The Originals: Why Klaus & Elijah Mikaelson Were Killed Off In The Series Finale

On the TV series The Originals, a spinoff of the popular show The Vampire Diaries, brothers Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson were killed off, a move that signified the end for Klaus’ redemption journey. Klaus and Elijah’s deaths set up the foundations for Legacies. The Originals ran from 2013 to 2018 on the CW, centering around the very first vampire family, referred to as the “Originals,” The Mikaelsons. Two of the central characters of the show, Klaus and his brother Elijah, first appeared during The Vampire Diaries season 2, with other members of the Mikaelson family debuting during season 3. The spinoff relocated the family to the city of New Orleans.

The Originals expanded on the Klaus and Elijah backstory and the Shakespearean depth of their familial dysfunction: a group of siblings turned into monsters by their parents who repeatedly tried to destroy their children after realizing their mistake. Klaus was considered the most vicious, villainous, duplicitous, ambitious, and powerful Mikaelson clan member. He was given the opportunity to rediscover his humanity and repair his fractured family thanks to the miracle tribrid baby he conceived with Hayley Marshall: a daughter named Hope. During season 5, Klaus made the ultimate sacrifice by transferring the Hollow into his body, sealing his fate to save his daughter.

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Klaus Died To Protect His Family And Redeem Himself

Because he decided to absorb the Hollow, Klaus had no recourse but to end his own life at the end of The Originals. Otherwise, the power would work to amplify the darkest of his impulses, potentially causing a huge amount of death and destruction, with his family being the first to be affected. It was quite an evolution from the character introduced in The Vampire Diaries, whose self-preservation and insidious agendas took precedence over any familial affection, adding further layers to the Klaus and Elijah dynamic.

Before Klaus’ death, he even offered Rebekah the Cure, which he had previously refused to give her. In the final moments of the finale “When the Saints Go Marching In,” as Klaus prepared to use the remaining White Oak stake to kill himself, Klaus and Elijah found each other. Elijah told his brother his sole purpose in life had been realized, and he saw no future path for himself. ” …my unrelenting desire has always been your redemption.” Elijah decided that their vow of “always and forever” would extend into the afterlife. Elijah had his own sins to atone for, namely Hayley’s death. In a 2018 interview, Plec told EW:

“I think that living on this plane, knowing the part he played in the death of one of his true loves, was a bruise that he would never be able to heal from, and being able to honorably stand by his brother’s side and protect him as they go into death together was his own sacrifice that he needed to make. I think that they got freedom and peace and an understanding of the power of love, which for them after a thousand years of dysfunction and abuse and a lot of damage and drama is a really necessary and important thing for them to understand.”

While fans may have thought killing off Hope’s only remaining parent was cruel, for Plec, it was a happy ending for Klaus and Elijah. Hope, a main character in the spin-off Legacies, later struggles to come to terms with her father’s death. However, Hope did get some closure regarding Klaus’ fate during Legacies season 1 and the Legacies series finale.

Are Klaus And Elijah In Legacies?

The Originals’ Klaus and Elijah are not in Legacies together, but Klaus does make an actual appearance in the Legacies series finale. Prior to this episode, Klaus is not only referenced throughout the series, it’s implied that his spirit lingered until his ashes were properly laid to rest in Mystic Falls. This happened in Legacies season 4, episode 15, “Everything That Can Be Lost May Also Be Found,” during which Hope’s family reunites for Klaus Mikaelson’s funeral.

Related: Every Vampire Diaries & Originals Character Who Returned In Legacies

While many hoped that both Klaus and Elijah would appear in Legacies, it was only Joseph Morgan’s Klaus who made a brief return. In the Legacies series finale, Hope is approached by Landon, who wished to relay a message to her from the beyond. Played out on a projector screen, Hope sees her father looking well and happy, and he gives her a heartfelt message about what exactly she meant to him, the burdens of immortality, and that though she may not make the right choices, she will always be his “peace,” starting out his tear-inducing monologue by calling her, “My dearest Hope, my littlest wolf, my miracle child.”

Though the idea of Klaus and Elijah showing up hand in hand in Legacies is an attractive one, the series was always about Klaus’ child’s story and her own survivor guilt over the death of her father. Legacies perfectly tied up Klaus’ long redemption arc with his affirming final message to his surviving offspring, proving that no matter her questionable actions throughout the series that were fueled by her own guilt, he would love her from the beyond, “Always and forever.” It was a perfect way to end The Originals character’s story, with his admission that though he had regrets, she was never one of them.

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