Ava Vitali

Ava Vitali
	Tamara Braun as Ava Vitali
Days of our Lives
Portrayed by	Tamara Braun (2008, 2015-16) ; Sara Fletcher (voice; 2017)
Current status	Former; Regular
Duration	2008, 2015–16
First appearance	February 8, 2008
Last appearance	March 1, 2016
Cause/reason	Murdered
Introduced by	Ken Corday and Edward J. Scott (2008); Ken Corday, Albert Alarr and Greg Meng (2015)
Profile
Gender	Female
Cause of death	Smothered with a pillow by Joey Johnson
Occupation	Mob heiress; Businesswoman
Residence	Salem, Illinois (formerly)
Relationships
Family	Vitali Family
Parents	Martino Vitali †
Romances	Steve Johnson
Children	Tripp Dalton
First cousins	Angelo; Eddie

Ava Vitali is a fictional character from the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives. Created by and introduced by then-executive producers Ken Corday and Edward J. Scott, she is portrayed by Daytime Emmy Award winner Tamara Braun from February 8, 2008 to August, 2008. She reprised the role from December 9, 2015 to March 1, 2016. Sara Fletcher voiced the character in 2017 on May 4th and May 7th. Introduced as a "mysterious woman from Steve's past," Ava was later revealed as a Mafia princess. She is the late mother of Tripp Dalton.

Casting

In January 2008, it was announced that Tamara Braun, best known as the second actress to portray the character of Carly Corinthos on the ABC Daytime drama, General Hospital, had been cast. The casting of Braun originally brought up fan speculation that she would be coming in as previous established character, Sarah Horton, daughter of veteran character, Maggie Horton. This speculation was quickly put to rest when it was announced that Braun would join as Ava.

Following the completion of her run as Ava, it was announced in September 2008 that Braun would join All My Children as Reese Williams, current girlfriend of the show's iconic Bianca Montgomery. Braun went on to win a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Ava.

Braun later returned to Days of our Lives in the role of Taylor Walker, replacing her former General Hospital co-star Natalia Livingston.

In July 2015, it was announced that Braun is reprising the role of Ava, as part of the show's fiftieth anniversary celebration, first airing on December 9. Braun departed on March 1, 2016.

Storylines

Ava first appears in early February 2008, stalking Steve Johnson, a man she called "Patch" and the Brady family with whom he was traveling with in Ireland. Obsessed with Steve, she continues to stalk the hotel where he was residing. In an attempt to delay Steve and the rest of the Brady family's departure from Ireland, she sabotages their plane. Her plan, however, was sabotaged when the plane began experiencing problems in mid-air, causing the death of Brady patriarch Shawn Brady. After following Steve back to Salem, she sees him hug Hope Williams Brady outside of Steve's apartment door. She then interrogates Hope, asking if she was in love with Steve. Scared off by Hope, Ava immediately leaves the grounds. Ava then runs into Steve, promising to exact her revenge against him and his family for leaving her without a goodbye. Looking at photos of the crash victims, she stops at Hope's, wondering who she was and why she loved her dear, "Patch".

Convinced that Hope is Steve's wife, Ava is visited by a shrink who then questions her sense of reality. Escaping from her guards, Ava kidnaps Hope, whom she believes is Steve's wife Kayla Brady, and holds her hostage at the Vitali compound. Driven with rage, Ava demands Hope call Steve, who catches onto the scheme and calls Hope's husband, Bo Brady and tells him to not involve the police.

Ava then pressures Steve to have sex with her, a suggestion Steve denies doing, blaming his injuries from the plane crash. Ava, however, plans to seduce Steve in hopes of making whom she believed as Kayla, jealous. Before she can execute her plan, Bo and the real Kayla infiltrate the Vitali compound. Ava, in turn, orders her guards to kill them all. When they fail, Ava shoots Hope; Bo then goes to shoot Ava, but is protected by Steve. When questioned by a hurt Hope about why she hates Steve so much, Ava goes into detail about her "almost wedding day" of how Steve left her. Steve explains that while he had doubts about the wedding, he was abducted by Stefano DiMera's henchmen. Though shocked by the revelation, Ava becomes agitated and pops pills. Able to escape, Bo calls Abe Carver, who arrives to the Vitali compound with Roman Brady. Abe and Roman are able to calm the situation, arresting Ava. While under arrest, Kayla reveals that the pills Ava was taking, were the cause of her paranoia over Steve and the Brady family. As a result of her actions, Ava's father, Martino Vitali, shows up in Salem.

Later, Dr. Lexie Carver releases Ava into police custody. Roman then informs Ava that her bail had been paid and that she was free to go. Ava's cousin, Angelo, then reveals that it was her father Martino who had her drugged. When Martino pulls a gun out, he is shot and killed by Bo. Putting her past behind her, Ava accepts a date with John Black. When it is revealed that a warehouse shipment of John's has gone up in flames, Ava urges John, with the assistance of Philip Kiriakis to fight back. When John's estranged wife, Marlena Evans, shows up and sees him entertaining Ava, he makes it clear that they haven't been husband and wife since his accident earlier in the year, and that he was now moving on with his life with Ava. When news of a disk comes out that may contain the key to restoring John's memories, he admits to Marlena, Philip and Ava that he knew about said disk, and in a shocking decision, kisses Ava.

