8 Reasons Why Hayley Is Actually The Greatest

If The Originals has taught us anything, it's that it is not always easy living in The Big Easy. Locked in the middle of a vampire-werewolf-witch civil war, you can be quickly overpowered. That is unless you are The Originals' Hayley Marshall: hybrid, heir to the Labonair werewolf bloodline, and mother of the magic Mikaelson baby. Don't get hung up on any of these achievements though, even without all that Hayley is a total badass in her own right and one of the best characters on The Originals, which is really saying a lot since this is a show packed with crazy amazing people.

Ever since she arrived on the scene in The Vampire Diaries she has been kicking ass and taking names, going after what she wants (like a boss) while also trying to protect the people she loves, and the pack she is trying to save (like a really nice boss). It takes a lot to juggle all those responsibilities while still being funny and feminine, but Hayley does it every single week. She's the exact opposite of a damsel in distress or princess locked in a tower, and she pretty much rocks. Still not convinced? Allow me to persuade you.

She Kicks Everyone's Butts Constantly

Her battle skills are on point. If you're going into battle you want her on your side, taking down witches, vampires, and even a werewolf or two when the occasion calls for it. Hayley is one of the only people on the planet who can take down Klaus, which she does when he gets out of hand (read: all day, every day). While no one can match 1,000 years worth of fighting technique, her hybrid-advantage helps her take down enemies with ease.

She Stands Up For Herself

Because you have to be your own best advocate, you know? Especially when your baby daddy is the overbearing and bossy Klaus. She doesn't take any of his crap, and defies anyone who tries to tell her what to do.

She Brings Humor To The Compound

Having Hayley move into the Mikaelson estate was one of the best decisions ever. Their household can be a little bleak — they literally call it "the compound" like a prison. Aside from the fact that it is always dark there, the original family is constantly shifting from one horrible crisis (Vampire death-match, anyone?) to another (that pack of starving vampires locked in with werewolves!). Hayley is often the only bit of sunshine and humor that place sees, providing a much needed color commentary on how insane their everyday lives actually are.

She Is Tough As Nails

Look, I'm not saying I admire her for arranging the Christmas time hybrid massacre back in Season 4 of TVD, because that was not cool. But having a baby and finding her pack has changed her a lot since then. I do admire her for always doing what needs to be done for the greater good, even if it means her own personal sacrifice. That includes giving up her baby to save her life, and marrying a man (not named Elijah) to save her pack.

She's Not Defined By Her Partner

OK, we all know that I have some strong feelings about Haylijah being The Originals endgame. But no matter who she is dating, sleeping with, or married to, Hayley is always herself. There is no compromising for a man, no disappearing into what he wants her to be. She is her own fierce self no matter when the men have to say about it, which kind of makes her my hero.

She Runs The (Werewolf) World

Sure, Jackson is technically the alpha and "in charge." But let's be real: We all know that Hayley has been running that pack from the very beginning. She keeps Jackson on the straight and narrow, all while forcing Klaus in line. She's constantly rallying the pack and keeping them together, and the wolves of New Orleans would have been wiped out for good if it wasn't for her.

She Takes What She Wants

Let's all just reflect on this flawless piece of wisdom she gave Elijah back in Season 1:

I live in the now. If I feel something, I act. If I want something, I take it. I won't choose the dead over the living, so why are you?

#Realtalk amiright? No waiting for permission, no playing by the book, just her figuring out what (or who) she wants and then going for it.

She's Proof That We Are Truly Limitless

She has a baby that she now gets to be with full time, she runs an old and powerful pack of werewolves, and she is a conspirator with the originals. She's got love, a family, and a career in #killingit. How awesome is that?

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