The Vampire Diaries: Every Main Character's Ending Ranked

Whether you just finished your first binge of "The Vampire Diaries," or you've rewatched the supernatural teen drama more times than you care to admit, we're sure you have a lot of thoughts about how the series comes to an end after eight seasons. We certainly do.

In the show's defense, it can't be easy crafting a series finale. How do you adequately wrap up eight seasons' worth of romances, conflicts, and other storylines in a way that will satisfy everyone? The answer is... you don't. Like all shows, there's a lot that we love about the series finale of "The Vampire Diaries," but there are also definitely a few plot points we would tweak if given the chance.

Our favorite thing about the show's final episode is that it features the return of Nina Dobrev, allowing both human Elena and vampire Katherine to get the endings they deserve — even if we assume Katherine would rather her ending involve less hellfire.

To that end, TVLine has compiled our ranking of the main characters' endings, ordered from worst to best. Our list includes every longtime series regular who appears in the final episode.

Read on for TVLine's ranking, then drop a comment with your own list. Do anyone's ending on "The Vampire Diaries" still bug you to this day?

When "The Vampire Diaries" kills off a character, including several on this list, it typically gives them a big send-off, complete with a sweeping soundtrack and, time permitting, an emotional final speech. But not for Tyler Lockwood! Despite playing a key role in the show's first six seasons, Michael Trevino returns as a special guest star in Season 8, only for Tyler to suffer a very un-special death at the hands of a possessed Damon. And with so much else going on in Mystic Falls at the time, Tyler is never properly mourned. He's seen briefly as a ghost in the series finale, and it's understood that he and Vicki have found "Peace" together, but we still feel that this werewolf deserves to go out with more than a whimper.

The series finale of "The Vampire Diaries" follows Stefan to his "Peace," which is apparently an eternity with his loving brother Damon in their palatial family home. That in itself is a perfectly nice ending, especially when you consider how far they come in their relationship throughout the series. Our issue isn't necessarily Stefan's destination, but rather the journey he takes getting there. Don't get us wrong, injecting Damon with the cure for vampirism and sacrificing himself to destroy Katherine makes for a moment as heroic as Stefan's hair, but we'll never be able to fully accept that Stefan "needed" to die at all. The guy just got married! We understand that martyrdom is kind of Stefan's M.O., but his death casts a melancholy cloud over the show's ending that's tough to overlook.

Lorenzo "Enzo" St. John's arrival into "The Vampire Diaries" universe is undeniably rough, but by the time the final season rolls around, the Captain Jack Sparrow-looking vampire has cemented himself as one of the show's many beloved characters. He even forms a romantic relationship with Bonnie that fans can really invest in. But none of that is sacred to "The Vampire Diaries," whose favorite pastime is ripping out its viewers hearts via the unexpected death of a fan-favorite character. Cut to Season 8, Episode 11, which ends with Stefan — under the control of the Devil himself — killing Enzo right in front of Bonnie. It's a tragic moment, with Kat Graham acting the heck out of Bonnie's devastation, but also a triumphant one, as Bonnie's explosion of grief awakens her latent witchly powers. For the latter reason, Enzo's death certainly serves an important purpose in the overall story, but we'll always have a soft spot for Michael Malarkey. We're glad Enzo comes back as a ghost in the series finale, once again giving Bonnie a magical boost, but we'd prefer to think he's out exploring the world with her. You know, alive.

Few characters on "The Vampire Diaries" deserve a happy ending as much as Bonnie Bennett, who spends eight tireless seasons sacrificing her happiness, her powers, and occasionally her own life to keep her friends — and whichever supernatural creature they're currently dating — safe from harm. But does she get one? Not really. Yes, we want to stand up and cheer every time we watch Bonnie and her ancestors stop the hellfire in the series finale; it's an epic hero moment for her, and a powerful celebration of the Bennett family line. But what then? The last time we see Bonnie, she's leaving Mystic Falls to explore the world, fulfilling a promise she and Enzo make to each other before he dies. We're relieved that Bonnie manages to survive the show's final battle, but once the dust settles, she deserves to have someone she loves by her side. Hasn't she suffered enough?

