Days of Our Lives has recently dropped several hints that Thaao Penghlis’ Tony DiMera is not who he claims to be. Tony is one of two identical cousins, although in recent years André has been retconned to be his brother. Penghlis plays both roles, and several of Days of Our Lives’ wildest stories involve André disguising himself as Tony.
André is supposedly dead, but Days of Our Lives often uses the favorite soap trope of characters coming back to life, especially those involved with the DiMeras. It would not be surprising if André had again taken over Tony’s life, as he has done so several times in the past.
Tony is Not Usually So Focused On The Dimera Business
In Many Cases, Both He And Anna Are Opposed To His Involvement
The biggest giveaway that Tony may not be who he seems is that he seems to be singularly focused on stealing DiMera Enterprises back from Titan. Titan took over the company while Kristen was in jail and EJ was in a coma, and Tony seems determined to reverse that.
While this is a typical DiMera storyline — there are constant wars both with Titan and internally for the CEO position at DiMera — it is surprising that Tony is spearheading this effort. In recent years, Tony has often refused to have anything to do with the family business.
In one fairly recent story, Tony was blackmailed into becoming CEO of Dimera Enterprises again, and Anna was so furious she broke up with him and attempted to get engaged to Roman. Thus, it seems bizarre that Tony would be hyper-focused on regaining the family business, especially since he is willing to cross ethical boundaries to do so.
Tony Is Suddenly Not Above Scheming To Get What He Wants
He Seems More Like A Typical DiMera Than He Has In Years
Tony has not always been squeaky clean. When he first arrived in Salem in the 1980s, he was more of a typical DiMera than he has been in recent years. However, since marrying Anna, Tony has been recast into the role of the good DiMera who opposes the dirty tricks others in the family love.
This behavior is quite different than the way Tony mocked Anna’s attempts to dig up dirt on Gwen last time he and Anna were in Salem.
Lately, however, Tony seems to be as ruthless as Stefano or André. He recently manipulated Gabi into spying for him and reporting on weaknesses within Titan that he can use to his advantage. This behavior is quite different than the way Tony mocked Anna’s attempts to dig up dirt on Gwen last time he and Anna were in Salem.
Tony Uses Witty Turns of Phrase To Suggest Violence
His Dialogue Is More Typical of André
Although Tony and André both love sarcasm, André typically uses wordplay to suggest violence while remaining classy. This type of dialogue is one of André’s trademarks, so it is jarring to hear Tony use similar turns of phrase.
This line is exactly what André would say in this situation, making it seem even more likely that he has disguised himself as Tony.
However, Tony has done so on at least one recent occasion. While discussing his plan with Gabi, he responded to her suggestion that they “fight fire with fire” by saying, “No. We fight fire with arson!” This line is exactly what André would say in this situation, making it seem even more likely that he has disguised himself as Tony.
Tony Dresses In All Black (Except For That Yellow Sports Coat)
This Style Is More Reminiscent of André
Both Tony and André wear formal clothing on most occasions, which is typical of most of the DiMeras, especially those involved in business. However, normally, André dresses in all black, while Tony uses various colored ties and sometimes skips them altogether.
While it’s possible that the wardrobe team simply felt the black clothing was more reflective of Tony’s new ruthlessness, it also could be a subtle, but important clue.
In Tony’s recent appearances, he has also begun wearing mostly black clothing. While it’s possible that the wardrobe team simply felt the black clothing was more reflective of Tony’s new ruthlessness, it also could be a subtle but important clue. It seems significant that Tony is suddenly dressing more like André, considering his other suspicious behavior.
However, in his most recent appearance, he accentuated the black suit with a yellow sports coat, which might be more typical of Tony. That said, this fashion choice could be interpreted as André trying to emulate Tony’s more colorful style, considering the basic suit was still black.
Tony Seems Distant When He Refers to His Beloved Anna
It Seems Strange Considering She Is The Love Of His Life
Tony has only referred to Anna a couple of times since his return. He invariably refers to her as his wife, but leaves off any terms of affection, and sometimes does not even refer to her by name. This is another subtle hint that he is not who he claims to be.
Thaao Penghlis is Australian, and presumably Tony/André are as well. Thus, his dialogue could be interpreted as typical Australian dialect rather than a sign that he is overly distant. However, Tony and Anna’s love story spans decades, and Tony typically refers to her as his “darling Anna,” so this omission seems strange.
Anna and Tony Have Not Been Onscreen Together (And Anna is MIA)
Anna Is The One Person Who Could Settle Definitively If This Is Tony
Anna is not only the love of Tony’s life, but is usually glued to his side. She is so in love with Tony that when he was supposedly dead, she carried an urn containing his ashes in her purse so that he would always be with her.
This time, however, Anna arrived in Salem before Tony did. She said he would return for John’s funeral, but neither character was on-screen for that event, and Anna has not been seen since. While Anna could simply be off-screen but present in Salem, this omission is bizarre.
It is likely that André imprisoned both Anna and Tony on an island so that he could take over Tony’s life without interference.
Additionally, Anna would know if her husband had been replaced with a doppelgänger, so her disappearance suggests foul play. It is likely that André imprisoned both Anna and Tony on an island so that he could take over Tony’s life without interference.
Tony Is Happy Gwen Is Back
She Is A Troublemaker Who Interferes With The DiMeras
Tony welcomed Gwen back to the DiMera mansion, which was such a bizarre response that even Gwen herself questioned it. Gwen is known as a troublemaker who has tried to worm her way into the DiMera fortune before. She had an affair with Chad and was constantly trying to undermine his relationship with Abigail.
Even more significantly, Anna was suspicious of Gwen when she first came to Salem and helped prove that she had stolen a book from Jake DiMera. Anna’s hatred of Gwen would ordinarily make Tony wary of her, especially when coupled with her betrayal of Chad.
Tony’s delight in Gwen’s return suggests that this is André in disguise for several reasons, and any alliance with her may be his undoing.
André, however, would revel in Gwen’s presence. She is a chaos agent, and André’s primary goal is often to sow chaos for its own sake. Thus, Tony’s delight in Gwen’s return suggests that this is André in disguise for several reasons, and any alliance with her may be his undoing.
Tony Is Persistently Searching for Stefan
His Concern Is Out of Proportion
Tony seems to have a secondary mission of searching for Stefan. The newest DiMera was kidnapped by Vivian, who supposedly took him to Alamainia, but Stefan has been impossible to contact since. While it is reasonable for all of the DiMeras to be worried, Tony is the only one investigating, and he seems determined to find his brother.
This is especially strange given that Tony has not paid much attention to long-running soap star Deidre Hall’s Marlena Evans. Tony and Marlena are close friends, yet he has not checked in with her since John’s death. Instead, he seems more worried about Dimera business, especially Stefan’s disappearance.
His obsession with this secondary goal is more suspicious considering how out-of-character his focus on the business is, and thus provides even more evidence that Tony is not who he claims to be.
Tony’s concern isn’t problematic by itself, but Days of Our Lives has suggested that he only has two goals: to find his brother and to destroy Titan. His obsession with this secondary goal is more suspicious considering how out-of-character his focus on the business is, and thus provides even more evidence that Tony is not who he claims to be.
