Alaric Saltzman

**Notice:** This **article** uses content directly taken from the Alaric Saltzman **article** at the Vampire Diaries Wiki, and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.

## Biographical Information

### Turned

* By Esther Mikaelson on November 5, 2010  (through The Immortality Spell)
* By Alex Gilbert in Spring of 2030 (through the Restore and Reversal Spell)

### Occupation

* Vampire Hunter  (Formerly)
* History Teacher  (Formerly)
* Member of the Mystic Falls Town Council  (Formerly)
* College Professor  (Formerly)
* Leader of The Armory  (Formerly)
* Headmaster  (Formerly)
* Principal  (Formerly)
* Helper at The Salvatore School (Currently)

### Titles

* Ric
* Evilaric, Brother, Best bud, Buddy  (All by Damon)
* Bourbon Breath  (by Elena)
* Professor Bourbon  (by Jo)
* Baby Bo  (by Kai)
* Professor S  (by Dorian)
* Dr. Saltzman  (by Students at the Salvatore School)
* Dr. S  (by Kaleb)

### Species

* Human(Formerly)
* Ghost  (Formerly)
* Spirit in Limbo (Formerly)
* Enhanced Original Vampire

## Family Information

### Family Members

* Ed Saltzman  (Father)
* Dianne Saltzman  (Mother)
* Josette Laughlin †  (Late Fiancée/Mother of his children)
* Isobel Flemming †  (Ex-Wife)
* Arielle Labonair  (Step-Daughter)
* Elena Gilbert  (Former Legal Ward/Step-Daughter)
* Alex Gilbert  (Former Legal Ward/Step-Daughter)
* Caroline Forbes  (Ex-Fiancée)
* Ariana Gilbert  (Former Legal Ward)
* Jeremy Gilbert  (Former Legal Ward)
* Jack Mikaelson  (Step-Grandson)
* Hope Mikaelson  (Step-Granddaughter)
* Lizzie Saltzman  (Daughter)
* Josie Saltzman  (Daughter)
* Jax Salvatore  (Step-Grandson)
* Nina Salvatore  (Step-Granddaughter)
* Lily Salvatore  (Step-Granddaughter)
* Adella Mikaelson  (Adoptive Step-Granddaughter)
* Grayson Salvatore  (Step-Grandson)
* Sarah Salvatore  (Step-Grandson)
* Stefanie Salvatore  (Step-Granddaughter)
* Miranda Mikaelson  (Step-Granddaughter)
* Jenna Mikaelson  (Step-Granddaughter)
* Nik Mikaelson  (Step-Grandson)

## Supernatural Information

### Significant Kills

* Logan Fell  (as a vampire)
* Billy  (as a vampire)
* Several Tomb Vampires  (as vampires)
* Henry Wattles  (as a vampire)
* Brian Walters
* Bill Forbes  (as a human)
* Esther Mikaelson  (2nd time)
* Ariana Gilbert  (as a witch)
* Niklaus Mikaelson  (body only)
* Many Vampires who escaped from the Phoenix Stone
* Malachai Parker  (2nd time; as a witch-vampire hybrid)
* Jed Tien  (Resurrected)

### Cause of Death

* Staked  (1st and 7th time)
* Stabbed  (2nd and 5th time)
* Broken Neck  (3rd and 6th time)
* Hit by a car  (4th time)
* Elena's Death  (8th time; as an Original vampire)
* Broken Neck (9th time; as a human)

### Killed By

* Damon Salvatore  (1st and 3rd time)
* Stevie  (2nd time)
* Tony  (4th time)
* Elena Gilbert  (5th time)
* Klaus Mikaelson  (6th time)
* Esther Mikaelson  (7th time; as a human)
* Athena and Rebekah Mikaelson  (8th time, indirectly; as am Original vampire)
* Alex Gilbert (9th time)

## Physical Appearance

### Height

* 6'2"  (Feet)
* 1.88  (Meters)

