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Stefano has finally been laid to rest on Days of Our Lives and his heir has been officially named after countless years of DiMera family squabbling. At the end of Tuesday’s episode, Dr. Rolf snuck into the crypt to pay his respects to his beloved employer and give EJ the Phoenix Ring. It was meant for EJ, Rolf declared, when the time was right. Well, it seems like the time is right. Even if we’re still unsure about Stefano’s eternal rest.

This isn’t the first time the ring has been passed on, though it seems like Rolf may have been implying that other times, it wasn’t the real ring. This, he said, was the original. Not a copy. Not a fake. It was the one Stefano wore nearly his entire life.

There’s been some speculation that the ring was the source of Stefano’s rebirth powers (if, indeed, he had some, and it wasn’t just a series of faked deaths). And it’s not the first time EJ’s worn it. He put it on back in 2009, when the DiMeras and the Kirakises were battling out and Victor managed to take Stefano captive. André wore it (and survived death more than a few times himself), “Stevano” had it, and Chad even wore it for a time. And that last one may be the most important.

Because Chad gave the ring up twice — the first time, because he felt he was becoming too much like his father and wanted to get away from his dark legacy, and the second because Stevano had drugged and brainwashed him. So while Chad’s second go-around wasn’t consenting, both times he had the ring, he was corrupted in some way.

And now EJ has it once again. This time, he’s  not merely wearing it until his father comes back. He is Stefano’s heir, and we know that by Wednesday already, Gwen is about to notice he’s a bit different. If even Chad, one of the few members of the DiMera family to actually be decent and good, could be corrupted by it, imagine what it might do to EJ.

Because if this doesn’t mean Stefano’s possessed him or his mind in any literal sense, then we’re guessing that EJ’s about to take an even darker turn that we’d imagined. And we aren’t sure if he’ll end up doing more damage than good to the DiMeras. It already seems like he’s got an interest in keeping Johnny as DiMera CEO and keeping Theo out of the seat. That could end up not just ticking Theo off, but blowing up Johnny’s life. Chanel is already unhappy about her hubby running the family’s poisonous company.

Then there’s the person in the tube. If EJ’s bringing his sister back, that’s going to further pull the rug out from under Theo. Would he attack those he perceives as hurting his family, like retaliating against Jack and Jennifer despite Chad’s wishes? And how about Kristen? She’s determined to take down her brother, but if he becomes as ruthless as Stefano, she might find herself outmatched.

EJ’s never been quite as bad as his father, but he’s already capable of dark, horrible acts. He just declared that the House of DiMera will not fall. But we’d argue that it’s stood all these years not because of Stefano, but in spite of him. If this ring becomes a turning point for EJ to shed whatever goodness is left and become just like his father, then God help the DiMeras, their enemies and all of Salem.