Summary
- The Originals follows the Mikaelson siblings, who had a dark past on The Vampire Diaries, as they navigate their complex family dynamics.
- Kol's history reveals he was just as dangerous as Klaus, with a penchant for violence and mayhem in his early years.
- Marcel chose vampirism over his love for Rebekah, highlighting the sacrifices made in the pursuit of immortality.
The Vampire Diaries, but the first vampires played a major role on that show before they took center stage on their own series. When the Mikaelson siblings were introduced on The Vampire Diaries, they were a menacing presence, and for years one of the major goals of Elena, Stefan, Damon, and the rest was to bring an end to the Originals, especially Klaus. Although Elijah occasionally attempted to work with them, more often Klaus and his siblings threatened and terrorized the people of Mystic Falls.
At the center of The Originals was the idea that the Mikaelson siblings had sworn to be there for each other "always and forever." However, after living for a millennium, that story was necessarily intricate and complex. Over three seasons on The Vampire Diaries and five seasons of The Originals, there were many small details and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it facts people overlooked about the first vampires. Below, we shed some light on things you might have missed about the Originals and their inner circle.
The Vampire Diaries: Klaus Mikaelson's 5 Best Traits (& 5 Worst)
Klaus Mikaelson might be the best villain of The Vampire Diaries (and pseudo-hero of The Originals), but what are his best and worst traits?
20 Klaus Is The Worst Mikaelson Sibling
Kol Was A Monster In His Earlier Years
Many fans of The Original and The Vampire Diaries believe that Klaus Mikaelson is the most dangerous of the Mikaelson siblings. There are plenty of reasons for this, as throughout both shows, Klaus is incredibly bloodthirsty and is responsible for a considerable number of deaths. However, his brother Kol — despite being something of an antihero during the events of the show — is revealed in flashbacks to be just as bad, if not worse.
Had events gone a little differently, Kol could easily have become far more dangerous than his brother.
Whenever Kol's history is delved into, it seems that he used to enjoy murdering groups of innocents for the sheer pleasure of it. In the early 1900s he slaughtered an entire congregation of churchgoers. He also partnered with Klaus and murdered around 46 people in front of Marcel, who was then a child, and tried to turn the youth into a vampire. While Klaus has an impressively high body-count, it was always hinted that Kol had caused much more mayhem in his vampiric youth than the show revealed. Had events gone a little differently, Kol could easily have become far more dangerous than his brother.
19 Klaus Redeemed Himself
The Originals Didn't Do Enough To Earn Forgiveness For Klaus
While he's a fan-favorite character and The Originals, Klaus still wasn't really worthy of forgiveness from the show and audiences when everything he did in The Vampire Diaries is taken into . Klaus Mikaelson is undoubtedly a monster, and having a change of heart and caring about a few individuals doesn't change the fact he spent centuries reveling in murder, torture, and abusing others. While The Originals did its best to paint Klaus as an anti-hero, some of his actions when he was positioned as an antagonist in the franchise were inexcusable.
For example, Klaus was so insecure when it came to his sister Rebekah that he murdered many of her romantic partners, causing her no end of heartbreak and grief. He also purposefully compels Stefan to become a Ripper and go on a rampage for no reason besides boredom. Then there are, of course, the dozens of people he's implied to have killed off-screen before the events of the show. All in all, nothing Klaus does in The Vampire Diaries or The Originals should redeem him in the eyes of viewers or his siblings.
18 The Mikaelson Siblings Were Born Humans
Every Single Mikaelson Sibling Was A Witch As Soon As They Left The Womb
Since Klaus and Elijah always refer to themselves as human when speaking about their childhood, many fans of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals believe that the majority of the Mikaelson siblings were completely normal during the first years of their lives. However, as revealed by Kol in a brief "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" moment of exposition, this isn't true at all. While not all of them tapped into their magical capabilities, every Mikaelson sibling was a witch when they were born.
The Mikaelson siblings were all born with innate magical abilities, though they were lost when they became vampires thanks to their mother, Esther. However, while they were all technically witches, Elijah and Klaus's statement can be forgiven somewhat, as witches who haven't activated their powers are still considered human by most.
17 Elijah And Klaus Suffered The Most Because Of Their Family
Finn Mikaelson Had The Worst Life Of Any Mikaelson Sibling
Since Elijah and Klaus were the central characters of The Originals and had arguably the most screentime across both it and The Vampire Diaries, much time was spent exploring how both suffered at the hands of their family. Esther and Mikael arguably turned Klaus into the morally-vacuous hybrid he became, and Elijah never really had a chance to be happy due to the actions of his family (which resulted in several of his love interests dying). However, one Mikaelson sibling has arguably had a much more tragic life — Finn.
Klaus and Elijah suffered greatly due to being Mikaelsons, but neither endured anything nearly as bad as being locked in a coffin for 900 years. What's more, despite the Mikaelson siblings constantly touting the fact they were loyal to one-another and put family first, Finn was completely abandoned by them. While there were reasons for Finn's brothers and sisters turning their back on him, Klaus had arguably done worse and still wasn't shunned from the family in the same way.
