Aug 18, 2016 - The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the popular. We know that 'Legacies' is the spin-off series to The CW's 'Vampire Diaries' and 'The Originals.' But what exactly does that mean? Who is Landon Kirby? And is Caroline going to be on 'Legacies'?
Trapped in adolescent bodies, feuding vampire brothers Stefan and Damon vie for the affection of captivating teenager Elena.
Starring:Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder
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This hit series stars Ian Somerhalder ('Lost') and was created by Kevin Williamson ('Dawson's Creek').
Episodes
The Vampire Diaries
Reeling from the death of her parents, 17-year-old Elena becomes interested in a handsome new student named Stefan, who's hiding a dark secret.
Elena goes to the Salvatore house to talk to Stefan but finds Damon there instead. Damon reveals surprising information about Stefan's past.
Elena invites Stefan and Bonnie to dinner, hoping the two will bond, but the evening is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of Damon and Caroline.
Stefan escorts Elena to the town's Founder's Party. Damon tells Elena a story about the Salvatores, leaving her with questions Stefan won't answer.
Stefan is hopeful about his plan to get rid of Damon and decides to reveal parts of his past to Elena. Bonnie seeks advice from her grandmother.
Stefan reveals to Elena the Salvatore family history and how his rivalry with Damon began. In the present, Damon takes control of Vicki's future.
Bonnie's abilities surprise Damon. Elena asks Jeremy not to see Vicki. Matt takes Vicki to a haunted house, but the night takes a terrifying turn.
Stefan gets a surprise birthday visit from old friend Lexi. Caroline tries to get Damon's medallion back from Bonnie.
Jeremy gets a break from the mysterious new history teacher, Alaric Saltzman. Damon tells Stefan the stunning reason he returned to Mystic Falls.
When Sheriff Forbes tells Damon about another attack, he offers to track down the killer, learning startling information about the town's founders.
Damon goes to Georgia to surprise an old flame, Bree, and enlist her help. Meanwhile, Stefan uncovers a startling clue to the past.
Ben of the Mystic Grill comes to Bonnie's aid. Damon and Stefan take Elena to a school dance with a 1950s theme. Alaric introduces himself to Damon.
More Salvatore family secrets are revealed by Damon and Stefan's father, Giuseppe. Bonnie's date with Ben takes a bad turn.
Jeremy asks Anna to a party in the woods. Stefan, Damon and Elena work with Bonnie and Grams to open the tomb and are shocked by what they find.
Damon is asked by Sheriff Forbes to be part of a fundraising bachelor auction.
Anna brings a surprising guest to pay a visit to Damon. Elena and Stefan go on an awkward double date with Caroline and Matt.
Stefan is forced into a frightening decision. Matt is hopeful his mom will stay. After Caroline's car breaks down, she makes a shocking discovery.
Stefan displays a rare party attitude. Damon's attempt to find out why Elena's uncle, John Gilbert, has returned to town takes an ugly turn.
Elena and Caroline compete in a beauty pageant. Spencer Locke appears as one of the contestants. John Gilbert tries to scare Damon.
Elena learns what happened when Damon and Stefan were turned. Pearl has an ugly confrontation with John Gilbert. Jeremy and Anna get closer.
Isobel returns to town and stuns Alaric with her attitude and her demands that he arrange a meeting with Elena.
Damon and Alaric try to stop John Gilbert from setting a plan in motion to bring Founder's Day to an end amid chaos, destruction and death.
Elena arrives home to a nightmare. Damon is the first to realize that Katherine has returned.
When a confused and desperate Caroline leaves the hospital and joins her friends at the Mystic Falls Carnival, Damon wants to take immediate action.
Elena, Damon and Alaric go to Duke University to search through Isobel's research, hoping to uncover any clues surrounding the Lockwood family.
Stefan is shocked when Katherine reveals new secrets about what really happened in 1864. Damon tries a new tactic to resolve his issues with Mason.
Tyler learns more about the Lockwood family curse from Mason, and Sheriff Forbes receives startling information.
Katherine chooses a new victim. Bonnie discovers new information about Mason and shares it with Stefan.
Stefan and Damon decide on a new plan to deal with Katherine at the masquerade ball. Things take an ugly turn when Matt and Tyler start doing shots.
Stefan and Damon come to Elena's assistance and, in the process, learn surprising new information.
Elena puts herself in a dangerous position searching for the truth about Katherine's past.
Jeremy's reckless attempt to help Bonnie lands him in a life-threatening position and forces Stefan to put himself in danger.
As the full moon nears, Caroline helps Tyler prepare for transformation. Damon and Alaric are suspicious when a stranger shows up looking for Mason.
While Damon tries to get the truth out of Jules, he asks Elena to keep an eye on Rose, a situation that turns unexpectedly dangerous.
Johnathan Gilbert's return to Mystic Falls is an unhappy surprise to Elena, Jenna and Damon. Stefan does his best to reach out to a confused Tyler.
Stefan and Elena attempt a romantic weekend getaway, not realizing that they've been followed. Damon attends a tea at the Historical Society.
Stefan tells Elena about his darkest days. Trying to catch Elijah off guard, Damon arranges a dinner party for him with Jenna, Alaric and Andie.
Stefan and Bonnie try to convince Jonas and Luka that they should all be working together, but Jonas's lack of trust leads to a violent confrontation.
Elena and Alaric lash out at John when Isobel's unexpected arrival leaves Jenna devastated. Stefan and Damon realize they have a new secret weapon.
Elena receives disturbing messages from Klaus. Expecting him to show up at the 1960s Decade Dance, Damon and Alaric attend as chaperones.
Klaus is revealed and Elena learns shocking news about his motives. Plus, flashbacks to 1491 reveal Katherine's introduction to Elijah and Klaus.
