Legacies - Ending Explained

The series is built on several massive revelations: Landon Kirby is revealed to be a biological vessel for Malivore, designed to house the entity so it could finally reproduce. This complicates the central romance, as Hope is the only person whose blood can kill Malivore. In the Season 1 finale, Hope sacrifices herself to destroy the pit, leading to her being erased from everyone's memory for the first half of Season 2. The most significant twist occurs in Season 4, when Hope finally dies to activate her vampire side, becoming the Tribrid. To defeat Malivore permanently, she is forced to kill Landon, who had become the entity's host. The final season also reveals that The Gods are real and the true 'First Species.' The series ends with Alaric leaving the school, Caroline Forbes returning to lead it, and Hope finally receiving a message of love from her father, Klaus, confirming he has found peace because she is finally safe and surrounded by her 'found family.'

Critics and fans have often interpreted Legacies as a meta-commentary on the burden of successful TV franchises. The constant struggle of the characters to escape their parents' shadows mirrors the show's struggle to escape the shadow of The Vampire Diaries. Another reading views the 'monsters' as physical manifestations of adolescent trauma—monsters that represent being forgotten (Malivore), toxic love (The Necromancer), or the fear of growing up (The Gods). Some viewers also argue that Landon Kirby is not a hero, but a 'damsel in distress' trope subversion, highlighting Hope's agency as the true protagonist.