5 Most Satisfying Character Arcs in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, Ranked

From the moment it debuted in 2009, The Vampire Diaries was a hit. The series premiere was the biggest ever for The CW at the time, and the show’s popularity only grew over each season, with the series eventually getting a spinoff series in The Originals — and that series would get its own spinoff as well, fully cementing the overall Vampire Diaries Universe as a pop culture moment. And it’s not a mystery as to why. The Vampire Diaries and its sister series delivered plenty of drama, heartbreak, and supernatural intrigue all of it driven by characters that were not only interesting to watch, but easy to relate to as well. This wasn’t just a vampire story, after all. It was something much more human.

While each of the characters on The Vampire Diaries and The Originals had interesting arcs that saw them grow and change over the course of multiple seasons, there are a few whose journeys just stand out above the others. From Elena’s growth from grief-stricken teen defined by her relationship to woman choosing life on her terms all the way to Klaus’ evolution from terrifying villain to complicated and deeply flawed antihero, these are the five characters whose stories across The Vampire Diaries (and The Originals) stand out as the best, journeys that make them characters that are simply unforgettable.

5) Elena Gilbert

The Vampire Diaries is, in many respects, Elena’s story. Viewers were introduced to her as a teen dealing with the death of her parents and who soon found herself caught in a supernatural love triangle that would have impacts on her life that no one could have ever imagined. There was plenty of teen melodrama with Elena’s story, but over the course of the series it was much more than grief, tragedy, and complicated romances that would come to define her. Over the course of The Vampire Diaries’ eight seasons (even though Elena wasn’t really present in the final season) Elena grew into a woman who not only learned to choose a life on her own terms, but to do so even when it meant selfless sacrifice to protect those she loved.

4) Hayley Marshall

While Haley Marshall was first introduced on The Vampire Diaries, her full story wouldn’t develop until The Originals and what a development it was. Fans first met Haley as little more than a side character causing drama for Caroline and Tyler, but she ended up being so much more after a one-night stand with Klaus resulted in an impossible pregnancy. It’s that development that changed everything for Hayley and she soon went from a source of drama to a fierce and powerful woman determined to protect her family as well as reconnect with her own history. She became one of the strongest characters in the Vampire Diaries Universe and while she met her end too soon, seeing her grow into the hero was a delight.

Read Next

Canceled Sci-Fi Masterpiece Show Continues with Sequel, 3 Years After It Ended Too Soon

3) Damon Salvatore

Damon Salvatore’s arc may have been one of the richest and most satisfying for fans of The Vampire Diaries and for good reason. When Damon was introduced, he was very much the bad guy, a cruel vampire who did all sorts of horrible things for fun and simply because he could. However, Damon would undergo a huge redemption over the series’ run, finding love with Elena and even true friendship with Bonnie. Letting people into his heart and his life truly changed Damon for the better and by the end, he’d become a good guy and more than that, a good man: Damon ended up becoming a human again, allowing him to have a fresh chance at a good life.

2) Caroline Forbes

Caroline Forbes isn’t a character that most The Vampire Diaries fans initially thought they’d end up loving. When we first meet her as a human, she’s pretty annoying, a judgy and petty young woman who isn’t exactly nice to the people she calls her friends. However, it was her transition into being a vampire that really changed Caroline and for the better. As a vampire, Caroline thrived and became the absolute best version of herself. She found a new confidence and soon became someone who would stand up for those she loved and for what was right. It wasn’t always perfect, but the best thing about Caroline was that she always continued to grow. By the time we last see her in Legacies, Caroline had fully gone from irritating teen to a powerful role model who would have made her mom, Sheriff Forbes, proud.

1) Klaus Mikaelson

There really is only one person who could be the top of this list and it’s Klaus Mikaelson. The Original vampire, Klaus was a terrifying and ruthless villain when he was first introduced in The Vampire Diaries, but his cruelty came from a tragic childhood and a great deal of pain. He made for an interesting contrast to the Salvatore brothers in how he approached his own trauma, but that’s also what made his overall arc even more satisfying. For Klaus, finding redemption was a very twisted and winding journey, starting when he fell in love with Caroline and continuing on The Originals which saw him truly have to care for someone beyond himself and his own need for power: his daughter, Hope. In the end, the man who was perhaps the most selfish character in the entire Vampire Diaries Universe made the most selfless choice possible sacrificing his own life to give his daughter a real chance at her own. His death in The Originals series finale is one of the most heartbreaking and most beautiful and was the perfect punctuation on an incredible story.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!