Damon is willing to go to great lengths to prevent Elena from being a victim of Klaus's plan to break the curse, putting him at odds with Stefan.
As the full moon arrives, Elena prepares for whatever Klaus has planned and Tyler faces his second transformation.
More than one life hangs in the balance as the consequences of the sacrifice ritual play out to a horrifying conclusion.
It's Elena's 18th birthday, and as she searches for Stefan, Damon tries to keep her from doing anything that might draw Klaus's attention.
Damon and Alaric reluctantly go along with Elena's new strategy to find Stefan, leading Damon into a dangerous fight with an unexpected enemy.
Stefan reunites with a vampire from decades earlier. In a flashback to the 1920s, he comes face-to-face with a shocking chapter from his wild past.
A frustrating new enemy pushes Damon over the edge, and his outburst has lasting consequences. Bonnie's strange encounter affects everyone.
A traditional Senior Prank Night before the school year begins takes a deadly turn.
As senior year begins, Elena, Caroline, Bonnie and Matt are reeling from recent events, while Stefan carries out his latest assignment from Klaus.
Preparing to celebrate Illumination Night, Mystic Falls is invaded by spirits. After an encounter with an angry spirit, Damon asks Bonnie for help.
Elena and Rebekah engage in a power struggle, until Rebekah reveals some of her family's ancient secrets and the violent past she shares with Klaus.
On the night of the homecoming dance, Rebekah tells Elena why the evening is so important to her, leaving Elena with conflicting emotions.
Klaus uses violence to convince Damon and Elena that no one will be safe until he finds Stefan and gets his family back.
Elena, Bonnie and Matt surprise Caroline with a small party for her 18th birthday. Tyler refuses to go along with Klaus's latest demand.
Bonnie's recurring dreams about Klaus's coffins lead her to a reunion with her mother, Abby, whom Bonnie hasn't seen in 15 years.
Sheriff Forbes delivers disturbing news to Alaric and Elena about a recent murder weapon. Caroline is heartbroken when she's unable to stop a tragedy.
Elena is invited to a formal ball at Klaus's mansion and discovers a horrifying and deadly plan. Who can she trust with her new information?
When Elijah gives Damon and Stefan a dangerous ultimatum that puts Elena in danger, they turn to Alaric and Meredith for help.
Present-day murders in Mystic Falls remind Damon of a similar crime spree a century earlier. Flashing back to 1912, he recalls a beautiful vampire.
Damon is surprised to learn why Sage has returned, and pleased when she devises an unusual method to help him figure out what Rebekah is up to.
Stefan's emotional turmoil leads him to a dangerous confrontation with Klaus and, later, to a heartbreaking moment with Elena.
Caroline is thrilled when Tyler returns to town, but Tyler soon suspects that something has been going on between Caroline and Klaus.
The 1920s Decade Dance takes a deadly turn when Damon and Stefan realize they need Matt, Jeremy and Bonnie's help to undo a devastating spell.
Klaus attempts to leave town with Elena but finds resistance from a surprising new enemy. Damon and Stefan have a candid talk about the future.
To protect his sister, Jeremy makes a decision that will change everything. Bonnie makes a secret deal with heartbreaking consequences.
In the Season 4 premiere, Elena awakens on the morning after the accident to find the thing that she dreaded most has come true.
Elena tries to cope with the extreme highs and lows that are part of becoming a vampire, as Stefan and Damon argue about what is best for her.
Connor continues his search to uncover the secrets of Mystic Falls. Damon and Klaus question Connor, but the confrontation takes a lethal turn.
Damon, Elena and Bonnie visit Whitmore College, where Prof. Shane is taking over the occult studies classes formerly taught by Bonnie's grandmother.
Stefan and Klaus form an uneasy alliance to try and contain the danger that Connor has unleashed. Connor takes Jeremy, Matt and April hostage.
Terrifying hallucinations leave Elena shaken and confused. After giving Stefan disturbing news about Elena, Klaus takes matters into his own hands.
Caroline does her best to be there for Stefan and Elena during a tough time. Damon tries to convince Stefan to help him uncover Prof. Shane's motives.
Investigating a suspicion about Elena, Damon and Stefan visit New Orleans to see if they can find anyone who remembers their last visit in 1942.
As a winter-themed party fills the streets of Mystic Falls, Stefan and Caroline are at odds with Tyler over his plans for Klaus and his hybrids.
Appearing unexpectedly at Mystic Falls High, Rebekah tries to force Stefan, Elena and Caroline to answer her questions about the search for a cure.
Jeremy is furious when Klaus tries to control him by putting Matt's life in danger. Damon coaches Jeremy as he prepares to take on Klaus's new vamps.
After confronting her father, Mayor Hopkins, over his unconventional approach to ending the violence in Mystic Falls, Bonnie has a run-in with Kol.
Shane leads an expedition to a desolate island off the coast of Nova Scotia, where he believes the secret of the cure lies hidden.
On the island, Damon has an ugly run-in with a hunter. Stefan confesses his true feelings about the possibility of becoming human again to Elena.
When Stefan returns to Mystic Falls with Elena and Jeremy, Caroline is worried about Elena's state of mind. Stefan reaches out to Dr. Fell for help.
Elena's new outlook has everyone concerned, leading Stefan and Damon to agree that going back to a school routine is the best thing for her.
Realizing that Elena needs some time away from Mystic Falls, Damon takes her to New York City, where he lived and partied hard in the 1970s.
Elena and Rebekah search for Katherine and find themselves in a Pennsylvania town, where Elena has a surprising encounter with an old acquaintance.
Elijah proposes a life-changing challenge for Rebekah. Caroline finds that her plans for the perfect prom night are disrupted by Elena.
Acting on a mysterious tip that a plot is brewing against him in New Orleans, Klaus makes a trip to the town he and his family helped build.
