The Vampire Diaries: 5 Reasons Caroline Should Have Been The Lead Character (& 5 It Should Have Been Bonnie)

Although a fair argument could be made that Damon Salvatore, Stefan Salvatore, or Elena Gilbert was the real main character of The Vampire Diaries, it’s obvious that Elena was the driving force behind the series and its storylines from the very first episode of the show.

Unsurprisingly Elena’s best friends in The Vampire Diaries, Caroline Forbes and Bonnie Bennett became central figures in the show as well. Both characters brought a lot to the table, and once Nina Dobrev left the series they obviously became even more important. But which character would have made the better leading character from the start?

10 Caroline: Because She Worked As A Lead

Elena Gilbert was clearly the main character of The Vampire Diaries from the start of the series, and she remained so until Nina Dobrev left at the end of the sixth season.

Although the show didn’t exactly replace Elena with Caroline, the latter became the most important female character in seasons 7 and 8, proving that she has the qualities to be a leading lady. It would have been interesting to see her as the protagonist for the entire series run.

9 Bonnie: Because She Had The Most Unexplored Potential

Bonnie Bennett may have been different in the books, but she was undoubtedly one of the most popular and beloved characters for the entire TV series run. However, the story of her character ultimately felt like a well of endless untapped potential. In several instances, the show treated Bonnie like nothing more than a deus ex machina; she was just there to show up and save the day and was otherwise relegated to a background character.

There were so many different avenues to explore with Bonnie, and given that she managed to be wildly popular despite the fact that she was pushed to the sidelines, she likely could have become a hugely beloved heroine if she was the central character in the series.

8 Caroline: Because She’s The Underdog

Ironically, what makes Caroline appealing as a potential leading character is that she began her story as a somewhat unappealing person. She certainly wasn’t a villain, but she was an insecure mean girl who never felt like she could live up to the people around her, and that is an experience that many people can relate to.

As Caroline said herself, Elena was the one that everyone always picks, and Caroline was never the chosen one. Everyone loves rooting for an underdog, so in that sense, Caroline may have been a much better choice for TVD‘s leading heroine.

7 Bonnie: Because She Could (And Would) Beat The Villains

Over the course of its eight seasons, The Vampire Diaries ran into a common problem for many supernatural shows. The Mystic Falls gang consistently encountered villains that were far more powerful than they were, and then the story would have to come up with an excuse for why the protagonists could suddenly defeat them… or why they suddenly didn’t care very much about defeating them.

But having Bonnie Bennett as the lead character would solve both of those problems. Not only was she an extraordinarily powerful witch, but she actually stuck to her guns and wasn’t afraid to face even the most intimidating villains.

6 Caroline: Because Everyone Loves Her

There were two main genres that were the driving force behind The Vampire Diaries from the start; the series was obviously meant to be a supernatural horror show, but it was also very clearly a romance.

While she did have some engrossing romance storylines, Bonnie’s list of love interests on The Vampire Diaries (and the popularity of her relationships) really paled in comparison to Caroline’s. Caroline would have made sense as a leading heroine because she could easily be the star of both the supernatural story arcs and the romantic plots.

5 Bonnie: Because The Witches Were Fascinating

While vampires understandably took the front seat in terms of the supernatural species that were explored on the show, it was pretty obvious that the witches were some of the most powerful characters.

Witches were the ones who had been creating and controlling the other supernatural creatures in the world from the very start, and the Bennett bloodline in particular was arguably the most powerful and influential in history. Watching Bonnie explore her own power and discover her family’s history would have made an extremely compelling primary storyline.

4 Caroline: Because It’s Called “The Vampire Diaries”

While both Bonnie and Caroline have more than enough merits to warrant a position as the lead female character in The Vampire Diaries, the fact that the word “vampire” is literally in the title of the series means that Caroline has a bit of a leg up on Bonnie in terms of taking on a central role.

Caroline was the first vampire transformation that the show explored in-depth in the contemporary storyline, so having a protagonist that the audience can see the entire vampire experience through would make a lot of sense.

3 Bonnie: Because She’s The Most Powerful Character

While it’s not necessarily the case that the most powerful character in a series needs to be its central figure, it’s a fairly common setup for a story, and for good reason. On The Vampire Diaries, Bonnie’s character was constantly sidelined, which actually didn’t make sense in most of the show’s storylines.

Considering how powerful she was, she really should have been a key player in most of the major story arcs, so the fact that she basically just showed up to lend her magical mojo and then faded into the background seemed pretty illogical.

2 Caroline: Because She Had An Epic Evolution

Every character in The Vampire Diaries undoubtedly changed a lot over the course of their story arcs, but in comparison to Bonnie and Elena, Caroline’s transformation was far more drastic.

Caroline began the series as a totally different person, and unlike many of the other characters, she changed almost entirely for the better. She started off as a person that she didn’t want to be and she evolved into the woman she always fantasized that she could be, and that is the kind of character development that fans love to see.

1 Bonnie: Because She Was The Hero Of The Series

Although the subjective morality of The Vampire Diaries and its characters is something that makes the series enthralling — and sets it apart from many other supernatural TV shows — Bonnie would have made a great leading heroine simply because she truly was a hero.

While most of the characters were willing to compromise their own values in order to get what they wanted, and many of them were solely focused on the safety and security of themselves and their loved ones, Bonnie was the only character who consistently tried to do the right thing for everyone and protect as many people as possible.