Before fans saw Klaus Mikaelson in the flesh on The Vampire Diaries, his reputation preceded him. He was the Original vampire all other vampires feared. While he was just one of the Original siblings, his rage, his ruthlessness, and his complete and utter lack of mercy had turned him into the stuff of legends. Then he finally revealed himself and The Vampire Diaries universe was never the same again. In Klaus, viewers got a villain so complex and unpredictable that he quickly became a fan favorite, along with his older brother Elijah and his younger sister Rebekah. In The Vampire Diaries spinoff, The Originals, fans had the chance to spend even more time with this powerful but damaged character.
Even after a thousand years, Klaus was still tormented by his psychological scars. Although he could be a genius tactician whose ability to think through a problem and get the results he wanted was impressive, more often Klaus acted on instinct — a reality that often proved deadly. As the world’s only Original vampire/werewolf hybrid, Klaus both celebrated and abhorred his singular status, using it to his advantage one minute and lamenting his lonely predicament the next.
Klaus was often a contradiction in , and a mystery even to himself. This made for a fascinating character and compelling television, but it also meant that there were things about Klaus that didn’t always add up. Despite all that, fans often found themselves rooting for Klaus, even when their better instincts told them they shouldn’t be.
Here are 20 Things Wrong With Klaus We All Choose To Ignore.
20. HE’S 1000 YEARS OLD BUT STILL CAN’T CONTROL HIS IMPULSES
If, as this quote, often attributed to Albert Einstein claims, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,” then Klaus has been in pain from mental health issues for the better part of a millennium. When Klaus’ feelings are hurt, he has a tendency to lash out at anyone and often everyone around him.
This often has dire consequences and even some he may want to take back. Over time, instead of learning to control his impulses, though, he seems to have mostly learned how to justify his awful behavior. Perhaps being the most powerful creature around has made him believe he should never have to say he’s sorry.
19. HE HAS A HISTORY OF TAKING OVER OTHER PEOPLE’S BODIES
When Klaus first arrives in Mystic Falls on The Vampire Diaries, he’s not even occupying his own body. A witch transfers his spirit into the body of Alaric Saltzman. While he eventually has the witches bring his original body to town so he can assume his most familiar form, it’s implied that he has a history of taking over others' bodies so he can stay hidden.
Yet, while audiences are told Klaus is reclusive and has been infrequently seen for centuries, he becomes far less interested in using others’ bodies to keep himself disguised in The Originals. In fact, when his mother proposes a new body as an option for keeping her children alive while getting rid of their vampire bodies, Klaus seems incensed at the suggestion. Never mind, it sounds exactly like a plan he might think of himself if the need arose.
18. HE WANTS TO BE SEEN AS THE BAD GUY
Klaus’ worst behavior is born out of a deep hurt that started with his father’s poor treatment of his as a child. His turn towards power and self-preservation blossomed fully when he and his siblings became vampires and his father learned quickly afterward that Klaus was not his biological son. Incensed at the revelation and the idea that Klaus was a vampire and werewolf hybrid, his parents magically suppressed his werewolf side. Their torment and rejection of him because of what they perceived as the evil of his true nature became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
When people see him as evil, as his parents did, Klaus simply fulfills that role — often in the most brutal way possible. While he’s desperate for companionship, loyalty, and love, Klaus has come to believe that the only way to stay physically and emotionally safe is to play up his dark side — something he learned from his parents long ago.
17. HE’S A SENSITIVE PAINTER
Despite his desire to be seen as merciless and unyielding, Klaus is actually the one member of the Original family who has a regular hobby: painting. His painting is the one constant in his life. No matter where he moves or what dastardly plans he’s working on, he uses his downtime to paint. He even claims one of his landscapes is hanging in the Hermitage museum.
Klaus' paintings serve as a window into his soul. When his creations are shown on both The Vampire Diaries and The Originals they often have a haunting, lonely quality to them that speaks to the way Klaus really feels. It seems Klaus pours all the sensitivity and delicate emotions he suppresses in other parts of his life into his art.
16. HE GAINED A REPUTATION DESPITE BEING ON THE RUN
Since Klaus was turned into a vampire, he has been on the run from his adoptive father, Mikael. Mikael became a hunter of vampires in general when he saw what his children had become. However, he was particularly adamant about taking down Klaus due to both his hybrid nature and the fact that he took out his mother and framed Mikael for the crime. Mikael’s desire to end Klaus is so singular that Mikael’s been known to destroy whole cities to find his son.
