Several characters from The Vampire Diaries appeared in the two spin-offs, The Originals and Legacies. So far, six TVD characters appeared in all three shows. Created by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, the show premiered on The CW in 2009, and The Vampire Diaries ended with season 8 in 2017. The supernatural drama series established a universe rich in lore that the spin-offs, The Originals and Legacies, built on further.
The Vampire Diaries season 2 introduced Klaus Mikaelson, a member of the Original family of vampires. The villainous Klaus quickly became a fan favorite along with his siblings Rebekah and Elijah, and in 2013 the Mikaelsons got their own spin-off, The Originals. At the 2017 Comic-Con, the show’s creator Plec announced season 5 would be the show’s last and then, in 2108, The CW ordered the spin-off Legacies (also created by Plec). The show follows Klaus’ daughter Hope Mikaelson and a new generation of supernatural beings as they attend The Salvatore School for the Young & Gifted (Caroline Forbes and Alaric Saltzman started the boarding school during season 8 of The Vampire Diaries). While all three series are fused with overlapping canon, The Originals found its own fanbase and worked well as a standalone series. Legacies has done the same.
That doesn’t mean viewers weren’t excited to see the likes of Tyler Lockwood, Stefan, Nina Dobrev (the first Petrova doppelganger Tatia), and Caroline during their crossover appearances on The Originals. With a few notable exceptions, Plec hasn’t had much luck enticing familiar faces from either of Legacies’ predecessors to reprise their roles. Steven R. McQueen (Jeremy Gilbert), Chris Wood (Kai Parker), Matt Roerig (Matt Donovan), Jodi Lynn O’Keefe (Jo Laughlin), and The Originals’ Riley Voelkel (Freya Mikaelson) have all made appearances. Joseph Morgan (Klaus), Ian Somerhalder (Damon), and Kat Graham (Bonnie Bennett) have all said they have no interest in revisiting their characters. Dobrev and Candice King (Caroline) have been more non-committal. King’s absence proves to be increasingly problematic, especially given Josie’s downward spiral and the Gemini twins’ mucked-up merge during season 2. Five characters have appeared on all three series, but with Legacies renewed for season 3, fans can hold out hope that number will increase.
Alaric Saltzman was a series regular on The Vampire Diaries. He arrived in Mystic Falls during season 1, episode 9, “History Repeating.” Throughout the series, Alaric went from being a human to an Enhanced Original to a ghost and back to humans. He was best friends with Damon and served as a guardian to Elena and Jeremy. Alaric fell in love with Jo, who became pregnant with twins. After Jo was killed on their wedding day during season 6’s penultimate episode, Alaric learned the Gemini Coven transferred his children into Caroline’s womb. The two became engaged for a short time, and following Stefan Salvatore’s death, he and Caroline opened the Salvatore School to provide a haven for supernatural children.
Alaric appeared on The Originals season 4, episode 8, “Voodoo in My Blood.” Alaric traveled from Mystic Falls to deliver an artifact crucial to defeating the Hollow. Alaric met eight-year-old Hope and urged Klaus to send his daughter to the Salvatore School. In season 4, episode “The Feast of All Sinners,” Hayley enrolled Hope in the Salvatore School, and Alaric promised he was doing his part to make the next generation of supernatural people comfortable with who they are. During season 5, episode 8, “The Tale of Two Wolves,” Klaus showed up at the Salvatore School and begged Caroline to let her daughters siphon the evil Hollow from Hope and place it into him. Alaric was adamantly opposed to the plan until Klaus revealed he planned to kill himself with a White Oak stake once the transfer was complete.
On Legacies, Alaric is a central character who appears in the first episode of season 1. He serves as the acting headmaster of the Salvatore School while Caroline has been traveling the world looking for a way to save Lizzie and Josie from the Merge. He’s very close to Hope and relies on her the most when it comes to fending off the never-ending onslaught of big bads that manage to infiltrate the school. Jeremy works for Alaric from time to time, and even though Bonnie has never appeared on the show, he and the girls remain in contact with her. It also appears as if Alaric and Damon repaired their fractured friendship since Damon gave Lizzie and Josie his beloved muscle car as a gift for the Sweet Sixteen.
Jo and Alaric’s daughters Lizzie and Josie were introduced in season 7 of The Vampire Diaries. When Kai killed his pregnant sister on her wedding day during season 6’s penultimate episode, the Gemini witches placed the babies into Caroline’s womb to ensure their coven future. Josie and Lizzie derive their powers from siphoning magical objects. Lizzie (Tierney Smith) and Josie (Lily Rose Smith) served as Alaric and Caroline’s inspiration for the Salvatore School: a place where their daughters would be safe from the outside world and where they could learn to control their powers. By the end of the series, the girls were 5-years-old.
The twins appeared on The Originals season 5, episode 12, “The Tale of Two Wolves.” Elijah, Klaus, and Hope traveled to Mystic Falls to find a way to save Hope from being consumed by the Hollow. Klaus appeared and convinced Caroline to get her 13-year-old daughters (both students at the Salvatore School along with Hope) to siphon the evil spirit from Hope and place it in him instead. Bella Samman played Josie, and Allison Gobuzzi played Lizzie.
Fifteen-year-olds Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) and Josie (Kaylee Bryant) made their first appearance on Legacies during season 1, episode 1. They are central characters in the series, along with Hope Mikaelson. Lizzie is spoiled, vain, and self-centered (reminiscent of a young Caroline), but incredibly to her sister Josie who, until she became consumed by dark magic, was the sweeter and more accommodating of the two. It’s inferred the teens are close to Bonnie Bennett, who they refer to as “Aunt Bonnie.” Lizzie has inherited the mental instability that ran rampant among members of the Gemini Coven. Their sisterly bond was tested during season 2’s premature Merge, and it’s unclear if either of them emerged victoriously or how they’ll reconcile in the aftermath.
