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

Despite The Originals ending several years ago, there are still those who wonder why brothers Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson were killed off. The shokcing moment signified the end of Klaus' redemption journey and though the deaths were clear, the reasons behind it weren't. Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Elijah's (Daniel Gillies) deaths set up the foundations for Legacies and ensured that the two most pivotal Mikaelson siblings to the franchise would never be seen again. It also meant they couldn't be there for Hope.

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 (Phoebe Tonkin). During season 5, Klaus made the ultimate sacrifice by transferring the Hollow to himself, sealing his fate to save his daughter.

Related The Originals: 10 Most Heartbreaking Deaths The Originals saw a lot of characters dying through its 5 seasons. Some of them were exceedingly heartbreaking to watch. Here are the saddest deaths.

Klaus Died To Protect His Family And Redeem Himself

Klaus' death provided the end to his redemption arc

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. The main storyline throughout all 5 seasons of The Originals revolved around Klaus getting redeemed. He fought for a home for his family, suffered through years of torture to save his siblings and his daughter, and lost years of being close to Hope in order to keep her safe. 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 Died With Klaus To Keep His Promise

Elijah believed his purpose was to help Klaus find redemption

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. Even more than The Originals itself as a show, Elijah fought for his brother's redemption since season 2 of The Vampire Diaries. He believed in Klaus long before anyone else did, even when everyone told him that Klaus was a lost cause.

Though Klaus had a lot he needed to atone for, he wasn't the only one. The Mikaelsons were depicted as the protagonists on The Originals but they all had done some terrible things in their long lives. Even Elijah, the noblest and often the most respectable of the clan, had many skeletons in his closet. 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.

Related When The Originals & Legacies Are Set In The Vampire Diaries Timeline The Vampire Diaries inspired two spin-offs: The Originals & Legacies. Here's how the timeline between the shows intersects and where they diverge.

Klaus & Elijah Have The Vampire Diaries' Deepest & Most Complex Relationship

The Siblings Kept The Show And Its Spinoffs Afloat

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Of all the characters in The Vampire Diaries and spinoffs like The Originals, none have a relationship as deep and complex as that of Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson. This is saying a lot too, considering that the show also includes the likes of the romance of Elena and Damon, and the complex relationship between the rest of the Mikaelson siblings. However, of all the complex histories created by sharing centuries on Earth thanks to immortality, none have led to a relationship like that of Klaus and Elijah.

The pair flick between loyal trusting siblings to mortal enemies multiple times over the years, and have tried to kill one-another almost as much as they've tried to save one another. They see their fondness for one-another as a strength and as a weakness, and it's led to some intense moments in The Vampire Diaries and its spinoffs (such as when Klaus was ready to kill Elijah to become the king of New Orleans again in The Originals).

Given that the pair were both born in the 10th century, and have been on Earth for more-or-less 1000 years, it's unsurprising that the pair don't have any feelings regarding one another that aren't so strong they almost defy comprehension. They perfectly epitomize everything that makes TVD's exploration of vampires, werewolves, and immortality so great. The way they are toward one another is completely believable given the context of their unnaturally long lives.

The moment Klaus and Elijah died in The Originals was quite fitting in this context. Yes, Klaus may have been at the peak of his redemption arc, but Elijah has seen Klaus go through these moments before. Both brothers knew that falling back into old murderous habits was likely only a matter of time. They knew they both had to die in order for the torment of the cycle they'd spent 1000-odd years trapped in to come to a close.

Are Klaus And Elijah In Legacies?

Hope spends Legacies dealing with the death of her father

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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.

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.

Related The Vampire Diaries: The 10 Best Decisions Klaus Ever Made, Ranked The Vampire Diaries' Klaus was evil incarnate, but he did make some good decisions for himself and his family. Which were his best?

Klaus Had The Vampire Diaries Franchise's Best Arc

Klaus Shows Real Growth And Change

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When Elijah and Klaus died in the series finale of The Originals, it might not have been the end of the Vampire Diaries franchise since Legacies would still continue to provide a glimpse into the life of Klaus’s daughter and her schoolmates in Mystic Falls. Their deaths did, however, bring an end to the best character arc in the entire franchise with Klaus.

Klaus started his time on the show as a selfish individual who impulsively killed people who did not give him what he wanted, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. He was so intent on making sure everything happened exactly how he wanted it that he did not care who got hurt - human, vampire, or otherwise. When he entered the Vampire Diaries, it was made clear that he was the vampire who enabled Stefan’s Ripper ways, and he would do it again to get what he wanted.

While Klaus still held a tendency for violence throughout the series as he found it easier to use violence, or even the threat of violence, to help end conflicts with other supernatural factions, he did evolve and show his more vulnerable side as time went on. He softened thanks to his interactions with Caroline, mending fences with his siblings, and the birth of his daughter. All of these threads in his story helped to humanize Klaus despite showing his monstrous tendencies as both a vampire and a werewolf.

Humanizing Klaus for the audience also began to change him. He started protecting those close to him from conflict rather than being the cause of it. He no longer cared only about his own skin, but also those around him. Klaus gradually became someone willing to fight on the side of good rather than let the world burn. He willingly sacrificed himself to save someone he cared about. His arc is remembered as the best of the Vampire Diaries franchise.