| “ | Do you really think it's wise to brazenly attack me in front of all my friends? | „ |
Julian is the main antagonist of the first half of Season 7 of The Vampire Diaries.
He was portrayed by Todd Lasance, who also played Edward Clariss in The Flash.
Biography[]
Julian was a vampire who, in the 19th century, clashed with vampire hunter Vicente Cruz. He tied him up, intending to kill him, but was stopped by Vicente's daughter Rayna, who warned him doing so would incite a curse that would drive him mad. To get around it, Julian compelled Rayna to kill Vicente herself. In the process, he gained her hatred and led her to being magically empowered with both long life and an intense hatred of vampires.
Around the same time, Julian began a relationship with fellow vampire Lily Salvatore, the mother of Damon and Stefan. Although outwardly affectionate, he maintained a strict control over her and the "family" of siphoners she had gathered around her, which eventually comprised Malcolm, Oscar, Beau, Valerie, Mary Louise and Nora. He intended to flee to Europe to avoid Rayna but Lily insisted on checking her sons were all right first. Julian took Valerie with him to check on Stefan but she slipped away from him and romanced Stefan. Julian dragged her back to New York and told Lily that Stefan was fine. Valerie attempted to slip away back to Mystic Falls the night they were due to sail but Julian caught her and realised she was pregnant with Stefan's child. Knowing Lily wouldn't leave if she knew, Julian beat Valerie until she miscarried and took her aboard the boat unconscious, telling Lily he had found her after she had been mugged. Devastated, Valerie attempted suicide but, since Lily's blood had healed her wounds, she became a vampire and the first heretic, vampires who could perform magic by siphoning it from others. The other siphoners followed suit.
In 1903, Julian again encountered Rayna when she attacked him and his family. He nearly escaped back to New York after fighting and defeating her but she threw her sword at him and killed him, trapping his soul in the Phoenix Stone where he would be tormented. Lily and the heretics preserved his body in the hope of returning his soul to it from the stone. Julian remained trapped for over a century and later recalled he imagined repeatedly killing Lily.
Julian was eventually restored by Lily and the three heretics who remained alive and loyal to them: Beau, Nora and Mary Louise. He adjusted to the 21st century and learned Damon and Stefan were now vampires. Lily tried to make peace but Stefan, aware of what Julian had done to Valerie, attempted to kill Julian by throwing him into a fire. Julian also clashed with Enzo St. John, who had feelings for Lily. Julian fought both Enzo and Damon, revealing he had linked his life to Lily's so she would die if he did. Stefan and Lily broke up the confrontation.
Julian compelled several humans to assemble at public places in the abandoned Mystic Falls to act as blood sources. He threw a party for Nora and Mary Louise's anniversary, compelling dozens of humans to attend so they could feed on them. He was overpowered by Stefan and Damon and held prisoner until he could be unlinked from Lily but Mary Louise freed him. Julian tied up Damon and Valerie and demanded Lily kill one of them in an attempt to force her to choose between her sons and her heretic family. Instead, Lily staked herself, hoping to kill Julian as well, but they were already unlinked.
Julian went on a rampage, killing dozens, and gathered together old vampire friends to back him up, forcing Stefan and Damon to retreat from a confrontation. He restored Rayna's sword and killed Stefan with it, trapping him in the Phoenix Stone, with Nora doing the same to Damon. They were eventually restored by their friends but by then Julian had invited vampires to take over the town, having them fight to the death with the winners being granted homes in Mystic Falls by killing the owners so vampires could enter.
A suicidal Damon, who believed he had killed his comatose love Elena Gilbert during the aftermath of his time in the Phoenix Stone, tracked Julian down and joined in the fight club, killing two opponents (one with a stake Stefan provided him with against the rules). Julian fought Damon himself and came close to killing him but was stopped by Stefan and Valerie.
Later that night, Stefan returned and confronted Julian. Julian mocked Stefan for confronting him in public but Stefan had Valerie paralyse and cloak Julian, so none of his friends, present in the room, were aware of his plight. Stefan then staked and killed Julian as he sat helpless and desperate.
