Every Vampire Diaries Character Who Died In The Originals – Screen Rant

The Originals racked up an impressive body count, including many characters who fans grew to love during their time on The Vampire Diaries.

Seven characters who originated on The Vampire Diaries died in its spinoff, The Originals. The Vampire Diaries, based on the book series by L.J. Smith, was created by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson. The Vampire Diariesran for eight seasons (2009-2017) on the CW and introduced the Mikaelsons, the first family of vampires known as the "Originals." Plec parlayed the characters' popularity into the spinoff, which chronicled the lives of the oldest and most powerful vampires for five seasons (2013-2018). Both series killed off and reincarnated fan favorites using creative loopholes.

Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries introduced Elijah Mikaelson and his brother, Klaus, who served as a primary antagonist throughout his time on the series. The remaining Mikaelson siblings Rebekah, Kol, and Finn, their mother, Original witch Esther, and their father, the former Viking warrior-turned-vampire hunter, Mikael, made their first appearances during season 3. Season 4's episode "The Originals," served as a backdoor pilot and established the driving storylines for season 1 of the spinoff. The Originals explored the dysfunctional family dynamics of the Mikaelsons as Klaus reclaimed the stranglehold he once had on the city of New Orleans and its supernatural inhabitants, navigated the challenges of fatherhood, and battled enemies both old and new.

RELATED: The Originals: Why Marcel Hates Using His Full Name

The Originals stayed true to the canon established by The Vampire Diaries as well as expanding upon it. Both shows often shocked viewers by killing off beloved characters and using plot devices like the Gilbert Ring, the Other Side (a supernatural purgatory), vampirism, and witchcraft to bring them back from the dead. Some characters, like Jeremy Gilbert, Bonnie Bennett, and Alaric Saltman, remain alive in The Vampire Diaries universe (Damon and Elena are among those referenced on The Vampire Diaries second spinoff, Legacies.) Jenna Sommers, Stefan Salvatore, Camille "Cami" O'Connell, and other main and supporting characters eventually perished for good, many of whom originated on The Vampire Diaries.

No character cheated death more than Original witch Esther. After lying to Klaus about his birth father's identity and suppressing Klaus' werewolf side, Klaus strangled his mother for her betrayal. Esther's body was preserved by a powerful Bennett witch named Ayana, and Esther channeled the Bennett witches into reuniting with her children after spending 1,000 years on the Other Side. Her sole purpose for returning was to kill the monsters she created and cure the world of vampirism. Her plan failed when Damon Salvatore killed Abby Bennett. Without the power of the Bennett ancestors, Esther could not complete the spell. She made another attempt by turning Alaric Saltzman into an Original whose sole task was to hunt down and kill Klaus and his siblings. Before Alaric made the transition, he stabbed Esther.

On season 1 of The Originals, Rebekah, Elijah, and Klaus consecrated Esther's remains, linking her to the Ancestors of the witches of New Orleans. Esther inhabited the Harvest Girl Cassie, and Esther's ability to jump into other bodies made her difficult to kill. She offered each of her children the opportunity to abandon their Original bodies and become mortal, allowing them to live out normal human lives. Klaus eventually stabbed her, but she had unknowingly ingested vampire blood, and when faced with the choice of dying or becoming what she despised, Esther chose the latter. Later, Freya Mikaelson used magic to kill her mother to exact revenge for Esther handing her over to her sister,the evil witch Dahlia. During the season 2 finale, Esther was brought back one last time by Davina Claire, so her blood could be used to forge a weapon to kill Dahlia, who had laid claim to all firstborn Mikaelson children. Esther died along with her sister when Klaus daggered them to save his daughter, Hope.

Mikael was an Original and a vampire hunter who spent centuries hunting down his children. He was desiccated and entombed by Abby Bennett, which drained her of the ability and desire to do magic. To kill Klaus, Katherine Pierce (one of The Vampire Diaries' five doppelgangers) freed Mikael, who joined forces with the Salvatores. Mikael despised Klaus for being weak, and later, when he learned Klaus was the product of Esther's infidelity with a werewolf, his hatred grew stronger. Armed with a White Oak Stake, Mikael confronted Klaus, but the plan went awry, and Klaus successfully used Mikael's weapon against him.

RELATED: The Originals: Why Claire Holt's Rebekah Left The Vampire Diaries Spin-Off

During season 1 of The Originals, the Other Side's impending collapse enabled Mikael to communicate with Davina Claire. He used her hatred of Klaus to convince the young witch to resurrect him. During season 2, Davina refused to let Mikael kill Klaus before breaking the sire line, using a bracelet to control him. When that failed, she used magic to render the White Oak Stake useless, forcing Mikael to retreat when faced with battling Marcel, Klaus, and Hayley. Mikael's further efforts to murder Klaus were thwarted by Finn, Dahlia, and an unexpected reunion with his firstborn, Freya, who dispatched Mikael to find the items needed to make a weapon that could destroy Esther's sister. When Mikael completed the task, he formed a tenuous partnership with Klaus to defeat Dahlia, but when they failed, Klaus used the White Oak Stake on Mikael again, reducing him to ash for good.

Kol made his first appearance on The Vampire Diaries season 3, episode "Bringing Out the Dead." He, like his siblings, was daggered by Klaus and lay trapped in a coffin. Rebellious and bloodthirsty, Kol was unpredictable, and after Esther's initial attempt to kill him, he left Mystic Falls for parts unknown. Kol returned during season 4, and upon learning of the plan to procure the Cure (the Cure would be used by four vampires) and raise Silas, he devoted himself to preventing the 2,000-year-old immortal from unleashing Hell on earth. This put him at odds with Klaus, Rebekah, the Salvatores, and most especially Jeremy Gilbert, a member of The Brotherhood of the Five. Elena and Jeremy laid a trap, and Jeremy staked Kol to complete the Hunter's Mark.

