On The Vampire Diaries,Katherine Pierce and Elena Gilbert may look alike and share a particular fondness for the Salvatore brothers, but the doppelgangers couldn't be more different. Katherine was a selfish and self-centeredmanipulator who fought to become a vampire and only truly cared about herself, whereas Elena was caring and compassionate and longed to be human even after her transition to vampirism.
RELATED: The Vampire Diaries: 5 Reasons Why We Prefer Nina Dobrev As Elena (& 5 Why We Prefer Her As Katherine)
Both doppelgangers were great characters who garnered a dedicated and passionate fanbase. Katherine was the Cersei Lannister of the series andElena was the show's iconic main character, but which Petrova doppelganger was superior? Here are five reasons why it's Katherine and five why it's Elena.
Katherine Pierce is one of the most despicable and diabolical villains in The Vampire Diaries. She is self-centeredand ruthless, yet she has never denied this and was honest about her lack of morals several times in the series.
Elena was said repeatedly to be a compassionate person but showcased selfish tendencies several times, especially when it came to her love for Damon and Stefan Salvatore. Katherine, for all her many downfalls and shortcomings, was an honest and obvious threat in Mystic Falls.
One of Elena Gilbert's most defining characteristics is her love for her friends and family. She put herself in harm's way to protect the people in her life, something the isolated and selfish Katherine would never do.
Elena's pals are equally as dedicated to her. Bonnie and Caroline are great friends who sacrifice their happiness to save Elena repeatedly, and are loyal to her in a way that nobody is to Katherine.
Katherine was a powerful force to be reckoned with who seemed nearly unstoppable at the beginning. She was a vicious and cunning vampire who, at over five hundred years old, was stronger than both Salvatore brothers, easily defeating Damon and Stefan in a fight.
When Katherine comes to Mystic Falls in the second season of The Vampire Diaries, Elena and the gang struggle to fight against her as she is a strong and smart opponent. She turns Caroline into a vampire and forces Stefan and Elena to break up as she wreaks havoc on the town.
Katherine Pierce was the first love of Stefan and Damon and the first Petrova doppelganger that the Salvatores encountered during the 1800s. However, the brothers' undeniably loved Elena more and went to great lengths to protect her while she was human.
RELATED: The Vampire Diaries: The 10 Most Selfless Things Elena Has Ever Done
Katherine compelled Stefan's compliance during their relationship after he learns that she is a vampire. Damon loved her obsessively but disregarded her as soon as he fell in love with Elena.
Katherine had impeccable style and was easily the best-dressed character in Mystic Falls. Her voluminous curls and pointed leather jackets set her apart from her doppelganger Elena, andthe evil vampire always stood out in a crowd.
Katherine knew how to use her looks to her advantage. She manipulates several men into falling love with her and doing her bidding, including the Salvatore brothers, Elijah Mikaelson, Trevor, and Mason Lockwood.
Katherine is a great villain but a terrible person. Elena was far more compassionate throughout the series, showing genuine love for her friends and demonstrating that she cared about people much more than her evil doppelganger.
Several characters compliment Elena's capacity for compassion in The Vampire Diaries. Elijah Mikaelson states that it is her "gift" and urges her to never lose sight of it, something which would never apply to the evil and manipulative Katherine.
Elena depended upon the Salvatores brothers and her friends heavily throughout The Vampire Diaries. Katherine was the more self-reliant doppelganger as she lived in near isolation for over five hundred years, fleeing from Klaus after turning herself into a vampire.
RELATED: The Vampire Diaries: 10 Things Even Diehard Fans Don't Know About Katherine
Katherine's isolation can be largely blamed for her selfishness and lack of compassion. She didn't have the same support system as Elena, and had to be completely independent for over five centuries after fleeing from her home country of Bulgaria.
Elena sacrificed herself and her happiness to save other people several times in The Vampire Diaries. When Klaus arrives in Mystic Falls, she refuses to flee and goes willingly to be sacrificed in the ritual to break his werewolf curseand protect the people she loves though it still costs her the life of her aunt Jenna.
Katherine would never sacrifice herself for somebody else in this way. Katherine only cares about Katherine,whereas Elena is mindful of her friends, highlighting one of the biggest differences between the doppelgangers.
Although Damon and Stefan loved Elena more, Katherine was still the first Petrova doppelganger that the brothers fell for. It isElena's resemblance to Katherine that attracts the attention of the Salvatore brothers, and if she hadn't been a doppelganger of their old lover, the vampires would likely have never fallen in love with her.
Elena's physical resemblance to Katherine is the only similarity the doppelgangers share. Despite this, both Salvatore brothers have been in love with both doppelgangers during their long lives and their relationships have largely defined their character arcs.
Elena and Katherine have a long-overdue showdown in the fourth season of The Vampire Diaries. Katherine confronts Elena in the high school. and the older vampire overpowers her before Elena forces the cure down her throat, turning Katherine into a human.