## Appearance

### Episode Count

* 99 (TVD)
* 8 (TO)
* 65 (Legacies)
* 171 (Totaled)

### First Seen

* *History Repeating* (TVD)
* *Suffering Grief* (TO)
* *This is the Part Where You Run* (Legacies)

### Last Seen

* *I Was Feeling Epic* (TVD)
* *The Tale of Two Wolves* (TO)
* *Just Don't Be a Stranger, Okay?* (Legacies)

**Dr. Alaric "Ric" J. Saltzman** is a main character of *The Vampire Diaries* and *Legacies*. He is a former recurring character of first half of Season One, Season Four and Season Five. He also served as the main antagonist in Season Three along with the Mikaelson Family. Alaric is a Human, Vampire Hunter, former history teacher at Mystic Falls High School and a former Enhanced Original, not by being one of the first vampires as the Mikaelson Family is, but instead being turned through an altered version of the spell used on the Mikaelson family. He originally came to Mystic Falls to find the vampire who killed his wife, but learned that she voluntarily became a vampire and left him. He also learned that his wife had two kids when she was a teenager, a daughters named Elena and Alex Gilbert, his student. Alaric began a romantic relationship with their adoptive aunt, Jenna. Following Jenna's tragic death, he seemed to step into his step-father role to the twins and is a father figure to their brother, Jeremy. He is also Damon's best friend alongside Bonnie; Damon even called Alaric "brother" on occasions.

Through overuse of the Gilbert Ring, Esther manipulated his spirit while he was on the Other Side before he would resurrect, and as a result he developed an alter ego, called The Darkness by Bonnie and Dark Alaric or Evil Alaric to others, that hated vampires and vampire sympathizers; as the Darkness, Alaric killed several members of the Town Council. With a goal to create a monster to end all monsters — similar to her husband before him — Esther linked Alaric's life force to Elena's and, in the process, created an Enhanced Original Vampire with one true weapon, the final, indestructible white oak stake. Fearing for her family's life, Rebekah Mikaelson caused Elena's death, thereby killing Alaric in the process. Following this, Alaric was resurrected as his Original vampire self without his alter-ego. While trying to save Damon from Tripp Cooke, Alaric was pulled into the magic purification zone over Mystic Falls. He temporarily died from the stab wound that killed him before his transition, when the magic that made him an Enhanced Original was stripped from his body. Jo Parker revived him with her medical skills, but upon resurrection, Alaric reverted back to his human self.

As a vampire hunter, he designed several different weapons to fight vampires which include vervain tranquilizers and arm vest stakes.

As a Ghost, he watched over Damon, Jeremy, Ariana, Elena, and Alex. In the last two episodes of the fourth Season, his spirit was brought back into the world of the living (albeit confined within the Expression Triangle) where his presence proved crucial at offsetting the threat of the Hunters of the Five in their goal to kill Silas after curing him of his Immortality. His ghost was resurrected in *Home*, from the Other Side before its destruction, being the last to cross over to the land of the living.

After being resurrected, and though he retained his status as an Enhanced Original Vampire, he became a college professor at Whitmore College, teaching Occult Studies (taking up the same position that was held by both Sheila Bennett and Atticus Shane). He met and fell in love with Josette Parker, who saved his life when he crossed the magical border into Mystic Falls which stripped him of his supernatural powers and made him human again. Eventually, they came to find out that they were expecting twins. However, Josette was brutally murdered by Kai Parker at their wedding, seemingly along with their unborn children.

Alaric later became a father when his children, Lizzie and Josie, were saved by the Gemini Coven and carried by Caroline Forbes. They would later set up a home together and eventually became engaged. Alaric helped Peter Maxwell and Dorian Williams at the Armory with the mystery of Sybil and the return of Dark Alex, who wanted to destroy Mystic Falls. When Mystic Falls was saved, Alaric, along with Caroline, set up the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted.

