The Vampire Diaries and The Originals proved that superheroes don't need to be "good" people

Hear me out before you roll your eyes.

I know The Vampire Diaries and The Originals aren’t technically superhero shows, but if you break it down, Stefan, Damon, and Klaus are pretty much superheroes—just the kind with a lot of blood on their hands.

They all have superpowers. Speed, strength, immortality, mind control, healing. They fight bad guys constantly—witches, vampires, werewolves, hunters, all that. The stakes (no pun intended) are high. The world or their town is always on the line. So in terms of what they do, they fit the superhero mold.

But personality-wise? Yeah, not so much. Damon and Klaus especially are a mess. Damon’s killed a bunch of innocent people just because he felt like it, and he constantly plays moral roulette. Klaus straight-up wipes out entire bloodlines if he feels threatened. Stefan at least tries to be good, but even he has a “ripper” side where he just loses it and murders people.

They get innocent people killed all the time. Sometimes by accident, sometimes not. They manipulate, they lie, they play God. If Superman acted like them, he'd be a villain.

But here’s the thing—they still fight for something bigger than themselves. They protect people they care about. They try to stop worse threats. They save lives. They want to be better, even if they don’t always succeed. And in the world they live in, where everyone's hands are dirty, that counts for something.

They’re flawed, selfish, violent… but they’re still the ones stepping up when things go to hell. So yeah, they're superheroes—just not the clean, polished kind.

What do y’all think?