Though Hope Mikaelson's story officially ended with the finale of The Vampire Diaries universe continues on. She is the only television character to be conceived on one show, born on another, and then die on a third, which makes her a pretty unique character across virtually any media.
Fans got the chance to grow up with her, and the talent of Summer Fontana and Danielle Rose Russell certainly didn't hurt. So although fans may be The Originals and Legacies, fans put together memes and photo edits about Hope's character, and when looked at together, they tell quite the story about the one and only Tribrid.
The All-Powerful Infant
Few characters can claim that they have been saving the day since they were infants, but Hope is one of them. Hope gets ed off from one family member to another to keep her safe from those who want to kill her or use her power, until she ends up being left with Cami.
To the amazement of her human babysitter, Hope stops the car and backs it up just in time for Elijah to blow up the house they were heading toward. As the meme points out, this is a literal infant saving the day. It's absurd, and that is precisely what makes it so great.
Funny... And Painful
Hope Mikaelson had a devoted father in Klaus Mikaelson, but their dynamic could always use more dad jokes. Hope was daddy's little girl, so it only makes sense that he would be particularly protective over her when it came to dating. This dynamic is shown through the meme, where he tells her she can only get a boyfriend after he dies.
The humor comes from Klaus's presumed immortality, but the pain comes from knowing what happened in The Originals' finale. Klaus killed himself to keep Hope safe, and she did indeed get a boyfriend shortly thereafter. Hope is frequently defined by her relationships with others, and it is shockingly accurate that the death of her father leads directly to her future relationship.
Why New Orleans Isn't Home
This meme is pure pain, but it's critical to who Hope is. Despite being born and raised in New Orleans, the Hope Mikaelson fans meet in Legacies seem to have very little attachment to the city. It's not hard to understand, given all the pain she suffered there, but the reasoning is summed up with these lyrics from Billie Eilish's song "Happier Than Ever."
The Hollow, a spirit that sought to destroy the city and its supernatural occupants, caused the death of Hope's father. Greta Sienna, a vampire intent on destroying Klaus, kidnapped and tortured Hayley, leading to her death. Between the two, it's no wonder that Hope would hate New Orleans—it's what caused her to become an orphan.
In Her Father's Words
When Klaus didn't know if he would ever see Hope again, he wrote her a letter. He addressed it to whichever version of her was reading it, and though he didn't live to see every version of her, the fans did. It's fitting that a character who grew so much on screen is represented best by her father's words.
As a child, she loved life, her family, and her magic. By the time she was a teenager, she rejected the plans that had been put in place to keep her safe, making bad decisions for good reasons. And as an adult, no one could stop her from going after what she wanted. The meme capitalizes on Klaus's words to frame Hope in each stage of her life.
Her Name
Hope's name has an incredible amount of meaning behind it, but in a world where Damon had a snarky nickname for everyone, the names each person actually uses are just as important. Though she was born Hope Andrea Mikaelson, she went by her mother's name in school to keep her safe, and then after she returned from Malivore. This let her escape some of her father's legacy and feel closer to her mother.
"Littlest wolf" was a nickname from Klaus, bridging off of his nickname for Hayley—"little wolf." It's much more sentimental, a name cherished by Hope and the fans alike. Jessica was Alaric's attempt at a secret identity for Hope in season one, and it did not go over well. The meme shows each name increasing in brain power, leading up to what Alaric clearly thought was a brilliant idea, but which fans love to mock.
Craving Normalcy
Hope struggles a lot with the idea that her existence led to the deaths of those she loved. Because of this, she craved some sense of normalcy. However, that was out of the question with monsters and drama around every corner.
This meme perfectly sums up her struggle to enjoy a normal day, as the Malivore crisis and the problems it brought to her relationship with Landon literally drag her away. She is the only member of the Super Squad to consistently understand the relief that would come from not having powers, which makes it that much more frustrating that she is burdened with so many.
An Epic Love
In Hope's last conversation with Hayley, her mother wished her an "epic love," and that was certainly what Hope went for. Her relationship with Landon swung violently from sweet to toxic, but she held onto it for dear life, even when that meant making some really bad decisions.
Many fans disliked how much Hope's arcs revolved around Landon, but it wasn't out of character for her given how fiercely the Mikaelson family loves. As the meme says, "love made [her] crazy," and it would be difficult to understand her character without including that side of her as well.
Martyr Complex
The main characters in The Vampire Diaries universe tend to be villains, but Hope was pretty much always the hero, to a fault. Perhaps because she was making up for her family's history, or perhaps because she blamed herself so much for her parents' deaths, she was willing to die for the right cause.
This meme shows that perfectly, as literally everyone tells Hope not to jump into Malivore. But, bull-headed, she jumps in anyway. After the season one finale, fans had no idea what to expect for Hope's future. Neither did she. She had a massive martyr complex, and it made her willing to defy everyone in order to save them.
Heartbreak
Hope was constantly put in a position where she had to choose between Landon and the world, and that meant she could never win. The Salvatore School, on the other hand, only really had to worry about the big problems. Every time they won a battle, they celebrated, leaving Hope alone to grieve.
Hope may have gone too far trying to bring Landon back in season three, but it seemed like nobody acknowledged how much she lost. In a world where people come back from the dead time after time, only her loved ones seemed to stay gone for good, and she had to handle that pain while everybody else celebrated a victory she paid for.
Her Parents' Daughter
If there was only one meme to sum up Hope's character and how it was presented across The Originals and Legacies, this would be it. Hope was a perfect blending of her parents, but those around her seemed determined to define her as one or the other.
Since she was primarily raised by Hayley, it's no wonder she acted like her as a child. Just as Alaric does in the meme, fans accepted Hope as a little Hayley. However, the teenager shown in season five of The Originals and Legacies had a lot of Klaus in her too, surprising everyone. In the end, she carried the good and bad of both her parents, proving herself their perfect legacy.