Of all of the creatures big and small, there is one villain in The Vampire Diaries who stands among the rest: Klaus Mikaelson.
His name was uttered episodes before his long-awaited appearance, his reputation infamous. And for good reason. Damon Salvatore’s (Ian Somerhalder) machinations in season 1 pale in comparison to what Klaus gets up to in the following iteration. Played by industry professional Joseph Morgan to a practically Shakespearean degree, Klaus is the biggest bad the vampire series has ever had.
Rumblings of Klaus first occur upon the reappearance of Katherine Pierce (Nina Dobrev). The vampire ex of both Damon and Stefan (Paul Wesley) has been on the run for centuries because of the crime she committed against Klaus — escaping her own sacrifice. In season 2, Katherine finds a way out of her torment by offering up her doppelgänger, Elena (Dobrev), in exchange for her freedom. The blood of the doppelgänger is the most powerful of all, and Elena’s death will mean Katherine’s freedom.
The second season builds up the monstrosity of Klaus for almost the entirety of it. After episodes of pure anxiety, he appears — though not in his true form. He possesses a local history teacher, Alaric Saltzman (Matthew Davis), in order to ingratiate himself into Elena’s inner circle. It is only in the season’s final batch of episodes that Klaus makes his dramatic entrance.
Klaus’ The Vampire Diaries debut
Morgan first appears in the role of Klaus in an episode with a fitting title. Entitled “Klaus,” season 2, episode 19 reveals the titular villain’s origins in a series of flashbacks. His brother Elijah (Daniel Gillies) tells the story of how the original vampire family plotted to break Klaus’ curse, which would allow him to become a vampire-werewolf hybrid. Klaus’ introduction in the episode is relatively risk-free. Viewers know that Katherine ultimately avoids being sacrificed by turning herself into a vampire before the ritual can be completed.
But this bubble of safety can only last for so long. Klaus does not remain relegated to the confines of this flashback territory. At the end of the episode, Klaus has his essence transferred back into his body, and the true horror can begin. He starts a reign of terror that only gets worse with time. He resurrects his vicious sister, Rebekah (Claire Holt), and forces Stefan’s worst instincts to come through by any means necessary. Morgan’s charisma as the character was so palpable that it was hard to continue to find excuses not to kill him. The actor would go on to lead his own spin-off in the series, The Originals, which followed the vampire family’s adventures in New Orleans. Klaus was truly one of a kind, and no other Vampire Diaries villain could compare.
