In The Vampire Diaries, the best characters are frequently ethically ambiguous, and Klaus Mikaelson is no exception. Throughout the entirety of his appearance in the series, he poses a threat to Elena and the Salvatores. He first appears as a villain in the second season. However, Klaus continues to be a source of controversy among viewers, whether it be from his evil days on The Vampire Diaries or the more morally dubious ones on The Originals. While it may be argued that he finally turned into a hero, others think he is still a ruthless, unremorseful villain.
Klaus undergoes massive development when he raises his daughter and defends his siblings in The Originals. The original hybrid is drastically different from his past self in the spin-off. By showing him transform his largely pointless animosity into actions to defend his daughter, The Originals made numerous attempts to redeem the character. Still, it didn’t eliminate his innate cruelty. All it takes is the character’s words to make it clear that he is ruthless. From an archive of quotes, here are 21 lines that sum Klaus Mikaelson up as a hero, a villain, a father, and a tyrannous king in The Vampire Diaries franchise.
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21 “The monster in me can only be checked by the monster in you.”
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Klaus reassures his brother Elijah in a stirring monologue from season 2, episode 7 of The Originals that the two possess the heroism necessary to vanquish their demons and protect their family from the forces of evil. In addition to assuring his brother they can overcome their inner darkness, Klaus also admits to the monster he is. The first step in tackling a problem is acknowledging that one has one, and in this case, Klaus’ honesty is equivalent to his bravery.
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20 “A warrior fights for what they believe in. A warrior fights for his family.”
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Klaus offers a provocative goal statement that demonstrates the nobleness of his quest, quoted from The Originals season 2, episode 1. Heroes and martyrs are prepared to die for a cause or conviction, and Klaus’s explanation is spot-on. To some, Klaus is an evil monster that must be defeated. But, according to hybrids, Klaus is a brave leader who will go above and beyond to protect his family and friends.
19 “Family are not just people who coddle you, grant you your every whim — they are people who fight for you, who you fight for.”
Here, Klaus expresses his thoughts on what he believes to be the core of a real family. According to a recurring theme he raises, nothing is more important to risk one’s life than one’s family.
As Klaus points out, by criticizing the parental habit of indulging and unhealthily smothering children, sacrifice can sometimes imply tough love. Even though he has somewhat distorted notions of family, he makes a point with this statement.
18 “We are the savage villains in fairytales told to children, but not for my child, not for Hope. In her story, we are the knights in shining armor.”
Klaus’ self-description as Hope’s valiant knight in shining armor, taken from the same protracted monologue in the previous quote, couldn’t be more accurate. Even while Klaus is aware of how despicable he is viewed by the so-called decent people and the general public, his loyalty to his family is no less admirable than how humans defend their own. And although he only truly loves a small number of individuals in this world, it is impossible to deny that those he loves will always be in his heart.
17 “Every soul who wishes you harm will be struck down. Just as sure as my blood runs through your veins, you will return to me. I love you, Hope.”
Klaus reiterates his promise to protect Hope by all means and brutally punish anyone who puts the finger on her in a tear-inducing confession. The remark, which almost seems biblical in its fire and brimstone imagery, refers to family, legacy, and the tremendous expense involved in sustaining both. The last half of the sentence is particularly moving because Klaus rarely expresses his genuine feelings and detests such cheesy sentimentality. As a result, Klaus’ openness reveals his underlying humanity.
16 “My dearest Hope, please remember you are the legacy our family has always desired, the promise we fought to protect.”
In the season 3 finale of The Originals, Klaus expresses a deeply moving emotion that upholds his more idealistic heritage with the thematic gravity one might anticipate from a season 3 conclusion. Klaus’ altruistic humility in handing the reins to his daughter as the almighty one, beyond the parental safety he offers, really explains why Klaus perceives himself as a misjudged martyr.
15 “Hayley, this family comes with many hardships, but there is one benefit: you will always have a home here.”
Klaus offered Hayley a gracious hand when she sought safety in the Mikaelson mansion, as stated in The Originals season 3, episode 11. Despite having previously betrayed one another, Klaus embraces his lover-turned-nemesis. The phrase demonstrates his heroism because he was able to move on from his past troubles and maintain sympathy for his ex-girlfriend and Hope’s mother. He didn’t need to offer an olive branch, but he did it to support a close friend in desperate need.
14 “Those that persevere, despite all they’ve been through, those who still believe there is good in the world, as dark things we often find that light the most.”
Klaus isn’t a fan of inspirational advice and flattering comments. But in The Originals season 3, episode 9, the super-strong TV vampire speaks heroically about perseverance, overcoming adversity, and sheer hope. As part of his internal struggle between light and darkness, Klaus frankly acknowledges that even the most terrible characters require light to endure suffering. He strengthens his more optimistic view by rebuking his dark side.
13 “There is beauty in the courage of a fragile fighter.”
CW
Heroism and courage go hand in hand. A person becomes more heroic the more they can overcome their fear. In a quote, Klaus expresses his understanding of this concept and his admiration for the bravery of a weak warrior. Klaus has the mindset of a hero, whether he acts like one or not, and this is how he maintains his focus on eliminating his adversaries.
