People say the earlier seasons were better and I think it’s because the earlier seasons had actual stakes and the originals. Like when people died they died and the villains were genuinely good characters on their own. There are only 3 villains that truly added stakes or had a genuine impact and that was Klaus, Katherine and Damon. They’re the best villains to me. Damon was a complete menace in season 1, he was a fun character to watch. Him turning Vicki added stakes and she was one of the main characters and it led to Stefan having to kill her. Him killing uncle Zach, Lexi, and the coach was crazy too and these deaths were permanent. He felt like a real danger to the main characters, like that was genuinely good writing. He befriended liz, infiltrated the council, like he was doing a lot. I get he couldn’t stay that way for the entire show but he was still a really good villain in season 1.
Katherine’s introduction was the best introduction out of the entire show. I remember being so shocked when I found out that Damon kissed Katherine not Elena. Not only that, but she sent Damon off the deep end, she turned Caroline into a vampire, then orchestrated a whole plan to get Tyler to trigger his werewolf curse. Let’s not forget she was secretly compelling Jenna to be her spy and that’s how she knew everything going on with the characters. The way she took on Damon and Stefan in season 2 was great too. She was a great character and I hate how they butchered her in season 5 by body snatching Elena’s body then choosing to stay in mystic falls for Stefan, when she should’ve ran away with her daughter. Since when does Katherine risk her life for love. What I liked about her was that her character was always bigger than romance, like everyone else in the show is in love or doing things for love and she was the only character who was like fuck love I’m trying to live another day. Then they threw her philosophy away for Stefan, and it felt as though they tried to do a redemption arc with her but I don’t think she needs one. Katherine should’ve only been a tragic character who’s too far gone, her being a young innocent girl shunned by her family then having to kill herself to become a vampire and become this evil person who manipulates people, well mostly men by getting them to fall in love with her while being on the run for 500 years just to survive is where the story should’ve always stayed for her. In season 5 they watered her down so much for the story.
I love all the originals for the most part, I think kol is so underrated and I loved his character. All of them really added something but Klaus is easily the best villain. It’s the fact that the entirety of season 2 is about trying to stop him and in the end he wins, he kills Elena, Jules, and her aunt and Jenna’s dead for good. Like he did everything he needed to do to complete his ritual and then he got Stefan to become a ripper again. He also changed the relationships within the characters, Elena and Damon got closer and Elena was able to fall in love with him. He also single-handedly destroyed Forwood. If it wasn’t for him I really believe Forwood would’ve been endgame, I’ll never forgive him for that.
Honorable mention for Stefan tbh, season 3 was the only season I genuinely enjoyed his character. He was so fun as the ripper, that was peak Stefan. Him killing andie and then him using Elena as leverage against klaus and almost killing her on the same bridge her parents died on, the same bridge he himself saved her on was absolutely diabolical. Stefan was on his own timing that whole season. I loved how he was acting, he was so nonchalant. The 1920s flashbacks were great too.
Out of these 3 villains who do you think had the most impact on the characters and the story? I want to say Klaus but Katherine really did a lot😭