Elena takes away Katherine's biggest weapon when she forcibly gives her the cure. It leads to the gradual decline and death of the former vampire as her age catches up with her.
NEXT: The Vampire Diaries: 5 Times Damon Was The Superior Salvatore (& 5 Times It Was Stefan)
Next10 The Flash Logic Memes That Prove The Show Makes No Sense
Leah Flavell is a freelance writer currently living in Leicester, originally from Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. She graduated from the University of Wolverhampton with a degree in Creative Writing and Film Studies and is currently completing a master's course in Creative Writing at De Montfort University. She contributes content to The Sportster, Screen Rant, CBR, and YourDogAdvisor, as well as writing additional fictional material.
Read more from the original source:
The Vampire Diaries: 5 Reasons Why Katherine Is The Superior Doppelganger (& 5 Why Its Elena) - Screen Rant
- The face of a 500-year-old vampire with a brick between her teeth - Metro.co.uk - March 24th, 2024
- Scientists recreate face of 16th-century vampire buried with brick inside mouth - WION - March 24th, 2024
- Montreal daily apologizes following backlash over Netanyahu vampire cartoon - The Times of Israel - March 24th, 2024
- This Major Aspect of 'Interview with the Vampire' Makes It Better Than the Movie - Collider - March 24th, 2024
- Stare Into the Screen Not the Sun: Vampire Weekend to Livestream Special Solar Eclipse Show - Rolling Stone - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Dormitory Anime Cast to Cover Every Little Thing Song for Ending Theme - Crunchyroll - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend will livestream Austin eclipse show - Brooklyn Vegan - March 24th, 2024
- 10 Essential 80s Vampire Movies You Might Have Missed - Flickering Myth - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend, Slightly Stoopid, Portugal. The Man, and more shows announced at Dillon Amphitheater (so far) - Summit Daily - March 24th, 2024
- 'Interview With the Vampire': Meet the Real Armand With Assad Zaman (VIDEO) - TV Insider - March 24th, 2024
- Xbox Game Pass gets cowboy vampire-slayer classic today, just in time for weekend - ReadWrite - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Tease Punky, Jammy New Offshoot With An Imaginary Backstory - Stereogum - March 24th, 2024
- The GLAAD Wrap: Trailers for The Acolyte and Interview with the Vampire, New Music from Xana, Anglica Garcia ... - GLAAD - March 24th, 2024
- Interview With the Vampire Season 2 Will Unlock Deeply Hidden Memories - Gizmodo - March 24th, 2024
- Netanyahu caricatured as vampire in Canadian newspaper: 'Every Jew understands the meaning' - Ynetnews - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend tease a new offshoot project with an "imaginary back story" - NME - March 24th, 2024
- Scientists Reconstruct Face Of 16th Century 'Vampire Woman' Buried With Brick In Mouth - Study Finds - March 24th, 2024
- Here's a haunting, beautiful Interview With The Vampire season 2 trailer - The A.V. Club - March 24th, 2024
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Most Important Moment Features One Word - Den of Geek - March 24th, 2024
- TV Shows Like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' That'll Suck You In - The Lineup - March 24th, 2024
- Remember When Pedro Pascal Was on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? - Remezcla - March 24th, 2024
- Interview With The Vampire Season 2 Goes Bigger Than Ever, See The Extended Look Into Fan-Favorite Series Return - Giant Freakin Robot - March 24th, 2024
- Fury Over Antisemitic Canadian Newspaper Cartoon Depicting Netanyahu as Blood-Sucking Vampire - Algemeiner - March 24th, 2024
- INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE: Memory Is The Monster In Stunning Extended Season 2 Trailer INTERVIEW WITH ... - CBM (Comic Book Movie) - March 24th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Extended Look: Memory Is Monster - Bleeding Cool News - March 24th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire trailer season 2 trailer is brimming with queer lust and the return of Lestat - Gay Times Magazine - March 24th, 2024
- Everything we're obsessed with in the new 'Interview With the Vampire' trailer - Pride.com - March 24th, 2024
- Pedro Pascal Was Saved By Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Giant Freakin Robot - March 24th, 2024
- AMC reveals an extended look at Interview with the Vampire Season 2 - Claire and Jamie - March 24th, 2024
- "Interview with the Vampire" Season 2 Trailer Previews the Return of AMC's Anne Rice Series on May 12 - Bloody Disgusting - March 24th, 2024
- Scream directors explain how their new vampire horror movie fits into the Universal Monsters universe, and share ... - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- 'Blood Hunt' Connecting Cover Holds the Line Against the Vampire Armies - Marvel.com - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist - Official Distortions Trailer - IGN - March 16th, 2024
- How Mel Brooks and Twilight inspired a vampire visual novel mixing funny with therapy - Rock Paper Shotgun - March 16th, 2024
- Game Theory: Yes, please, bring on the Vampire Survivors clones - The A.V. Club - March 16th, 2024
- Son 'stabs dead his mum he believed was a vampire biting him at night' - Metro.co.uk - March 16th, 2024
- Man accused of killing mother in Siletz believed she was a vampire - KOIN.com - March 16th, 2024
