42 Years After Their 'I Need a Hero' Escape, See Why This 1984 TV Moment Is Still Ranked No. 1

Star-crossed young lovers, a manipulative politician-villain, a hit theme song, and a motorcycle all set the stage for one of Days of Our Lives' most iconic moments in 1984.

While stories such as Marlena's (Deidre Hall) possession by the devil, and Vivian Alamain (Louise Sorel) burying Carly Manning (Crystal Chappell) alive, made Variety's 10 Best Moments from Days of Our Lives, it was Hope Williams (Kristian Alfonso) 1984 wedding to the evil Larry Welch (Andrew Masset) that took the top spot as the soap's most iconic moment.

The storyline actually began a year before the wedding. Back in 1983, merchant marine Bo Brady (Peter Reckell) returned to Salem and instantly connected with Hope (Alfonso). Around the same time, Larry Welch (Masset) arrived in Salem and quickly became the district attorney. Soon after he became obsessed with Hope and decided she would be his no matter what it took. Eventually Larry went so far as to hire a sex worker to come between Bo and Hope, which ultimately gave himself an opening to pursue her.

Over the following months, Bo and Hope tried to reunite, but Larry threatened Hope and told her he would harm Bo if she refused to marry him. Hope reluctantly agreed, setting the stage for the iconic wedding day moment.

On June 3, 1984, Larry and Hope were set to be married, but Bo came to the chapel and pleaded with Hope to stop the wedding and leave with him. Hope denied him. "I'm not your woman anymore!" She tearfully cried, adding, "I'm not going to let you hurt me again."

But Bo was stubborn and not one to accept a ‘no' from the woman that he loved. It was with the help of Hope's grandmother, Alice Horton (Francis Reed), that Bo was able to convince Hope to leave with him. But the question then became how?

It was then that the two recruited P.I. Howie Hoffstedder (Stanley Brock) to assist with a surprising twist. As the wedding took place, ‘Hope' made her way down the aisle, surrounded by family and friends.

As Larry lifted the veil to see his bride-to-be, a stunned groom and crowd realized it was not Hope but Howie in a wig.

Meanwhile, outside of the chapel, viewers watched as Bo and Hope raced on his motorcycle away from Salem as Bonnie Tyler's hit single, "I Need a Hero," played in the background.

Despite confessing their love, the journey to reconciliation was not immediate after the wedding. Larry found Hope and forced her to enter into a loveless marriage, while Bo became involved with his ex-lover, Megan Hathaway (Miranda Wilson).

Eventually, however, with many twists along the way, Bo and Hope reunited, and after overcoming even more dramatic turns, they remain together, stronger than ever to this day.

Was this your favorite Days of Our Lives moment? If not, let us know what your favorite memory was in the comments below.

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 7:00 AM.