By (seemingly) killing off The Originals character, Legacies proved that Alaric is the most vital character in the entire The Vampire Diaries universe. Despite Legacies taking place in the world of The Vampire Diaries, not every major character from that earlier hit has appeared on the series so far. Thus, thanks to his major role in all three outings of the franchise, and although he seems to be on death’s door, Alaric Saltzman is proving to be the most important figure in the sprawling The Vampire Diaries universe.
Debuting in 2018, Legacies is the second spinoff from ‘00s teen phenomenon The Vampire Diaries. Continuing the story of the show’s first spinoff The Originals, Legacies follows a group of supernaturally powered students attending the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted. Like Landon’s many Legacies deaths, Alaric’s apparent demise could still potentially be reversed by the show, but his death has allowed Legacies to highlight how central the character is to the overlapping The Vampire Diaries/The Originals/Legacies mythos.
The most recent episode of Legacies, “I Thought You’d Be Happier To See Me” (season 4, episode 5), saw Alaric dying having been attacked by the now amoral, vampiric Tribrid Hope. The students of the Salvatore School assembled to hold a candlelight vigil, honoring their principal for all he'd given to and taught them (as well as the many paranormal threats that the character protected them from over the 4 seasons of Legacies). The scene underscored the fact that Alaric has quietly the most important character in the The Vampire Diaries universe. He helped Hope discover her powers as far back as The Originals, played a pivotal role throughout The Vampire Diaries, and is the only figure who has been a consistent presence between all three shows.
As a principal, Alaric has been the ultimate support for not only his daughters Lizzie and Josie but also the school’s population more broadly. He was also the only adult character who has had an actual arc in all three shows, even though his role in The Originals lasted only three episodes. This short appearance was still vital, with Alaric essentially setting up the action of Legacies by compelling Klaus to enroll Hope in the Salvatore School when she was a child. The Legacies heroine did technically also appear in The Originals and The Vampire Diaries as well as starring in the second spinoff. However, she showed up on The Vampire Diaries only briefly and as a baby, whereas Alaric was a central member of the show’s cast from season 1 onwards.
However, while Alaric has been a consistently compelling character throughout all three Vampire Diaries television shows, this does mean that the threat of his death is a little less compelling than it could have been. Alaric has returned from apparently certain death more than once between the three series, meaning viewers are less likely to worry about his fate in Legacies season 4 than they might have been about a less central character. That said, Landon and Hope’s relationship seemed to ensure the character could survive anything and he hasn’t been heard from since Hope’s Tribrid transformation ended Malivore-Landon’s reign of terror. Therefore, it may be possible that The Originals spinoff Legacies has become as ruthless about killing off characters as The Vampire Diaries was—even figures as central to the show’s universe as Alaric.