Elena Gilbert

Elena Gilbert is a fictional character and protagonist from The Vampire Diaries (novel series). In The Vampire Diaries set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, she is portrayed by Nina Dobrev. In the books, Elena was blonde, popular, selfish and a "mean girl". However the show's producers, Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, felt that it wasn't the right direction they wanted to go with their heroine in The Vampire Diaries television series. Instead, her "dark side" didn't exist, and she was nice, relatable and "the girl next door".

Much of Elena's story revolves around her relationships with vampires Stefan Salvatore and his older brother, Damon. It is revealed that Elena is a Petrova Doppelgänger, which is thus responsible for her being identical to her ancestor, Katherine Pierce (née Katerina Petrova). This also has the implication of making her a supernatural creature. Dobrev portrayed the "conniving" Katherine as well, who is opposite of Elena. The actress stated that it has been a challenge distinguishing the two, and enjoys playing them both. In the television series's fourth season, Elena becomes a vampire and deals with the struggles that come with her change. She took the cure and became human again towards the end of the sixth season. In the finale of the sixth season, Kai linked Elena to Bonnie's life by magic. Elena will only wake up when Bonnie dies. She is locked inside the Salvatore tomb till she is able to wake up again in the next 60 or more years.

List of The Vampire Diaries characters

The Vampire Diaries is an American fantasy-drama television series picked up by:The CW for their fall 2009 schedule. It is adapted from L. J. Smith's novel series of the same name by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. The focal points of the show are the love triangle formed by series' protagonist Elena Gilbert (Dobrev) and vampire brothers Stefan Salvatore (Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Somerhalder) and the town's supernatural history, involving Elena's friends and relatives.

The Originals is an American television series that aired in 2013, spun off from The Vampire Diaries and set in the city of New Orleans. The series shares a universe with its predecessor and centers around three Mikaelson siblings, Klaus (Morgan), Elijah (Gillies), and Rebekah (Holt), collectively known as "original vampires", or simply "originals".

Main characters

The following is a list of series regulars who have appeared in one or more of the series' seven seasons. The characters are listed in the order they were first credited in the series.