Vampire Diaries: Why Stefan Died In The Series Finale – Screen Rant

Audiences were shocked when Stefan was killed off in The Vampire Diaries series finale. We analyze why the show decided to sacrifice one of its leads.

After 8 seasons of protecting Mystic Falls from supernatural threats, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) died in the series finale ofThe Vampire Diaries.In a selfless move, Stefansacrificed himself so that his brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) could have his happily ever after with Elena (Nina Dobrev).Although the twist was certainly shocking, there's another reasonwhyThe Vampire Diarieskilled off one of its main characters in the series finale.

The Vampire Diaries follows Elena Gilbertas shemeets two vampire brothers named Damon and Stefan, all while she deals with the sudden death of her parents. The trio protects Elena's town of Mystic Falls from thebarrage of menacing supernatural beings that come their way. The show is based on L. J. Smith's young adult book series, and it ran on The CW for eight seasons.

Related:Vampire Diaries: How Old Damon & Stefan Salvatore Really Are

Stefan was unofficially known as the good Salvatore brother for the majority of the show, but he had his moments when he proved otherwise namely, when he turned off his humanity and decided to go full "Ripper." Stefan's actions during this time are what prompted Stefan's death. But it wasn'tThe Vampire Diaries writers who initially came up with the idea to kill off Stefan, it was actually Wesley himself.

Wesley believed death was necessary karma for Stefan. AsDamon gained something of a bad boy reputation, Stefan was increasingly pigeon-holed as the opposite. Over the course ofThe Vampire Diaries, Wesley made suggestions to the show's writers for Stefan that allowed his character to wade in the dark side of things, specifically by having him temporarily transform intoaRipper. As Stefan ended up doing some terrible things during his time as a Ripper, he convinced the writers that he deserved to die, as an act of penance for everything he had done. AsSeventeen reported, Wesley actually pitched killing off both Damon and Stefan to the writers, so Elena could continue her life with a clean slate. Damon survived, but the writers were convinced to kill off Stefan.

Convincing writers to kill him off was a bold move that brought dignity to the end of Stefan's arc. Aswith many teen dramas, The VampireDiariesplayed out some sub-parstorylines to flesh out its 8-season run. Even Wesley admitted toSeventeen that the show had jumped the shark multiple times. But having Stefan make the call to sacrifice himself for his brother added some substance back to a show that had lost some over the years. Killing both Damon and Stefan Salvatore would've been a bold a memorable move forThe Vampire Diaries' series finale. While the show's writers may not have been able to commit to both deaths, Stefan's death provided a necessary emotional note forThe Vampire Diariesto go out on.

More:Vampire Diaries Stars' New Company Is A Salute To The Salvatore Brothers

Star Trek: Nog Survived DS9's Darkest Episodes

Brynne is a lifelong lover of movies hailing from Chicago. Ever since discovering "The Ring" at age 13, she's had a slightly sadistic love affair with horror movies. Tweet her your horror movie recommendations @brynneramella. Please she's running out of movies to watch.

See the rest here:
Vampire Diaries: Why Stefan Died In The Series Finale - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero