Damon Could Be A Human Again

The Season 5 finale of The Vampire Diaries metaphorically ripped my heart out and then proceeded to stomp all over it. For those of you who missed the heart-crushing finale, two of The Vampire Diaries most-beloved characters descended into the "Other Side" — and this time, didn't come back. That's right, folks: Damon Salvatore and Bonnie Bennett are dead. And it's quite possible that it's for real.

After crafting a plan to bring Stefan back from the dead — a plan that involved basically everyone we've ever cared about on The Vampire Diaries dying and coming back through Bonnie's anchor body — Damon designated himself as the last vamp to cross the finish line. Unfortunately, by the time Damon did make the crossover attempt it was too late — Liv, the witch aiding Bonnie, stopped the spell before Damon made it to Bonnie. Even worse news? The magic Bonnie used as the anchor to bring her friends back actually killed her. Damon and Bonnie held hands as the Other Side disintegrated... and the screen went to white. Damn, TVD: You sure know how to make a girl cry. And I'm not just talking about Elena.

As sad as the Mystic Falls gang is that Bonnie is gone, I'm not particularly shocked or saddened by her departure — she literally just came back to life this season, so how much could her death really surprise us? The person I was crying for was Damon — he's waited so long to finally get the girl, and to think of him dying as a sacrificial lamb for her and all of her friends just felt so tragic.

But before we all start collectively sobbing, fear not — Ian Somerhalder, the actor who portrays Damon, is contracted on the show through Season 6 which means that this guy isn't going anywhere. According to showrunner Julie Plec in an interview with TVLine, we'll certainly see Damon again, but the context will remain a mystery. That got me thinking: What if Damon's returns in human form?

Now, I have no idea how this would work, exactly, but I haven't known how any of the stuff works on The Vampire Diaries since I started watching it five years ago. Really. I'll buy anything that Plec throws at me. And I would certainly buy a human version of Damon, given that it would be one of the most interesting developments to happen on TVD in a while.

What if the Mystic Falls gang realizes that, somehow, due to a variety of magical bells and whistles that Plec and the other writers line up, they can bring Damon back — sans supernatural ability? And, because Elena and Stefan decree it (and who are we even kidding, because Elena decrees it) they bring Damon back. And he's totally alive... and also the new Matt Donovan of the group.

(There are certainly worse things to be: no supernatural ability whatsoever, but damn, you look good in a tux.)

This would be a very cool plot twist, almost as cool as when the show finally decided to turn Elena into the bloodsucker we knew she'd inevitably be. We've seen most of the other characters on the show in their human form, whether it was through flashbacks (Stefan), the characters being later-in-life vampires (Elena and Caroline), or the character getting stuck with the cure (Katherine, RIP). We have seen Damon as a human in flashbacks, but his human side wasn't examined as closely as Stefan's was. Damon having to learn to live with himself as a human would be one hell of a journey for this character to take.

The biggest question to Damon returning to his human state is how he would react. I'm thinking... not so great. Damon doesn't do very well with emotions, and that's all human being are. If Elena dumps his sorry ass again for screwing up royally, Damon can't just shut down his feelings. Instead, he'll have to mope around and eat Ben & Jerry's like the rest of us. Just think of what that life will do to Damon's physique.

(That last statement was really just an excuse to throw this gif in. You're welcome.)

Unlike his brother Stefan, Damon's never really wanted to return to humanhood — yeah, being a vampire means a lot of blood and murder and complications, but I truly think that Damon enjoys those complications. Damon's not afraid of death. He's not afraid of anything as a vampire. But as a human? Damon might think twice about pissing people off.

It would be nice to see Damon in such a vulnerable state. The only times we really see Damon truly vulnerable is when he's revealing his feelings for Elena. He's terrified of losing her and her thinking less of him for his actions. As a human who can't turn off his emotions at the drop of a hat, we're bound to see the full breadth of Damon's emotions — and that includes the really hard ones, like guilt and grief. This guy might be famous for his snappy one-liners, but he can't use them as a defense mechanism when his emotions are right at the surface.

I'd love to see Damon as a human, even if his time in the state is short-lived. Then again, at this point, I'd be happy to see Damon back on TV in general.

Missing you already, buddy.

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