**Alaric** is a member of the **Saltzman Family** and a non-biological relative to the **Petrova Family, Labonair Family**, **Lescheres Family**, and the **Gilbert Family**, due to being Elena and Alex's step-father through his marriage to Isobel, and Ariana and Jeremy's guardian.

## Early History

The Saltzmans are descendants of German immigrants who arrived in Texas in 1755. He was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He mentions to Jenna Sommers that during high school, he wore eyeglasses and had a skin condition. While attending Duke University, he met and then married Isobel Flemming, a parapsychologist (it's revealed by Meredith that Isobel filed a restraining order against him twice) who had an interest in vampires, a topic he would regularly tease her about.

He said that she was "Like Mulder, except hotter, and a girl". At some point, Isobel gave him a ring and told him to always wear it. One night, he returned home late to find a vampire in his bedroom drinking Isobel's blood. Her body was never found and she was presumed dead. Alaric took over her research and found out about Mystic Falls and the rumors about vampires being alive in the town. He went there to find out the truth and discover what had happened to his wife.

He also created a number of anti-vampire weapons, so as to protect himself and others from them.

## Personality

* Human
* The Darkness
* Enhanced Original Vampire
* Ghost

When introduced, Alaric was a mysterious man who seemed outwardly warm and friendly both with his students, and with strangers. He was quick to give Jeremy a second chance, and immediately started to bond with Jenna. However, this facade showed a darker side, one tinged with guilt and grief. Namely, he carried the burden of the disappearance of his wife and a fierce dedication to discover what had happened to her. He proved to be an intelligent and talented vampire hunter, shown when he killed Logan Fell. However, he was also stubborn and dedicated to finding out what happened to his wife. Namely, he ignored Stefan's warnings to stay away from Damon and attacked him, which led to his first death.

His fixation on Isobel eventually came to pass when he learned of her transformation into a vampire and he managed to let her go, namely after she compelled him to do so, so that he could go along with his life. This allowed him to develop his relationship with Jenna.

Alaric started to warm up to the others and started to form a sort of partnership with Damon as they investigated what happened to Isobel and her connection to John Gilbert. This partnership eventually evolved into a particularly strong friendship, some even considering Damon to be Alaric's best friend, and Alaric as Damon's only friend.

However, after Jenna's death, Alaric was unhinged and started to fall into a state of depression when he was seen drinking away the pain. While he was portrayed as a moderate drinker before the incident, Jenna's death led him to develop a rather severe drinking problem with Meredith Fell calling him a borderline alcoholic. He tried to take care of Elena and Jeremy, but had difficulty living up to the task. This dark part of him was also emphasized due to the many times that he had died and came back to life. It also connected to his suppressed guilt at the way his life had taken and all the pain that had resulted from it which made him fall prey to the darkness within him and turned him into a serial killer.

Alaric's drinking remained a large part of him when he returned from the dead, first as a vampire, then as a human. One of his nicknames was "Professor Bourbon", and Damon, his best friend and drinking buddy, once referred to him as a functioning alcoholic.

Alaric's many deaths and resurrections brought about by the Gilbert Ring eventually caused him to develop a split personality. Each time he died with the ring on, he'd be met by Esther Mikaelson on the The Other Side, and in the brief period before the ring revived him, she would speak with him and nurture his negative feelings toward vampires and how they had affected his life; turning Isobel and killing Jenna. Alaric began to black out and his darker personality would take over, targeting vampires or vampire sympathizers. This Alaric was vindictive, hateful, and militant in his crusade against vampires and anyone who supporting them, not caring if they were once friends or family. He murdered members of the Founder's Council because he thought they were too weak to truly protect humanity from monsters.

This side of Alaric even hated his real self, seeing him as weak and hypocritical, befriending vampires rather than slaying them like he should. This alter-ego did care about self preservation, and would take control if he felt his life was in danger, like when he removed his ring and Stefan nearly killed him to draw him out. The darkness in Alaric's hatred of vampires led to him aligning with Esther when she returned to life, both of them wanting to eradicate the vampire species. This led to her transforming him into an Enhanced Original Vampire, which for a time let his darker side have complete, uninterrupted control.

