The Originals is an American fantasy-drama television series picked up by The CW television network for their fall 2013 schedule. The series was picked up after a backdoor pilot for aired as an episode of The CW fantasy-drama The Vampire Diaries in April 2013. It is a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries, sharing similar themes and depictions of reality as its predecessor. The show revolves around three Mikaelson siblings, Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies), and Rebekah (Claire Holt), collectively known as "original vampires", or simply the "originals". The Originals is set in the city of New Orleans. It was created by Julie Plec.
Main characters The following is a list of series regulars who have appeared in one or more of the series' five seasons. The characters are listed in the order they were first credited in the series.
Key = Main cast = Recurring cast = Guest/Special Guest cast
CharacterActorSeasons 1 2 3 4 5 Klaus Mikaelson Joseph Morgan colspan="5" Elijah Mikaelson Daniel Gillies colspan="5" Rebekah Mikaelson Claire Holt colspan="1" colspan="4" Hayley Marshall Phoebe Tonkin colspan="5" Marcel Gerard Charles Michael Davis colspan="5" Sophie Deveraux Daniella Pineda colspan="4" Camille O'Connell Leah Pipes colspan="3" colspan="2" Davina Claire Danielle Campbell colspan="3" colspan="1" Vincent Griffith Yusuf Gatewood colspan="4" Freya Mikaelson Riley Voelkel colspan="3" Hope Mikaelson Danielle Rose Russell colspan="3" Josh Rosza Steven Krueger colspan="4"
Klaus Mikaelson
Played by Joseph Morgan TVD recurring season: 2 TVD starring seasons: 3–4 TO starring seasons: 1–5 TVD special guest starring seasons: 5, 7 LG special guest starring season: 4 Also played by Aiden Flowers (young Niklaus) into seasons 1–2, 4 Niklaus Mikaelson (based on Klaus from "The Vampire Diaries" novels), more commonly known as Klaus, is an Original vampire, later known to be the Original Hybrid (half werewolf-half vampire).
Elijah Mikaelson
Played by Daniel Gillies TVD recurring seasons: 2–4 TVD special guest starring season: 5 TO starring seasons: 1–5 Also played by Perry Cox (young Elijah) in seasons 1–2
Elijah Mikaelson is the second-oldest of the Original vampire brothers (and the third-born child of Mikael and Esther).
In The Vampire Diaries Elijah first appears in episode eight of season two, Rose. Elijah is brought into the circle by two vampires named Rose and Trevor. They make a deal to be allowed immunity from Elijah and the Originals if they hand over Elena Gilbert, the new Petrova doppelgänger. It is later revealed that Rose and Trevor were the vampires who failed to keep Katerina Petrova (Katherine Pierce) alive for Klaus to sacrifice in the ritual required to release his werewolf abilities. They were subsequently hunted by Klaus and Elijah for centuries. Elijah had feelings for Katerina in 1492 (perhaps due to her resemblance to Tatia, The second doppelganger, and the woman that nature-based the doppelgänger curse off of when she was used to bind the Hybrid Curse back in the 10th century) and tried to save her from Klaus; however, she did not trust Elijah and chose to flee. Later, he would punish her for her betrayal by compelling her to stay in a tomb until he said otherwise. Elena is rescued by the Salvatore brothers not long after Elijah kills Trevor, who had betrayed Elijah in the past by helping Katerina escape. The Salvatores attack Elijah and succeed in staking him; however, he comes back to life at the end of the episode because he is an Original vampire who cannot be killed by any wooden stake. Elijah then works with a witch to locate Elena. The witch is able to locate her, so he goes to Mystic Falls to confront her, where he ends up saving her from a group of vampires who also wanted to take Elena. It is revealed that those vampires wanted to hand her over to Klaus. When Elijah discovers this, he makes peace with Elena and her friends, because he wants to use Elena as bait to draw out Klaus and kill him. He thus makes a deal with Elena that if she helps him kill Klaus, he will leave her friends alone. However, he also intends for Elena to be sacrificed as once Klaus breaks the curse and starts transforming, he will be left vulnerable enough to be killed. During a series of events, Elijah is temporarily "killed" when Elena stabs him with the dagger that can kill an original. When Klaus comes to town, Elena un-daggers Elijah because she needs his help, and he then reveals to her his family's history and the fact that Klaus killed the rest of his siblings. Elijah thus at first tries to help Elena and her friends kill Klaus, but ends up saving him instead in the season two finale episode because Klaus promises to take Elijah to their family (which Elijah had assumed Klaus had hidden their "dead" bodies deep in the ocean) if Elijah spares him. In season three, however, it is revealed that Klaus double-crossed Elijah once again, and daggered him to keep him close to him, like the rest of his daggered siblings. Damon undaggers Elijah later to help him find a way to kill Klaus. When Elijah awakens, he undaggers the rest of his siblings who were located in coffins like his in the same room. They begin to plot their revenge against Klaus, however, before they can make their move, their thought-to-be-dead mother Esther reappears and convinces the siblings to be a family again, which later turns out to be a front for her true motives. After Elijah foils his mother's plans to kill him and his siblings, he leaves Mystic Falls a tortured soul, ashamed of his own barbaric actions and those of his family. He is shown to be one of the most sophisticated and peaceful of the Original siblings, alongside Finn. He is the most compromising regarding Elena and her friends. Elijah and Elena develop a sort of understanding during the series, and Elena comes to be fond of Elijah's company. She thus feels especially betrayed when earlier Elijah threatened to allow Rebekah to kill Elena if the Salvatore brothers are not able to stop Esther Mikaelson from killing the Original Family. However, in the 18th episode of season three, Elena professes that she hopes that her vampire friends are descended from Elijah's bloodline so that he can be spared. Elijah returns to town in the season three finale episode, "The Departed", in order to make a deal with Elena and her friends. Elijah proposes that he be allowed to take Klaus's desiccated (by witch Bonnie and help from the Salvatores and Tyler) body with him and his siblings and leave town, and in exchange, he would make sure that Klaus would not be resurrected within Elena's lifetime or even that of her children, stating: "Perhaps that will teach him some manners." However, Klaus is staked, and Elijah and Rebekah believe him to be dead, even though Klaus actually possessed Tyler Lockwood's body and lives on.
