Katherine Pierce is arguably The Vampire Diaries' best vampire villainess. While she was born a doppelganger and a Traveler, she really came into her own power when she transitioned into vampirism. But, that power typically came at the expense of other people's lives.
Katerina Petrova truly had a gift for survival, and even when it seemed like there was no chance that she could escape her own doom, she found a way. When did Katherine come pretty close to death but somehow managed to make it through against all the odds?
When She Evaded Klaus' Sacrifice
Klaus can be incredibly charming and deviously manipulative when he wants to be, and when he first found Katerina Petrova and realized that he could possibly break his hybrid curse, he was understandably thrilled. He romanced her, but only so that he could later murder her.
But even as a young human, Katherine was no dummy. Once she caught wind of what Klaus had planned for her, she decided to save herself. Klaus brutally punished her for that "betrayal" by murdering her entire family, but that was truly the first time she survived against all odds.
When She Turned Herself Into A Vampire
Although Katherine already had Elijah looking out for her (unbeknownst to her at the time, unfortunately), she's not the type to leave her fate in anyone else's hands.
And she really put her money where her mouth is in that respect, because when she realized that Klaus intended to use her in his ritual sacrifice, she killed herself to become a vampire instead. It may not have been the best choice in the long run, but it was a close call that she managed to persevere through.
When She Faked Being Entombed In 1864
Despite the fact that leaving Damon hanging like that was brutal even for Katerina, pretending that she had been magically locked in the tomb with the rest of the vampires was a pretty brilliant strategy.
She could never truly escape Klaus or any of the other people who wanted to hunt her down and get their revenge, but by making it seem as if she were stuck in a crypt for over a century, she had years of freedom to plan her next moves.
When She Linked Herself To Elena Magically
Katherine was certainly displeased to realize that Elena had usurped her position as the apple of the Salvatore brothers' eyes, but as she is wont to do, she played that shift in dynamic to her own advantage.
Damon, Stefan, and the rest of the Mystic Falls gang were briefly under the impression that they may have trapped Katherine. But they quickly realized that Katherine had magically linked herself to Elena so that any harm done to her also happened to her human doppelganger.
When She Took Vervain To Break Klaus' Compulsion
If anyone was under the mistaken impression that Klaus wasn't as much of a sadistic weirdo as he was purported to be, his bizarre game with Katherine in season 2 of The Vampire Diaries quickly disabused most fans of that notion. After centuries of chasing her, Klaus finally had her in his clutches again, and it looked like he was going to draw out her torment.
But ever the proactive survivalist, Katherine started taking vervain to break his compulsion. However, after she ran, Klaus let it be known that he was actually aware of her little gambit the whole time, and apparently made her torture herself for fun.
When She Sent The Originals To New Orleans
Obviously, Katherine never could have known the absurd twists and turns Klaus' life was going to take after he slept with Hayley. But as she always does, she saw the situation before her and used it to her advantage.
Katherine was always the Moby Dick to Klaus' Captain Ahab, but once Klaus discovered Hayley's pregnancy and Marcel's little kingdom in New Orleans, understandably his attention was elsewhere. And yet again, Katherine managed to escape him.
When Bonnie Linked Herself To Katherine Magically
While Katerina somehow always catches a break, Bonnie Bennett can seemingly never catch one. When she enlisted Katherine's help in defeating Silas in exchange for true immortality, Bonnie understandably didn't trust the duplicitous doppelganger. So, she linked Katherine's life to hers.
Unfortunately, Elena ran into Katherine and wanted some much-needed justice for Jeremy's death, but Elena's attack nearly killed Bonnie. Stefan managed to intervene before Elena killed her twin and accidentally murdered her best friend along with her.
When She Became Human Again
Becoming human again after half a millennium of being a powerful vampire is pretty much Kat's worst nightmare.
But as usual, lady luck is on her side, and now that the cure has made her target #1 for Silas and anyone else looking for the single dose of anti-immortality coursing through Katherine's bloodstream, she needs protection. And in a bizarre twist of fate, the people that she spent seasons torturing became her guardians.
When Stefan Saved Her
It was pretty much an inevitability that the cure would be drained from Katherine's body at some point. And once it was gone, all of those years that she borrowed as a vampire started catching up with her very quickly. She couldn't stand the idea of being helpless and dying of old age or plain weakness, so she decides to end it herself.
However, Stefan intervenes and saves her, and tries to motivate her to keep going and not give up just yet.
When She Hijacked Elena's Body
When Katerina Petrova used up the very last of her nine lives, it was to steal Elena Gilbert's body and life. Even when it finally seemed like she had resigned herself to fate, in her last gasp she decided to keep fighting, and she once again used her doppelganger as a tool for her own survival.
And she did manage to keep up the ruse for a little while, but unsurprisingly the Mystic Falls gang discovered the truth and killed her.