Damon and Stefan try to provoke Elena into turning her humanity back on, and Caroline is frustrated when her attempt to intervene backfires.
As graduation approaches, Caroline tries to distract Elena by focusing on simple tasks, but Elena won't be swayed from her new obsession.
In the season finale, it's Graduation Day, and the town is overrun with ghosts intent on settling scores and fulfilling their supernatural destinies.
Elena is thrilled to move into the dorm at nearby Whitmore College with Caroline as her roommate, thinking that Bonnie will soon join them.
Without telling Elena that Stefan is missing, Damon gets help finding his brother. Elena and Caroline investigate the cover-up of a campus murder.
When Elena and Katherine have the same dream that Stefan is in danger and desperately needs their help, they convince Damon to help them find Stefan.
While Mystic Falls observes its traditional Remembrance Day to honor the dead, Damon and Elena try to help Stefan through a confusing time.
On campus, Elena is touched by a sad and secretive student. Elena and Damon attend a historical ball dressed as Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII.
Silas announces his new goal to Damon and Elena, but they are skeptical when he promises to accomplish one important task in return for their help.
While Elena and Damon try to explain Amara's situation to Stefan, Dr. Wes Maxfield gives Katherine some deeply disturbing news.
At Whitmore College, Elena and Caroline decide to throw a big party, but their plans are interrupted when Jesse suddenly needs Caroline's help.
Stefan continues to offer Katherine his support while trying to mask his own pain, until Caroline shows up with an unusual form of therapy.
Damon realizes Elena is in danger and enlists Stefan's help to find her. Damon shocks Stefan by revealing his firsthand knowledge of Aaron's family.
As she faces a new crisis, Katherine remembers the traumatic night in 1490 when she gave birth to the daughter who was immediately taken from her.
When Enzo brings Damon a gruesome present and insists that they bond by committing an act of revenge, Damon makes an effort to do the honorable thing.
Hoping to help everyone move past recent events, Caroline convinces Elena and Bonnie to attend Whitmore's 'Bitter Ball' for broken-hearted students.
As Damon's behavior escalates from destructive to deadly, Stefan regrets their last conversation and decides to track down Damon and intervene.
While Nadia remembers her centuries-long search for her mother, Stefan, Caroline and Matt come up with a desperate new plan to save Elena's life.
When Stefan tries to explain recent events to a sick Elena, her first instinct is to call Damon. Damon dreads making a disturbing confession to Elena.
In order to keep Stefan from being harmed by Sloan and the Travelers, Caroline and Enzo go to Atlanta to find a newly discovered doppelgänger.
Stefan and Elena dream of an unsettling alternate version of the life they might have had together. Bonnie has a disturbing encounter with Grams.
Stefan tries to distract Elena from obsessing about her relationship with Damon, while Bonnie tries to be realistic about changes on the Other Side.
Markos's plan to break the witches' curse puts Stefan and Elena in imminent danger, and Damon suggests they hide out in a remote cabin.
Stefan and Elena escape from Markos's control, only to find themselves stranded in a remote location. Damon tries to set a trap for Markos.
Heartbroken by an unexpected tragedy, Damon is focused on holding himself together while pushing Bonnie to stop the disintegration of the Other Side.
As a new season begins, Elena starts her sophomore year, and Caroline obsesses about reversing the spell cast on Mystic Falls.
Alaric helps Elena process her grief, Caroline makes a shocking discovery about Stefan, and an enigmatic new girl arrives in Mystic Falls.
Elena tries to introduce Caroline and Liam, Stefan detects a strange change in Elena, and Jeremy learns a secret about the antimagic spell.
Damon relives a dark day as he and Bonnie labor to find their way back to the other side. Stefan helps Elena reinvent herself and start anew.
A homecoming party at a corn maze disintegrates into turmoil with a terrible accident. Tyler's werewolf curse poses a perilous challenge.
Alaric recruits help when he can't control Jo. Caroline tries to free Enzo from Tripp's clutches, and Damon's return forces Elena to make a choice.
Elena must confront her dark past. Damon makes a discovery that offers hope. Sheriff Forbes finds herself embroiled in a treacherous scheme.
Elena gets good news when she and Caroline host a celebration at the dorm. Luke and Liv uncover worrisome information about the coven's intentions.
Matt reacts when Enzo steps out of line. Damon's plan backfires when he tries to involve Alaric without his consent. Kai poses an increasing threat.
Bonnie waxes nostalgic about happier days. Caroline receives a cheerful surprise at college. When Jo vanishes, Alaric seeks help from Elena and Damon.
Kai kidnaps Elena as he learns to control his new powers. While Jo readies for the merge ceremony with Kai, Caroline and Stefan search for a cure.
Complications build around the merge ceremony and threaten to explode. Caroline is dealt a crushing blow, and Sheriff Forbes fights for her life.
Elena's plan to celebrate Bonnie's birthday takes an ominous turn. Enzo recruits Matt to intervene in Sarah's life, and Jeremy considers an exit plan.
While Jeremy reminisces with a soon-to-be-gone Elena, Stefan helps Caroline arrange her mother's last days. Enzo draws Sarah and Matt into harm's way.
Elena notices a change in Caroline in the wake of her mother's death. Tyler and Matt reconsider their life choices, and Kai turns to Jo for help.
Caroline delivers an ultimatum, and Stefan's deed triggers a perilous chain reaction. Damon gets sobering news, and Sarah stirs Enzo's emotions.
Elena helps Damon try to free his mom from a 1903 prison world. Damon is rattled by Bonnie's gift. Enzo and Alaric's plan to sway Caroline backfires.
Caroline and Stefan lose their humanity and create mayhem on campus, as Damon gambles on a plan to stop them. A karaoke outing hits a discordant note.
Damon must decide if he should reveal vital information to Elena. Bonnie makes an upsetting discovery. Enzo learns the truth about his conversion.