12 “You never learned that the bonds of family far outweight anything else. They even allow one monster to pardon the great sins of another.”
Despite having distorted thoughts on family, Klaus is spot-on with this statement. He echoes what he believes to be at the core of a true family in The Originals season 2, episode 11. According to Klaus, who frequently talks about sacrifice, nothing is more important to risk one’s life than family.
11 “You can’t win a war without a few strategic losses, no matter how regrettable they may be.”
Because Klaus Mikaelson views every conflict as a battle, he is free to break the laws whenever he pleases. Every war, in his words, has its casualties, and if everything is a conflict, then deaths are inevitable. He doesn’t understand why his friends and family are so heartbroken when someone dear to them passes away or when he is willing to kill anyone who gets in his way. Whoever stands in the way of Klaus’s desires is doomed to get harmed, at best, or be tormented, at worst, whether they were on his side, the enemy’s side, or merely innocent spectators.
10 “Over the course of my life, I’ve encountered no shortage of those who would presume to speak of good and evil. Such terms mean nothing. People do what is in their best interest.”
Understanding the distinction between right and wrong is the foundation of morality, and part of that is realizing that some things are inherently evil and unsalvageable. Klaus, though, has a different perspective. According to his worldview, everyone acts in their best interests, and the only distinction between him and the “good” people is that the latter benefit one thing or another from upholding moral standards.
9 “There is not a thing on this earth that will matter enough for me to waste even more thirty more seconds of my time.”
Klaus typically believes that he is the only one in the world that matters; thus, he will reject anyone who causes him to lose focus on his goal. He doesn’t consider anything important if it doesn’t affect him, regardless of how important it may be to others. Because of this attitude, he commits horrible crimes and ignores emerging horrors.
8 “When I order werewolves to be hunted to extinction, I expect you to stand to the side and let the blood flow.”
Although he has a connection to werewolves, Klaus views himself as a vampire first. This gives him the power to commit unspeakable atrocities against the werewolf populations in Mystic Falls and New Orleans. Even though Hayley and his siblings mostly object to his plans to attack the werewolves, he views himself as the ruler of New Orleans, and his decisions are accepted without objection. He not only makes his loved ones violate their values, but he also demonstrates that he only loves them if they obey him, which isn’t really love at all.
7 “If you continue to defy me, your lives will be reduced to an unending sequence of agonizing torture.”
Even though Klaus and the other Mikaelsons are excellent at making threats, they excel at doing so in the calmest manner possible. In addition to threatening to kill his adversaries, Klaus also devises the most horrifying forms of punishment. Fans may rest confident that he never makes threats he won’t carry out—This is only one illustration of the style of threats he issues.
6 “There’s no power in love! Mercy makes you weak! Family makes you weak!”
Although some fans regard that this goes against Klaus’s natural tendencies, they still believe he was a good guy because his acts were driven by love. When Klaus learns he has a daughter, he is ready to let her and her mother pass away to avoid being confined. However, he spends a significant amount of season one defending Hayley and her child because they are his, not because he loves them. He does, however, finally come around to the concept of having an heir.
5 “You don’t arm yourself after war has been declared. You build your army so big that no one dares pick the fight.”
Due in large part to his enormous threat level, Klaus was one of the best villains in The Vampire Diaries. Little dangers primarily threatened Mystic Falls before the Mikaelsons’ arrival. However, when he arrived, he demonstrated to them the true nature of power and what would happen to anyone who disobeyed him.
One of the key ways he accomplished this is by preemptive action. He is right when he argues it is folly to go into battle unarmed and unprepared. This is another instance of him rationalizing his brutality by asserting that he is at war, a claim that many of the times he made were only exaggerated misunderstandings.
4 “People quake with fear because I have the power to make them afraid.”
That Klaus takes pleasure in making other people fear him is among the most blatant indications that he is evil. Even though he frequently justifies his behavior, he wants others to fear him. In contrast to the dread he always had when his father attacked him, it gives him a rush of strength that makes him feel strong. Mikael was a bad guy and a terrible father to Klaus, but he instilled the worst traits in him, teaching Klaus to love power and do whatever it takes to instill terror in other people.
3 “What some would call evil, I believe to be an appropriate response to a harsh and unfair world.”
Compared to The Vampire Diaries, viewers of The Originals could see more of Klaus’ perspective, but that does not automatically make him a likable or heroic character. His worldview is “kill or be killed,” and unlike Stefan, he has no qualms about consuming human blood. Klaus is commonly called evil, an accusation to which he constantly offers defenses. Why shouldn’t he be harsh if the world is? Why should he worry about his meals?
2 “Endof the day, human life is just a means to an end. Our means to our end.”
The audience is exposed to a cast of supernatural beings in The Vampire Diaries, who grew among humans and only recently underwent a transformation from a human state. The likes of Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena valued their friends and family and cared for others. Due to his advanced age, Klaus lacks that sense of humanity. As a result, he is the most ruthless villain since he will kill anyone without even the slightest sense of regret.