Dorian Williams (Demetrius Bridges) made his Vampire Diaries’ debut during season 8, episode 1, “Hello Brother.” Dorian was a college student who worked as an intern for Alaric at the Armory. Dorian believed his family died in a house fire, but it was really Stefan who slaughtered them. After Bonnie injected Stefan with the Cure, everyone he compelled began to remember, and Dorian kidnapped Stefan, held him at gunpoint, and eventually shot him. Dorian immediately regretted his actions. Eager to atone for his sins, Stefan gave Dorian the ammunition to bring him to justice, but Dorian took Matt Donovan’s advice to set aside the past and focus on making a better future.
On the Vampire Diaries series finale, Dorian was working at the Salvatore School. He made a very brief cameo in The Originals season 5, episode 1, “Where You Left Your Heart.” After Hope gave a classmate her blood so he could become a hybrid, Dorian informed her Alaric was suspending her and sending her back to New Orleans. The cameo only served to confirm Dorian was still working for Alaric.
Dorian is also a recurring character on Legacies. In season 1, episode 1, “This Is the Part Where You Run,” Lizzie and Josie told Rafael Waithe that Dorian is the school’s librarian. In season 1, episode 15, “I’ll Tell You a Story,” Dorian told Alaric his original purpose for working at the Salvatore School was due to his father and sister’s death. He wanted to help stop the students from becoming killers, however, over time, his attitude changed, and he stopped viewing them as threats and now believes they deserve a shot at a normal life as much as anyone.
Matt Donovan debuted in the first episode of The Vampire Diaries, playing Elena Gilbert’s jilted childhood sweetheart (Matt and Elena wound up together in Plec’s original ending.) Throughout the series, Matt was the only one of his friends to remain human. As the series progressed, Matt grew increasingly resentful of the presence of vampires in Mystic Falls. He found himself torn between remaining loyal to his friends and protecting the innocent people who were often treated as collateral damage.
The Originals season 3, episode 17, “Behind the Black Horizon.” Matt, the town sheriff, was forced to help Finn and Elijah rescue Freya from Lucien Castle. Matt had banished vampires from Mystic Falls, but he didn’t stand a chance of surviving a showdown with not one but two Originals who threatened to murder Matt if he tried to stand in their way.
Matt first appeared on Legacies in the final moments of season 1, episode 1, “This Is the Part Where You Run” and is one of the few people in Mystic Falls who knows the true purpose of the school. Hope mentioned the Sheriff of Mystic Falls to Landon Kirby, stating he occasionally slipped vervain into the coffee at a gas station outside Mystic Falls. After a bus crashed under mysterious circumstances leaving everyone on board dead, Matt gave Alaric and Hope a first look at the wreckage. In season 1, episode 4 “Hope Is Not the Goal,” Matt looks to Alaric and some of his students for help when two local girls go missing, but Matt couldn’t shake his suspicions someone at the Salvatore School was involved. During season 2, Legacies revealed The Vampire Diaries’ Matt had become mayor of Mystic Falls.
The sole female Original vampire Rebekah Mikaelson (Claire Holt) appeared in Legacies season 4, episode 5, “I Thought You’d Be Happier To See Me.” Rebekah tracks down her niece, Hope, during the young woman’s time of need. The Original vampire was first introduced in The Vampire Diaries season 3; she is the second daughter of Mikael and Esther, and was resurrected by Klaus in 2010 in order to help him contact The Original Witch. Rebekah served as a romantic rival for Elena; she became romantically involved with both Stefan and Damon Salvatore briefly, before pursuing a more serious relationship with the human Matt Donovan. She was a recurring character in The Vampire Diaries season 4 and 5, then followed her brothers Klaus and Elijah back to New Orleans.
Rebekah was the female protagonist in The Originals. Initially, she wished to break free from Klaus and live her own life; although she was able to go live “normal” life for some time, she inevitably was drawn back to New Orleans to help her family — which included becoming Hope’s guardian. By the end of The Originals, Rebekah had proposed to Marcel, and presumably the two are living happily ever after during Legacies.
Long-time The Vampire Diaries fans have no doubt been wondering if Caroline will ever show up in Legacies. Caroline Forbes Salvator (Candice King) was a main character in TVD; originally a human and the best friend of Elena, Caroline was turned into a vampire when Katherine Pierce killed her after Damon had used his blood to heal Caroline. Throughout The Vampire Diaries, Caroline’s arc largely involved her learning to deal with her new predatory instincts and supernatural powers — as well as her burgeoning love life. After her relationship with Matt Donovan fell apart, Caroline pursued a romantic relationship with Stefan, and the two eventually married.
Although Caroline Forbes hasn’t appeared in Legacies yet, she has been mentioned many times. The character had a guest appearance in the final season of The Originals; she’s Saltzman twins mother, and — based on the ending of The Vampire Diaries — she was meant to be running the Salvatore School with Alaric. It would be impossible to tell the story in Legacies without Caroline, and the twins’ mother has been written into the show via unheard phone conversations and other references (they even recorded a voiceover for the musical episode). So far though, the actress Candice King has not appeared onscreen in the TVD spin-off.
There are several characters from The Vampire Diaries and The Originals who could still appear in Legacies. The villain Finn Mikaelson (Casper Zafer) first appeared in TVD and then was resurrected in The Originals. Marcel Gerard (Charles Michael Davis) was also in both shows but has yet to make an appearance on Legacies. And of course Bonnie Bennet (Kat Graham), another main character from TVD, is due for an appearance in some form — she has been mentioned in both spin-offs, but the actress has yet to reprise the role in the latest The Vampire Diaries spin-off.