The Originals was a delightful outing for The Vampire Diaries fans; not only did the show expand upon the lore but also explored many other supernatural realms that did not get enough time on TVD. From the Mikaelsons to the ancient Marcel and the witches, the show unraveled many storylines designed around vampiric, werewolf folklore and witchcraft.

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But who’s the most powerful character on the show? The question could be difficult to answer since measuring supernatural strength is not a straightforward process. Besides reflexes, abilities or speed, there are many things which factor in like venom, or telepathic abilities, or the ability to channel others, and of course, experience, since the most powerful vampire also needs time to learn to direct his powers. Ranking every main character on The Originals requires the assessments of all their powers.

Hope Mikaelson

Legacies' Alaric, Hope, and Josie walk down hallway

Hope is a "tribrid," a mix of vampire-werewolf hybrid and witch, and as she grows up, her powers could make her one of the most dangerous supernatural creatures in the world.

Even as a seven-year-old girl, she was able to take on powerful witches like the Inadu; however she’s just a teenager and despite her incredible powers, she will need years of training to cultivate her supernatural potential. The fandom believes as an adult, Hope will be stronger than Bonnie and also her father, who was a hybrid. 

Vincent Griffith

Vincent standing in the forest

Vincent is the former Regent of New Orleans’ Nine Covens and the ex-husband of the Tremé witch, Eva Sinclair. At one point Vincent left his coven behind as he wanted to lead a normal life. But Esther chose him as a vessel for her son Finn’s spirit, and Finn actually used Vincent’s body for quite a while to take revenge on his enemies and also his brothers.

In an episode titled Ashes to Ashes, he claims his mother, grandmother and great-grandfather were some really powerful witches from the west side of New Orleans, and chances are, he did inherit their powers to an extent; however, it is unlikely he’s anywhere as powerful as the Originals, or even Marcel.

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Besides some experience in hand-to-hand combat, he also has a vast knowledge about occult and magic and is even called upon by the local P.D to assist them in certain cases.

Freya Mikaelson

Freya with arm outstretched, casting a spell in The Originals

The fandom has often debated how powerful Freya is; she’s the oldest Mikaelson sibling but she’s not a vampire and her powers were concocted by her aunt Dahlia who was a really powerful witch. Dahlia cast a spell on her that causes Freya to hibernate for a hundred years with her age intact, and then only age for a year upon awakening.

This spell aside, Freya has been depicted as a powerful witch. However, she’s only been tutored by Dahlia for ten years; prior, she was asleep for 990 years. So her original tutelage was quite short and though she seems to have a range of powers, it’s not entirely clear if she’s the most powerful witch after her mum Esther.

Kol Mikaelson

Rebekah standing as Kol Mikaelson sits down on couch

Kol is a survivor and though he was introduced as an antagonist, his role later switched gears and he became one of the primary leads in the later seasons. He’s not more powerful than Klaus or Elijah but he was also able to kill twelve vampires single-handedly; so clearly he has a lot of prowess.

Kol has proven that he can hold himself in a fight against Klaus, which means he’s definitely had a lot of strength as an original vampire. Although he is more powerful than Finn, he’s less skilled and experienced than his older siblings Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah.

Davina Claire

Davina Claire casting a spell, her hair blowing in the wind

Davina was introduced as a Harvest Girl who was about to be sacrificed in Season One's Harvest ritual but was saved by Marcel; doing so also cut the ritual short and Davina incidentally absorbed the powers of the other witches who had already been sacrificed. This opens up huge channels of magic inside her and basically makes her the most coveted asset for any supernatural coven. And though she has often been depicted as a powerful witch, it’s important to note at almost every turn, she was sourcing her powers from others.

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During harvest, she was powered by the energies of dead witches from her coven and when she was made the Grand Witch she channeled the powers of other witches. It's yet to be determined how potent her own powers are.

Hayley Marshall

Hayley Marshall in The Originals

Hayley was introduced as a regular werewolf from an ancient werewolf family. It was only after Hayley died in the season one finale with her daughter Hope's blood in her system, that she was transformed into a vampire-werewolf hybrid; she inherited the strengths of both species.

But she was nowhere as strong as Klaus who’d been a hybrid for thousands of years. Even so, the transformation made Hayley much more powerful, and it gave her control over her werewolf changes. The drawback was, she couldn't go out in the sun.

Rebekah Mikaelson

A 3-way collage of Rebekah stills

Rebekah wasn’t seen engaging in a lot of fights or hand-to-hand combat scenes, and there’s no evidence that she ever received any kind of physical training. Of course, she was one of the most powerful people on the show since she’s an original vampire, but she’s not as skilled or as proficient a fighter as compared to Elijah or Klaus.

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Although she has often successfully decapitated her enemies single-handedly, she just chooses not to engage in physical brawls unless necessary. 

Marcel

Marcel standing near a lit candle on The Originals

Marcel became an upgraded original vampire when an reversed engineered Immortality Spell was used to turn him. An Upgraded Original, much like an enhanced Original is an evolved version of Originals who are better than actual originals in certain key ways. Upgraded origins like Lucien can even be more powerful than Elijah.

Marcel had super strength, incredible reflexes and also had certain telepathic powers. Most importantly they possess an advanced werewolf’s venom that kills quicker than a regular werewolf bite and cannot be cured by an Original’s blood.

Elijah

Elijah looks at someone facing him

Elijah is the oldest Original around and he’s extremely skilled in hand-to-hand combat, courtesy his superhuman strength and battle experience. He has superior reflexes than any of his siblings, except, of course, Klaus.

Elijah is simply a lot more evolved as a vampire; be it in terms of skill set or vampiric abilities, and not to mention his knowledge and intellect about the supernatural realm — which is his biggest asset. Elijah has decapitated and dismembered non-Original vampires in a matter of seconds and as a ‘predator,’ he has better instincts than Klaus. Not to mention his blood, like any Original’s blood, can cure almost any wound.

Klaus

Klaus talks to Stefan in The Vampire Diaries

Klaus was the world’s first hybrid since he was a vampire with werewolf’s abilities. He’s almost invincible, since he couldn’t possibly be killed by a non-original. The extent of his powers has often shocked the viewers, because he also has incredible mind-control powers and can compel people for lengthy periods of time.

Klaus' powers improved with the consumption of human blood and his own blood paralyzed his father Mikael for a while, since it had werewolf venom. Not to mention Klaus is also a skilled swordsman and very experienced in combat and attack strategies.

NEXT: Legacies: The Main Characters & Their Vampire Diaries Counterparts