Days of Our Lives Just Introduced a ‘New’ Doug Williams — Here’s Everything We Know About The Guy

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“I’m Doug Williams.” Trust us, you weren’t the only ones confused when Days of Our Lives‘ Julie met a handsome young stranger at her late husband’s gravesite and he introduced himself with those words. No, she wasn’t having a ghostly encounter. Rather, she (and viewers) was meeting Doug Williams III… aka the OG Doug’s grandson.

So who exactly is this “new” character and where did he came from? Although some of the pieces are still coming together, here’s what we know about this Doug and his connection to one of Salem’s most beloved citizens of all time.

The complicated story began when Doug decided that he wanted to give young Hope a sibling. With that in mind, and given that he was no longer involved with true love Julie, he got involved in a surrogacy program headed up by Dr. Neil Curtis. Arrangements were made for an unknown woman to be impregnated with Doug’s child, which he would raise. But soon after, Julie and Doug found their way back together. Assuming that he and Julie would have children down the line, Doug told Neil that he no longer wanted to be part of the surrogacy program.

There was, of course, one small problem: Neil had already found a surrogate, and she was carrying Doug’s child. Just to make things more complicated, it turned out that the woman was Rebecca North… who happened to be Hope’s nanny!

We warned you this was a messy story!

Eventually, Rebecca married Doug’s best friend, Robert LeClaire, who believed her to be carrying ex-lover Johnny’s child. Upon being born, the baby was given the name Dougie LeClaire, with Robert officially adopting the boy. Soon after, however, Rebecca and Johnny reunited, after which they took Dougie and relocated to Japan.

Flash-forward a few years and, just as Doug and Julie were struggling with his desire to have a child and her reluctance, they received news that Rebecca and Johnny had died in a plane crash. As Dougie’s adoptive father, Robert was fully prepared to take on the responsibility of raising the child. But Doug received a letter from the late Rebecca revealing that he was her child’s biological father! Although he kept this news to himself, Doug’s behavior aroused suspicions in Robert. When Robert made plans to take Dougie to Paris, Doug at long last confessed the truth. Robert agreed to remain in Salem and let Doug be an active part of the boy’s life, although the tot was renamed Charles.

Little is known about what became of Dougie/Charlies after that. Robert eventually relocated to his native Paris, and Dougie/Charles was said to be attending boarding school. Presumably, he eventually started a family of his own… including son Doug Williams III, who is now coming to town and is, by all accounts, more than a little bit like his grandpa, who first was introduced as a con man. As portrayer Meyer explained to TV Insider, his alter ego is “not purposefully mischievous or purposefully [wishing] harm on people… it’s just how he grew up, that everything he does ends up causing a bad karmic chaos storm behind him!”

What, exactly, does that mean? “He’s a gentle guy and he’s peaceful,” elaborated Meyer. “But it seems that he doesn’t make the proper choices when he needs to!”