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The Originals had no shortage of drama. It gave us powerful vampires, ancient family feuds, and a city that always seemed a bit too quiet before something went wrong. But for a show built around a strong set of “heroes,” it’s hard to ignore how often the villains stole the spotlight.
Sometimes it was because they had better lines. Other times, it was because they weren’t trying to be liked. They were free to make messier choices, hold grudges longer, and blow things up when words didn’t cut it.
Don’t get us wrong, the Mikaelsons were a complicated bunch. You couldn’t exactly call Klaus, Elijah, or even Rebekah straightforward heroes. But when compared to the “big bads” of each season, they often felt…less interesting.
The villains came in swinging, with strong motives and louder entrances. And even when they lost, they often made the show feel sharper.
So let’s take a look at ten times the villain in The Originals outshone the heroes entirely.
10 times the villain was more interesting than the hero in The Originals
1) Mikael: The original vampire who hated his own family
Mikael was terrifying, even when he wasn’t on screen. As Klaus’s father, or at least the man who raised him, he wasn’t just a villain. He was a source of deep, lasting trauma. His hatred ran so cold that you almost believed he’d destroy his own children just to feel powerful again.
When he finally appeared in The Originals, his scenes with Klaus had real weight. There was bitterness, fear, and that sense that nothing would ever really be healed. His anger made him more than a threat - it made him someone the show couldn’t ignore.
2) Dahlia: The aunt who broke everything
Dahlia didn’t show up right away, but once she arrived, everything changed. She wasn’t wild or chaotic - she was calm. And that made her more unnerving. She believed what she was doing made sense. Taking Hope was just part of the plan.
The way she spoke to Freya, like love was something she gave in pieces, made her colder than any fire spell. The Originals needed a magical enemy eventually, and Dahlia fit that role. But what made her stick was how certain she was that she wasn’t the bad guy.
3) Marcel Gerard: The boy who became a king
Marcel began as Klaus’s protégé, but he didn’t stay quiet for long. He rose up in New Orleans, took control, and later clashed with the very people who shaped him. Marcel wasn’t evil - just angry, proud, and tired of being treated like he didn’t belong.
But when he stood against the Mikaelsons, he brought something they didn’t have: a clear sense of loyalty. When he turned into the upgraded Original, the balance shifted. His strength wasn’t just physical. He had the city behind him. For a while, he felt more heroic than the actual heroes.
4) Aurora de Martel: Beautiful, broken, and dangerous
Aurora wasn’t just an old flame; she was a full-on storm. She came back into Klaus’s life like a ghost with sharp teeth. Her voice was soft, her dress was elegant, but her mind was somewhere else entirely.
What made Aurora stand out wasn’t just her pain. It was her unpredictability. She could kiss Klaus one minute and try to destroy everything he loved the next. The Originals has had its share of exes with attitude, but Aurora made heartbreak feel like war.
5) Lucien Castle: Smile now, bite later
Lucien started as a charmer. Almost too charming. He joked around, wore nice suits, and seemed like someone who’d buy you a drink and ruin your life in the same night. He had history with the Mikaelsons, and he carried it like a badge and a blade.
When he became the first sired vampire to turn into a super-powered threat, things got serious. Lucien wasn’t just bitter. He believed the Originals had used people like him as pawns, and he wanted payback. That made him dangerous in a way that didn’t need a big entrance.
6) Papa Tunde: Power with a price
Papa Tunde didn’t stick around long, but his presence was heavy. He came to New Orleans with ritual, pain, and a quiet intensity that felt different from the usual vampire fights.
His magic wasn’t flashy; it was old and thick with meaning. He didn’t just kill; he left a mark. His return from the grave brought a dark energy that shifted the tone of The Originals for a few episodes. And while he didn’t win, he left a deep scar.
7) Tristan de Martel: Calm as ice, cold as stone
Tristan didn’t yell. He didn’t gloat. He played chess while others played checkers, and he always seemed two steps ahead. As the leader of the Strix, he brought politics into The Originals in a way that actually worked.
He saw the Mikaelsons as threats, not just to him, but to the world. His style was all control, all silence. That made him frustrating for the characters and fascinating for the audience.
8) The Hollow: A spirit that wouldn’t go away
The Hollow wasn’t a traditional villain. It was more like a force - something old, powerful, and always lurking. It jumped from person to person, changing faces and twisting minds. The thing that made The Hollow effective wasn’t just the magic. It was the sense that the threat never really left.
Even when it seemed defeated, it had a way of creeping back. The Originals often dealt with loyalty and betrayal, but The Hollow brought something else, something less personal and more mythic. That shift gave later seasons a different kind of tension.
9) Esther Mikaelson: Mother knows best
It’s one thing to face a stranger who wants you gone. It’s another when your own mother is the one with the plan. Esther believed she was saving her children - from themselves. Her offer to undo their vampire natures wasn’t exactly generous, but she meant it as love.
That twisted kind of care made her actions harder to watch. She didn’t yell or curse. She simply offered a way out and expected obedience. In a show like The Originals, where family is both strength and curse, Esther made that theme painfully clear.
10) Inadu: The Hollow’s true face
While The Hollow started as an idea, it eventually took on a clearer form in Inadu. As a child once sacrificed by her tribe, Inadu didn’t just want revenge - she wanted power without limit. And she wasn’t quiet about it. When she took over Hope’s body, the stakes became deeply personal.
You weren’t just fighting a villain. You were fighting for the next generation. Inadu believed she deserved everything she took. That sense of entitlement, mixed with magic and history, made her the kind of villain The Originals couldn’t brush aside.
Conclusion
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The Originals had no shortage of layered, flawed, and broken characters. But time and again, the villains gave the story more edge. They pushed the heroes, forced hard choices, and often walked away with the most memorable scenes.
Whether it was a quiet glare, a twisted spell, or a soft spoken threat, the bad guys' girls made New Orleans feel alive and dangerous. You didn’t always root for them. But you definitely noticed when they were on screen. And sometimes, that’s more powerful than being a hero.
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