The supernatural world that The Vampire Diaries exists in is incredibly dangerous and ruthless, and most of the people who get dragged into the drama don't make it out alive. And unsurprisingly, being strong or powerful in some way can be the difference between life and death in this dog-eat-dog fictional universe.
Throughout the course of the series, there were a few key core individuals who for the most part made it out alive, but their individual power was also surprisingly varied. But whether they were a human, vampire, witch, or any one of the dozens of supernatural creatures that exist in this world, who were the least or most powerful main characters in The Vampire Diaries?
Matt Donovan
Matt Donovan is a great, reliable guy, and as far as humans in Mystic Falls goes, he's actually a lot tougher and more adept at surviving than the vast majority of townsfolk. But ultimately, that's all he really is, a human who is pretty great at surviving in dangerous situations.
Now that he has some power to flex in the Mystic Falls community he's a bit more of a threat, but he's a regular man in a supernatural world.
Alaric Saltzman
Alaric did have a brief run where Esther gave him the strength of an Original vampire, and Alaric has had some magical tools in his tool belt like Johnathan Gilbert's ring, but still, comparatively speaking, he's one of the least powerful characters in the show.
He's a pretty skilled vampire hunter, but much like Matt Donovan, the strength and power of a regular human really pales in comparison to the other supes in TVD.
Jeremy Gilbert
Among the human population in Mystic Falls, even from the start it was readily apparent that Jeremy Gilbert had a leg up on the competition on account of the Gilbert's connection to the Founder's Council.
But the real reason why the Gilberts were so knowledgeable about the supernatural world became readily apparent when it was revealed that Jeremy was actually a member of the Brotherhood of the Five, an ancient group of supernatural vampire hunters.
Elena Gilbert
As far as vampires in The Vampire Diaries go, Elena didn't have a knack for exploiting her abilities. She didn't handle her transition well, and obviously, she didn't stay a vampire.
However, Elena's true power in the supernatural world obviously stemmed from her doppelgänger status. While she was physically a human in almost every sense, her blood was essentially one of the most powerful magical tools on the planet.
Caroline Forbes
In contrast to Elena, who handled vampirism about as badly as anyone could possibly handle it, there is Caroline Forbes. She's one of the youngest vampires in the series, ergo she's also one of the weakest physically.
However, becoming a vampire had a positive effect on Caroline in almost every way, and she really learned how to use her new abilities to her best advantage.
Stefan Salvatore
In theory, Stefan could have been a pretty powerful being. Not only was he a vampire with well over a century of life under his belt, but he was also a doppelgänger.
But his doppelgänger status was unknown for the vast majority of his life, and it ceased to be relevant only a few months after he found out. And given his animal blood diet as well as his blood addiction problems, he was often a lot weaker than he should have been.
Damon Salvatore
Despite the fact that Damon and Stefan are the exact same vampire age, Damon is consistently stronger than his baby bro simply because he consumes vampire blood. And although this isn't exactly a superpower, Damon's ruthlessness and willingness to do terrible things often gets him ahead of the game in comparison to most of the other supes on The Vampire Diaries.
Plus, while his supernatural network pales in comparison to the likes of Katherine or Klaus, his connections to other supernatural creatures often comes in handy.
Katherine Pierce
With five centuries of vampirism under her belt, while Katherine isn't actually ancient relative to some other vampires, she's still considerably older than most of the vamps that show up in Mystic Falls.
However, Katherine's real power lies in her sneakiness and her nearly incomparable squad of lackeys. Katherine seems to be in command of a small army of supernatural beings that are constantly working to keep her alive, which makes her insanely powerful.
Klaus Mikaelson
While power can obviously be acquired by savvy or determined supernatural beings, there's really no replacement for organic strength. And as the Original Hybrid, Klaus Mikaelson is stronger than nearly anyone.
But even putting aside Klaus' natural power, he really put in a lot of work to build up his retinue of devoted servants, which truly made him one of the most powerful creatures not just in Mystic Falls, but in the entire world.
Bonnie Bennett
Even Bonnie herself wouldn't have expected it at the start of The Vampire Diaries, but she was unequivocally the most powerful main character in the show.
It took her quite a long time to realize it, but no other character or antagonist could withstand her, and even if she had to literally give her life in order to do it, there really wasn't anything that Bonnie couldn't do.