In the season 2 premiere of The Originals, it's revealed that Esther raised Kol from the dead, placing him in the body of a witch named Kaleb. Kol's purpose was to help Esther achieve her goal of making Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah mortal, but Kol had his own agenda. After falling for Davina, he sided with Klaus (though he never completely abandoned plotting against his brother). Angered by Kol's actions, Finn put a hex on his brother that resulted in his death. Davina used a spell to bring Kol back (in his original vampire body) during season 3. By the end of the series, Kol was one of the two surviving Originals until Rebekah takes the Cure (Freya is a Mikaelson but not an Original, and Marcel is an Enhanced Original but not a Mikaelson.)

Considered a bore by his siblings, Finn spent the most time daggered 900 years. Elijah removed the dagger, and Finn appeared for the first time during season 3's "Bringing Out the Dead." Unlike his brothers and sisters, Finn hated being a vampire, and he conspired with Esther to kill all the Mikaelson children even though it meant he would die, too. Matt Donovan (a character who appeared in all three shows) staked him during the episode "The Murder of One." Finn's death revealed that when an Original died, so did everyone they ever turned.

RELATED: The Originals' Klaus Will NEVER Cameo In Legacies

During season 2 of The Originals, Finn inhabited the body of a powerful Treme witch named Vincent Griffith. He worked alongside Esther to convince Elijah, Rebekah, and Klaus to become human. He became obsessed with finding and murdering his niece to prevent Dahlia's impending arrival. While attempting to take Hope, Finn clashed with Elijah, culminating in an explosion that killed Finn. Freya resurrected her brother, but to save him from Klaus, she had to imprison him in a talisman around her neck. When Davina brought Kol back from the Ancestral Plane during season 3, Finn was also resurrected -- a byproduct of the spell that used the Mikaelson brothers' vampire blood. He remained alive long enough to make amends with his siblings before succumbing to a bite from Enhanced Original Lucien Castle.

After Esther's bones were consecrated in New Orleans soil during season 1, she led the Ancestors, urging them to kill Klaus and Hayley Marshall's (who made her Vampire Diaries debut during season 3) baby. As the witches and werewolves made their move to dethrone Klaus and rid the city of vampires, Hayley went into labor. She was taken to St. Anne's by Genevieve and the Harvest Girls. Once Hope was born, Genevieve slit Hayley's throat, knowing the werewolf would tear them apart to stop them from sacrificing her daughter. However, Hayley died with the baby's blood (who was part vampire) in her blood. Hayley awakened in transition and became a hybrid (Hayley struggled with being a hybrid during season 2).

During season 5, Klaus and Hayley found themselves battling a cult of Nazi-esque vampires led by a woman named Greta who believed in purifying the vampire race. They kidnapped Hayley and used her as leverage to force a 15-year-old Hope to undergo a binding spell to suppress her werewolf side, making it impossible for her to create hybrids. Greta's true intention was to kill Hope, which led to a showdown with Hayley, who, stripped of her hybrid powers, burned to death in the sun during the battle.

Season 4 of The Originals introduced the Mikaelson's most formidable foe, the Hollow. The Hollow was an evil witch who sought to bring death and destruction to New Orleans. For the Hollow to gain enough strength to be reborn, she channeled Elijah, killing him in the process. Freya transferred his soul into the same talisman that once housed Finn, but his Original body's death meant the end of his sire line as well. To resurrect Elijah required a sacrifice; the death of the Hollow using a dagger laced with Hope's blood. Hayley succeeded in killing the Hollow (her malevolent spirit continued to wreak havoc through season 5), and Elijah returned to the land of the living.

RELATED: The Originals: Who The Strongest Vampire Really Is

In the penultimate episode of season 5, when Elijah learned Klaus planned to have the Hollow's spirit siphoned from Hope's body into his own, Elijah was determined to take his brother's place. Klaus felt Elijah had spent enough of his life making sacrifices for him and refused. Klaus' decision meant he would have to end his life before the Hollow consumed him. True to their vow to stay together "always and forever," Elijah and Klaus killed each other in the series finale.

Since Klaus was both an Original and a hybrid, he was virtually indestructible. His biggest vulnerability was his daughter, Hope. During season 5, the Hollow's dark magic threatened to kill Hope, and to save her, Klaus had the Saltzman twins siphon the ancient evil from Hope's body into his. Knowing the Hollow would cause him to destroy everyone he loved, Klaus resigned himself to ending his life by plunging the White Oak Stake into his heart. In the final moments of the series finale, Elijah revealed to his brother that his sole purpose in life was to witness Klaus' redemption, and he was ready to journey into the unknown by his brother's side. They split the White Oak Stake in half, and each brother stabbed the other in the heart, turning to ash on a quiet corner of the French Quarter. After The Originals, Klaus continues to watch over Hope, although he will not know peace until his daughter does.

NEXT: The Originals: What The Main Cast Has Done Since The Show Ended

Glee Was A Living Hell Thanks To Lea Michele, Claims Samantha Marie Ware [Updated]

Jennifer has been working as a freelance writer for eight years, contributing to BuddyTV, TVRage, Hidden Remote, Gossip On This, and PopMatters. She prefers binge-watching old episodes of The Office (British and American versions) to long walks on the beach. She's still holding out hope that Happy Endings will get a revival.

Continue reading here:
Every Vampire Diaries Character Who Died In The Originals - Screen Rant