Fans of the series know that The Vampire Diaries universe is by no means black and white. Many of the main characters swap between good and evil, whether they are pure of heart like Elena Gilbert, or determined to prove that they are beyond redemption, such as Damon Salvatore or Klaus Mikaelson.
One can generally tell if a character is an antagonist or a hero by the way they often behave. Of course, even good guys have bad days, and villains can feel bad on occasion. However, this list explores what could happen if a hero turned outright evil, and if a villain became a full time decent person.
Hero To Villain
Stefan Salvatore
While Stefan has displayed his dark side multiple times on the show whenever he turned off his humanity, he was fundamentally good and pure. Often, he refused to even drink human blood in case he killed them and preferred to live off animals.
However, if Stefan embraced his Ripper status, the show would have looked very different. Stefan's determination to be good occasionally meant that he became a bit of a martyr. This annoying quality would no longer occur, with Stefan being able to fully embrace his dark vampire nature.
Bonnie Bennett
Poor Bonnie often got given the short straw. Her being the only witch in the main cast for eight seasons meant that she was the character the others often turned to for help with their situation. Bonnie sacrificed so much due to her friendship with Elena.
Evil Bonnie would be an interesting character plot point. Of course, fans got a taste of this with Hunter Bonnie, but she was without magic. Imagine Bonnie going against the Salvatores, and anyone else who caused her pain with her full might of magic behind her. She would be nigh unstoppable.
Caroline Forbes
Caroline was arguably the moral com of the show (post Season 1, of course). Caroline shared a lovely friendship with Stefan which then blossomed into something more, and her organizational skills meant that even without her humanity, she never tried to kill anyone until her friends forced her hand.
If Caroline decided to approach vampirism in a more dangerous way, it would have added an extra layer of depth to the show. Namely, does being a vampire change your personality, or exemplify it? Plus, Candice King would have played an evil Caroline to absolute perfection.
Emily Bennett
For a character who didn't appear in many episodes at all, Emily Bennett made a huge impact. Viewers learned that she had helped Katherine escape and saved the other Tomb Vampires, which she regretted and later tried to undo, via Bonnie.
Emily was never a fan of vampires, but it could have been a lot worse. Instead of keeping them trapped, she could have murdered them, and then set out to kill all vampires in existence. She would have made a great villain if she had returned in Season 5, instead of Markos.
Lexi Branson
Lexi Branson was a unique character in that she made more appearances after she had died than she had when she was still alive. Lexi was Stefan's best friend and it was clear that they both cared for each other deeply. That was until Damon staked her to save his own skin.
Lexi turned out to be quite forgiving about this, but it might have been more interesting to see her pursue a quest for vengeance. She would have stopped at nothing to kill Damon, which would have pitted her against Stefan, creating a lot of tense, but amazing drama.
Villain To Hero
Kai Parker
Kai Parker is easily one of The Vampire Diaries' best villains, making a reappearance in the final season and even appearing again on the spin-off Legacies. Part of his appeal was his charm and hilarious sense of humor that would put anyone at ease.
If Kai had truly embraced his brother Luke's more empathetic qualities, it could have set him off on a path to redemption. Instead of allying himself with the Heretics, he could have helped defeat them and possibly even become a main cast member for the last couple of seasons.
Sybil
Sybil is a villain hated by many fans because of her ability to control other supernatural beings, mainly Enzo and Damon, who had a great friendship. She forced them to do some terrible things, for example, trying to kill each other and forcing Bonnie to choose who should die.
That being said, she was actually an extremely effective antagonist, and powerful too. She was also sympathetic as she had been tricked into becoming a monster by her sister. If she had been given more time, she would have become a powerful ally to the Salvatores and their friends.
Isobel Flemming
Isobel was a complicated but ultimately selfish character from the earlier seasons. She was initially married to Alaric Saltzman but then left him without a word to become a vampire. She was also Elena Gilbert's estranged biological mother whose parental skills were lacking.
Despite this, she did care for her daughter as her actions in Season 1 were to make sure Elena grew up without the supernatural in her life. If only Isobel had tried to get to know her daughter properly, she could have acted as a mentor figure to her, especially when Elena became a vampire herself.
Kol Mikaelson
ittedly, Kol did become more of an anti-hero when he moved to the spin off drama The Originals, but whenever he appeared on The Vampire Diaries, it was always in his capacity as a villain. He was cruel and selfish and sought to inflict pain whenever he could.
However, his personality always hinted at an underlying source of pain, and that could have been explored further had he become a regular cast member on either show. His hidden vulnerability would have been interesting to explore and would have made for a compelling yet flawed hero.
Katherine Pierce
In many ways, Katherine Pierce was the original villain of The Vampire Diaries. She was smart and cunning, yet selfish and vain. She couldn't stand not being the center of attention when it came to the Salvatore brothers and proved herself to be a worthy adversary on more than one occasion.
If Katherine had put her skills to better use, she could have become a much better person. She wouldn't have been a carbon copy of Elena, because she would still have that sass and amazing wit, but she still could have earned the respect of the Salvatore brothers and become a better person in her own right.