Could Dante Vitali Be Even More Dangerous Than Ava — and Will She Come Back to Reveal Who He Really Is?

🚨🔥 THE VITALI NAME IS RETURNING TO SALEM — BUT DANTE MAY BE CONCEALING SOMETHING MUCH MORE SINISTER THAN HIS DESIGNER SUITS AND SUPPOSEDLY “RESPECTABLE” LIFE IN ITALY! Franco LoPresti officially makes his debut as Dante Vitali on September 14, finally bringing Sami Brady’s mysterious fiancé onto the canvas. Dante is Ava Vitali’s cousin, yet he claims he has spent years separating himself from the criminal reputation surrounding their family. The real question is whether anyone in Salem should take his story at face value — because on Days of Our Lives, the man working hardest to convince everyone that he is not connected to organized crime may turn out to be the person they should fear most.

Key Takeaways

• Franco LoPresti officially appears for the first time as Dante Vitali on September 14.
• Dante is engaged to Sami Brady and is related to Ava Vitali as her cousin.
• He grew up in Italy and reportedly made an effort to separate himself from the Vitali family’s notorious criminal history.
• Sami has already defended Dante, insisting that he has no involvement with the organized crime side of his relatives.
• Dante enters Salem without Sami physically accompanying him, immediately creating questions about why he is arriving on his own.
• His timing may place him in a position to become involved in the growing DiMera-Kiriakis corporate turmoil.
• At this time, there has been no official confirmation that Tamara Braun will return as Ava.
• Braun’s latest stint on DAYS concluded in April 2025.
• Any storyline involving Ava returning to confront Dante remains speculation — although from a dramatic perspective, it could create major fireworks.

Dante Vitali has barely had a chance to establish himself in Salem, yet he is already carrying one massive problem with him.

His surname.

Vitali.

That is not exactly a family name that immediately suggests a quiet, harmless European businessman.

It carries history.

Bloodshed.

Organized crime.

Ava.

Martino.

Violence.

Secrets.

And enough painful family baggage to make almost anyone in Salem start searching for a background report.

Still, Dante apparently expects people to believe that he is different.

Based on comments Franco LoPresti made before his first appearance, Dante has supposedly spent much of his life attempting to separate himself from the Vitali reputation and the criminal activity historically tied to the family.

On the surface, that sounds entirely believable.

Which is exactly why people in Salem probably should not accept it without asking questions.

Because this is Days of Our Lives.

The show does not normally introduce an attractive Italian relative from a notorious organized crime family simply so he can sit peacefully inside the Brady Pub, sip coffee, and talk about imported olive oil.

Dante came to Salem for a reason.

And the first major mystery surrounding him begins with Sami Brady.

Fans have already heard about Dante because Sami previously announced that she was engaged to him.

The moment EJ discovered the identity of her fiancé, his reaction could essentially be summarized as:

A Vitali?

Seriously?

Sami immediately defended Dante.

She insisted that he had absolutely nothing to do with the criminal side of his family.

According to Sami, Dante’s branch of the family remained in Italy, and he supposedly had little real connection to Ava or the relatives in Pennsylvania who became associated with the darker chapters of the Vitali history.

It is entirely possible that Sami is telling the truth.

Maybe Dante genuinely has spent his entire life attempting to escape the crimes and reputation attached to the name he inherited.

That alone could make him an interesting character for a completely different reason.

A man condemned before anyone actually gets to know him.

A man repeatedly expected to answer for things committed by relatives he barely had any relationship with.

A man who truly loves Sami, only to discover that marrying her means entering another family just as complicated, dangerous and emotionally explosive as his own.

Think about the possibilities.

The Vitalis against the Bradys.

The Vitalis against the DiMeras.

And Sami trapped directly between them.

That setup alone could easily provide enough material for months of story.

However, one detail immediately feels suspicious.

Dante arrives without Sami.

That gives everyone in Salem an opportunity to judge him before the woman who trusts him most is physically present to defend him.

And EJ will almost certainly have plenty to say about that.

Probably far too much.

Picture Dante walking through the doors of the DiMera mansion.

EJ looks him over.

“So.”

Dante gives him a polite smile.

“So?”

“You’re the Vitali.”

Dante’s expression tightens slightly.

“And you’re the DiMera.”

Perfect.

Two men born into infamous families.

Two men who would both argue that they should not be judged entirely by the worst actions committed by people who share their blood.

And two men who could very easily dislike each other almost immediately.

EJ might begin digging into Dante’s past before Dante has even finished unpacking his belongings.

