This well-respected and much loved psychiatrist arrived in town to help treat Mickey Horton, who was institutionalized in 1976. Marlena found more danger and intrigue in Salem than she ever imagined. Her jealous twin sister, Samantha, impersonated her and had Marlena institutionalized before Samantha's plot was uncovered. Later, Marlena married lawyer Don Craig in 1980, but she lost their child to SIDS. They divorced shortly thereafter. While being stalked by the Salem Strangler, Marlena then met Detective Roman Brady, who became her bodyguard and then her beau. They married, but shortly after she delivered their twins, Sami and Eric, Roman was shot and presumed killed by Stefano DiMera. Marlena was kidnapped more than once by Stefano and other international criminals. She once thought that she had fatally shot Stefano, but "the Phoenix" turned up alive again.

For several years, Marlena believed that Roman was dead. Then a stranger with amnesia appeared in Salem. At first, Marlena feared the man might be "the Phoenix"...Stefano DiMera. However, she soon found evidence that he was Roman Brady. It seemed that Roman had been kidnapped and held prisoner by Stefano. Roman had been physically changed, but still loved Marlena. She was delighted to have her husband home. It was a mixed blessing when the real Roman escaped his captivity and came back to Salem. By then, Marlena had fallen deeply in love with the stranger, who adopted the name John Black. Somehow, the three managed to sort out the confusion and become friends.

Aside from keeping her husbands straight, Marlena has had other challenges. In 1992 she was held captive in the boiler pit of an abandoned warehouse by a jealous, crazed Stella Lombard, who was convinced that Marlena wanted to steal her husband, Roger. John saved Marlena's life before the warehouse was demolished.

Marlena and John never stopped loving each other, but Marlena chose to stay with her husband and family. John decided to leave Salem. Before he left, he and Marlena gave into their love and had a one-night tryst that produced baby Belle. When Belle's paternity became known, Roman divorced Marlena and left town. By then, however, John was committed to Kristen Blake.

At that time, Stefano came back into Marlena's life. He began to drug her and take her for nightly excursions into his fantastic world of romantic delights. Unfortunately, the mental, emotional and spiritual disruption left her open to demonic possession. She caused havoc for many friends and family in Salem before John--who discovered he had been ordained a priest--performed an exorcism and saved her. John sought and earned release from his priestly vows, but became embroiled in a jealous fight between Kristen and her husband, Tony DiMera. Knowing that he was dying, Tony staged his own death and made sure John would be arrested for murder.

While John was on death row, awaiting sentence for the murder that was really a suicide, he wrote Marlena a love letter. He poured out all his emotions about her. Before she could read the letter, however, Stefano kidnapped her yet again. This time, he kept her in a gilded cage in a strange mini-kingdom below the streets of Paris. John rescued her again, but now believed that she no longer loved him--for she had never responded to his letter.

At that time, Kristen also told John that she was pregnant with their child. Marlena decided to keep secret her knowledge of Kristen's involvement with Stefano, for fear that Kristen might miscarry John's baby. It took months for Marlena to discover the truth--that Kristen had miscarried and then used a look-alike to deceive everyone.

Marlena was about to tell John everything, when Kristen locked her in a secret room in the DiMera Mansion. Kristen's plans began to unravel when the look-alike turned on Kristen, and shut her in the secret room. Finally, Marlena was able to go after Kristen with her bare hands. However, the sight of the Kristen look-alike seducing John stopped them both cold. This time, Marlena's good friend, Dr. Laura Horton, came to her aid, and rescued Marlena. The truth finally came out, and Marlena vowed her love for John. Just before they were finally to be married, Kristen returned to Salem with a man whom she claimed was the presumed dead Roman Brady.

Torn between the two men she loves most, Marlena is not sure what to do. Roman is dying. Thanks to Kristen, however, he believes that Marlena stopped loving John. Kristen even told Roman that she and John were happily married. To keep Roman alive, Marlena moved into the DiMera Mansion and is unsure if she will ever marry John Black.

Back to John & Marlena page