his manager who asked if he could start the very next day. "It was that simple." With the character being featured heavily in story, "It was a tall order" Barash said. "I remember the first week I worked three days, did six shows, so two shows a day. It was a shock. I mean I haven't worked at this pace in four or so years." Barash was not familiar with the role at all. He read several scripts and had a meeting with Alarr the day before he started. "I had a slew of questions written down in my legal pad and we just kind of hashed it all out. It took some adjusting getting on set and saying all these names, people I haven't met, characters I haven't met, but it was a lot of fun."

With Days in the midst of such an important transition, there was a lot of uncertainty as to what role the actor would play. "It's taken this many months for Ron to figure that out" Christopher explained. Carlivati later said "I wanted to be careful about this. I was just learning the canvas, and it was way, way on the back-burner to bring in somebody new." The character was created in an effort to carry on the legacy of Mascolo's legacy as Stefano. Being tasked with filling such big shoes, Christopher said "I was flattered."

Personality
Ron Carlivati described the character as an "International man of mystery" on social media. Similar to Christopher's role on GH, Carlivati defined Stefan as a "brooding mogul-type." Stefan is very "business savvy" Christopher said. In preparation for his debut, the network released a promo which further described Stefan as "sexy and ruthless." ABC Soaps In Depth likened Stefan to a "Cheshire Cat." While he has an "easygoing manner and hypnotic smile," Stefan has a "mind that's at least two steps ahead of everyone else's." Stefan is an "enigma."

Christopher described Stefan as "very shrewd and arrogant." Unlike his Nikolas, "Stefan does not apologize" for his machinations the Christopher stated. "He wants what he wants, and he really doesn't care who he has to mow down to get it!" However, Stefan has a "unique way of trying to morally justify his actions. He can intellectualize his way out of just about anything." The actor later said "nothing Stefan does is rational or completely altruistic." Stefan will do "anything to get what he wants." According to Christopher, Stefan's weakness is "a woman." When it comes to his romantic conquest, Stefan has no boundaries. "Oh I think everyone's fair game" Christopher said in 2018. He described Stefan as "the kind of guy whos's like 'Oh wow! She's attractive, and she's intelligent, smart, funny… All right, let's see what's going on over there.'" Stefan is "very predatorial," according to Christopher. Barash said Stefan can be "very comedic and light" but can also be "very dark."

Lineage and backstory
Stefan Octavious DiMera, is the son of the late Stefano DiMera, and his ex-wife Vivian Alamain. In 1996, under head writer James E. Reilly, it was established that Stefano – posing as Rudolpho Meradi – had seduced Vivian 20 something years prior in Monte Carlo. While Vivian and Stefano both have fond memories of their rendezvous, it is bitter sweet for Vivian as Stefano absconds with a valuable piece of jewelry and fails to reveal his true identity. Stefan is ultimately scripted as being born in 1974. Vivian's longtime lover and confidant Ivan Marais (Ivan G'Vera), having found her distraught over the encounter with Rudolpho helps her give birth and puts the child up for adoption to spare her, leading Vivian to believe the child is stillborn. Upon his adoption, Stefan is given the name Sam Maitlin. Maitlin becomes a powerful corporate raider known for going after failing companies and dismantling them amassing quite the fortune for himself. Stefan does not become aware of his lineage until he is an adult. About a year before his arrival in Salem, Maitlin comes to Ivan having learned his mother's identity and forces him to confirm the truth. Stefan does not come from money and worked his away up to becoming the businessman that he is. Vivian initially tries to keep the truth about Stefano from Stefan as she fears how much like his father he might be. Stefan changes his name in late 2017 just before he comes to Salem.

Introduction
Stefan's "explosive" arrival would take place as the characters celebrate 2018 coincides with Sorel's return as Vivian. Carlivati said "I always think of New Year's Eve as a great time to have something big happen at midnight." However, the scribed was determined to maintain the "mystery" of the character's identity until Christopher's onscreen debut. Soap Opera Digest's editorial director Stephanie Sloane said Stefan "will shake things up when he arrives in Salem."

