5) Rose (Lauren Cohan)
Rose may not have been the most hospitable character when we first met her, but honestly, who can blame her? Her best friend’s obsession with Katherine kept them on the run for almost five hundred years and in the end cost him his life. Rose would have understandably been more than happy to trade Elena for peace of mind – something she didn’t get until the very end.
During her arc on The Vampire Diaries, we watched as she transformed from a vampire with a grudge to a member of the good guys. Just when she started to have an effect on Damon, she met her untimely end with a fatal werewolf bite. Her final scene marks one of the few times that Damon has exhibited actual feelings for a female other than Elena. It was a truly touching way to go.
After her death, Rose appeared to Jeremy to help track down her lineage when the Salvatore brothers were desperately attempting to trace their roots in an attempt to find and protect the Original that would end their line. Rose was as intelligent as she was ruthless, and on a show that deals in life and death, a person like that always comes in handy. Plus, even though she had a brief fling with Damon, she was one of the few that supported his relationship with Elena. And Elena’s going to need all the support she can get right about now.