John Black and Marlena Evans are fictional characters and a supercouple from the American daytime drama Days of Our Lives.

Drake Hogestyn (John Black) joined the show that year and his chemistry with Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans) was undeniable.

The pair's romance in the 1980s was short-lived, but it left an indelible mark on Days of Our Lives fans and the soap opera world.

In a stunning turn of events, Drake Hogestyn remained on the show, and the story was retconned; his character was revealed to be an impostor programmed with the memories of the real Roman Brady.

John was afraid of hurting Marlena and Roman, and decided to leave town to avoid acting on his feelings.

He left the priesthood, and started a relationship with Kristen Blake, the adopted daughter of John and Marlena's worst enemy, Stefano DiMera.

With the help of Abe Carver, John rescued Marlena from a trunk in which she'd been held captive, in early October 2006.

The couple endured a divorce due to John's inability to regain his memory and decision to live a life below Marlena's moral standards.

John and Marlena (Drake and Deidre) returned to Days of our Lives on September 26, 2011 to celebrate the re-opening of the Horton Town Square.

At first, John believed he was innocent but due to strong memory flashes, he quickly second guessed himself unaware that Stefano's son EJ has framed him for the crimes.

In December 2008, Days of our Lives announced Deidre Hall (Marlena) and Drake Hogestyn (John) were departing from the series.

Soap Opera Digest reported that the news "not only rocked the daytime world, it made headline in the mainstream press.

"[7] In the week of their departure, the magazine published a collector's edition issue which featured the Hogestyn and Hall on the cover.

Inside, the fan responses were printed as well as the story of the actors' dismissal and a time line of the fictional pairing's storylines.

[7] Fans of John and Marlena purchased a full-page ad in this issue thanking Hogestyn and Hall for twenty years of portraying the pairing as a couple.