After Alaric was turned into an Enhanced Original, his darker aspect took complete control, and although now a vampire, was determined to hunt down the Original family and end the existence of vampires, showing that that was all he cared about by agreeing to be desiccated after he had finished his work. His hatred of vampires and vampire sympathizers was just as potent as it had been during his fits of insanity, outing former friends to the Town Council to be hunted down. He also considered his real personality a disgrace, who had befriended the very things that had ruined his life and also was disgusted by ever having been friends with Damon.

Since returning from the Other Side, Alaric seemingly retains his original personality, coupled with his vampiric abilities. He was there for Elena as she grieved the loss of Damon and stood by the rest of the gang as Bonnie and Damon pass on. He admits to Elena that he hates every single part of being a vampire. He drinks from blood bags not from the vein, he seems to not be able to control his hunger when he smells blood.
For unknown reasons, Alaric completely reverted to his original personality when he died. When Bonnie dropped the veil to the Other Side, Alaric retained his vampire powers as well as his personality as if his darker personality simply disappeared when he died. It is possible Esther used magic while encouraging his dark side when he would die with the ring, making it so that after he transitioned his dark side would have full control. As it could have been part of Esther's spell, then it makes sense that he regained his true personality upon death, which would break Esther's tampering with his mind.

## Physical Appearance

Alaric can be described as tall, about 6'2 in height, with an athletic build. A handsome man with short, brown hair that is gelled on the top and has blue eyes. He often wears casual clothing, t-shirts, button downs, jackets, jeans, etc. He's mostly seen wearing dark colors, but occasionally wears brighter ones such as pink or white shirts. He appears between the ages of 34-36.

## Powers and Abilities

Alaric possesses all standard powers and abilities of a Enhanced Original Vampire.

## Weaknesses

Alaric has the typical weaknesses of a Enhanced Original Vampire.

## Tools and Weapons

As a proficient vampire hunter, Alaric used many weapons and tools to aid in his one man war. These weapons were kept in his apartment, car, and even at the school; always close-by and ready for use. He would often loan his vampire slaying weapons to his friends and allies when they were in need of them. As a form of protection against supernatural creatures, Isobel Flemming gift to Alaric a magic ring of resurrection.

* **Stakes** - Alaric would primarily use stakes in combat, taking an element of surprise approach in his battles against deadly vampires like Logan Fell and Damon Salvatore.
* **Stake Launcher** - Alaric used an air propelled stake launcher that he'd keep nearby at the school. When he first met Stefan, he tried to kill him with the help of this weapon.
* **Arm Cuff Stake** - A hidden device under his sleeve which would allow you to either draw the stake from seemingly nowhere or if you punched an opponent with enough force, launch it forward. He taught Elena how to use this weapon effectively.
* **White Oak Stake** - Once he had been turned into an Original vampire by Esther, who wanted him to hunt down the Originals, he used the white oak stake along with his new powers to try and make all vampires extinct.
* **Vervain Darts**
* **Vervain Grenades**
* **Wolfsbane Grenades**
* **Gilbert Ring** - Alaric always wore the Gilbert Ring that his wife Isobel had given to him. (Isobel obtained it from John Gilbert) It allowed him to be resurrected after being killed by a supernatural creature or by supernatural means, a very handy trinket for someone hunting vampires, though it did end up having some negative effects. Alaric's Gilbert Ring was used to melt and bind its protective magic to the last White Oak Stake, making it indestructible, and the ring is now no more.