While Alaric and Jo attend their bachelor and bachelorette parties, Elena considers Damon's offer, and Lily spirals downward.
As Elena and Bonnie hustle to help Jo prepare for her wedding, Stefan offers Damon relationship advice. Matt agrees to protect Bonnie from Lily.
An unexpected guest puts Elena's life at risk. When Matt flees, Bonnie tries to take control of her own fate. Damon grapples with a critical decision.
Damon, Alaric and Bonnie return to Mystic Falls just as Stefan and Caroline make a deal with the Heretics. Stefan needs help from someone in Brooklyn.
Damon puts the deal with the Heretics in jeopardy. Heart-stopping measures are taken to save Caroline. Future Caroline can't return to Mystic Falls.
Damon, Bonnie and Alaric take a road trip. Caroline learns something significant about Valerie's past. Secrets are revealed that lead to the future.
Damon is caught in a deadly blackmail scheme orchestrated by Lily. Alaric needs to act quickly at the mortuary. A Halloween party unmasks some guests.
In the future, Bonnie regrets her mistakes. Valerie gets key facts about Stefan from Damon. The Phoenix Stone's secret power is more than just deadly.
Lily's dinner party is meant to be a peace celebration, but some guests are still at war. Damon and Stefan are at odds. Bonnie's future is a shock.
Painful episodes from the 19th century come back to haunt Lily. Damon and Stefan unite to kill an enemy, but a link to Lily could be a deal breaker.
While Julian plans an anniversary celebration for the girls, Damon and Stefan are planning something more sinister, even if Lily isn't fully on board.
A funeral puts a damper on everyone's holiday spirit. A drunken Damon antagonizes Stefan. The power of the Phoenix Stone hits too close to home.
Damon struggles with reality and fantasy. He's forced to relive terrible incidents from both past and present to save Stefan from a painful fate.
Damon experiences aftereffects from the Phoenix Stone, both real and unreal. Julian wants to be pals with Lily's sons. Caroline throws a baby shower.
Damon hitches a ride to the dark side. While Stefan grapples with understanding Damon, Julian suggests a way for Damon to fight off the stress.
A powerful vampire hunter comes to Mystic Falls with a long-standing score to settle. Damon tries to keep Bonnie from getting caught in the crossfire.
Caroline considers her future with Alaric and the twins. An old friend resurfaces. Rayna, Alaric and Stefan hit the road on different missions.
After Rayna goes on a spree, Matt tries to explain there's good vamps as well as bad. Damon makes a bad decision. Stefan has a setback in New Orleans.
The future comes into perspective. Damon makes what could be a fatal mistake. Rayna is on the hunt for Stefan, who has to make a fateful decision.
The results of Rayna's actions touch everyone. Stefan undergoes a major change -- and a change of venue. Alaric looks for a way to reach Stefan.
Damon takes Alaric on the road to Memphis. A new acquaintance gives Bonnie some valuable information. Enzo takes drastic actions that could backfire.
Rayna's power is in play again. With few choices, Enzo and Bonnie consider teaming up with Damon. Stefan and Alaric have a confrontation in Dallas.
As Bonnie's condition deteriorates, Stefan discovers what’s behind Matt's animosity. Caroline comes to a realization after teaming up with Alaric.
After Damon's recklessness spurs the others to band together, Stefan and Caroline are forced to reevaluate their relationship.
Time and options are running out to save Bonnie. Stefan asks Caroline for an unusual favor. Damon's resolve to help is put to the ultimate test.
Stefan discovers that the foul presence from the Armory's vault has a terrible grip on Damon, and Caroline and Alaric scramble to protect the twins.
While Alaric discovers a cryptic clue at the Armory, Stefan, Bonnie and Caroline race to stop Damon and Enzo from targeting an old friend.
While Alaric analyzes the strange relic that could free Enzo and Damon from Sybil's seductive power, Bonnie finds herself ensnared in a lethal game.
Still enchanted, Damon goes in search of a potent talisman, and Alaric and Stefan face a chilling revelation about Sybil's beguiling power.
Stefan faces a stark choice as Damon approaches the brink of being doomed forever. Matt tries to decode a collection of puzzling messages.
Stefan faces a drastic choice when Enzo crumbles in the face of Sybil's psychic onslaught. Caroline races to save the twins from a sinister plan.
Longing for some holiday cheer, Caroline and Stefan plan a cozy Christmas Eve, but surprise party crashers threaten to turn it into a night of misery.
While Stefan and Damon troll for fresh victims for Cade, Sybil takes a group of students hostage to compel Caroline to locate a powerful artifact.
With the Miss Mystic Falls pageant nigh, Stefan's bloodlust sends him on a full-tilt Ripper rampage and Sybil uses visions of Elena to provoke Damon.
After Sybil traps Damon inside his own head, Caroline and Bonnie venture into his mind, and Stefan threatens to lay waste to Mystic Falls.
Cade gives Damon a terrible ultimatum that puts Caroline in jeopardy, and Bonnie and Enzo smuggle the bell out of Mystic Falls to keep it safe.
While Alaric and Matt work to secure the journal that could spell Cade's doom, Damon forms a brazen plan to free Stefan from the devil's clutches.
Damon and Alaric make a deal with an old nemesis that could vanquish Cade and save Elena. Stefan faces a reckoning for his violent past.
Desperate to protect Elena, Damon and Stefan hatch a perilous plan to destroy Cade -- and hell along with him -- once and for all.
When a malicious old foe emerges from hell to threaten Mystic Falls, Caroline and Stefan use their impending wedding to lay a trap for her.
As the fate of Mystic Falls -- and Elena -- hangs in the balance, Damon and Stefan confront their most dangerous foe in one final showdown.
