He stepped out of a car in a tailored suit and killed two people with a handful of coins. It was 2010. We didn't know it then, but Elijah Mikaelson was about to change the entire trajectory of The Vampire Diaries. Before he showed up, the show was a high-stakes teenage romance with some teeth. After he arrived? It became an epic about blood, legacy, and the crushing weight of a thousand years.
Honestly, he shouldn't have worked. A vampire who cares about handkerchiefs and "honor" in a town like Mystic Falls? It sounds like a gimmick. But Daniel Gillies played him with this terrifying, quiet stillness. He wasn't like Damon, who was all kinetic energy and smirks. Elijah was the adult in the room. He was the one who could rip your heart out while barely wrinkling his lapel.
People still debate his "nobility." Was he actually a good man? Probably not. You can't be a mass murderer for ten centuries and keep a clean soul. But compared to his brother Klaus, Elijah felt like a saint. He was the moral compass of the Original family, even when that compass was spinning wildly in circles. He lived by a code. That’s what made him so dangerous. You knew exactly what would make him kill you.
The Suit as Armor: Breaking Down the Elijah Aesthetic
The suit isn't just a fashion choice. It’s a boundary. Throughout The Vampire Diaries and later The Originals, Elijah uses his appearance to distance himself from the "beast" inside. If he looks like a gentleman, he can pretend he isn't a predator. It’s a psychological shield.
When he loses that suit, things get messy. Think back to the Red Door. That whole plotline in The Originals stripped away the refinement and showed the gore beneath. It proved that the "Noble Brother" was a mask. A very well-fitted, expensive mask, but a mask nonetheless. He spent centuries cleaning up Klaus’s messes to avoid looking at his own. It’s a classic deflection tactic, just on a supernatural scale.
Most fans forget that Elijah was originally supposed to be an old, crypt-keeper style character. The producers wanted a "scary old man" vibe. Gillies fought for the suit. He wanted the character to be a Wall Street shark who just happened to drink blood. That decision saved the character. It gave him a specific niche that no one else in the TVD universe could fill.
Why We Forgive His Worst Crimes
Let’s be real for a second. Elijah Mikaelson has done some truly horrific things. He helped Klaus terrorize Katherine Pierce for half a millennium. He’s decapitated people with his bare hands. He’s betrayed almost every protagonist at least once.
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So why is he a fan favorite?
It’s the loyalty. In a world of backstabbing, Elijah’s devotion to "Always and Forever" felt grounded. We crave consistency. Even when he was the antagonist in Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries, you respected him. He gave his word, and he kept it—unless you found a loophole. He was the king of loopholes.
- He promised not to kill Elena.
- He didn't say he wouldn't let someone else do it.
- He didn't say he wouldn't use her as bait.
He played a long game. While everyone else was playing checkers, Elijah was playing 4D chess with people’s lives. He saw the big picture. He knew that the survival of his family was the only thing that mattered in the end. Everything else—the collateral damage, the broken hearts, the destroyed towns—was just noise.
The Elena Gilbert Factor: A Rare Moment of Weakness
The relationship between Elijah and Elena was one of the most interesting "what ifs" in the show. It wasn't purely romantic, at least not at first. He saw Katerina in her, but he also saw something Katherine had lost: compassion.
That scene in the woods where he talks about his past? That’s peak Elijah. He’s vulnerable but still maintains that rigid posture. He’s trying to see if humanity is still worth protecting. Elena was his test case. When he eventually betrayed her to save his family, it wasn't because he didn't care. It was because, for an Original, blood is thicker than any crush.
Some fans argue he was actually in love with her. Others say he was just projecting his guilt over Tatia. It’s likely a mix of both. Elijah is a man built on layers of repressed grief. Every doppelgänger he met was just another reminder of the woman he loved and the brother who broke him.
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The Original Family Dynamic
You can't talk about Elijah without talking about Klaus. Their relationship is the definition of "it's complicated." Elijah spent a thousand years trying to find Klaus's redemption. Was it noble? Or was it just a way to avoid dealing with his own lack of purpose?
He became the "fixer."
If Klaus spiraled, Elijah was there to catch him. If Klaus killed a whole village, Elijah was there to hide the bodies. It was a toxic cycle that lasted ten centuries. By the time they reached New Orleans in the spin-off, that dynamic had become a prison. Elijah realized he had no identity outside of being "Klaus's brother." That’s a heavy realization for someone who has lived that long. It makes you wonder if he stayed noble just so Klaus would have something to aim for.
The Red Door and the Truth of His Character
In the later seasons of The Originals, we finally saw what was behind the "Red Door." This was a metaphorical (and eventually literal) representation of Elijah's psyche. He tucked all his victims, all his rage, and all his monstrous acts behind a door in his mind. He kept the hallway clean.
This is why he was so much scarier than Klaus. Klaus was loud about his evil. You knew where you stood with him. Elijah was a hidden monster. When the door finally broke, we saw the truth: Elijah was just as broken as his brother. Maybe more so, because he lied to himself about it for a thousand years.
His ending was controversial. Some hated that he died with Klaus. They wanted him to have a life of his own, maybe with Hayley. But honestly? It was the only ending that made sense. Elijah’s entire existence was tied to his brother. He couldn't exist in a world where "Always and Forever" was over. It was a tragic, poetic, and slightly frustrating conclusion to a character who lived for everyone but himself.
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Common Misconceptions About the Original Brother
People often think Elijah was the oldest. He wasn't. Finn was the eldest brother (excluding Freya). Elijah was just the one who took charge. He stepped into the leadership role because Finn was too judgmental and Klaus was too volatile.
Another big one: people think he was always "The Noble One."
If you look at the flashbacks to the 11th century, he was much more carefree. The "Noble" persona was a defense mechanism developed after the family was turned into vampires. It was a way to cling to their humanity. He chose a role and played it so well that even he forgot it was an act.
How to Channel the Elijah Mikaelson Energy (Without the Murder)
If you're a fan of the character, there are actual lessons to take from his portrayal, minus the supernatural violence.
- Precision in Language. Elijah never used ten words when two would do. He spoke with intent. In a world where everyone overshares, there’s power in being measured.
- The Power of Presence. He didn't have to scream to get attention. He just stood there. It’s about confidence and knowing your worth.
- Commitment to a Code. Even if the world is chaotic, having a personal set of rules gives you a foundation. Elijah’s code was "Family First." What’s yours?
- The Value of Quality. From his suits to his journals, he appreciated things that lasted. It’s a push against the "disposable" culture we live in today.
To really understand Elijah, you have to watch his introduction in Season 2, Episode 8 of The Vampire Diaries again. Watch the way he handles the coins. Watch his face when he realizes he's been "killed" by the Salvatore brothers. The sheer indignity he feels at being inconvenienced is a masterclass in character acting.
If you're revisiting the series, keep an eye on his hands. Daniel Gillies often used specific hand gestures—adjusting a cufflink, smoothing a tie—whenever Elijah was feeling out of control. It’s a tiny detail that reveals everything about his internal struggle. He was always trying to keep it together, even when the world was burning down around him.
Your next move? Go back and re-watch the "Sun and Moon" curse arc. Pay attention to how Elijah manipulates every single character in Mystic Falls without them even realizing it. It’s the best example of his strategic mind at work. Once you see the strings he's pulling, you'll never look at the "Noble Brother" the same way again.