And perhaps that investigation uncovers the exact connections Sami claimed were not there.

Financial ties.

Hidden accounts.

Former business associates.

A respectable-looking company based in Italy that seems legitimate until someone discovers that money has been moving between it and another company with a far less respectable history.

Suddenly, Dante’s supposedly spotless background begins looking much more complicated.

Not necessarily outright criminal.

But complicated enough to make everyone in Salem uncomfortable.

And there is one person who could understand those complications better than almost anyone else.

Ava Vitali.

Tamara Braun’s most recent period on Days of Our Lives ended in April 2025, and there is currently no official confirmation that she will return specifically because of Dante’s arrival.

That distinction matters.

Many viewers may want Ava to come back.

The storyline itself practically seems designed for her involvement.

But for the moment, Ava’s possible return remains only a theory.

And it is an extremely tempting theory.

Imagine Dante spending several weeks persuading everyone in Salem that he is the respectable member of the Vitali family.

Elegant.

Charming.

Wealthy.

Sophisticated.

No firearms.

No hired muscle.

No organized crime battles.

Then one evening, Salem throws a party in his honor.

Everyone important is there.

Dante lifts his glass.

“To new beginnings.”

The front door suddenly opens.

Ava steps inside.

The entire room goes silent.

Dante slowly turns around.

Ava smiles at him.

“You were always very good at pretending.”

With one sentence, the entire storyline would change.

Because Ava could possess information nobody else in Salem has.

Maybe Dante truly is exactly the man he claims to be.

And perhaps Ava is only suspicious because she believes nobody carrying the Vitali surname can ever completely escape the darkness surrounding their family.

That could lead to a much more emotional type of conflict.

Ava might look at Dante and see a version of herself.

Except Dante received something she never did.

Distance.

Freedom.

A choice.

Something resembling a normal childhood.

He did not spend his formative years under Martino’s direct cruelty.

He was not subjected to the same manipulation, drugs and emotional destruction that shaped Ava’s life.

That difference could create deep resentment.

“You actually got the chance to be normal.”

Dante responds:

“You could have been normal too.”

That would be exactly the wrong thing to say.

Ava steps closer to him.

“You have absolutely no idea what that family did to me.”

Suddenly, the storyline stops being only about organized crime.

It becomes a story about inherited family trauma.

But there is another possibility that is much darker.

What if Ava already knows that Dante’s respectable image is completely false?

Maybe the Italian side of the family was never truly separated from the Vitali criminal organization.

Perhaps they simply learned how to hide it better.

Ava’s branch relied on obvious intimidation.

Dante’s branch relied on corporations.

Shell companies.

Political connections.

Money moved through offshore accounts.

The same empire—

just dressed in more expensive clothes.

That version of Dante could make him considerably more dangerous than a traditional Vitali gangster.

Because nobody would realize what he was doing until it was already too late.

He would not threaten Philip Kiriakis.

He would invest money in Titan.

He would not launch a direct attack against the DiMeras.

He would quietly purchase strategic portions of their business interests.

He would not send a thug to frighten Xander.

Instead, he would quietly acquire the debt Xander desperately needs someone to refinance.

And then Salem could wake up one morning and realize that Dante Vitali owns pieces of almost everything.

That could create an excellent modern version of a mob storyline.

No automatic weapons.

No brutal confrontations inside abandoned warehouses.

Just aggressive capitalism attached to a very dangerous family name.

And there may not be a better moment for him to arrive.

Titan is vulnerable.

The Kiriakis family continues to live beneath the enormous shadow left by Victor.

The DiMeras can barely make it through a day without turning against one another.

Corporate partnerships and loyalties seem to change constantly.

Dante could walk directly into that instability and present himself as the solution everyone needs.

Philip needs money?

Dante has money.

Xander needs new investors?

Dante has powerful financial contacts.

DiMera Enterprises desperately needs stability?

Dante proposes a partnership.

Everyone accepts what appears to be generous help.

Then Ava suddenly returns and demands:

“What have you done?”

Because she knows precisely where Dante’s money originated.

There is also Sydney DiMera to consider.

Her current Monte Carlo poker storyline already places Dante close to individuals connected to Salem’s most powerful families.

That could become the perfect bridge into something larger.

Maybe the poker games are not simply entertainment.

Perhaps Dante uses elite, high-stakes games to identify people who are desperate enough to become useful.

Philip would be an ideal target.

He is determined to save Titan.

He is willing to risk enormous amounts of money because he sees his family’s legacy slipping away.