As much as we love Elena's little brother (er, cousin?), Jeremy is kind of a shrug in the grand scheme of "The Vampire Diaries," which is the perfect way to describe his ending in the series finale. While Caroline is talking about opening the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted, she mentions having "plenty of people with experience" around to help, as the camera pans over to reveal that Jeremy is doing his part to make the school a success. It's a brief moment, but it's also Jeremy's first appearance since departing the show in Season 6, adding some weight to the cameo. Jeremy's loyalty to the school continues on the spin-off series "Legacies"; he appears in a Season 1 episode, now working as a hunter out in the field.

We don't love the direction Matt takes in the final few seasons of "The Vampire Diaries," though we can't blame the show's token human for finally turning against the undead after everything they put him through. Fortunately, Elena's ex-boyfriend (never forget!) turns things around by the series finale, putting him back in our good graces. No human has done more to protect Mystic Falls from outside threats, so it's only fitting for him to end the series as the sheriff of his beloved hometown. He even says, "I'm thinking of running for mayor," which is a storyline that eventually plays out in the spin-off series "Legacies." 

Given his history as an educator, as well as his familiarity with the supernatural, it actually makes perfect sense for Alaric to end the series by establishing the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted, a safe place for his two witch daughters to grow up and hone their craft. (Spoiler alert: As we learn on the spin-off "Legacies," this school isn't a safe space for either of Alaric's daughters; Josie leaves after temporarily turning evil, and Lizzie is reborn as a heretic after being murdered by Klaus' daughter Hope. But we're focusing on the end of "The Vampire Diaries" here, so let's not get too ahead of ourselves.)

If this was a list of "Vampire Diaries" characters we love to hate, Katherine Pierce would be sitting pretty at the very top. Our brain tells us we're not supposed to root for her, but our heart yearns to watch her burn through Mystic Falls like a wildfire — which is coincidentally how her story ends. Thankfully, Nina Dobrev returns for the series finale, allowing us to spend one last episode with Elena's doppelgänger. Her attempt at destroying the town with hellfire goes up in smoke (tee-hee) thanks to Bonnie containing the infernal flame and redirecting it back to the underworld. Not only is Katherine's body burnt to a crisp, but Stefan is the one who restrains her, giving her death a splash of poetic justice. In a single episode, Katherine goes from being the Queen of Hell to being a mere pile of ash. We give her an "A" for effort, but you can't say Ms. Pierce doesn't deserve everything she gets.

A happy ending may not be on your Damon Salvatore Bingo card by the time you reach the series finale of "The Vampire Diaries," given how much hell he raises over the course of eight seasons (plus all those years prior), but that's exactly what Ian Somerhalder's character gets. The guilt of Stefan's sacrifice aside, Damon ends up getting everything he's always wanted, including a full human life with Elena by his side. And as we know from the final flash forward, Damon ends up spending "Peace" with Stefan for all eternity, when a good relationship with his brother is probably the one thing he's wanted more than anything else. All that and he never has to worry about Katherine rearing her gorgeous head ever again? That's a win-win-win right there.

After spending the last two seasons under a sleeping spell, Elena finally wakes up at the end of the "Vampire Diaries" series finale, allowing her to live the rest of her mortal life with a now-human Damon. (An episode of "The Originals" reveals that she later sets up a private medical practice in Mystic Falls.) Is Elena sad that Stefan is dead? Sure, but at least she gets to say a proper goodbye to him as he passes through the spirit world. None of Stefan's other loved ones are given the same opportunity. A flash forward also shows Elena in "Peace," where she reunites with all of the Gilberts she lost over the years, including her "Uncle" John and Aunt Jenna. Merely surviving this show is one thing, but thriving? That's what we call a happy ending.

Fangs down, no one gets a more exciting send-off than Caroline, who receives an unexpected gift from an old flame at the end of the "Vampire Diaries" series finale. It's a generous donation to her new school from none other than Klaus Mikaelson, who writes, "I do look forward to thanking you in person someday... however long it takes." While we fully empathize with Caroline over the loss of Stefan, Klaus is also a perfectly viable suitor, and his finale-ending gesture is enough to give any longtime viewer goosebumps as they wonder what the future holds. Fortunately, we've now seen that future, so we know that Caroline reunites with Klaus in five episodes of the show's first spin-off "The Originals," then makes a long-awaited cameo appearance in the series finale of its second spin-off "Legacies."

As for wanting to make her mom proud, we have no doubt that Elizabeth Forbes would tip her sheriff's hat at Caroline for a job well done.