The Vampire Diaries: All 5 Characters Elena Gilbert Killed

On The Vampire Diaries, Elena Gilbert killed five characters and the remaining members of a subculture of witches known as the Travelers. The Vampire Diaries was created by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson and ran for eight seasons on The CW. The series was a coming-of-age story with a twist: typical teen angst amplified by the presence of supernatural creatures, including witches, werewolves, and vampires. The show developed a strong cult following thanks to its attractive ensemble cast, the series’ addictive mix of horror, drama, humor, and the epic love triangle between Elena and the two brooding, sexy vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. The show’s popularity led to two spin-offs, The Originals, and Legacies.

The Vampire Diaries made bold and unexpected choices for its main characters’ storylines, keeping the series fresh and unpredictable. Throughout the series, Elena and her friends constantly fought to protect their town and loved ones, only to see their efforts thwarted by unforeseen and often heartbreaking plot twists. The line between good and evil was often blurred. At the center of it all was Elena, who was viewed as the show’s moral compass: an empathetic young woman who tried to maintain her humanity despite the murder and mayhem that caused her to suffer great personal losses (Legacies referenced Elena’s fate after The Vampire Diaries ended.)

Every season, The Vampire Diaries amassed an impressive body count. It became evident that killing became a necessary evil to survive in Mystic Falls, and even Elena had to get blood on her hands. While Elena may not have dealt the final death blow, she played an integral part in the deaths of two Original siblings, Kol and Finn Mikaelson. Once Elena became a vampire in season 4, she tried to murder her two closest friends, Caroline Forbes and Bonnie Bennett (the Salvatore brother rescued Caroline, and Bonnie fended off Elena’s attack with magic.) While Elena’s victims were far outnumbered by those of Klaus Mikaelson (Klaus fate following his death remains uncertain according to Legacies), Stefan, Damon, and other central characters, she was responsible for the deaths of several individuals and for helping to put an end to a faction of witches known as the Travelers.

Alaric Saltzman

During season 3, someone began killing Mystic Falls’ city council members. The first two victims were medical examiner Brian Walters and Caroline’s father, Bill Forbes. The only link between the victims was the integral roles they played in covering up the town’s vampire-related deaths. The killer’s third victim was Alaric Saltzman, whom Matt Donovan and Elena discovered stabbed and bleeding to death inside the Gilbert home.

Because Elena was a doppelgänger, and Alaric was wearing the Gilbert Ring (the ring allowed humans killed by supernatural creatures to be resurrected), Elena killed Alaric so he could be resurrected. Later, it was revealed Alaric staged the scene. He was Mystic Falls’ mystery serial killer. Every time Alaric had died wearing the Gilbert Ring and briefly visited the Other Side, Original witch Esther Mikaelson laid the groundwork for Alaric to become the next Mikael Mikaelson: a virtually indestructible vampire killer.

Alaric’s purpose was to kill all of Esther’s children, wiping out all vampires with them. Esther linked Alaric’s life to Elena’s so that the last Original would cease to exist when she died. When Elena drowned during the season 3 finale, Alaric died as well. Alaric returned as a ghost during seasons 4 and 5, and although he still possessed all the qualities of an Original, his hatred of vampires and their allies were gone. He escaped the supernatural purgatory created by Qetsiyah before it collapsed during the season 5 finale. Alaric became human and fathered two children. He’s currently the headmaster at the Salvatore School in Mystic Falls. Alaric is one of five characters to appear on all three shows.

Connor Jordan

Season 4 introduced a new antagonist, Connor Jordan. Connor was a vampire hunter and a member of the Brotherhood of The Five. An ancestor of Qetsiyah’s created The Five, and their purpose was to locate Silas, force him to take the Cure for immortality, and then kill him. The only way to locate Silas was a map that was tattooed on the skin of the hunters. Each time they killed a vampire, more of the tattoo was revealed. The only other people capable of seeing the markings were Potentials: men poised to become a member of The Five once a current hunter died.

