Stefan (Paul Wesley) killed Enzo (Michael Malarkey) in The Vampire Diaries season 8, finally ending their increasingly strained relationship — but why? Stefan and Enzo first meet in The Vampire Diaries season 5, episode 10, “Fifty Shades of Grayson,” and it was clear from the start that these two characters would not get along. Enzo from Vampire Diaries is killed off in a particularly brutal way: Stefan rips out his heart right in front of his lover Bonnie. Their hatred for each other is more than obvious, but why did Stefan kill Enzo ruthlessly, and why did The Vampire Diaries kill off Enzo in the first place?
Although one might argue that Enzo’s death is purely motivated by Stefan’s urge to protect the twins, the result is cruel and heartwrenching nonetheless especially for The Vampire Diaries’ powerful witch Bonnie, who has always put the happiness of others above her own throughout the series. Bonnie intended to make Enzo human again using the vampire cure (in Elena’s blood), which would have allowed them to have a family and grow old together. However, Stefan kills Enzo, and his actions dash these dreams for good, leaving Bonnie utterly anguished and heartbroken, spurring her to let out an unearthly scream that creates a psychic blast and an alternate dimension.
While Enzo from Vampire Diaries isn’t able to cheat death, Stefan returns in the Vampire Diaries spin-off The Originals. There are several reasons why Stefan and Enzo hate each other, such as how the latter is misled to believe that Stefan had killed Maggie, his lover, during the 1960s. Although Enzo has died more than once throughout the series, with Stefan playing a direct role during his second and third death, it is in The Vampire Diaries season 8, episode 11, “You Made a Choice to Be Good” that Stefan kills off Enzo for good – right when he is on the brink of happiness with Bonnie Bennett (Kat Graham). Here’s exactly why Enzo is killed off in The Vampire Diaries and the reason it had to be Stefan who did it.
Why Stefan Killed Enzo In The Vampire Diaries
Enzo’s death can be traced back to Arcadius, better known as Cade (Wolé Parks), the world’s first psychic, who in death came to be known as the Devil and the creator of Hell in The Vampire Diaries. When Seline kidnaps the siphoner twins, Lizzie and Josie (who both appear in Legacies) and plans to sacrifice them to Cade, Stefan offers himself and his brother, Damon, as servants in their lieu – a deal to which Cade agrees. This deal with the devil has far-reaching repercussions, as Cade asks Stefan to turn his humanity off and transform completely into his murderous alter-ego, the Ripper, whose bloodlust knows no bounds. Left with no choice, Stefan agrees on the condition that he and Damon will be released from Cade’s eternal servitude. Now under Cade’s influence, Stefan is given a final task by him: the choice to either kill Elena or 100 people with morally-ambiguous pasts.
Stefan changes the lease of the house that Bonnie and Enzo from Vampire Diaries inhabit and in which a comatose Elena is also hidden, rescinding Enzo’s invitation to enter. Right after Bonnie gets the cure from Elena, Stefan rips out Enzo’s heart right in front of her, leading to his death once and for all. In his focused zeal to get to Elena, he finds Enzo and Bonnie in his way, which spurs Stefan to kill Enzo without hesitation. Right when he swears to kill Bonnie, she stabs him with the vampire cure meant for Enzo, which turns Stefan human again. While it is clear that Stefan kills Enzo because his humanity is turned off, it is important to note that at this juncture, the prospect of killing Elena is crucial for Stefan, as he deems her partly responsible for his fraught relationship with Damon.
Why The Vampire Diaries Killed Off Enzo
In short, Stefan kills Enzo in The Vampire Diaries because it’s necessary for the plot. Without Enzo’s death, Bonnie wouldn’t have used the vampire cure on Stefan. Stefan’s return to humanity is also crucial to his redemption arc within the series as a whole. Enzo’s death is a pillar of Bonnie’s character arc and her subsequent release of power. The creation of her own dimension is said to be a rare and powerful act by the Arcadian. After she creates this dimension, she breaks free from it to release Enzo’s spirit so that he may find peace in death. The act not only highlights her immense abilities but also her willingness to let go.
The Vampire Diaries season finale included Stefan’s death through self-sacrifice and human mortality – which, in a twisted way, completes his redemption arc and grants him peace in the afterlife. This would not have been possible if Stefan hadn’t killed Enzo. Although Damon and Elena finally get their “happily ever after,” this narrative decision comes at a major cost, leaving the fates of other major characters, such as Caroline’s, up in the air, as she loses Stefan less than twenty-four hours after marrying him. Moreover, Bonnie is the only character whose fate is left uncertain, which is cruel in a certain sense, as she has consistently been treated as a character meant to save others at the cost of her own happiness. Although The Vampire Diaries’ ending shows Enzo watching over her from afar, after Enzo’s killed off, their shared dreams of an idyllic future remain forever lost, with the ache of unattainable love forever haunting both the dead and the living.
How Enzo Returned For The Vampire Diaries Finale
After his Vampire Diaries death, does Enzo come back? Enzo from Vampire Diaries does indeed make one final reappearance on the popular show in the series finale. Bonnie collapses and finds herself in another realm, where she is greeted by Elena. Believing Bonnie to be dead, Elena makes it known that she isn’t happy about this fact, but Bonnie assures her that she’s ready to be with Enzo. Then, Enzo appears and guides Bonnie back to the land of the living, declaring that her time has not yet come. He later shows up near the end of the Vampire Diaries finale, when Bonnie is attempting to control the hellfire. He and the rest of the Bennett witches try to help Bonnie and are successful.
Bringing Enzo back to The Vampire Diaries ultimately worked for the series. A lot of people were upset to see the character bite the dust in season 8 despite his demise being necessary for the plot. Enzo’s return helped bring closure to his storyline while giving Bonnie some tranquility of her own. All in all, Enzo’s death and reappearance on The Vampire Diaries was the right move by the show, and his return in the finale was handled in a satisfying, emotionally resonant way.
