Now that the last The Vampire Diaries spinoff has been over for several months, fans are able to rewatch the original show with fresh eyes, often finding that they feel differently about the plots and characters than they did while the shows were airing. Without the weekly releases and active fan speculations, the supernatural universe has to survive on its own merits.
One of the biggest points of contention for each of the shows was which characters should end up together. Fans were even hoping for major ships like Delena and Klaroline to show up in the Legacies finale, despite the poor odds, because they were so attached to those relationships. Now that there is no potential for the TVD couples to change in later shows, fans can only take to Reddit to discuss which of the main relationships they would change if they had the power.
TVD Redditors Wanted More LGBTQ+ Romances
While the Salvatore brothers had some pretty significant female love interests, there are fans who would rather see them with their villainous best friends. For example, Redditor Master-Currency3841 would have preferred to see "Klefan and Damenzo" than Steroline and Delena.
Stefan had a fling with Rebekah Mikaelson, but he had much more screen time with Klaus, who seemed to have a stronger bond with him. From their past in the '20s to Stefan's desperation to kill the Originals and their later friendship, they had a lot of fire. Similarly, Damon and Enzo loved each other so much that they couldn't tolerate the pain of each other's actions without turning off their humanity. Given the lack of LGBTQ+ couples at the time, it could have provided some interesting storylines.
No Delena Sire Bond
Elena firmly chose Stefan over Damon until she became a vampire, but then their relationship progressed rapidly thanks to a sire bond being formed between them. This was a poor choice according to Robbie1863, who said, "I wish they would’ve tossed the sirebond or used it as way for Elena to go back to Stefan after realizing she didn’t really love Damon. It felt like they pushed Delena too fast."
While many fans do prefer Elena with Damon, they can't argue that their relationship went a little too fast thanks to the sire bond. Suddenly, Elena's whole life revolved around Damon, and it was hard to tell if her feelings were real. Without the sire bond, Elena either would have come to Damon naturally or stayed with Stefan, but either would feel more authentic.
Elena Should've Left Both Salvatore Brothers
The Vampire Diaries came out during the height of the love triangle fad, but not every fan loved that choice. Redditor iampaulaj_ jokes, "Elena should’ve just left all the Salvatore drama and run off with Elijah lol" before adding "i definitely wouldn’t make Delena happen, at least not the way it did. truth be told i feel like the optimal ending for elena would be to not date anyone at all or just find some nice human dude."
By the time the series ended, both Salvatore brothers had ridiculously high kill counts, and neither seemed concerned with what was best for Elena. She valued her humanity above all else, so she would have been better off alone or with an outside character, rather than trying to fit into Stefan and Damon's lives or make them change to fit hers.
Klaroline Should Have Ended Up Together
Perhaps one of the most well-loved non-canon relationships in the TVD universe is Klaroline, which had moments in all three TVDU shows. With all of that build-up, Selina123ryan wanted Caroline and Klaus to end up together "in season 5 of TO. it wouldn’t have worked after season 5 of TVD which they both acknowledge."
When they first began their flirtationship, Klaus was a villain and Caroline still had a lot of growing up to do. It made sense that, despite their chemistry, they shouldn't be together. But Caroline's return in The Originals showed how far both characters had come thanks to time and their children. Had Klaus survived, Klaroline might have finally gotten the timing right.
No Bonnie And Enzo Romance
The last two seasons of The Vampire Diaries got a little messy, and a major example of that was the sudden love between Bonnie and Enzo. If lldom1987 had been in the writer's room, "Bonnie and Enzo would've never been in a relationship."
Their relationship was formed during a time jump, so many fans struggled to see how it stood up to relationships that had been building the whole time. Although Bonnie and Enzo's love was supposedly strong enough to force Enzo's humanity back on, they had only interacted in five episodes prior to season 7, each time negatively. No matter what the show said, many fans just couldn't accept it.
Bonnie And Damon Should Have Dated
Bonnie and Damon hated each other early on in the show, but their friendship flourished in the later seasons, to the point where Damon wouldn't kill Bonnie to save Elena. Redditors like cri__nge took these moments and ran with them, claiming, "damon and bonnie should’ve been a thing bc of their chemistry."
As cri__nge noticed, these two really had one of the best dynamics on The Vampire Diaries. They would have been a strong case of enemies-to-lovers, and their time in the Prison World really contributed to that. They learned to love each other, and that love really helped both characters grow. Also, the characters were dating in the book series, seemingly possessing a soulmate bond in the unofficial Evensong trilogy.
Stelena Should Have Been Endgame
With how big The Vampire Diaries universe became on television, it's easy to forget that they were based on a book series. However, Beefismyfavorite ed, explaining, "I wish Stefan and Elena would have followed the books more. I don't necessarily dislike Damon but I would have liked to see their unrequited love and Elena continuing to choose Stefan over Damon."
There have been many changes between the books and The Vampire Diaries, especially as more spinoffs have been added, but the central relationship is the main one. In the original book series, a love triangle existed, but Elena always chose Stefan. While many fans liked Delena, others wish the series had followed the solid love story established by L. J. Smith.
Vampire Diaries Fans Didn't Want Anymore Valerie
Before Katherine entered the Salvatore brothers' lives, Stefan had an affair with Valerie that resulted in a pregnancy. However, not every fan appreciated this development, with RevealGrouchy8487 stating, "I would erase Valerie altogether, there was no need to introduce Stefan's one night stand as his 'first love'."
While it makes sense that Stefan would have had more relationships than fans saw, his human life was pretty stable until this information was added. Valerie was one of the better Heretics, but the idea that her brief time in Stefan's life made her his first love just disrupted the established character backgrounds and added a roadblock to Caroline and Stefan's relatable relationship, without adding much in return.
Bonnie And Nora Should Have Become A Couple
When the Heretics were first introduced, it prompted questions as to how they would fit into the main group. Sadly, only Valerie really became part of the team, which kept fans from connecting with most of them. However, Redditor Adventurous-Method-6 suggested, "Bonnie/Nora should have been a thing."
The two women had good chemistry on the show, especially when they worked together at the Toys For Tots event in "Cold As Ice." In addition, it's a ship ed by actor Kat Graham, who has been open about wanting Bonnie to be bisexual and even said, "I really love the dynamic that the Bonnie character has with the Nora character ... The writers definitely planted a few seeds here and there, so we’ll see what happens” (via Yahoo).
Caroline And Enzo Should Have Ended Up Together
The most popular post in the thread came from hdjdjdkenendn, who said, "i would’ve liked to see Caroline and Enzo. when he was first introduced i thought they would’ve been a couple because of how much he flirted with her. the actors had good chemistry and worked well in all of their scenes together. i hate how the writers completely forgot about their friendship."
Caroline and Enzo weren't an incredibly well-known ship, but there were definitely reasons to believe they could've worked. Both struggled with abandonment issues over the course of the show, and Enzo might have been a healthier alternative to Klaus for fans who wanted Caroline with a bad boy. Most fans were happy with the Bonnie/Enzo and Caroline/Stefan end-games, but it was definitely a relationship that could have shaken things up.
The Vampire Diaries Season 1-8 Are Available To Stream On Peacock