While Mikael’s persecution has made Klaus paranoid and distrustful of everyone he meets, it’s also had an unintended consequence — Klaus takes out his resentment and frustration at his situation on anyone he perceives as even slightly disloyal. As a result, despite constantly running from his father — often at a moment’s notice — Klaus has developed a scary reputation of his own.
15. HE SAVES THE LIVES OF THE FOLKS IN MYSTIC FALLS DESPITE NOT LIKING THEM
Klaus never seemed to much care for a majority of the characters on The Vampire Diaries. He’s threatened all their lives at one point or another and done unspeakable things to the people they love (RIP Aunt Jenna and Mayor Lockwood). Yet, he’s also saved or protected many of their lives. Sometimes this was for selfish reasons, as it was with Elena whose blood helped him make hybrids, or because he genuinely cared, as it was with Caroline. However, he also saved Damon’s life multiple times while never really seeming to like him.
Before officially moving to New Orleans, Klaus raced back to Mystic Falls to heal Damon. In the process, he saved the whole gang from a band of angry resurrected ghosts. While Klaus can be cruel and indifferent towards life, he does have some sense of morality.
14. HE WAS DESPERATE TO BE A WEREWOLF BUT NEVER TURNS
When he drained his first victim as a vampire, Klaus triggered his werewolf curse, becoming a hybrid. This was an abomination in the eyes of his parents and they quickly suppressed his werewolf side. As a result, Klaus never got to experience all of who he was and what he was capable of. So, he spent most of his immortal life attempting to reverse the curse his parents’ placed on him and become a true hybrid.
Despite successfully breaking the curse, Klaus never seems to embrace his werewolf side. The only thing from his werewolf heritage he uses to his advantage is the werewolf venom in his bite, which is lethal to non-Original vampires. While this makes him scarier than even the other Original vampires, he continues to lead with his vampire side in every other aspect of his existence.
13. HE TAKES OUT HIS BIOLOGICAL FATHER
Klaus never really knew his biological father, Ansel. Ansel was the Alpha of his werewolf pack and although he lived near the Mikaelson family, Klaus’ mother, Esther, wouldn’t let Ansel meet Klaus because she wanted to hide her affair and Klaus' true parentage from her husband, Mikael. When the truth came out, Mikael dispatched the nearby werewolf pack, including Klaus’ biological father, preventing Klaus from even meeting him.
When Esther came back into her children’s lives during The Originals, she revealed she’d also resurrected Ansel in order to give Klaus the father he’d always wanted. Klaus barely believes it and wants nothing to do with Ansel at first. Soon, Ansel’s ive and accepting ways wear Klaus down and he starts enjoying his encounter with his real father. When Ansel its he knows Klaus’ daughter is still alive, though, Klaus quickly takes him out in order to maintain the secret of his daughter’s continued existence to protect her against anyone who wants to harm her
12. HE WAS HAPPY UNTIL HE BECAME A VAMPIRE
Klaus and his family lived in Mystic Falls as humans centuries ago. When Elijah tells the story of their origins, he claims the family was happy. Klaus always had the most difficult time even then because their father always disliked him. While Mikael wasn’t aware that Klaus wasn’t biologically related to him at the time, he instinctively seemed to have it out for him, hurting Klaus for even the slightest sin.
Klaus and his siblings were close, though, and Klaus was a devoted brother. Although his relationship with his father was challenging, Klaus had not yet developed the anger and loneliness that caused him to become suspicious of his siblings after they became vampires. Instead, the camaraderie of his brothers and sister gave him strength and happiness to persevere in the face of their father’s torment.
11. HE COMPELS HIMSELF A THERAPIST
Klaus’ relationship with the bartender and psychology master’s student, Cami, has its ups and downs over the years. However, when it starts, Klaus uses Cami for his own ends. At first, his goal is to manipulate his former friend Marcel. Later, he compels Cami to record his memoirs and then forgot about all things supernatural as soon as she leaves his presence. During one of these sessions, however, Cami figures out what he truly wants: a therapist.
The knowledge Cami’s gained from her studies enables her to understand Klaus in a way few others can. While he won’t it it to just anyone, Klaus knows how damaged he is and that he requires help in ridding himself of his demons. For Klaus, his encounters with Cami offer him a chance to examine his vulnerabilities while his compulsion of her prevents his secrets from ever being exposed.
