Ian Somerhalder Leaving ‘Vampire Diaries’ After Season 7, Damon To Be Killed Off?

Is Ian Somerhalder quitting The Vampire Diaries? Rumors are flying that the actor who plays Damon Salvatore on the popular CW vampire series is leaving after season 7, which is currently airing.

According to the International Business Times, Ian Somerhalder has allegedly decided to quit The Vampire Diaries and possibly focus on a career in movies, much like his former co-star and ex-girlfriend Nina Dobrev did after season 6 of the series.

While Ian Somerhalder has not commented on the rumors that are swarming around the internet about his alleged Vampire Diaries departure, fans would be completely devastated to lose the character of Damon Salavatore, especially so soon after Nina Dobrev’s departure as Elena Gilbert. Also, for Damon to leave the show or be killed off would be very hard for viewers to deal with considering they are expecting the endgame of the series to be Damon and Elena living happily ever after, that is if Nina Dobrev will return for the series finale.

If Ian Somerhalder’s character, Damon, were to die, Elena would wake up from her magical slumber, which is linked to Bonnie’s life, and be forced to live out the remainder of her years without her true love.

Meanwhile, Vampire Diaries fans are a bit worried as in the last episode a storyline emerged that could explain a Damon Salvatore death. Viewers may remember that when Rana Cruz finally caught up to Stefan she told him that his mark, which would be his death sentence, could be transferred to Damon, meaning she’d kill the “bad” Salvatore brother instead of the good one, but knowing Stefan and his immense love for his brother, he’d never willingly allow that to happen.

Recently, showrunner Julie Plec revealed that The Vampire Diaries is tied to actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, who play the central characters, and as long as they want to continue the show she’d love to write for them. If Ian were to quit the series it seems that the entire show would be dead along with Damon, as fans would likely quickly lose interest in the series without two of the main characters.

“I finally realized that my destiny on this show, creatively, is tied in to Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, and I mean that in a really good way. As long as those boys who I now consider my friends want to keep telling the story, then I won’t walk away from telling the story.”

Meanwhile, The Vampire Diaries has allegedly been in jeopardy of being cancelled. Although the CW announced it was renewed for season 8, since Nina Dobrev’s exit after season 6, the ratings have decreased and the series has been moved to the dreaded Friday night time slot, a night when not a lot of teens and young adults are at home watching television.

Fans have already begun to voice their concern and disapproval over the Ian Somerhalder departure rumors and a lot of them have stated that if Damon is killed off or leave the show that they will stop watching altogether, as many viewers only continue to tune in after Nina Dobrev’s exit because of Somerhalder himself as he’s been the break-out star of the series.

Will Ian Somerhalder actually quit The Vampire Diaries to move on to new ventures, or will he stick it out for season 8 and try to tie up the loose ends of the storylines? Whatever happens with Damon, it seems that the show’s days are probably numbered.

What are your thoughts on the rumors about Ian Somerhalder quitting The Vampire Diaries?

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