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Nina DobrevPaul WesleyIan SomerhalderSteven R. McQueenSara CanningKat GrahamCandice KingZach RoerigMichael TrevinoMatthew DavisJoseph Morgan
The universe of The Vampire Diaries is teeming with vampires, witches, and werewolves. Almost every character on the original show, as well as its two spin-offs, The Originals, and Legacies, are powerful in super-human ways. In fact, there’s so much power brimming among the various creatures that each new character seems to be more formidable than the last. With so many different skills — from super-strength for vampires to a venomous bite for werewolves to magical manipulation for witches — each being can more than hold their own. Add original vampires, vampire/werewolf hybrids, and even a combination of all three in the form of Hope Mikaelson to the mix, and the amount of power the different characters can wield becomes endless.
Of all the TVD characters, which are the most powerful? Who can most successfully outfight and outlast the others? Some of these characters shown here were never defeated, some met their demise and came back swinging, and some used their determination to level up and become more potent than their enemies.
Yet, while it would be difficult to run out of powerful characters in the world of TVD, there are also those who manage to be useless in a fight. In some cases, they gave it their all and just couldn’t get the job done, in others they simply didn’t have the will to fight back effectively. Regardless of their many other good qualities, these characters simply weren’t able to make it in a world overrun with so many supernaturally-charged creatures. Below, we explore the most powerful characters to emerge from the TVD universe and those who don’t make the cut.
Here are 20 Vampire Diaries Characters That Are Powerful (and 10 That Are Useless).
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30 USELESS: TYLER LOCKWOOD
When Tyler was initially introduced on The Vampire Diaries, he was an obnoxious high school jock, but over multiple seasons and a couple guest stints on The Originals, he became much more. After triggering his werewolf curse, he became one of Klaus’ hybrids, and even managed to break their sire bond after realizing what Klaus could make him do. Then he passed away, was resurrected as a human, and triggered his werewolf curse again.
While his various supernatural incarnations gave him power, that didn’t save him from a lot of misery. Not only did he lose his whole family, but he was also possessed multiple times, and he was on the run for extended periods, causing him to come and go from the series at random. In the end, he was unceremoniously dispatched by Damon — an outcome he didn’t even fight very hard to avoid.
29 POWERFUL: STEFAN SALVATORE
Stefan’s longing for Elena was what starts The Vampire Diaries. Having lived a century and a half as a vampire, Stefan returns to Mystic Falls, the town where he was born, after setting his sights on Elena. While Elena may have been his true love, he was with several other women throughout the show and ultimately marries Caroline.
In the process, fans witnessed Stefan’s various strengths and weaknesses. Although he was certainly more powerful than any human — with superior reflexes, strength, and speed — Stefan was often weaker than many of the other supernatural creatures that populate the TVD universe because for a time, at least, he refused to drink human blood. This left him lacking the fortification it could give him. However, his refusal to indulge may have been for the best because when he got a taste, he became a notorious ripper and lost all control — a situation that gave him power over others, but limited power over himself.
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28 POWERFUL: CAROLINE FORBES
Of all the characters in the TVD universe, Caroline had perhaps the most dramatic arc. She started The Vampire Diaries as a flighty teenager obsessed with finding a boyfriend. However, by her final appearance on The Originals, she was a stable adult, comfortable in her own skin and happy in her roles as a mother and educator.
The incident that started her on that trajectory was becoming a vampire. For most people becoming a vampire makes them more exaggerated versions of themselves, but it caused Caroline to mature. She learned she could be strong and stand up for herself. In the process, she also showed herself to be an impressive fighter and a loyal ally who was able to take on vampires multiple times her age.
27 USELESS: FINN MIKAELSON
When we first meet Finn, he’s an original vampire — and the ultimate mama’s boy. In The Vampire Diaries, he allied with his mother, Esther, doing anything she asked to help her with her plans to destroy his siblings. For all the power he supposedly wielded as an Original, however, he ultimately failed and was staked at the hands of the character with the least connection to the supernatural, Matt Donovan.
On The Originals, he was resurrected as a witch and once again was hopelessly devoted to Esther and her plans for his siblings. While he stirred up some trouble, he also spent a great deal of time as a spirit in Freya’s locket. He was then resurrected once more, this time as an Original Vampire, but quickly met his final demise after being bitten by super-charged Original Vamp, Lucien.
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26 POWERFUL: DAMON SALVATORE
More than once on The Vampire Diaries, Damon demonstrated just how awful he could be. When he’s initially introduced on the show, he drinks both Caroline and Vicki’s blood and manipulates the two of them for his own ends. At that point, all the other characters despised him, including his own brother, Stefan.
Yet as the series went on, Damon gradually became a better person as he fell in love and started a relationship with Elena. That didn’t make him any less powerful, though. In fact, on more than one occasion he is shown to be able to best vampires who are older and more experienced. Through the course of the show, he also learns what really matters to him. When Cade tries to make him choose between saving the soul of Elena or Stefan, he sacrifices himself in an effort to save them both.
25 POWERFUL: FREYA MIKAELSON
Freya is the Mikaelson siblings’ long-lost older sister. Unlike them, however, she isn’t an Original Vampire, but a centuries-old witch. Freya was a bargaining chip in a deal her mother made with her aunt, Dahlia, to use dark magic to fix her infertility. Dahlia did what her sister asked of her but only after her sister agreed that her first child and every subsequent first child in the Mikaelson bloodline would be given to Dahlia. As a result, Freya was handed over to her aunt when she was five and trained as a witch.
In her quest for power, Dahlia put a sleeping curse on Freya — she slept for 100 years and woke up for one. By the time Freya finally meets her siblings, she wants nothing more than to get away from Dahlia. Freya proved to be a remarkably powerful witch and even without the sleeping curse to shore up her power, she still was able to perform amazing magical feats that helped her siblings in the direst circumstances.