Moving on with their lives, Ava and John later toast to their new found relationship. Trusting Ava, John reveals his plans concerning the recent disappearance of Paul Hollingsworth and his plans to pin the disappearance on Philip. When Ava's faced with possible charges of the plane crash earlier in the year, she hires EJ DiMera as her attorney. When EJ alerts Ava that the new judge in her trial could not be bribed, she jumps bail and made the decision to leave the country.

In December 2015, Ava is revealed to be working in cahoots with Steve and Kayla's teenage son Joey (James Lastovic) to get them back together.

In January 12, 2016 Ava revealed to Steve that she had a son with him and that he was sold in the blackmarket by her father, Martino Vitali. The next day Steve told Kayla about his alleged son with Ava and on how he has considered in locating him for if the baby is truly his, he wants to make sure that he doesn't suffer a horrific childhood like he did.

AvaBroken1 — Broken Ava plainly reacts on the death of her son

After Ava kidnaps Kayla, Steve is forced into working with Ava in finding her son. On February 8, it's revealed by the man who handled the adoption agency that Ava's son who was taken to that place died of pneumonia within weeks of being purchased. Ava's heart was broken and her life was shattered. The man left after offering his condolences. Steve coldly pointed out to a uncontrollably sobbed Ava, "Could have been mine...but maybe not. Either way, there's nothing tying us together now." Steve grabbed his stuff and exited the hotel room after adding that he never wanted to see Ava in Salem again. Ava sank to the floor in despair, clutching the photograph of her son against her chest as she continued weeping.

In February, after having lost the only good thing she had in her life she no longer cared about her life anymore or anyone's life for that matter, Ava returned to Salem to torment Steve and Kayla and their family. In February 26, sick of the manipulations and torments against his family, Joey, who was drunk smothered a drugged Ava in her hospital bed, she tried to resist but in the end she was killed.

Days-ava-shrine — Steve and Kayla discover the true extent of Ava's madness

Steve willingly implicated himself in the murder. He is later exonerated for the murder thanks to ISA fabricating a story that Ava's murder was constructed by them. Steve, Kayla and Joey went on to continue with their lives, even though Joey has to live with the fact that he killed a human being in cold blood. In March, the true extent of Ava's madness was revealed to Steve and Kayla when they found a secret room filled with different amounts of pictures and shrines of Steve and also a picture of Kayla with the words "Gone Forever" written in blood on it. The effects of Ava's death affected Joey throughout the year, it made him make a lot of bad decisions that ended him up in the hospital. In addition, when his girl-friend Jade revealed to him that she was pregnant with his baby. He was fearful of becoming a father, but then began to man up and was finally past with what happened with Ava.

On New Years Eve, Joey and Jade lost their baby and he blamed himself for the miscarriage believing he deserved to lose his child after what he did to Ava last year.

TrippMeetsPapaSteve — Ava's son Tripp meets his father Steve Johnson for the first time

In March 8, Steve finds out from Raymond, the man he met in Jakarta last year that the baby he and Ava had is alive and has been searching for his parents. On March 23, in Arizona, Steve and Kayla trace Steve's son with Ava, Tripp Dalton to a diner. They introduce themselves to Tripp, and soon he asks about his mother. Steve promised to tell him everything after he comes with them back to Salem to have a DNA test is done to confirm that he is his father, Tripp agreed, but still felt that there was something he isn't telling him about his mom.

TrippCDAva — Tripp watches recorded footage of when his mother was pregnant with him

On March 29, her son Tripp learned of his mother's death and how Steve "killed" her. He was disgusted at his father but soon learned of what his mother's horrendous actions in the past. Yet despite agreeing that she was a whackjob, Tripp cared for her as he could not forgive Steve for "killing" her. On April 4, Tripp met with his mother's cousin Angelo and remarked on how he looked just like his mother when she was his age. Angelo also gave him his inheritance from the Vitali family as well as some CD recordings of when his mother was pregnant was with him so he could get to know her more.

Crimes Committed

Various robberies and other "mob jobs" (alluded to in flashbacks)
Stalked the Brady family in Ireland (Feb 2008).
Ordered the sabotage of John Black's plane, resulting in three deaths, including Shawn Brady I (Feb 2008).
Kidnapped Hope Brady (Mar 2008)
Held Hope Brady , Steve Johnson, Kayla Brady, and Bo Brady hostage at the Vitali compound (Mar 2008)
Had her henchmen hold and Bo Brady and Kayla Brady at Gunpoint (Mar 2008).
Drugged Steve Johnson With a hulliainagine (Mar 2008)
Shot Hope Brady in the shoulder (Mar 2008)
Coerced Steve Johnson into sleeping with her if she promised not to kill Kayla Brady (Mar 2008).
Ordered Stephanie Johnson's kidnapping (Mar 2008)
Accessory after the fact to the capture and hostage-holding of Paul Hollingsworth (Jul 2008).
Helped plant evidence that falsely incriminated Philip Kiriakis (Jul 2008).
Jumped bail and fled Salem (Aug 2008)