## Appearances

### The Vampire Diaries

* *History Repeating*
* *The Turning Point*
* *Bloodlines*
* *Unpleasantville*
* *Children of the Damned*
* *A Few Good Men*
* *Let The Right One In*
* *Under Control*
* *Miss Mystic Falls*
* *Blood Brothers*
* *Isobel*
* *Founder's Day*

* *Bad Moon Rising*
* *Memory Lane*
* *Plan B*
* *Masquerade*
* *The Sacrifice*
* *By the Light of the Moon*
* *The Descent*
* *Daddy Issues*
* *Crying Wolf*
* *The Dinner Party*
* *The House Guest*
* *Know Thy Enemy* (Gets possessed by Klaus)
* *The Last Dance* (Possessed by Klaus)
* *Klaus* (Released from Klaus' possession)
* *The Last Day*
* *The Sun Also Rises*
* *As I Lay Dying*

* *The Birthday*
* *The Hybrid*
* *Disturbing Behavior*
* *Smells Like Teen Spirit*
* *Ghost World*
* *Ordinary People*
* *The New Deal*
* *Our Town*
* *The Ties That Bind*
* *Bringing Out The Dead*
* *All My Children*
* *1912*
* *Break On Through*
* *The Murder of One*
* *Heart of Darkness*
* *Do Not Go Gentle*
* *Before Sunset*
* *The Departed*

* *Growing Pains* (Mentioned)
* *Memorial* (Ghost)
* *The Rager* (Mentioned)
* *We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes* (Mentioned)
* *My Brother's Keeper* (Mentioned)
* *Stand By Me* (Mentioned)
* *Bring It On* (Mentioned)
* *Pictures of You* (Mentioned)
* *The Walking Dead* (Corporeal Ghost)
* *Graduation* (Corporeal Ghost)

* *For Whom the Bell Tolls* (Mentioned)
* *500 Years of Solitude* (Ghost)
* *Man on Fire* (Mentioned)
* *Home*

* *I'll Remember*
* *Yellow Ledbetter*
* *Welcome to Paradise* (Mentioned)
* *Black Hole Sun*
* *The World Has Turned and Left Me Here*
* *The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get*
* *Do You Remember the First Time?*
* *Fade Into You*
* *I Alone*
* *Christmas Through Your Eyes*
* *Woke Up With a Monster*
* *Prayer For the Dying* (Mentioned)
* *The Day I Tried To Live* (Mentioned)
* *Stay*
* *Let Her Go*
* *A Bird in a Gilded Cage*
* *I Never Could Love Like That* (Mentioned)
* *Because*
* *I'd Leave My Happy Home For You*
* *I'll Wed You in the Golden Summertime*
* *I'm Thinking Of You All The While*

* *Day One of Twenty-Two Thousand, Give or Take*
* *Never Let Me Go*
* *Age of Innocence*
* *I Carry Your Heart With Me*
* *Live Through This*
* *Best Served Cold*
* *Mommie Dearest*
* *Cold as Ice*
* *Hell Is Other People* (Mentioned)
* *Things We Lost in the Fire*
* *Postcards from the Edge* (Mentioned)
* *This Woman's Work*
* *Moonlight on the Bayou*
* *I Would for You*
* *Days of Future Past* (Mentioned)
* *I Went to the Woods*
* *One Way or Another*
* *Somebody That I Used to Know*
* *Kill 'Em All*
* *Requiem for a Dream*
* *Gods and Monsters*
* *Hello, Brother*
* *Today Will Be Different*
* *You Decided That I Was Worth Saving*
* *An Eternity of Misery*
* *Coming Home Was a Mistake*
* *Detoured On Some Random Backwoods Path to Hell*
* *The Next Time I Hurt Somebody, It Could Be You*
* *We Have History Together* (Mentioned)
* *The Simple Intimacy of the Near Touch* (Mentioned)
* *What Are You?*
* *The Lies Will Catch Up To You*
* *It's Been a Hell of a Ride*
* *We're Planning a June Wedding*
* *I Was Feeling Epic*

