John Black and Marlena Evans

John Black and Marlena Evans
Drake Hogestyn and Deidre Hall as John and Marlena
Duration	1986–Present
Introduced by	Betty Corday, Ken Corday and Al Rabin
Profile
Other names	Jarlena, Jolena
Spouse 1986–91, 1999–2005, 2006–08, 2009–12, Daughters Belle Black Granddaughters Claire Brady

John Black and Marlena Evans are fictional characters and a supercouple from the American daytime drama Days of Our Lives.John is portrayed by Drake Hogestyn and Marlena is portrayed by Deidre Hall. In magazines and in advertising, as well as on Internet message boards, the couple is often referred to by the portmanteau "Jarlena" (for John and Marlena) or "Jolena" (for John and Marlena).

John and Marlena became a supercouple in 1986 on the American soap opera Days of our Lives. Drake Hogestyn (John Black) joined the show that year and his chemistry with Deidre Hall (Dr. Marlena Evans) was undeniable. At the time, Hogestyn's character was an amnesiac named John Black. However, information (later proved false) suggested that he was really the missing, presumed dead Roman Brady (Marlena's husband), with extensive plastic surgery to explain the difference in appearance between the old Roman and John Black. John (as Roman) and Marlena were then married until she "died" in a plane crash in 1987.

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 1991, Hall returned to Days of our Lives, and returned to her role as Dr. Marlena Evans. It was revealed that Marlena's supposed death in the plane crash was not true and Marlena had spent the previous four years in a coma. Soon afterwards, Wayne Northrop, the original portrayer of Roman Brady also returned to the show. In a stunning turn of events, Drake Hogestyn remained on the show through a piece of storytelling that revealed that his character was an impostor programmed with the memories of the real Roman Brady, and was a dangerous assassin. As a result, the fake Roman reverted to the name John Black. While Marlena attempted to reconcile with the real Roman, she and John could not deny their mutual attraction, and eventually the two had an affair that produced their daughter Belle, and led to Marlena and Roman's divorce.