Connor arrived in Mystic Falls in the immediate aftermath of Elena becoming a vampire. As Elena struggled to adapt to her new life, which included controlling her bloodthirst and amplified emotions, Connor became determined to wipe out as many vampires as possible. Connor had no regard for human life, especially if it meant killing innocents helped to fulfill his destiny. Connor set a trap for Mystic Falls’ vampires by holding April Young, Matt Donovan, and Jeremy Gilbert hostage at the Grill. During Elena’s mission to rescue her brother, she broke Connor’s neck and buried his body in a shallow grave.

Elena, who was distraught and plagued with guilt after taking a human life, began to suffer from the Hunter’s Curse. She experienced hallucinations of Connor, which were intended to drive her mad and drive her to commit suicide. According to Klaus, “Hunters were spelled by witches to kill vampires. If you prevent one from fulfilling his destiny, then he’ll take you down with him.” This meant Connor’s death wouldn’t stop him from making Elena his final vampire kill. The only way to break the curse was for a new hunter to be awakened, and their legacy passed on. Jeremy was a Potential, he killed one of Klaus’ hybrids, and Elena was saved.

When Bonnie dropped the veil to the Other Side, Connor returned to Mystic Falls. Connor and fellow fallen members of The Five Vaughn and Alexander returned in season 4’s “The Walking Dead” and “Graduation.” Once again flesh and blood, the three hunters were determined to get their hands on Silas and the Cure (four vampires would eventually take the Cure and become mortal). Bonnie restored the veil before getting the chance, and Connor never made another appearance on the show.

Jolene

Season 4’s main story arc revolved around the Cure and the race for all of the main characters to secure the only dose. Katherine Pierce, a Petrova doppelgänger (also played by Dobrev), got to it first, killing Jeremy in the process. To deal with her grief, Elena turned off her humanity switch. While Elena reveled in her humanity-free existence, Damon and Stefan became more determined to track down the Cure to save the girl they loved.

Elena and Rebekah searched for Katherine, with Elena determined to get the Cure first, so the Salvatores couldn’t force her to take it.  Elena issued a warning to the Salvatores: accept her as she was or accept the consequences. To make her point, she snapped a waitress’ neck in the middle of a diner. “That’s one body you’re responsible for. If you keep trying to fix me, there’ll be a second, a twentieth, and a hundredth. It’s your choice.” 

Jesse

When Caroline and Elena started attending Whitmore College during season 5, Caroline caught the eye of a handsome upperclassmen named Jesse. When Caroline brought Jesse to Mystic Falls to celebrate Remembrance Day, he was attacked by Stefan, and Caroline fed Jesse her blood to save him. Jesse escaped the near-death experience only to be killed by Augustine Society member Dr. Wes Maxfield. Dr. Maxfield was the Dr. Frankenstein of Whitmore College who performed experiments on unwilling subjects to create a new breed of vampire: one who craved other vampires’ blood over humans.

Caroline did her best to help Jesse adapt after his transition, but his desire for vampire blood caused him to attack Damon. To save Damon’s life, Elena staked Jesse, which resulted in his death. Caroline called Elena out for her choice to kill Jesse instead of helping him, blaming Elena’s actions on Damon’s influence over her. Jesse, along with Elena’s aunt Jenna never made an appearance on the Other Side.

Markos And The Travelers

Season 5 of The Vampire Diaries focused on the feud between witches and the Travelers that began 2,000 years earlier due to the immortality spell created by Qetsiyah and Silas. Travelers couldn’t gather together, or tragedy would strike, forcing them to live a nomadic lifestyle. Markos used the final two doppelgängers’ blood (The Vampire Diaries introduced a total of five doppelgangers) to undo the curse witches placed on them, which would lead to the death of all creatures created by witch magic (including vampires). The Purification Spell would allow the Travelers to settle in Mystic Falls either in their own bodies or as passengers in others.

Stefan’s death stopped the spell from spreading beyond the town limits, but to get their loved ones back from the Other Side before it collapsed (it became unstable when Markos’ people overwhelmed the anchor to set Markos free), someone had to kill all of the Travelers. With all of the Travelers gathered together at the Grill, Matt and Jeremy turned on the gas, Damon and Elena drove into town and crashed into the bar, igniting an explosion that killed all Travelers. They were last seen on the Other Side but were unable to escape before the supernatural purgatory exploded.

About The Author