Nina Dobrev Could Return To 'TVD' For Season 8

The very first arc on The CW's long-running supernatural drama The Vampire Diaries was Nina Dobrev's Elena Gilbert dealing with the loss of her parents and the newly-discovered existence of vampires, witches, and werewolves in her small town of Mystic Falls. Fans of The Vampire Diaries watched the show through Elena's eyes, as she learned more about the supernatural elements surrounding her while, fell in love with not one but two vampire brothers — and, eventually, became a vampire herself. Truthfully, it was hard not to see Elena as our guide in The Vampire Diaries — and yet, at the end of Season 6, that's what fans were tasked with doing. Dobrev chose to leave and the show completed an entire seventh season without its former star. But good news might be upon the people who miss Dobrev's presence on the show: according to TVLine, Dobrev is in talks to return to The Vampire Diaries , and it's about time.

According to CW president Mark Pedowitz during the Television Critics Association summer press tour, “There are discussions going on with [Dobrev]... We’d love to have [her] back... She was integral for The Vampire Diaries.” Though TVLine reports that there is a backup plan in case Dobrev doesn't return to the series, I'm sure so many other Vampire Diaries fans (including myself) are keeping our fingers crossed that she does. That won't be an easy thing, of course: though Elena didn't die on the series, her life was ultimately tied to her best friend Bonnie's. Elena went into what was essentially a coma, and she can only wake up once Bonnie's life is over — so, hopefully, she can return in 60 years or so.

Now that we know that Dobrev could potentially return to the series, how might the show's eighth and final season bring the star back? I have a few ideas.

1. Bonnie Will Die

It wouldn't be the first time Bonnie died on The Vampire Diaries, but it might be the first time it's permanent. Given that the series is moving into its last season, it's very possible that the Mystic Falls witch — who has been through the ringer, no doubt — will finally meet her maker and stay dead. We know that Damon is a ripper following the three-year time jump ahead of Season 7: could he change his mind about protecting Bonnie in order to regain some sense of humanity by being with Elena again?

2. Elena Will Return, But As A Vision

In Season 6, Elena had lost Damon and began using dangerous, magical methods in order to be able to "see" him once again. Could Damon decide to do the same thing in Season 8? We know that Damon is going off the deep end, so perhaps this is his way of returning to some sense of normalcy.

3. Dobrev Will Return, But Not As Elena

Elena has about a million doppelgangers, and, though Katherine got pulled down to hell before Elena began her beauty rest regime, that doesn't mean we couldn't run into another doppelganger down the line. Perhaps this doppelganger could be the one who actually helps bring Elena back to life without harming Bonnie? You need a degree in magic to understand the logistics of the witchcraft on this show, but doppelgangers tend to help move magical things along, right?

4. Elena Will Be Back, For Real

A lot can happen in three years, so... could the link between Bonnie and Elena finally be broken? If Jeremy, Alaric, Bonnie, and Damon can come back from the dead with barely a bruise, I refuse to believe that there's no magical being who can't fix this sleeping spell without hurting Bonnie in the process. Come on: we need a Delena reunion so badly before Season 8 ends that the series should be willing to bend any magical rule, right?

Here's hoping Dobrev makes it back to our small screens ASAP. It just hasn't been quite the same on The Vampire Diaries without our girl.

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