### The Originals

* *Suffering Grief*
* *Voodoo in My Blood*
* *The Feast of All Sinners*

* *Alexandria Gilbert-Salvatore: Thee Tribrid*
* *New Members of The Mikaelson Family*
* *In New Orleans* (Voice)
* *Noble Elijah Isn't Noble Elijah...He's Just Elijah*
* *Where You Left Your Heart* (Mentioned)
* *One Wrong Turn On Bourbon* (Mentioned)
* *Don't It Just Break Your Heart* (Mentioned)
* *The Tale of Two Wolves*

### Legacies

* *This is the Part Where You Run*
* *Some People Just Want To Watch The World Burn*
* *We're Being Punked, Pedro*
* *Hope is Not the Goal*
* *Malivore*
* *Mombie Dearest*
* *Death Keeps Knocking On My Door*
* *Maybe I Should Start From The End*
* *What Was Nina Doing In Your Dreams?*
* *There's a World Where Your Dreams Came True*
* *We're Gonna Need A Spotlight*
* *There's a Mummy on Main Street*
* *The Boy Who Still Has a Lot of Good to Do*
* *Let's Just Finish the Dance*
* *I'll Tell You a Story*
* *There's Always a Loophole*
* *I'll Never Give Up Hope*
* *This Year Will Be Different*
* *You Remind Me of Someone I Used to Know*
* *Since When Do You Speak Japanese?*
* *Screw Endgame*
* *That's Nothing I Had to Remember*
* *It Will All Be Painfully Clear Soon Enough*
* *This Christmas Was Surprisingly Violent*
* *I Couldn't Have Done This Without You*
* *This is Why We Don't Entrust Plans to Muppet Babies*
* *What Cupid Problem?* (Mentioned)
* *Kai Parker Screwed Us*
* *You Can't Save Them All*
* *There's A Place Where The Lost Things Go*
* *Life Was So Much Easier When I Only Cared About Myself*
* *Facing Darkness is Kinda My Thing*

* *We're Not Worthy*
* *Goodbyes Sure Do Suck*
* *Salvatore: The Musical!*
* *Hold on Tight*
* *This is What It Takes*
* *To Whom It May Concern*
* *Yup, It's a Leprechaun, All Right*
* *Long Time, No See*
* *Do All Malivore Monsters Provide This Level of Emotional Insight?*
* *All's Well That Ends Well*
* *You Can't Run From Who You Are*
* *I Was Made To Love You*
* *One Day You Will Understand*
* *This Feels A Little Cult-y*
* *A New Hope*
* *Fate's A Bitch, Isn't It?*
* *You Have to Pick One This Time*
* *There's No I In Team, or Whatever*
* *We All Knew This Day Was Coming*
* *See You On The Other Side*
* *I Thought You'd Be Happier To See Me*
* *You're A Long Way From Home*
* *Someplace Far Away From All This Violence* (Mention; Illusion)
* *You Will Remember Me*
* *I Can't Be the One to Stop You*
* *The Story of My Life*
* *Follow the Sound of My Voice* (Mention; Illusion)
* *Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost*
* *Was This the Monster You Saw?*
* *The Only Way Out is Through*
* *Everything That Can Be Lost May Also Be Found*
* *I Wouldn't Be Standing Here If It Weren't For You*
* *Into the Woods*
* *By the End of This, You'll Know Who You Were Meant to Be*
* *This Can Only End in Blood*
* *Just Don't Be a Stranger, Okay?*

## Episode Absence

* In Season Two, Alaric doesn't appear in one episode:
	+ *What Cupid Problem?*
* In Season Four, Alaric doesn't appear in two episodes:
	+ *Someplace Far Away From All This Violence*
	+ *Follow the Sound of My Voice*

## Name

* **Alaric** Gothic name meaning "ruler of all". Was the name of the king of the Visigoths who sacked Rome in 410 and might have precipitate the fall of Rome.
* **Saltzman** is an Ashkenazic Jewish occupational name for a producer or seller of salt, from German Salz "salt" + Mann "man". Altered spelling of German Salzmann