Humanity is a big theme in The Vampire Diaries, and a season 1 human character would have helped all the vampires’ arcs – especially the Salvatores.
The Vampire Diaries briefly introduced many characters whose short-lived appearances made a significant mark on the show, but one human character shouldn’t have been killed off so soon. Throughout its 8 seasons, The Vampire Diaries chronicles two vampire brothers who move back to their hometown after meeting Elena Gilbert, a girl who bears a striking resemblance to their shared paramour from over 150 years prior. Mystic Falls is a dangerous place for anyone, but humans in particular don’t tend to last long before they’re either killed off or become supernatural creatures.
Stefan and Damon Salvatore go through several character arcs throughout the seasons, and the supporting characters, human and otherwise, play large parts in their development. Though one of their most interesting connections to their hometown is one of their own living family members, this character doesn’t play as large a role in their lives as he should have. He serves as the brothers’ collateral damage but could have been an anchor point for them instead.
Zach Could Explain The Salvatores’ History
Stefan and Damon’s distant great-nephew, Zach, was an interesting way for the show to connect the brothers with the modern world. As a human descendant of the vampires, he begrudgingly helps keep Stefan and Damon’s secret, but it’s clear that he doesn’t enjoy their presence. Particularly with his involvement in the vampire-hunting town council, Zach wishes to keep his vampire relatives at a distance, even threatening Stefan when the “animal attacks” start in town.
The brothers’ history through the decades slowly unfolds throughout the show, but Zach could have helped better connect their pasts to the present. Their relationship with their parents was complicated at best, with their mother abandoning them to join a coven of heretic vampires and their father shooting them dead. The brothers could have benefited greatly from a family connection. And as Elena puts together the pieces of what it means to be involved with the vampires, Zach would have been the perfect person to go to for guidance.
The Salvatore Brothers’ Humanity Is Important To The Vampire Diaries
Later seasons of The Vampire Diaries reveal that Damon had caused the death of Zach’s girlfriend and (presumably) baby back in 1994, something that Damon considers the worst thing he’s ever done. Stefan compelled the memories away from Zach, but Damon’s guilt over the incident fuels his monstrous personality, which comes full circle when Damon kills Zach simply to prove he had no sense of humanity left. Ultimately, Damon proves himself wrong, and had Zach been alive to offer him forgiveness, Damon’s villain-to-hero arc could have had a head start.
Damon and Stefan have very different approaches to their vampirism. Stefan believes he can avoid losing his humanity by choosing a moral code to follow, while Damon fully commits to becoming a monster. Elena challenges their ideas of what immortality could mean by reminding them what it’s like to love something fragile. With the addition of Zach reminding them what it’s like to have a family’s support, the brothers could have revived their relationship faster.
Stefan’s focus on preserving his humanity and Damon’s commitment to monstrosity are constant themes throughout The Vampire Diaries, and Zach Salvatore could have enhanced both their journeys. Though he appears again in flashbacks later in the series, his presence was never fully utilized. At the very least, his character’s unnecessary death in The Vampire Diaries should have inspired some sort of trajectory for the story, but sadly, he went unmentioned for the majority of the series.