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24 USELESS: JACKSON
Poor Jackson didn’t have an easy life. For most of his life, he was condemned, along with the rest of his werewolf pack, to stay in his wolf form except on the night of the full moon. Once that curse was lifted, he resumed his role as the alpha of the Crescent Wolf Pack. At the same time, he fell hard for Hayley whose entanglement with the Mikaelsons was a burden on both of them, but especially Jackson.
While Hayley had feelings for Jackson she was still in love with Elijah. This made her marriage to Jackson more an arrangement of convenience because it enabled her to grant her powers as a vampire/werewolf hybrid to the rest of their pack. Jackson had a great deal of strength because of the arrangement, but ultimately his downfall was his undying devotion to Hayley. When they were abducted by an enemy of the Mikaelsons, Hayley was made to watch as his life was taken right in front of her.
23 POWERFUL: KATHERINE PIERCE
Over multiple seasons on The Vampire Diaries, Katherine proved what a conniving, devious vampire she could be. As Damon and Stefan’s sire and Elena’s doppelganger, her existence was inextricably linked to theirs. While Katherine at times appeared to have real feelings for Damon and especially Stefan, her instinct for self-preservation was what drove her more than anything else.
Ultimately, Katherine ascends to become the queen of the Underworld. An appropriate designation for a character who had created so much hardship and chaos throughout her centuries of existence. While her power ebbed and flowed throughout the series, no matter her circumstances, she always used everything she had to make sure she got hers.
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22 POWERFUL: RAYNA CRUZ
By the time Rayna Cruz showed up on The Vampire Diaries as one of the most fearsome vampire hunters in the world, her relentless pursuit had gone on since the 19th century. After a vampire forced her to end her father's life, Cruz vowed vengeance and was given enhanced abilities by a tribe of Native American shaman.
One of her new powers was multiple lives. Cruz was resurrected multiple times to continue pursuing her vendetta against the vampires. In fact, it was a vendetta she couldn’t give up because she had also been imbued with the unflagging need to slay all vampires. After so many years though, Rayna was exhausted, so she granted her final life to Bonnie. However, Bonnie inherited the hunter's blind devotion to the eradication of vampires, as Cruz knew she would. It was a final vengeful blow and a continuation of Cruz’s (multi-)life’s work.
21 USELESS: LEXI
Lexi didn’t make many appearances on The Vampire Diaries but despite her limited screen time, she made a big impression. Lexi was a 350-year-old vampire and Stefan’s best friend, but unlike Stefan and many other vampires, she wasn’t burdened by her immortality. She also never switched off her humanity and became completely immoral. Instead, she wore her vampirism lightly, enjoying the perks while still retaining her sympathy for people. It’s the reason she’s so likable.
Unfortunately, during her first appearance on the show, she met her demise at the hands of Damon, who uses her as a scapegoat to prevent the Mystic Falls’ Town Council from suspecting him or Stefan of being vampires. While Lexi possessed the basic powers of any vampire, her trusting nature prevented her from using them when she needed them most.
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20 POWERFUL: BONNIE BENNETT
When Bonnie was initially introduced on The Vampire Diaries, she was just beginning to realize she was a witch. Her learning curve from no magic to powerful witch was swift, to say the least. Bonnie uses her impressive magical abilities to help her friends any way she can. In fact, Bonnie becomes the most self-sacrificing character on the show.
She loses her life and is resurrected, loses her magic and gets it back, loses friends and family and keeps on going, seemingly through sheer force of will. Bonnie seemed to amass her magical ability in such a short time out of necessity — the people she loved needed her, and she wasn’t going to disappoint them no matter what she had to do.
19 POWERFUL: HOPE MIKAELSON
As the daughter of Klaus and Hayley, Hope is brimming with power. In fact, she’s the world’s only combination of a witch, a vampire, and a werewolf. Given that supernatural trifecta, Hope has the potential to be one of the most powerful beings on the planet — but she’s not there quite yet.
First in The Originals and then on the second Vampire Diaries spin-off, Legacies, Hope has demonstrated a range of impressive magical and physical abilities. She’s even taken on a dragon and won. However, she’s still very young and hasn’t explored the full scope of what she can accomplish. While she may be extremely powerful for someone her age, she most likely has a way to go before she reaches her full potential. Once she gets there, though, she’ll be formidable.
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18 USELESS: ENZO
Enzo managed to meet up with the Salvatores multiple times during his 100-plus years of existence. He was turned into a vampire by Lily, Damon and Stefan’s mother, was held captive with Damon in the 1950s, and then rekindled his friendship with Damon in The Vampire Diaries’ fifth season. While he had a love/hate relationship with both Damon and his brother, Enzo ultimately showed himself to be a good guy with some pretty bad luck.
Enzo was imprisoned and experimented on for 70 years. While he has various vampiric powers and uses them at a different time to help or hinder the main characters of The Vampire Diaries, he hasn’t had the opportunity to exercise much free will during his life. When Stefan finally rips his heart from his chest, all the promise of a better life with Bonnie ends with him.
17 POWERFUL: HAYLEY MARSHALL
Hayley was adopted when she was a baby, so she was never aware of her werewolf heritage. Once she triggered her werewolf curse, however, her adoptive parents kicked her out, leaving her to fend for herself at the age of 13. In order to survive, Hayley grew up fast, becoming savvy and street smart.
By the time she had a fling with Klaus, leading to her pregnancy, she was tough and independent. Her pregnancy led to her becoming a vampire/werewolf hybrid, making her even more powerful. She also became the alpha of her newly-discovered wolf pack. Despite her upbringing, she was a compassionate leader and caring mother — and she was fiercely loyal to the people she cared about, including the Mikaelsons, and especially Elijah.