16 The Siblings Settled In New Orleans Suddenly
The Mikaelson Family Had A Presence In New Orleans Long Before The Originals
The Original vampires first made an appearance in Mystic Falls, so many fans might think that their venture into New Orleans for The Originals was a completely fresh start. While Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah did move to New Orleans to start afresh, they were actually moving back to a place that they used to call home once upon a time.
The Mikaelson siblings first hit the shores of New Orleans in 1702, where they settled after years of running from Mikael. Klaus built the city and played an integral part in forming its culture and infrastructure, which Marcel inherited and carried on. They had a history with New Orleans, which was why they moved back to familiar surroundings after their stint at Mystic Falls.
15 There Were Only 6 Mikaelson Siblings
The Family Is Bigger Than Many Fans Believe
When the Originals were first mentioned in the second season of The Vampire Diaries, they were introduced slowly. First viewers met Elijah, then Klaus. In season 3, Rebekah came to Mystic Falls. That trio constituted the most prominent Originals, but they weren’t the only ones. Brothers Kol and Finn were also introduced on The Vampire Diaries. And fans got a brief glimpse at doomed youngest brother, Henrik, too. There was a seventh Mikaelson sibling as well.
The family’s firstborn daughter, Freya, who supposedly ed away from the plague but, in fact, lived and was finally introduced to her family during season 2 of The Originals. While Klaus was the Mikaelson that was shown to have the biggest hold on the lives of the others, he was actually their half-sibling, a product of their mother’s infidelity. He was also the middle sibling — Freya, Finn, and Elijah were older than him, while Kol, Rebekah, and Henrik were younger.
14 All The Mikaelson Children Were Vampires
Two Mikaelson Siblings Were Never Given The Gift Of Vampirism
Of the seven Mikaelson children, only five became vampires: Finn, Elijah, Klaus, Kol, and Rebekah. It was the untimely ing of the youngest sibling, Henrik, at the hands of a werewolf that motivated the Mikaelson parents to turn their children into vampires. Their intention was to protect their children, although they got much more than they bargained for.
The spell that made the Mikaelsons vampires didn’t include Freya
The spell that made the Mikaelsons vampires didn’t include Freya, who unbeknownst to everyone but mother Esther and oldest son Finn, was given to her aunt Dahlia as a child. Through Dahlia’s teaching, Freya became a powerful witch. In addition, because Klaus was the result of his mother’s affair with a werewolf, he held the potential to become that creature as well. When he had his first meal as a vampire, Klaus triggered his werewolf side and became the first vampire/werewolf hybrid and the best anti-hero of the show.
13 The Originals Were The Oldest Supernatural Beings
Silas And Amara Are Centuries Older Than The Mikaelson Siblings
Much was made of the Originals' advanced age. They had existed for over a thousand years as a result of their vampirism and were considered the most powerful creatures on earth. Yet, the Original vampires weren’t the oldest supernatural beings in the world. That dubious honor went to Silas and Amara. Silas was a powerful witch, but he wasn’t nearly as powerful as his fiancé Qetsiyah who he tricked into making an immortality elixir for the pair to drink on the night of their wedding.
Silas betrayed Qetsiyah and took the elixir with the woman he truly loved: her handmaiden, Amara. This made Silas and Amara the first immortals and doppelgängers 1000 years before the Originals were born. Qetsiyah took her revenge on the couple by sealing Silas in a tomb and making Amara the anchor to The Other Side, a holding area for deceased supernatural creatures. As the anchor, Amara felt every supernatural being cross to the Other Side. The pair lived their separate plights for over 2000 years before they were finally set free.
12 Klaus Was Always A Hybrid
It Took Klaus Many Years To Fully Unleash His Werewolf Side
When viewers first met Klaus, he had been pursuing his goal of becoming a true vampire/werewolf hybrid for years. After he became a vampire and triggered his werewolf side, his father was horrified to learn that Klaus wasn’t really his son. His mother placed a curse on Klaus to repress the werewolf in him. Hurt and damaged by the rejection of his parents and the secret his mother kept of his true origins, Klaus became determined to break the curse, and then to create a race of vampire/werewolf hybrids like him so he wouldn’t be the only one of his kind.
Klaus required some very specific ingredients to break the spell, which delayed his success for centuries. It wasn’t until he found Elena, the doppelgängers he required, that he was finally able to become the true hybrid he’d always dreamed of being.
11 Marcel Was Rebekah's First Love
The Mikaelson Sister Had Several Romances Before Meeting Marcel
The Original sister was weak for love, and Rebekah jumped into all her relationships with two feet and all her heart. Marcel Gerard was her soulmate, but he was not her first love. Among her known romances, the earliest was in the 12th century, with Alexander. Like many of her choices, Alexander was a contentious partner to have because he was part of the Brotherhood of the Five, whose sole mission was to annihilate vampires from the face of the planet.
Predictably, this relationship ended in tragedy because of the nature of the partners involved. Rebekah then found her happily ever after with Marcel, but even their story took centuries to reach fruition.
Every Major Event In Klaus’ Plot From The Vampire Diaries To The Originals
Klaus may have started as a villain on The Vampire Diaries, but his arc through TVD and its spin-off, The Originals, shows he's a complex character.
