The Vampire Diaries: Every Character Paul Wesley Played

From new doppelgängers to variations of established characters, Paul Wesley played several roles on The Vampire Diaries. Based on L.J. Smith’s popular series of books, the supernatural drama was developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. Debuting in 2009 on The CW, The Vampire Diaries ultimately ran for eight seasons and spawned two direct spinoffs.

Set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, The Vampire Diaries followed a group of friends as they dealt with frequent supernatural threats, age-old mystical secrets, and complicated love lives. The bulk of the latter centered on Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) as she became embroiled with the vampire brothers Stefan (Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). Among others, the series also starred Candice King as the more recently-turned vampire Caroline Forbes, Michael Trevino as the werewolf Tyler Lockwood, and Kat Graham as the powerful witch Bonnie Bennett.

Though each character evolved across The Vampire Diaries‘ 8 seasons, the majority of the cast were tasked with bringing to life just one role. One of the show’s central mysteries, however, was the doppelgänger curse – which both Elena and Stefan were entangled. As such, Wesley and Dobrev frequently stretched their acting muscles to several different characters. Here’s a breakdown of everyone that Wesley played.

Stefan Salvatore

As a 162-year-old vampire, Stefan served as Elena Gilbert’s first introduction to the world of the supernatural. Though he and Elena appeared to first meet at Mystic Falls high school, it was revealed that he had actually been responsible for saving her life from a car crash. After determining that she wasn’t her doppelgänger Katherine Pierce, Stefan and Elena began a romantic relationship. As such, Stefan served as the show’s male romantic lead. Over time, that shifted when the love triangle between Elena, him, and his unpredictable brother Damon culminated with Elena ultimately choosing the latter in The Vampire Diaries season 4. Things switched back, however, following Dobrev’s departure after season 6 – with a larger focus given to the relationship (and the tragically short-lived marriage) between Stefan and Caroline Forbes.

Wesley played several different variations of Stefan across The Vampire Diaries’ eight seasons. While his time as a vampire was explored in the present and through flashbacks, fans also glimpsed times of his ill-fated days as a human. In terms of his vampirism, Wesley got to not only play the traditional heroic side of Stefan but a more out-of-control, bloodthirsty, serial killer version known as a “ripper”. This latter iteration was also different from Stefan with his humanity turned off, wherein he wasn’t burdened by the subsequent guilt that even Ripper Stefan was somewhat plagued by. As such, in essence, Stefan afforded Wesley the chance to play at least three characters in one.

Silas

Silas was first introduced in The Vampire Diaries season 4 and served as a recurring antagonist throughout season 5 and beyond. Merely teased by name at first, and then appearing in a disfigured form, Silas ultimately revealed himself identical to Stefan – giving Wesley the chance to play a true villain. As the world’s first immortal being, Silas was actually the original from whom all subsequent doppelgängers were spawned. Hailing from Ancient Greece, Silas was an extremely powerful witch. His reign of terror came to an end, however, when Stefan managed to kill and banish him to The Other Side – a mystical afterlife for supernatural creatures. Once it was destroyed, however, Silas was sucked into Hell and never heard from again. In The Vampire Diaries season 8, however, Hell was also destroyed – likely erasing him from existence entirely.

Tom Avery

Tom Avery was the latest doppelgänger to emerge after Stefan. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Tom was a kind and compassionate human who worked as a paramedic. Well regarded in his field, even those who had a grudge against Tom could only speak positively of his first aid skills. He was first glimpsed in The Vampire Diaries season 5 when the Travelers linked him to Stefan via a spell in pursuit of his doppelgänger blood. He appeared fully in the next episode when Caroline and Enzo St. John were able to track him down. Rescuing him from a magically-induced coma and Enzo’s murderous intent, Caroline took him to a diner and learned about his life. Unfortunately, his time on The Vampire Diaries remained short-lived. After managing to find them, Enzo swiftly broke Tom’s neck and killed him.

Ambrose

Another short-lived character for Wesley to embody was that of Ambrose. In another life, he was a serial killer who targeted college sororities and fraternities. After becoming a vampire, he was ultimately killed by the huntress Rayna Cruz and his soul was trapped in the Phoenix Stone. His soul was inadvertently released when the stone was destroyed in The Vampire Diaries season 7. Without a body to return to, it possessed the nearest it could find – which happened to be Stefan’s. Picking up where he left off in the 1800s, he immediately goes on a merciless killing spree at a nearby university. In the end, however, he is brought down by Alaric and Damon and presumed dead after Valerie performed a spell to return Stefan’s soul into his own body.

Both The Vampire Diaries and The Originals have concluded their respective runs. Regardless, the world has continued to live on in the form of Legacies. However, it’s unlikely that Wesley will return on-screen. Stefan’s story was effectively wrapped up and brought to a satisfactory conclusion – especially regarding his relationship with Damon – by series end. Equally, Wesley has moved on to new roles and even established a career behind the camera as a director on such shows as Batwoman. Still, nothing is impossible in the show’s world. Whatever the case, the subtle nuances and differences in performances not only helped keep things fresh at the time but will help The Vampire Diaries remain rewatchable for years to come.

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