- 11 Best Songs of the Week: Ride, Vampire Weekend, Drahla, Waxahatchee, and More - Under the Radar Mag - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Give Upbeat History Lesson About Cruelty Through the Ages on New Song Classical - Rolling Stone - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist - Counsel the undead and help them rest in peace - ReadWrite - March 16th, 2024
- Watch: Vampire Weekend Share Classical, Third Preview Single from 'Only God Was Above Us' - Relix - March 16th, 2024
- Oregon man claims mom was vampire before he's alleged to have killed her - Toronto Sun - March 16th, 2024
- Court docs: Man accused of killing elderly mother in Siletz believed she was a vampire - Fox 12 Oregon - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend present the orchestral single, "Classical" - The Line of Best Fit - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend releases new song & video from upcoming album, 'Only God Was Above' 105.7 The Point - 105.7 The Point - March 16th, 2024
- The 'Vampire Survivors' soundtrack is coming to vinyl this month - NME - March 16th, 2024
- Blood Hunters #2 introduces an all-new vampire hunter and shows what happens when vampires drink the Hulk's blood - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire survival game V Rising sinks its teeth into a full-blooded 1.0 release this May - Rock Paper Shotgun - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend have released a new album cut, 'Classical' - Dork Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survival Game V Rising Is Leaving Early Access On May 8th - MMORPG.com - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist Releases New Distortions Trailer - Bleeding Cool News - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survival Game V Rising Launches Into 1.0 This May Before It Hits PS5 Later This Year - Game Informer - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend glance at the cruelty of history on Classical - Beats Per Minute - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Horror Abigail Is 'Very R-Rated', Says Tyler Gillett: 'We Want The Blood To Stick To You' - Empire - March 16th, 2024
- After 2 years, this vampire anime based on one of our favorite manga is getting the second season it deserves - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Man brutally kills mother, believing she is a vampire - The News International - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survivors is the next Nintendo Switch Online Game Trial in Europe - Nintendo Everything - March 16th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire stars tease "fierce" and "feisty" season 2 - Gay Times Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- New action RPG combines the best of Diablo and Vampire Survivors - PCGamesN - March 16th, 2024
- 'Your vampire ball is over' Putin to Western elites - azrbaycan24 - March 16th, 2024
- 8 Interview With The Vampire Book Moments We Can't Wait To See In Season 2 - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- Inside Ukraines terrifying Vampire drones unit striking fear into Russian troops who liken them to chi... - The Sun - March 8th, 2024
- Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 will let you become a super vampire by drinking vamp blood, taking their ... - PC Gamer - March 8th, 2024
- 'Vampire' grave over 300-years-old that lies on Liverpool's edge - Liverpool Echo - March 8th, 2024
- Meet the Bloodcoven, the extra-creepy vampire villains of Marvel's Blood Hunt event - Gamesradar - March 8th, 2024
- The Vampire Diaries: Every Main Characters Age At The Start Of The Show To The End - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- 'Vampire Facials' at Spa Linked to HIV Infections - Medpage Today - March 8th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend launches 'Vampire Campfire' podcast 105.7 The Point - 105.7 The Point - March 8th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 premiere date confirmed (get the details) - Claire and Jamie - March 8th, 2024
- Skyrim remake of 24-year-old Vampire RPG shows off its modern London level, and the guns are way less janky than I ... - PC Gamer - March 8th, 2024
- Ancient Origins of the Vampire Squid - Deep-Sea News - March 8th, 2024
- 2024 Canadian Screen Awards: BLACKBERRY, HUMANIST VAMPIRE, And INFINITY POOL Rack up Massive Nominations - ScreenAnarchy - March 8th, 2024
- Vampire Breast Lift 101: Everything to Know About the Trending Treatment - NewBeauty Magazine - March 8th, 2024
- Luke Perry and the Untold History of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' - Vanity Fair - March 8th, 2024
- Rose Byrne Wore The Vampire's Wife To The Roundabout Theatre Company's 2024 Gala - Red Carpet Fashion Awards - March 8th, 2024
- Candice King to Reunite With 'Vampire Diaries' Creator Julie Plec On New Series 'We Were Liars' - Just Jared - March 8th, 2024
- Marvel thinks Dracula & Morbius aren't enough of a threat for the Avengers, so they've created a vampire supergroup - Popverse - March 8th, 2024
- Learn about the Brujah's playing style in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - Gaming Trend - March 8th, 2024
- Mike Gordon Adds Headlining Shows Ahead Of Tour With Vampire Weekend - Live for Live Music - March 8th, 2024
- This Is Still 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Most Underrated Season - Collider - March 8th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero