8) Kol Mikaelson (Nathaniel Buzolic)
The Originals played a significant role in establishing the vampire mythology on The Vampire Diaries, but not every member of the original family found a permanent place on the show, or its spinoff. When the Mikaelsons moved into town, Kol was still taking up residence in a fancy pine box with a dagger impaled in his chest, courtesy of his big brother.
None of the Originals are particularly well adjusted, but Kol had a certain edge to him that made him an intriguing character to watch nonetheless. His tenacity for extremes made him Klaus’s go-to henchman, but like his brother, there was a certain likability hovering just under the surface.
When Mystic Falls’ favorite supernaturals started taking down Originals with their newly fashioned White Oak stakes in season four, Kol became the last piece of Jeremy’s hunter mark. Before he died, we got to see him take a stance against waking Silas (also Wesley), which in hindsight is a warning that maybe more people should have considered. At the very least it would have avoided a decent number of future issues.
If he could get over his urge for revenge, Kol could possibly be a formidable member of the good guys – and on top of his actual usefulness, he’s not half bad on the eyes either. With Damon gone for the moment, it wouldn’t hurt to bring back an attractive distraction.
