Klaus Mikaelson's cameo in the Legacies series finale left a bittersweet taste as it brought waves of nostalgia from the previous parts of the franchise. He was first introduced as the villain in the second season of The Vampire Diaries and since then he quickly became a fan favorite as viewers couldn’t get enough of his clever schemes and iconic lines. His character development continued in the spinoff The Originals and fans got to watch him grow as a person and change into a better man.
The progress in his character is evident through his actions and in the way his demeanor changed toward the people around him. Taking one step at a time, Klaus learned to appreciate his family and mended all the bridges he burned in the past. From wreaking havoc in Mystic Falls to becoming a father in New Orleans, Klaus has gone through tremendous changes through the seasons. The gradual buildup towards his redemption became one of the best things about the show as he was just getting better and better.
He Stopped Daggering His Siblings
When Klaus found mystical daggers that could give original vampires a temporary death, he began using them on his siblings every time they angered him. He used to terrorize them with the daggers and he used them several times in The Vampire Diaries.
However, during the events of The Originals, Klaus only used the daggers once in the first season and then stopped entirely. It's fair to say that somewhere along the way he understood that his siblings are his greatest allies and he learned to value them for it. The bond between him and his family became stronger and while they still had their regular fights and disagreements, the absence of the daggers made it obvious that Klaus was doing his best to regain their trust and improve their relationship.
He Learned To Trust Freya
Trust issues are among Klaus's signature traits, so it came as no surprise when he greeted his long-lost sister with hostility and mistrust. When Freya was first introduced in The Originals, Rebekah and Elijah were quick to accept her into their family, but with Klaus, it was a different story. The harsh exchange of words between them was accompanied by snapped necks and magic aneurysm spells.
However, as the seasons went on fans got to watch the two of them get closer. Klaus's skepticism towards her gradually turned into trust and love. The fact that he accepted her and welcomed her into the family clearly shows how much he has changed. He even walked her down the aisle, while later, in Legacies, it's revealed that Freya named her son after him.
He Made Peace With Past Enemies
In the thousand years Klaus has been around, he naturally made enemies, some of whom came back into his life to seek vengeance. But not all his past enemies remained as such and Klaus sought to make peace with some of them. The best example of that is Stefan Salvatore, Klaus's sworn enemy in The Vampire Diaries.
The long history of friendship, betrayals, and alliances between Stefan and Klaus finally got to a conclusion in the crossover episodes "Moonlight On The Bayou" and "A Streetcar Named Desire." The episodes gave fans a long overdue reunion of their favorite duo who greeted each other as old friends rather than enemies. This was a significant part of Klaus's character development as it was the first time he helped a former enemy without expecting anything in return.
He Went To Therapy
The first step to becoming a better person is always to recognize your wrongs, and going to therapy makes that a lot easier. However, it’s fair to say that therapy doesn’t usually make it on the to-do list of fictional supervillains - but Klaus is the exception.
Since the first season, Klaus had regular sessions with Cami and her influence on him became more and more evident in his actions. He learned to have more empathy as Cami encouraged him to be a better person and a better father. While her effect on him was gradual, it was monumental. Even after Cami died, in one of the most heartbreaking deaths in The Originals, Klaus continued to hold on to her words as a moral compass.
He Became Friends With Hayley
It's fair to say that Klaus and Hayley didn't exactly get off to a friendly start. Their initial meeting in Mystic Falls was complicated enough and then when the two of them had a child together, their clashing parenting styles led them to several disputes and betrayals.
Trust is not something that came easy to Klaus and he had a hard time accepting Hayley into their family. However, he soon began putting in the effort to improve their relationship. Klaus came a long way from cursing her and her pack in season 2 - he grew to respect her opinions and trust her. While some fans thought that Klaus and Hayley would've been perfect together, they developed a sweet friendship and a partnership devoted to doing what's best for their daughter.
He Reconciled With Marcel
When Klaus adopted young Marcel, the two quickly came to recognize each other as family. But by the beginning of season 1, their relationship had gone sideways and they became rivals instead. The progression of their relationship was volatile and most of the time Klaus's temper was the cause.
However, Klaus made sure to change that and own up to his mistakes. Before leaving New Orleans in season 4, Klaus decided to set the record straight with Marcel by admitting that he didn't do enough when raising him and apologized for his past wrongdoings. This was a true sign of maturity as it's definitely something that he wouldn't have done at the beginning of the show.
He Was A Good Father
Klaus' unwavering loyalty and dedication to his family have always been his saving grace. However, the complicated relationship he had with his own father, along with his less than perfect first experience of fatherhood, made him hesitant to accept Hayley's pregnancy at first. But he quickly adjusted to his new responsibilities and committed to becoming the best dad he could be.
Despite his bad reputation and wicked ways, Klaus was able to change for the better when he became a father. Although Klaus wasn't always a good dad, he learned from his mistakes and did everything in his power to keep his daughter safe. Becoming a father served as a motive for him to start doing the right thing. His love for his daughter revealed a more vulnerable side of him that fans hadn't seen before and at the end of the series it became his redemption.
He Surrendered Himself To Save His Family
The third season of The Originals is when Klaus went through the most character development. As his siblings were all suffering from different afflictions, he agreed to act as the immortality source that saved everyone's lives. As they needed to give Hayley enough time to find cures for the Mikaelsons without being hunted by Marcel, Klaus had to surrender to his enemies.
So for five years, Klaus lived in captivity, enduring torture and mockery from his countless enemies. This proved that Klaus was a hero and it was a great way to showcase his character development as it was a truly selfless act.
He Gave Rebekah The Cure
Out of all the Mikaelson siblings, Klaus and Rebekah had the most complicated relationship. While they truly loved each other, they also tried to hurt one another and Klaus got in the way of her happiness numerous times. One of those times was back in The Vampire Diaries when Klaus refused to let Rebekah have the cure and gave her a hard time for even wanting it.
But in The Originals' final episode, Klaus tells her that he asked Caroline to bring Rebekah the cure because he wanted her to be happy and live her life how she wanted. This shows how much Klaus has grown since his days in Mystic Falls. It also shows that he was actually putting in the effort to improve his relationship with Rebekah and accepted her decisions even if he disagreed with her choices.
He Made The Ultimate Sacrifice
Klaus’s character arc was defined by the gradual buildup towards his redemption. At the end of The Originals, his storyline was finally completed when he made the ultimate sacrifice to save Hope. As The Hollow was tearing their family apart and endangering Hope's life, Klaus sacrificed himself and died in his daughter’s stead. This action served as his redemption and completed his character arc.
In the end, Klaus's character development all came down to his love for his daughter as she was the reason he strived to be better in the first place. From the moment she was born, there was a great change in him as she inspired goodness in him and revived his desire to be redeemed. Klaus had lived for over a thousand years, yet he never before had to think about dying let alone sacrificing himself to save someone else. Although some fans thought that there were better solutions to their problem, the fact that Klaus was so willing to sacrifice his life shows how much he's grown.