Very few protagonists get an arc as rich and rewarding as Klaus Mikaelson in The Originals. The Original vampire who first appeared in The Vampire Diaries undergoes a tremendous personal transformation and ultimately sacrifices his life so his tribrid daughter Hope could live on.
An ancient dark entity known as the Hollow threatened the Mikaelson legacy and Klaus and Elijah essentially sacrificed their lives to protect Hope from being consumed by this malignant spirit. However, many fans were miffed with this ending as they wanted Klaus to live on. Here are a few reasons why Klaus’ ending was fitting and a few reasons why it made no sense:
10 Makes No Sense: It’s A Cliche
The Originals marked a lot of firsts in the treatment of the quintessential anti-hero. It was obvious that the show was never interested in glorifying its main lead and instead explored a more nuanced and mature look at Klaus’ personal history and his broader insecurities. It wasn’t just humane but also did a great job at making him a relatable protagonist, at least in some ways. Fans had hoped the show would extend this novelty when it came to wrapping up his personal arc. A death is a done-and-dusted formula for doing away with complicated storylines, so in a way, it's a cop-out.
9 Fitting Ending: Ends His Life On A Note Of Sacrifice
Klaus was introduced as an enormously self-serving person who had a vendetta against the world, including his family. So, to end his arc on a note of sacrifice definitely makes his personal transformation much more significant since he gives his own life to save his daughter.
Klaus takes in all of the darkness of the Hollows magic from Hope to save her from its power and ends his own life in the process and it can’t be denied that there’s a lot of poignance in this ending.
8 Makes No Sense: His Character Is A Shoo-In For Legacies
Klaus and Hope’s storyline is not just endearing but also a huge fan favorite, and showrunners could have easily included him in Legacies instead of killing him off. Of course, Hope needs a parent and a mentor and Klaus would be ideal since he has so much experience navigating his hybrid origins. But more importantly, Legacies needs more familiar faces from the franchise and some prominent names to anchor the storyline, which could really help the spin-off find more footing, especially with the loyalists of the franchise.
7 Fitting Ending: His Personal Arc Is Neatly Wrapped Up
Klaus had one of the best arcs in the franchise and he also found a certain kind of closure since it ended on a positive, redeeming note. Keeping it open-ended would have taken away from the poetic conclusion of his end and would also make things difficult for Legacies since it focuses on Hope who has been depicted as an orphan trying to find her own way.
The spin-off showrunners obviously anchored the spin-off to follow a Mikaelson who has to forge her own path in the world and in a way it makes total sense that Klaus was killed off.
6 Makes No Sense: Daggering Him To Sleep Seemed Like A Better Idea
For a character as complex and intriguing as Klaus, death seems too final and too ultimate. The possibility of Klaus’ return definitely ups the ante for Legacies and future spin-offs. And even the fandom believes that Klaus’ death comes across as wasteful when he could have been put to sleep with a white oak dagger. Though the white oak ash dagger won’t work on him because of his dormant werewolf side, this problem could be easily fixed in the writer’s room and daggering Klaus to sleep for an indefinite time would have been a lot more plausible for the fandom than coming to terms with his death.
5 Fitting Ending: His Death Serves As His Redemption
Considering Klaus’ history of violence and wreckage over the centuries, the fact that he ends his life on a note of sacrifice obviously lends a sense of redemption to his arc which makes it richer. Since he gives his life so Hope could live, it brings forth a new side in him and could be considered his attempt at redeeming himself for all the wrongs he had committed over the years.
It also concludes his storyline on a positive elevated note, so he could be considered a role model in the future, especially pertaining to his daughter.
4 Makes No Sense: Klaus Would Have Been Instrumental To The Academy
Klaus could easily take on a Professor X style mantle at The Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted. The fandom is clearly interested in seeing how the Mikaelson heir, Hope, turns out as a tribrid and it seems odd that no Mikaelson is around her to mentor her. The school intends to teach young gifted individuals to deal with mythical creatures and there are so many supernatural characters they probably hadn’t encountered or studied, and Klaus’ thousand years of experience as a hybrid would obviously come in handy, even vis-a-vis defense and protection against the darker energies.
3 Fitting Ending: The End To Centuries Of Disfunction
There’s something Shakesperean about how the Mikaelsons’ death signified the end of centuries of dysfunctional dynamic - specifically because the family works together to fight the ancient evil known as the Hollow that was introduced during season 3. It threatened Hope and the Mikaelson legacy and the fact that they could only save Hope with the sacrifice of their lives marks the end to the toxic cycle that has defined the Mikaelson family legacy; it essentially makes for a really rewarding arc as a whole.
2 Makes No Sense: Klaus Should Have Been Explored As A Father Further
Klaus’ personal storyline was hugely driven by how poorly he was treated by his father Mikael, so the fact that Klaus’ positive or uplifting influence on Hope was explored so little makes no sense. They did spend some time when Hope was around six and then he disappeared from her life for five years and then died soon after. And though he did help her with her first transformation and does mentor her and teach her about her powers, Klaus’ arc as a father was quite underdeveloped so his untimely death made for a really unrewarding ending for fans who wanted to see Klaus settle into his role as a father.
1 Fitting Ending: Joseph Morgan Wasn’t Keen On Bringing Klaus Back
Joseph Morgan who played Klaus is very happy with how Klaus’ arc ended and even talked about how bringing him back would seem quite ‘cheap’ or too commercial. Plus, when it comes to deciding the fate of long-running primary characters, the actor’s sentiments are vital; if Morgan decided against returning as Klaus, things could get difficult for the spin-off. “Him dying, sacrificing himself to save his daughter, to me, was a fitting kind of him finally learning the greatest lesson and doing an ultimately selfless act. He came from such a selfish place. So I don't know what the pitch would be that would, you know, for him to show up in a flashback or as a ghost or something. I just feel like it would be a bit cheap to do something like that,” Morgan said.
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April 04, 2021 at 05:30AM