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16 POWERFUL: REBEKAH MIKAELSON
Rebekah, along with her siblings, was one of the first vampires. As an Original, she’s one of the most powerful supernatural beings around. After a thousand years, there’s pretty much no one Rebekah can’t best in a fight. She’s even taken on many lesser vampires at the same time.
She’s extremely dedicated to her brothers Elijah and Klaus and has spent centuries with them, even though Klaus’ controlling ways have sometimes made her turn against him. What Rebekah’s always wanted most, however, is a normal life and a family of her own. At times, this has created problems for her, like when Klaus locks her in a coffin for half a century to keep her away from Marcel. Ultimately though her persistence wins and in the finale of The Originals she shares her plans to take the cure for vampirism and become human again.
15 USELESS: JOSH
Through The Originals, Josh proved himself to be more of a lover than a fighter. Josh had the powers common to vampires, but he was young and therefore easily outmatched. He was a faithful friend, though, and became Marcel’s right-hand man after the demise of most of Marcel’s vampires.
Josh wasn’t a pushover but his ability to keep the peace in New Orleans when Marcel left the city seemed to be based more on the relationships he built with the supernatural creatures there than his use of force. In fact, Josh’s most noteworthy demonstration of his vampire strengths was perhaps his last. He went to rescue Marcel and fought against his captors successfully, until he’s injected with venom during the fight, leading to his sad end.
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14 POWERFUL: KAI PARKER
Kai is a charismatic but homicidal witch. While he believed his destiny was to lead his coven, when he was a child, he learned he wasn’t a normal witch but a siphoner who could only get magic by draining it from someone who naturally possessed it. When he was denied what he believed was his birthright, he went after his siblings, dispatching many of them until his coven trapped him in a purgatory-like prison world, an alternate dimension where he could no longer hurt anyone.
After Kai escaped his prison, he found and drained the magic from two of his remaining siblings, leaving him super-powered. Still angry, he showed up at his twin sister’s wedding, took her out, and then magically dispatched the wedding guests. He eventually met his demise but managed to bring himself back from the Underworld to wreak more havoc. His power and lack of remorse make him a frightening villain.
13 POWERFUL: ELIJAH MIKAELSON
Elijah is a force to be reckoned with but he’s also the most reasonable of the Original Vampires. Always buttoned up in a suit, Elijah is considered the fair and moral Mikaelson who doesn’t let emotion overwhelm him.
This is one of the reasons his shows of strength can be so scary. Elijah is extremely powerful and can easily best multiple opponents at once, but because of his outwardly calm and collected demeanor, his ability to be so aggressive is often disconcerting. Yet, Elijah is capable of being the most brutal member of the Mikaelson clan, strategically deploying his powers when needed in the deadliest ways. This is especially true when it comes to his brother Klaus, who he’s endlessly loyal to, despite Klaus’ frequently questionable actions and Elijah’s disapproval.
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12 USELESS: CAMI
Cami deserved much more than she got on The Originals. She was smart, compassionate, and strong-willed. A student studying to be a psychologist, Cami came to New Orleans to investigate the mysterious death of her twin brother, which led her to the supernatural residents of the city. She soon became involved with the Mikaelsons, and especially Klaus. While she was willing to stand up to Klaus for his treatment of her and he respected her for it, Cami’s position as the only human involved with the Original Vampires made her vulnerable.
She was taken hostage more than once to draw Klaus out. And despite her boldness and attempts to take on beings far stronger than her, she ultimately succumbed to compulsion and became a vampire. While that made Cami more powerful, she never had much of a chance to show her enhanced capabilities. Instead, she met her demise shortly after turning. A sad end for a character who got wrapped up in forces beyond her control.
11 POWERFUL: MIKAEL
Mikael was one of the only beings that could scare the Original Vampire siblings. He is their father and was made a vampire at the same time they were. However, when Mikael saw the evil he and his wife created, he vowed to wipe his children from the face of the Earth. As a result, he became a vampire who hunts other vampires and subsisted off vampire blood instead of human blood.
A Viking warrior in life, his skills in battle were only enhanced with his immortality, leading to his ability to outmatch and overpower his children. Knowing he was stronger than them, the siblings often fled from him instead of facing him. Mikael was especially determined to do away with Klaus who he pursued relentlessly. Ultimately, Klaus overcame him multiple times, but given Mikael’s powers and their familial attachment, their fights were especially difficult battles.
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10 POWERFUL: DAHLIA
Dahlia is the Mikaelson siblings’ aunt, although most of them didn't meet her until she learned about the birth of Klaus’ daughter, Hope, in the present day. Unbeknownst to the siblings, Dahlia made a deal with their mother that granted the first-born child of each member of the Mikaelson clan to her. In exchange, she cured their mother’s infertility, so in Dahlia’s mind it was a fair trade — after all, none of them would exist if it wasn’t for her.
Dahlia’s desire for the first-born children wasn’t out of familial affection, though. The first-born of the family was supposed to be super-charged with magic and Dahlia wanted to take advantage of that, as she had done for a thousand years with her sister’s first-born daughter, Freya. Dahlia was incredibly powerful, and her magic knew almost no bounds. She was ruthless in her pursuit of Hope, until finally, the entire Mikaelson clan took her down together.
9 USELESS: MATT DONOVAN
Matt is the perpetual odd man out in the world of The Vampire Diaries. Well-meaning and kind-hearted, Matt is the only one of his friends to never develop any lasting supernatural powers or abilities. Yet, he suffers terrible losses, including his sister Vicki, because of his association with supernatural beings. While he’s loyal to his friends, he eventually reaches his limit and tries to wall off Mystic Falls from anything and everything supernatural.
As the only human in the group, Matt lacks any of the others’ physical or magical powers, so they tend to limit his involvement in their adventures for his own protection. That hasn’t prevented him from becoming entangled in events more than once, but he’s never in the middle of the action. If anything, the biggest mystery surrounding Matt is how he managed to become Mystic Falls’ sheriff so quickly.