Dante watches the way he plays.

He studies Philip’s weaknesses.

He learns exactly how much pressure is required before Philip stops thinking clearly and starts making reckless choices.

Eventually, that knowledge could become more valuable than anything Dante wins at a poker table.

Maybe Dante deliberately loses.

A few million dollars?

Irrelevant.

Not if the loss gives him information proving that Titan is vulnerable enough to eventually purchase or control.

That revelation would completely transform the audience’s understanding of Dante.

Sydney may also believe she is simply playing alongside Dante or working within the same social circle.

But perhaps Dante is using her as a convenient path into the DiMera world.

Sami gives him access to the Brady family.

Sydney provides access to the DiMeras.

Philip provides valuable information about the Kiriakis empire.

One man.

Three of Salem’s most powerful dynasties.

That would be an impressive first week.

And then there is Ava.

If she eventually returns, Dante could immediately try to destroy her credibility.

And doing that would not be particularly difficult.

Ava has a long history.

A very long one.

Dante could speak calmly and tell everyone:

“My cousin is unstable.”

Technically, there are numerous incidents from Ava’s past he could use to support that narrative.

Ava warns everyone that Dante is dangerous.

Dante responds with a sympathetic smile.

“She has always struggled.”

Now the people of Salem would be forced to decide who they believe.

The polished newcomer with the respectable appearance?

Or the woman with an established criminal history who insists he has been lying to everyone?

That would create the perfect psychological battle.

The more frustrated Ava becomes because nobody believes her, the more convincing Dante appears.

And the calmer Dante remains, the more desperate Ava looks.

Then eventually Ava produces proof.

A photograph.

An old financial ledger.

A hidden family document.

Something that directly connects Dante to the criminal activity he claims he spent his entire life avoiding.

For the first time, Dante stops smiling.

The mask finally cracks.

Only for a second.

But it is long enough for Ava to recognize the truth.

“Hello, cousin.”

That moment could ignite a full-scale Vitali family war.

However, another possibility could be even more compelling.

Dante may genuinely be innocent.

Ava assumes the worst about him.

She sabotages his plans.

Damages his reputation.

Attempts to destroy his engagement to Sami.

And then eventually discovers that her suspicions were completely wrong.

At that point, Ava would become the person repeating the same destructive family cycle she has spent years trying to escape.

That could force her into genuine character development.

Could she admit that one member of the Vitali family might truly have chosen a different path?

Could she finally stop judging everyone connected to her family through the trauma Martino created?

Could Dante ultimately become an unexpected ally rather than an enemy?

Perhaps Dante actually arrives in Salem because the Italian branch of the family has become a target.

Someone is hunting the remaining members of the Vitali bloodline.

Dante believes Ava may be next.

He never came to Salem to eliminate her.

He came to warn her.

That twist might make the entire storyline even stronger.

Ava initially sees Dante as a threat.

Dante reveals that the real threat is someone else.

Suddenly, two cousins who barely trust one another are forced to work together.

And Sami?

Naturally, she would end up trapped directly in the middle.

Because nobody becomes engaged to Sami Brady without eventually inheriting an entire universe of complications.

If Dante is hiding something, Sami will eventually uncover it.

If Ava learns the truth first, she may have to decide whether Sami deserves to know.

And if EJ discovers Dante’s secret before either of them?

He will probably enjoy every moment of telling Sami:

“I warned you.”

That alone could be enough to make Sami go through with the wedding anyway.

Because Sami Brady has never exactly been famous for enjoying the moment when EJ gets to say he was right.

For now, however, the confirmed information is much more straightforward.

Dante Vitali arrives on September 14.

Franco LoPresti portrays the character.

Dante is Ava Vitali’s cousin.

He is engaged to Sami Brady.

He was raised in Italy.

And he claims that he wants nothing to do with the criminal shadow surrounding the Vitali family.

Everything beyond those established facts is where the real speculation — and the real fun — begins.

Is Dante telling the truth?

Is he secretly hiding something?

Did Sami somehow manage to find the one genuinely respectable Vitali?

Or has she accidentally become engaged to the most polished and sophisticated organized crime figure Salem has ever encountered?

And somewhere beyond Salem is Ava Vitali—

the one woman who may already know the truth.

So is Dante truly the rare member of the Vitali family who successfully escaped its criminal past — or will Ava eventually make a dramatic return to Salem and reveal that Sami Brady’s charming Italian fiancé has secretly been the most dangerous Vitali of them all?