Stefan was ultimately revealed to be Vivian's son. Christopher raved about Sorel. "I think she's so funny and such a pro. I really jelled with her right away. We just took a liking to each other" and that translates onscreen. "What a perfect pick to play Mother" he declared. According to Carlivati, in Christopher's own words, Stefan comes to Salem "wielding a big stick" and takes over the family company. "He picks up where his father left off and sort of takes over the town" and ruffles a few feathers. "He's eager to sit on his father's throne." Stefan quickly solidifies himself as the new "town pariah." Stefan crashes the DiMera family's New Year's Eve party and immediately becomes a rival for his half-brothers Chad and André. While causing trouble for his brothers, Stefan is quite taken with Abigail. "It's quite a grand entrance," Christopher said of Stefan's arrival. Meanwhile, Stefan's new found family is in "disbelief" and they immediately reject him. Stefan is aware that "everyone hates him, but he will not apologize for who he is." As the family awaits DNA confirmation of his identity, Stefan announces that he bought the bank that holds the mortgage on the DiMera mansion. He wants to live with his family so he can get to know them.

Obsession
Stefan is immediately smitten with his sister-in-law, Abigail. She rejects him and makes it clear she is not interested. And though he seemingly gives up, Stefan's subsequent behavior says otherwise. From Stefan's perspective, "he's backed off" of Abby, but to viewers, he comes across as "relentless" in his pursuit.

When Stefan meets Abigail's alter "Gabby," he pursues her romantically. According to Christopher, Stefan believes "If I can't have Abigail, I guess I can have this part of her." Christopher said "It's absurd and insane." Stefan suspects Abigail might have killed André, and decides to help her frame someone else. While he wants to help her, Stefan also sees it as a chance to have Abigail be indebted to him.

Announcement
Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice said "Salem is about to welcome a very important transplant from Port Charles." Ryan White of TVSource Magazine said "General Hospital's [loss] turned out to be Days of our Lives' gain!" Tanya Clark of Soap Opera Spy expressed excitement about Carlivati getting to write for Christopher again as the two worked well together on General Hospital. "Fans should expect a plot custom made" for the actor Clark said. Dustin Cushman said fans seemed quite excited about Christopher's return to daytime. On Soap Opera Digest's Facebook page, many fans expressed excitement about the news. "Great addition" declared one fan, while another was happy but hesitant about the news "[…] as long as they don't waste his potential." Some were also sad that Christopher wouldn't be going back to General Hospital.

The lack of information about the role led to increased speculation among viewers and critics with some believing Christopher would be a recast of EJ, previously played by James Scott while others suspected he could play Nicholas Alamain. Others suspected Christopher would fill the role of Alexander Kiriakis or Andrew Donovan while Soaps.com suggested that Christopher would make a "great" Scotty Banning recast. Laurisa from Soap Central immediately suspected Christopher could be a recast of Philip Kiriakis. However, she also listed Vivian's son Quinn Hudson and Peter Blake as potential roles for Christopher to fill. Laurisa continued, "I'm sure Tyler could play something other than a brooding, tortured heir. But isn't that like going to McDonald's and ordering a salad?"

Portrayal
Coryon Gray of TVSource said "Tyler Christopher melted his way right onto the DAYS canvas, proving himself to be the capable actor we've always known him to be as Nikolas Cassadine but furthering the point as someone entirely new." Donald of Canyon News said "Christopher absolutely oozes a level of villainy with his character." He further stated that Stefan appears to be a "a cookie cutter image of his father with a level of arrogance and bravado none of the others emit from their personalities."

Introduction
"Tyler Christopher came roaring into Salem" Sloane said of the character's debut. On-Air On-Soaps described Christopher's debut as Stefan as "highly-anticipated." The actor praised Carlivati for giving him such a "gem of a story." Christopher said playing the character reminded "me of what a [privilege] it is to be an actor."

While some viewers felt the story was a bit "convoluted and too convenient," Gray described it as "very on brand" for the characters of Stefano and Vivian to have a child "that had gone missing for decades in this very maze-like manner." Gray raved about the character's debut. "Vivian and Stefan O. DiMera played the room with skills so masterful they could make your head spin. For every question posed, the duo had an answer." Gray also loved the twist of Stefan buying the DiMera mansion. In 2018, Christopher told Soap Opera Digest that fans reacted to the news positively. They told him "We loved you over there [on General Hospital], but we love having you in Salem."