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8 POWERFUL: QETSIYAH
Qetsiyah is an object lesson on what a powerful woman scorned can do. More than one Vampire Diaries character indicates that Qetsiyah is one of the single most powerful witches to ever live. So, when her fiancée, Silas, asked her to make an immortality elixir, she did so, believing they’d take the potion together on their wedding night. Instead, Silas drank the elixir with his secret lover, Amara.
In her rage and hurt, Qetsiyah sealed Silas in a tomb with the cure to immortality. She also created The Other Side, a sort of purgatory for supernatural creatures, where she expected him to go once he took the immortality cure. When Silas was released from the tomb thousands of years later, Qetsiyah brought herself back from The Other Side to take him on once again, her magical powers as potent as ever.
7 POWERFUL: SILAS
Silas started out life as one of the world’s most powerful witches. After taking the immortality elixir with his true love Amara, however, he’s entombed with the immortality cure by his enraged fiancée, Qetsiyah.
Even though he becomes a desiccated corpse, he never takes the immortality cure. He keeps his eye on his goal of reuniting with Amara and maintains his immortality, no matter the cost. Over the next two millennia he sharpens his skills in mind control and illusions, so when he’s finally unearthed, he’s able to control just about anyone. This enables him to successfully go against the supernatural characters in the TVD universe. While he eventually meets his demise at the hands of his doppelganger, Stefan, he causes all kinds of mayhem before his end finally comes.
6 USELESS: JOHN GILBERT
When John Gilbert initially blows into Mystic Falls on The Vampire Diaries, Elena only knows him as her uncle, a distant figure who doesn’t play a big role in her life. She later learns that he’s actually her biological father, but that doesn’t stop John’s relationship with her from being strained.
John was brought up to hate all vampires, but he ends up working with Katherine and Elena’s biological mother, Isobel, who are both vampires. Although he comes across as cold and secretive, many of the actions he took were to protect Elena, even though she didn’t always know it at the time. Despite being trained to take out vampires, John wasn’t a powerful character. In fact, his biggest strength rested in the ring he wore that protected him from death at the hand of supernatural creatures.
5 POWERFUL: KLAUS MIKAELSON
Klaus is a fascinating study in contradiction. Imbued with an incredible power as an Original Vampire/werewolf hybrid, he still longs for the affection and love he was denied by his father — even after 1000 years on earth. This often leads to him being a selfish, impulsive nightmare who lashes out, indiscriminately takes out those he perceives as enemies, and uses whatever means necessary to intimidate and control.
On the other hand, Klaus can be an intelligent strategist and skilled tactician. Through his actions, he also shows how much he cares for a small circle of individuals, especially his daughter, Hope. Ultimately, he sacrifices his life to save hers — a redemptive end for a character that often seemed irredeemable.
4 POWERFUL: CADE
Arcadius, better known as Cade, was literally the Devil. Of course, he didn’t start out that way. In ancient times, he was a man who just happened to have psychic powers, which he used to help others in his village. When he tried to help the wrong person, however, the man turned the rest of the town against him and he was burned at the stake. In his anguish, Cade let out a psychic blast so powerful that he created another dimension.
From then on, Cade resided in the Underworld he created collecting the souls of the wicked. In order to continue to operate on Earth, he created the Sirens, who were granted immortality in exchange for collecting the souls of evil-doers. In his realm, Cade was all-powerful. When he crossed over into Mystic Falls, he remained very dangerous — as a Devil who walks the Earth would be.
3 USELESS: JENNA
Jenna was Elena and Jeremy's aunt and legal guardian. She was so young when she took responsibility for them, though, that her relationship with them was less like that of a parent and more like that of a friend. Despite all the supernatural activity swirling around her, and the fact that she was compelled by Katherine repeatedly, Jenna remained oblivious.
That is until Elena’s birth mother, a vampire, showed up at her door and she quickly learned she’d been kept in the dark. Soon afterward, Jenna is turned into a vampire by Klaus. Unfortunately, she’s nothing more than a sacrificial lamb for a ritual he plans to perform, so she never gets to experience any of the powers she might have acquired as a vampire. In a supernatural world, Jenna was too naïve to stand a chance.
2 POWERFUL: MARCEL GERARD
Marcel was turned into a vampire by Klaus. When Klaus and his siblings fled New Orleans, he spent the next century ruling the city, arranging a tenuous peace by controlling the witches and werewolves, leading the vampires, and working with the humans. When Klaus came back to town, Marcel was unwilling to give up his power so easily even though Klaus and the other Originals could easily best him at that point.
Marcel’s vampire powers became turbo-charged, however, when he took a serum that gave him powers beyond that of even an Original Vampire. With his new power, he not only uses his now-venomous bite to almost end Elijah and Kol, he also bests Klaus, and runs the rest of the Mikaelson clan out of New Orleans.
1 POWERFUL: THE HOLLOW
In a universe of powerful beings, The Hollow may be the most impressive example due to her single-minded pursuit of more and more magical power. Born thousands of years ago, and imbued with impressive magic, The Hollow was willing to do whatever she needed, including ending the lives of members of her own tribe, to get more. Realizing she was evil, she met her end at the hands of her own mother. In her final moments, she cursed her people to be werewolves.
While The Hollow was no longer alive, her spirit — and her desire for more power — didn’t go far. She uses her influence to corrupt anyone she can, amassing more and more power by convincing them to make sacrifices to her. When she resurrects herself in the present, her power is extraordinary, even enabling her to beat Marcel. In the end, The Hollow is responsible for dividing the Mikaelsons, almost taking out Hope, and leading to Klaus’ end — quite a track record, even in The Vampire Diaries universe.
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Can you think of any other characters in The Vampire Diaries that should be on this list? Let us know in the comments!