If you’ve watched a single episode of Days of our Lives in the last decade, you know that the name Abigail Deveraux carries a certain kind of weight. It’s not just about her being legacy royalty—though, let’s be real, being the daughter of Jack and Jennifer is basically the Salem equivalent of being a Windsor. It's about how she lived. And, more importantly, how she "died."
Abby from Days of our Lives has always been the heart of the show's younger generation. She wasn't just a character; she was a barometer for how much trauma one person could reasonably handle before snapping. From her early days as a sweet girl-next-door to the harrowing "Gabby" alter-ego era, her evolution felt earned. It felt messy. It felt like real soap opera magic because it wasn't just about romance—it was about mental health, survival, and the impossible pressure of living up to the Deveraux name.
The Tragedy of June 2022 and the Ghost of Abigail Deveraux
Most fans are still reeling from that brutal night in June 2022. Abigail was stabbed to death in her own bed. It was visceral. It felt final in a way that Days deaths rarely do. But in Salem, "final" is a relative term. For years, the vacuum left by Marci Miller and Kate Mansi—the two powerhouses who defined the role—felt impossible to fill. You can't just replace a character who anchored the show's most popular super-couple, "Chabby."
Chad DiMera without Abigail is like a ship without a rudder. Honestly, watching Billy Flynn play Chad’s grief was some of the most heartbreaking television the show has produced in years. He didn't just play a widower; he played a man who lost his soul. That’s the impact Abigail had. She wasn't just a plot device to give Chad something to do. She was the reason he wanted to be a better man in the first place.
When rumors started swirling in 2024 and 2025 about a return, the internet basically broke. We saw the casting of AnnaLynne McCord, and everyone started guessing. Is she Abigail? Is she a lookalike? Is she a long-lost cousin? The mystery of her "resurrection" or the appearance of a doppelganger has kept the show's ratings buoyed during a time when daytime TV is struggling. People care because Abigail represents the last shred of the Jack-and-Jennifer era's innocence, even if that innocence was shredded years ago.
Why the "Gabby" Era Changed Everything
We have to talk about the Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) storyline. Soap operas often get flak for how they handle medical conditions, and look, Days isn't a medical journal. But when Kate Mansi and later Marci Miller dove into the "Gabby" and "Dr. Laura" alters, something shifted.
Abigail wasn't just the victim anymore. She was the antagonist of her own life.
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It started with the trauma of killing Andre DiMera. That guilt fractured her mind. Watching her slip into a black wig and mimic Gabi Hernandez’s personality was chilling. It was a risky move for the writers. If you lean too hard into the camp, it becomes a joke. But the performances were so grounded in pain that you couldn't help but root for her to find her way back. It gave Abigail a grit she lacked in her early twenties. She stopped being the girl people did things to and became a woman fighting a war inside her own head.
This arc also solidified her rivalry with Gabi Hernandez. A lot of fans think their feud was just about Stefan or Chad. It wasn't. It was about two women who had been broken by the same town and reacted in opposite ways. Gabi became hardened; Abigail became fractured. That tension is still felt in the show today, even with Abigail supposedly "gone." Every time Gabi walks into a room, the ghost of what she did to Abigail (and what Abigail did to her) hangs in the air.
The "Chabby" Legacy: More Than Just a Wedding
Let’s get real about Chad and Abigail. They aren't just another couple. They are the bridge between the DiMera and Deveraux families—the Capulets and Montagues of Salem. Their love story was never easy. It was filled with arson, mental breakdowns, frame-jobs, and secret pregnancies.
Remember the fire at the Smith Island cabin? That was a turning point. It proved that Chad would literally walk through fire for her. Fans latched onto that. In a world where characters swap partners every six months, "Chabby" felt like they had an endgame. They had Thomas and Charlotte. They had a home.
The decision to kill Abigail off was controversial because it felt like a betrayal of that investment. Soap fans are loyal to a fault, and breaking up a core couple via a brutal murder felt like a slap in the face to some. However, from a narrative standpoint, it opened up a "Who Killed Abby?" mystery that dominated the show for months. It brought Leo Stark, Gwen Rizczech, and even Lucas Horton into the crosshairs. It reminded us that Abigail was the sun that many of these planets orbited around.
The Problem With Modern Soap Deaths
There’s a specific frustration with how Abigail’s exit was handled. For months, we were told she was dead. We saw the body. We saw the funeral. But then, the show started dropping breadcrumbs.
