‘Vampire Diaries’ Season 5 Spoilers: Who Is Markos? Theory About New Character’s Connection To Travelers

Brace yourselves, “Vampire Diaries” fans. The CW series has moved onto the second half of their fifth season, and they’re planning on mixing up the drama with new trouble and new faces.

The latest addition to the cast is newcomer Raffi Barsoumian, and he’s set to take on the mysterious role of Markos. Deadline broke the casting news, teasing that Barsoumian’s character has an “imposing and charismatic presence with supernatural origins.” Does that mean he’s going to be the latest villain to cause problems for Damon, Elena, Stefan and the gang? The “imposing” description has us suspicious!

Right now the series is on the cusp of introducing a powerful new story line. With Katherine currently in possession of Elena’s body (and the gang completely unaware), the evil doppelganger is on a mission to seduce Stefan – no matter who gets hurt along the way. Meanwhile Damon had the misfortune of being injected with a virus that will force him to feed on fellow vampires. And while everyone will be focusing on what this virus is capable of, the whole doppelganger destiny/ Travelers plot will rear its ugly head.

“We’re going to have a big wake-up call to the new mythology we’ve slowly gotten to learn about over the season with the Travelers, as well as the who, the what and the why of it all,” Caroline’s Candice Accola dished to TV Guide.

“Vampire Diaries” viewers will remember that the Travelers have been sprinkled throughout the past couple of episodes. Besides Nadia trapping Elena and Stefan in a house with a large number of Travelers, the supernatural group also had a hand in transferring Katherine into Elena’s body and helping Dr. Wes inject Damon with the virus.

So, how does Markos play into the whole Travelers storyline? E! Online teased in January that Markos will be an “imposing leader from a faraway land” … which leads us to believe that he’s the head of the Travelers.

“He’s super dark, but people can’t help but be drawn to him and he’s worshipped by his followers,” E! continued of their description of Markos.

The only question that remains is: What do the Travelers want?

“The Vampire Diaries” returns to the CW with new episodes on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. Raffi Barsoumian is set to make his first appearance in episode 17. Let us know your theories on Markos and the Travelers in the comments section or send a tweet to @AmandaTVScoop