Hayley Marshall is one of the central characters on The Originals, and while she is not quite as iconic as Klaus and Elijah to the fandom, she is an amazingly powerful woman and fierce mother for fans to look up to.
Hayley has a gift for words, being able to put situations into their funniest or clearest settings, making sure that her points get across and leave an impact. Hayley is a powerhouse, in words and actions, and deserves every bit of the respect and popularity of other characters from the show.
She Has Sass
"And You Have Hit Your Complaint Quota For The Day. Congrats, You Are Officially The Worst."
Hayley has some fantastic lines over the course of the show, getting to show off her sass toward the Mikaelsons, who tend toward brooding and complaining. Here, she shuts down Klaus, who was complaining about the locations she was taking him to hide him and their daughter.
Hayley doesn't let anyone get away with complaining too much, especially not about places and lifestyles that she lived in and was welcomed by. It is one of the reasons that fans consider Hayley in the running for the queen of New Orleans.
She Won't Lie To Her Daughter
"I'll Have To Explain This Family To Hope Someday. ... I Won't Lie To Her. I'll Never Lie To Her. But You Know What I'll Start With? Always And Forever."
The Mikaelson family is complicated, especially when it comes to its connection to Hayley. Klaus and Hayley had a fling that led to Hope's conception, and Klaus loves Hayley as the mother of his child. And then, there's Elijah, who loves Hayley as a potential partner.
And then, there are the thousands of enemies the family managed to earn over the years. Hayley worries about how to explain all of that insanity to her daughter, but she is determined not to lie to her. Instead, she'll start with "Always and Forever," the promise the Mikaelson siblings made and extended to her to always care for and protect each other.
She Prioritizes Her Needs
"I Want You To Know That I Didn't Marry You For All Of Those People. I Married You For Me."
In the midst of Hayley's chaotic Mikaleson drama, there is Jackson. Jackson is one of the most caring characters on the entire show, and he loves Hayley with everything in him. He accepts that Hayley will always have one foot in the door with the Mikalesons, and he loves Hope like she was his own daughter.
He worries that Hayley only married him for the sake of their people, which certainly was one reason for the marriage. But Hayley is quick to assure him that there's more to it and that she loves him for him, and married him for her own sake because he gives her the stability and love she so desperately needs.
She Won't Let Klaus Get Away With Anything
"You Do Realize I Had To Endure A Horrendous Labor And Actual Death Birthing The Child That You Are Holding."
When Klaus first began to accept that he had a child, Hayley was seen as little more than an incubator. However, over the course of the show, Klaus came to really respect and love her. But that doesn't mean he always showed her that.
In this scene, Klaus is cradling Hope while disrespecting Hayley, and that just can not be allowed to stand. Hayley is always ready to remind Klaus of everything she went through for Hope to make sure he treats her with the respect she earned many times over.
She Can Approach Any Situation With Humor
"You, Me, Elijah, And The Miracle Baby All Under One Roof. Sounds Like A Reality Show."
The Mikaleson family's relationship with Hayley is complicated, particularly when favorite ships come into play, but that doesn't mean they always have to look at it negatively. Hayley spins it humorously as a reality TV show, and instantly, fans can see how the show could have been if they had decided to play it that way.
One of the best things about Hayley is how she can always spin a situation to put a funny or sarcastic view on it. She's caring and ive, but that doesn't mean she won't paint a situation like it is, with all its hilarious bluntness.
She's Nobody's Damsel
"Then We Can Do That Thing Where You Lock Me In The Tower, I Escape, There's Drama, And Then You Two Both Realize That I'm Capable Of Taking Care Of Myself."
Hayley Marshall is not one to sit out of a fight. She is always going to put protecting Hope first, but she's not waiting around to be rescued when she gets into trouble. She'll put up her own fight first.
This quote is yet another example of Hayley seeing straight through everyone's attempts to paint things in a pretty light. She knows exactly how her being put away for her own safety will go down, and is quick to tell Klaus and Elijah to skip the drama and come to the same conclusion.
She Fights For Her People
"There Is Not Gonna Be A Peace If The Werewolves Are Excluded. They Want A Seat At The Table, And If They Don't Get One, I Can Guarantee That You'll All Regret It."
While Hayley seemed like a villain as much as anyone on The Vampire Diaries, on The Originals she fights for her people with everything in her. Despite being a hybrid, she maintains strong connections to her werewolf roots.
The city of New Orleans is extremely divided between the factions in power and those who are oppressed. The witches' power fluctuates over the course of the show, but the werewolves never seem to get real power for any significant period of time. Hayley intends to see that fixed.
She's A Great Mother
"And I Want To Make You A Promise, Three Things That You Will Have That I Never Did. A Safe Home, Someone To Tell You That They Love You Every Single Day, And Someone To Fight For You No Matter What."
As Hayley tells Klaus repeatedly, all she wants for her daughter is to have the safety and security she never had. When she writes a letter to her unborn child, she says the same, laying out the three things she can promise her daughter.
The Mikaelsons may be many things, but they are powerful and protect their own, which is something Hayley never had before she became a part of her family.
She Gives Amazing Advice
"Make Art. Use Your Voice. Have Adventures. And Have At Least One Totally Epic Love. And Be Every Bit Of Yourself."
When Hope is dying, she goes into the afterlife, where she meets her mother. Hope wants to stay, but Hayley won't let her, telling her that she needs to go back and live her life.
When Hope says she doesn't want to, and that she doesn't know how without her mother, Hayley gives her some critical advice that anyone could use in their lives. Whether looking at it as advice for Hope or advice for all the fans who need it, Hayley gives great advice on how to live life to its fullest.
She Puts Hope's Needs First
"My Parents Left Me. Yours Turned Their Backs On You. Look At Us Now, Klaus. She Deserves Something Better Than What We Had. That Is All I Have Ever Wanted For Her: Something Better!"
After Hayley tries to take Hope away from the Mikaelson drama, Klaus gets a witch to curse the New Orleans werewolves to only be human on the full moon. On the first moon after, Hayley comes to the family compound in a rage, tearing into Klaus. But her rage isn't for herself for the humiliation and pain she endured; it's for Hope's sake.
All Hayley wants is for her daughter to have a family that puts her first, and Hayley reminds Klaus that he should want that too. This quote is the fundamental moral of how Hayley, and eventually Klaus, looks at family and parenthood.