Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
Will Horton made an unexpected return from the dead on DAYS OF OUR LIVES but unfortunately was suffering from amnesia with no memory of anything that had happened in his life. Thankfully, Will soon got his memories back, but some newer viewers might still not remember everything about the character themselves, so we thought we'd run down the highlights of the young man's past in Salem. And while he's currently experiencing a health crisis, one look at his history and you'll see he's a survivor!
Who plays Will on DAYS?
After a series of child actors, Dylan Patton took over the role of Will as a teenager in 2009, but in 2010 Chandler Massey stepped into the role. When he left to return to school in 2013, Will was recast with Guy Wilson who aired until 2015. With the character’s most recent return to DAYS, Massey has once again assumed the role.
Who are Will's parents?
Will was born in 1995 to parents Sami Brady and Lucas Horton, although at the time of his birth, Sami had convinced herself and everyone in Salem that Austin was really his father. Will had trouble growing up as his parents’ relationships were often turbulent with Sami swapping between Lucas and Austin. The kid even ran away to Chicago once when Sami and Austin split up. He was overjoyed to have his family together again when Sami married Lucas, but furious when his mother was blackmailed into marrying EJ DiMera instead. This led to Will moving to Switzerland to live with his Uncle Austin and Aunt Carrie.
Sami and Lucas started having problems with Will when he was a pre-teen played by Christopher Gearse. (Photo Credit: Paul Skipper/jpistudios.com)
Will returned to Salem in 2009 to find that his mother had adopted a baby named Grace, though that was just a lie to keep EJ from knowing he was a babydaddy. The young man befriended Mia McCormick, who also had given birth to a baby recently, and after Grace died, it was revealed that Nicole had switched Sami and Mia’s babies and was raising Sami’s daughter herself! Will began dating Mia but they split up when she cheated on him with her ex, Chad. After Sami married Rafe Hernandez, Will started dating his stepdad's younger sister, Gabi Hernandez. But as he graduated high school, Will met Sonny Kiriakis and his life changed forever.
Sonny made Will realize his true feelings. (Photo Credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com)
How did Sonny and Will meet?
After catching Sami cheating on Rafe with EJ, Will got really drunk at a party and kissed a guy named Neil. He confessed this to his grandmother, Marlena Evans, who offered her support and love as did Kate, who claimed she’d known for a while. Will confided to Sonny he wasn’t ready to come out as gay, and trying to convince himself he was straight, had a one-night stand with Gabi that left her pregnant. Later, Will started a relationship with Sonny and agreed to let Gabi claim Nick was her babydaddy. Nick didn’t want Will to be part of the baby’s life because he's gay, and blackmailed him into signing over his parental rights. But after Will was shot trying to save him, Nick allowed him to be named as father on the birth certificate. Gabi and newborn Arianna moved in with Will and Sonny to become a three-parent family.
Marlena presided over Will (then Guy Wilson) and Sonny’s nuptials. (Photo Credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com)
Will and Sonny tied the knot in April 2014, but soon after, Nick was killed and Will confessed to the crime to protect Sonny, who he believed to be guilty. But it was really Gabi, who thought Nick was a threat to their daughter. While Gabi was in prison, Arianna was left in the care of Will and Sonny. Financial troubles began causing friction between the couple, and Will threw himself into his work, interviewing baseball player Paul Narita. Suspecting Paul to be gay as well, Will hoped for a scoop, but the athlete seduced him into bed! Will felt terrible, but things got worse when it turned out that Paul was Sonny’s ex! After the truth about his infidelity was exposed, Will still hoped Sonny would forgive him and tried desperately to get Paul out of town. But it was Sonny who left Salem to heal his wounded heart.
How Did Will Die?
While at his cousin Abigail’s apartment she shared with fiancé Ben Weston, Will called Sonny and left an emotional message expressing his love and begging for forgiveness. Unfortunately, Will then noticed a red necktie and was reminded of the recent stranglings in town done with just such a weapon. Ben returned home and began acting strangely. As Will realized that he was the Necktie Killer his fate was sealed and Ben strangled him to death!
But then Ben has escaped from the mental hospital to interrupt Sonny and Paul's wedding with the shocking news that Will is really alive! His family located him living in Nashville with Susan Banks, who led him to believe he was her late son, EJ. Although they convinced him to return to Salem, Will had no memory of the love he shared with Sonny and instead began dating Paul Narita, which complicated things immensely! He attempted to use a drug to restore his memories, but it didn't work and only brought back brief flashes. However, during John and Marlena's wedding ceremony, Will was struck by a wave of memories and emotions as he finally remembered how much he loves Sonny.
Sonny and Will feared the worst. (Photo Credit: XJJohnson/jpistudios.com)
Unfortunately, Leo Stark, the guy Sony had briefly dated while Will was with Paul, tried to blackmail Sonny into marriage, and when the three guys got into a fight, Sonny knocked Leo into the fireplace and they believed him dead! Sonny and Will grew closer as they covered up his death, and after Will regained his memories and Paul left town, things finally looked to be on the right track... until Leo showed up alive! This time, he forced Sonny to marry him, threatening to expose their attempted murder. But Will and Sonny remained as close as ever, sneaking time together and plotting to get Leo out of their lives. Unfortunately, once they succeeded, Leo put the evil eye on Will, and the couple feared the curse was real when Will suffered fainting spells and ended up in the hospital! The doctors diagnosed him with an inoperable brain tumor that appeared to have been caused by Rolf's serum that gave Will back his memories.
Will is struggling to deal with the changes to his memory and personality caused by the tumor as he figures out exactly what the future holds for him. Stay tuned to see how his story continues, and for more DAYS news, keep reading Soaps In Depth magazine!
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