Nina Dobrev’s Return To ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Confirmed! Creator Julie Plec Says She ‘100 Percent Wants To Be There’

The end is near. Season 8 of The Vampire Diaries is finally here, and fans are still waiting for confirmation of Nina Dobrev’s return.

Fortunately, creator Julie Plec just revealed that she is very confident that Dobrev will be back. When will Elena Gilbert make her last appearance on The Vampire Diaries?

According to Celeb Dirty Laundry, Plec has a really good feeling about Elena’s epic return to Mystic Falls.

“I feel very good about it! I know that [Nina] 100 percent wants to be there and I, of course, 100 percent want [Nina] to be there. I have a feeling the cards are in our favor.”

Apparently, the biggest obstacle to overcome is Dobrev’s complicated scheduling.

“Honestly, let’s put it this way,” Plec revealed to Entertainment Tonight. “I would be devastated if it weren’t to work out.”

Of course, rumors have also persisted that Dobrev will join The Originals once The Vampire Diaries is over.

“I think the final episode will have some time-shifting, so I’m not worried about being inhibited from seeing The Originals again in The Vampire Diaries universe.”

Plec didn’t reveal too much about Dobrev’s involvement in the show’s final season, but it sounds like her contract is a done deal. Whether or not this means that Dobrev will have a large part in the new season or make a cameo in the finale is less certain.

Whatever happens with Dobrev, Plec is thrilled at the chance to wrap up the series as she originally intended.

“Oh, I am very excited. We get little hints and teases of her face all through the season. Damon’s memories of her play a big part of the season, and I was just looking at a scene yesterday and being able to see her face brought back so much emotion and nostalgia and sweetness,” Plec admitted. “It’s lovely to have her in the narrative in the way that she is.”

According to Pop Wrapped, Elena was last seen going into a deep sleep until Bonnie’s (Kat Graham) death. While this left the door open for Nina Dobrev’s return, Damon really struggled to cope with her absence last season. In fact, his downhill spiral left him possessed by an evil entity by the season finale, and there’s no telling where his darkness will take him this season.

That being said, fans are left wondering if Plec will conclude the series on a happy note for Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley).

When asked about constructing a happy ending, Plec admitted that she is a fan of things wrapping up on a more positive note. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that everything will end exactly how fans hope.

“Our show is supernatural, so sometimes closure means death and tragedy and sad endings — which can be just as potent and powerful as happy endings — so I have to imagine that we’ll have a mixture of both,” she shared.

For now, it sounds like there might be happy days ahead for some characters and fans can at least expect closure for all the characters in Mystic Falls.

Nina Dobrev Will Probably, Definitely Be Returning for "The Vampire Diaries" Finale https://t.co/xFOXUW4Uzf pic.twitter.com/MxA5YSCBUs

— Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) October 26, 2016

True to the series since day one, this means that the finale will not be all smiles and fluff but will include more than one dark moment before the curtain closes. Considering how Dobrev’s return is now confirmed, there is a possibility that things end well for at least one of the Salvatore brothers.

Meanwhile, Plec went on to explain how a few old faces will crop up this season and that fans will revisit a handful of familiar faces before the series comes to an end.

Apart from Elena’s storyline, E! News reports that fans are also excited to see what becomes of their favorite couples this season. In particular, the biggest question moving forward is who Caroline (Candice King) ends up with.

Caroline and Stefan finally connected at the end of last season following her breakup with Alaric (Matt Davis). Their relationship reached a point where they decided to move in together, though no mention of wedding bells have cropped up yet. To complicate their situation, Caroline is dealing with raising her kids this season and working things out with Alaric.

There is always the possibility that things don’t work out between Caroline and Stefan, which means Alaric could enter the picture once again. Whatever ends up happening, all of the characters have their work cut out if they want to defeat the big bad this season, who just finished feeding on all the bodies Damon and Enzo provided.

With Damon’s humanity turned off, there’s no telling what he will do next. Will they save Damon in time for him to reunite with Elena? Fans can watch the Salvatore brothers in their final season when new episodes of The Vampire Diaries air Friday nights on The CW.

Tell us! Do you want to see Nina Dobrev pop up this season on The Vampire Diaries? Let us know in the comments, and see the whole cast say goodbye in the clip below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCnHIhIdHoY

[Featured Image by The CW]