In The Originals Elijah follows his brother, Klaus, to New Orleans and is determined to keep his vow that they are family forever and always, a sentiment Klaus occasionally resents, but has come to rely on.
Elijah meets Hayley, a werewolf carrying Klaus's unborn child, and feels an instant elation of hope that this child will be the salvation of Klaus and a means to draw their broken family back together again, and gives his word that Hayley and the child are family and under his protection. Elijah seeks to reestablish the family's home in New Orleans, as this was the time of their greatest happiness and concord.
Unfortunately, Elijah is also immediately drawn to Hayley herself. Hayley returns his interest, but Elijah tries to subdue his attraction out of respect for Klaus.
Elijah spends most of his efforts attempting to control Klaus and keep all of his bickering family members in line. Klaus and Elijah have something of a symbiotic relationship: Elijah offers the unconditional love Klaus craves, while Klaus represents the possibility that, if Klaus can be saved, so can Elijah, while offering a fertile ground for Elijah's caretaker tendencies.
Elijah is often criticized for always siding with Klaus, and frequently suffers consequences for doing so. Despite his oath to stand fast with Klaus, Elijah often assumes the worst of his brother and is quick to cause Klaus to suffer, especially physically, if it means sparing others (usually their sister, Rebekah, or Hayley).
While he is considered the "honorable" one, who always keeps his word and behaves with impeccable decorum in the formal suits he only wears, Elijah is just as brutal as his brother. He also tends to be domineering, controlling, and smothering to those he considers under his care, and sometimes becomes frustrated and annoyed with Klaus for keeping Elijah from what Elijah wants. Elijah must learn to loosen his rigid control, trust his family more, and be selfish every once in a while, in order to find healthier happiness.
Elijah eventually finds himself as the de facto king of the city, since Klaus does not like to trouble himself with the minutia of everyday rule, and must attempt to broker peace between all of the warring factions or, pending failure, destroy them all in order to make the city safe for his family and new niece.
In season four, Elijah is killed by a fictional ancient evil known as the Hollow as part of its resurrection plan, ending his bloodline. Elijah's family manages to resurrect him, but those descended from Elijah remain dead.
In the series finale, Klaus reveals that, after taking in the Hollow, he intends to commit suicide using a white oak stake he has kept in secret for decades to end the Hollow's threat and ensure the safety of his loved ones. Elijah convinces his brother to say a proper goodbye and then reveals that he intends to die with Klaus whom he feels has been fully redeemed so that they can go on to whatever comes next together. Klaus and Elijah stake each other and die together, taking with them the Hollow.
In Legacies In the series finale, it is revealed that Klaus has found Peace, meaning that Elijah presumably has as well.
Rebekah Mikaelson
Played by Claire Holt TVD recurring seasons: 3–5 TO starring season: 1 TO special guest starring seasons: 2–5 Legacies special guest starring season: 4 Also played by Callie McClincy (young Rebekah) in seasons 1–2
Rebekah Mikaelson is a fictional character; she is Klaus and Elijah's younger sister as well as being an Original vampire. Rebekah shares a deep bond with her brothers Klaus and Elijah; she was the only family member that remained loyal to Klaus despite his vicious behavior toward his family. Klaus kept her by his side for the most part, while he kept the rest of his family staked and stored away in coffins for hundreds of years at a time.
In The Vampire Diaries Rebekah developed a romantic interest in Stefan Salvatore during their encounters in the early 1920s. However, when Klaus and Rebekah were again forced to go on the run by the arrival of their vengeful father Mikael, Rebekah professed an interest in staying in one place and living a stable life with Stefan by her side. Klaus subsequently forced her to choose between a life with him and one with Stefan. When she chooses the latter. Klaus daggers her and stores her body in her coffin for the decades preceding the re-entry of Stefan into their lives. .