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- The mysterious woman in the garden.
- The "Greene" family connection.
- The lingering shots of her ring.
This is the "Salem Effect." It keeps us watching, but it also tests our patience. If Abigail is alive, it cheapens the grief we watched Chad go through. If she’s dead and this is just a lookalike, it feels like a tease. Yet, we tune in. We tune in because the character is so deeply woven into the fabric of the show that we’re willing to suspend our disbelief for the tenth time just to see her face again.
Abigail’s Parents: The Jack and Jennifer Factor
You can’t understand Abigail without looking at Jack and Jennifer. They were the "it" couple of the 90s. Their daughter was supposed to be the perfect blend of Jack’s wit and Jennifer’s heart. For a long time, she was. But the writers did something smart—they let Abigail inherit Jack’s darkness.
Jack Deveraux has a complicated, often problematic history. By giving Abigail struggles with her mental health and a tendency toward impulsive, sometimes destructive choices, they made her a true Deveraux. She wasn't a saint. She was a person. When she slept with EJ DiMera while he was with Samantha Brady, it was a scandal that shook the show. It was a mistake. It was human.
That’s why her death felt like the end of an era. With Jack and Jennifer often off-screen or in and out of town, Abigail was the one keeping that legacy alive in the town square. Without her, the Deveraux name feels a bit like a relic.
The Impact on the New Generation
Look at how the show has shifted since Abigail's departure. The focus has moved toward the younger crowd—the Jadas, the Robinsons, and the new iterations of the Hortons. But there is a noticeable "Abigail-sized" hole in the 30-something demographic.
The show tried to fill it with Gwen, her half-sister. Gwen was the "dark" version of Abigail. She was the girl who didn't get the white picket fence and the loving parents. The rivalry between the two sisters was electric because it was built on a foundation of genuine resentment. When Gwen "accidentally" caused Abigail to miscarry, the show reached a peak of soap opera melodrama. It was dark, it was cruel, and it made for great TV.
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But even Gwen couldn't replace the core goodness that Abigail represented. Abigail was the person everyone wanted to be, even when she was falling apart. Gwen was the person everyone feared they actually were.
What’s Next: The AnnaLynne McCord Factor
As of late 2024 and heading into 2025, the big question is: Is "Marin" actually Abigail? Bringing on a high-profile actress like McCord suggests the show is ready to take a big swing.
If it's a recast, it’s a bold one. If it’s a new character who looks like her, it’s a classic soap trope. But the most interesting path is the "Project Phoenix" route—the idea that Abigail was taken, brainwashed, or saved at the last second by DiMera technology. We’ve seen it with Will Horton. We’ve seen it with EJ. We’ve seen it with Bo Brady.
The fans want Abigail back, but they want it to make sense. Well, as much sense as anything makes in a town with a literal mad scientist living in the tunnels.
Navigating the Legacy of Abigail Deveraux
If you’re trying to catch up on the saga or just want to understand why your Twitter feed is blowing up about a soap opera character, here is the bottom line: Abigail Deveraux is the emotional anchor of Days of our Lives.
Her story is about the fragility of the human mind and the resilience of love. Whether she is actually "dead" or just waiting in the wings for a dramatic Christmas reveal, her presence is felt in every scene Chad DiMera films.
Steps for the Dedicated Fan:
- Revisit the 2018-2019 DID Arc: If you want to see the best acting in daytime, go back and watch the scenes where Abigail transitions between her alters. It’s a masterclass.
- Follow the "Greene" Family Mystery: Pay close attention to the new characters introduced in late 2024. The writers are notorious for hiding clues in plain sight about Abigail’s true fate.
- Watch Billy Flynn’s Performance: To understand Abigail’s value, watch her husband. Chad’s trajectory is the best indicator of where the Abigail story is going.
- Ignore the Tabloids (Mostly): Casting news in soaps is often a smokescreen. Don't believe a "permanent death" until five years have passed without a mention.
Abigail isn't just a name on a headstone in the Horton cemetery. She’s a legacy. And in Salem, legacies never truly stay buried. Stay tuned to the daily episodes on Peacock, because the next chapter of the Abigail Deveraux story is clearly just beginning, regardless of which face she's wearing when she finally walks back into the DiMera mansion.