Is ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Alum Paul Wesley Happy With Stefan’s Ending In The Finale?

“The Vampire Diaries” Season 8 wrapped up four months ago and revealed Stefan Salvatore’s (Paul Wesley) tragic fate.

In the finale episode, Stefan just tied the knot with Caroline (Candice Accola-King) when he suddenly passed away. Fans of the hit CW series were not very pleased with this storyline since Stefan and Caroline waited a really long time to seal the deal. But Stefan’s portrayer, Wesley, doesn’t share the same thoughts and feelings with those of the fans. “It was something I was really hoping for. I’d put in a good word, because I felt it needed to end that way. I thought he really needed to die,” he told TV Line.

Read: Paul Wesley to join “Shadowhunter” Season 2 after “The Vampire Diaries” finale?

When asked why exactly he was supportive of the idea that Stefan must die, Wesley said that his character did a lot of terrible things in the eight seasons of “The Vampire Diaries.” For instance, he killed so many innocent people. “It was important poetic justice for all the bad things he’d done. He was a murdered ultimately. He’d found so much redemption, yet was still tormented. For me, him making that ultimate sacrifice was a great way to say goodbye,” he explained.

“The Vampire Diaries” executive producer Julie Plec also said a similar thing about Stefan’s fate in March. While speaking with the same publication, Plec said, “When we landed on the idea of Caroline needing to leave Stefan behind in honor of protecting her family, and then him needing to leave her behind in honor of protecting his, it felt somehow like the responsible outcome of a responsible relationship.”

Plec also explained why other characters had to die in the show considering that “The Vampire Diaries” could have had a happy ending. “It’s a lesson I learned early on from Kevin Williamson, which is that these kinds of stories really need to have life-or-death stakes, and no one will believe your death stakes if no one actually dies. It’s a lesson I’ve taken many liberties with over the years – including in this finale, since we see Stefan at peace after he dies,” she said.

“The Vampire Diaries” Season 8 aired its final episode on March 10 on The CW.