Beloved series heroine or not, Hope Mikaelson needs to die in the Legacies season 3 finale so that the character can reach her full potential power-wise. Debuting in late 2018, Legacies is a spinoff of The Originals, which is itself a spinoff of the ‘00s CW hit The Vampire Diaries. Like its predecessors, Legacies mixes teen drama with supernatural horror elements to create a fast-paced paranormal soap.
However, unlike The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, Legacies has a camp sense of humor that helps the series stay light-hearted. This vital addition has kept fans from being frustrated by the limited scope of Legacies’ plot focus. Where its predecessors fleshed out their supporting casts, Legacies has largely squandered its setting in the potentially interesting Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted by mostly focusing on only two students, Landon Kirby and Hope Mikaleson.
Landon and Hope’s on-again, off-again love story has seen Legacies’ heroine save her love interest countless times in what was once a refreshing inversion of the damsel in distress trope. However, Hope has not always been able to save the part-Phoenix/part-Malivore Landon from death and doom, and her love interest has (temporarily) died twice in the series so far. The formula has become a little predictable, which is part of why Hope should die in season 3’s finale. Legacies has spent a while hinting at the fact that that to defeat Malivore, Hope has to become the Tribrid (a hybrid witch, werewolf, and vampire). However, while this is her character’s destiny, to achieve these powers Hope would need to fully embrace becoming the Tribrid over all else - meaning she must die.
Becoming the Tribrid means dying to access the vampire portion of her powers, something Hope understandably doesn't want to do. However, while her avoidance of the transformation is fair, the eventual change is what the entirety of Legacies' three seasons have been driving at. Legacies may not be as popular as The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, but adding these sort of tragic stakes to the show’s story could elevate the second spinoff past feeling like an imitation of its predecessors. What’s more, Hope learning to deal with being a Tribrid (and activating her vampire side), would be a great arc to keep the story fresh in Legacies season 4.
Legacies has thus far been unable to recapture the magic of its predecessors for many fans, but killing off Hope and bringing her back as the Tribrid could make the heroine a stronger, more powerful protagonist and reignite interest in the series as a result. With Hope learning the ropes of vampire life (or un-death, rather) as she tackles the responsibilities and powers of the Tribrid, Legacies season 4 could make the show a darker, more exciting prospect for fans. Legacies already avoided its most persistent mistake by empowering Landon in season 3, which makes season 4 a perfect chance for the series to flesh out Hope’s character.