The Character Exit That Hurt The Vampire Diaries The Most

Whether you were Team Delena or Team Stelena, we can all agree that "The Vampire Diaries" was never the same after Nina Dobrev left her role as Elena Gilbert at the end of Season 6. When Dobrev announced that she would leave the show after Season 6, fans had several theories as to what prompted her exit. It was only years later that the actor revealed the true reason for her leaving the show in Samantha Highfill's book, "I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries."

According to Dobrev, the decision to step down as a series regular was marked by the fact that she was paid far less than her male co-stars. In the book, Dobrev said that while fighting for equal pay, the studio "wouldn't bump me up to being equal to the boys, and so that was probably the most hurtful because it felt like I was really working hard and we shot 18-hour days sometimes, and nights, and I was putting my absolute heart and soul, blood, sweat, and tears into it."

To explain Elena's absence while also leaving the door open for Nina Dobrev's eventual return, the showrunners decided to put Elena under a magic spell. Without Elena, Seasons 7 and 8 had a tonal shift, with a greater emphasis on Stefan and Damon's complex relationship as they worked together to defeat some of the show's most imaginative villains yet, including sirens and the Devil.

Elena finally wakes up in the series finale after Bonnie (Kat Graham) breaks the sleeping spell, and she and Damon get to spend the rest of their lives as humans before reuniting with their respective families in the afterlife. Their happy ending unfolds through a short montage, given Dobrev's limited time on set.

Although Elena's cameo in the finale of "The Vampire Diaries" is bittersweet, showrunner and executive producer Julie Plec did allow for Dobrev to get a final say on her long-awaited return. "It's what she and I kind of agreed on when she decided to move on, and it's what I've got in my head," she told TVLine in 2016. "Obviously, things can change throughout time, if the show goes on longer than we expect it to, or if we all collectively decide it would be fun to bring her back earlier, and she wanted to."