The DAYS of Our Lives actor returned to the show after a year-long hiatus.
Fans believe the character’s appearance could foreshadow the return of his supposedly dead daughter.
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On Tuesday, Matthew Ashford, 64, will return to Days of Our Lives as his character Jack Deveraux.
Ashford has played Jack on and off on the soap since 1987.
Jack’s return to the fictional town of Salem, Illinois is his first since he and his wife Jennifer Horton were run out of town by Xander Kiriakis (Paul Telfer) and Gwen Rizczech (Emily O’Brien).
Xander and Gwen blackmailed Jack’s newspaper, The Spectator, into taking it away from them.
READ MORE ABOUT DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Recently, Julie Olsen Williams (Susan Seaforth Hayes) and Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn) have been investigating the death of Jack’s daughter, Abigail Deveraux, after Clyde Weston (James Read) suggested not only that she might still be alive, but also how find her.
Their investigation is thwarted, or at least put on hold, due to Jack’s return.
Ashford’s reprisal of the character coincides with the return of Casey Moss as Abigal’s younger brother JJ Deveraux, lending further credence to speculation that Abby could also return soon.
Abigail has been played by several actors, including Ashley Benson, Kate Mansi – who won a Daytime Emmy for the role, and, most recently, Marci Miller.
ABBY’S DEATH
Shortly after Abigail’s on-screen death, Miller criticized the show for killing off her character.
In June 2022, Miller broke his silence on Abby’s death, as fans shared their fury at the soap ridding herself of the legacy role.
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Abigail was discovered unconscious by her husband Chad at the end of one episode and fans discovered she was officially dead from stab wounds in the following episode.
Fans mourned the loss of the character with her interpreter.
In a new interview with Soap opera newsMiller criticized the show for killing off her character.
DAYS head writer Ron Carlivati said Soap opera summary that they chose to kill Abby after Marci decided not to sign a new full-time contract and would leave.
Still, she said there were many ways the soap could deal with her not being able to work full-time other than killing off the character.
“Honestly, I had a really hard time with the decision,” she said of her decision to leave, before adding of the show, “I mean, there are a variety of opinions on how to handle it.”
Referring to another portrayer of Abby, Miller said, “I have no idea what Kate [Mansi] the lineup looked like it or something, but I honestly thought they were going to revamp it and should revamp it.
“That was my opinion.
“I felt like they should have recast the character with a woman who would be able to stick around for a long time to continue to tell this story.”
Miller revealed she was “shocked” after she learned they decided to get rid of Abigail.
Abigail “Abby” Deveraux first appeared on the show in late 1992 when she was born to parents Jack and Jennifer, and has been played by several actresses since its inception.
Miller began playing the role in 2016 before taking a break when Abby’s previous actress, Mansi, returned to the role from 2018 to 2020.
After Mansi’s departure, Miller returned to Days of Our Lives.
Miller said she was taken by surprise when she learned of her character’s planned death.
“I didn’t expect it,” admitted the actress. “This was not what I expected.”
FRUSTRATED FANS
Viewers were furious after Abby was killed off on the show.
Fans have dragged the series for choosing death over a recast and are threatening to “boycott” the daytime show over the decision.
One upset fan tweeted: “This is a HUGE mistake! Soap Opera Rule #1: YOU DON’T KILL A LEGACY CHARACTER!
Another furiously wrote: “We are so upset that Abigail was killed off the show!
“We all loved Marci Miller as Abigail, couldn’t it have been done any other way?”
“So I’ve been a #Days fan for a long time but I’m upset that Abigail is being killed off,” said a third before calling the change “BS!”
Others claimed that they “ended this program” and threatened to boycott the soap opera.
Some refuse to believe that the character is dead and think that she could still be alive.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
