Who Is Kai?

The Vampire Diaries Burning Question: Who Is Kai?

Who is Kai , the mysterious man Damon and Bonnie met in their makeshift purgatory in the last episode of The Vampire Diaries? So far, all we know about the character is that he loves pork rinds and starting fires. He also seems to know a lot about vervain and claims to have tried to kill Damon only to motivate Bonnie into regaining her magic, but we’re suspicious. Who is Kai really? We speculate below.

Keeper of purgatory. Though we now know more about this mysterious 1994-ville Bamon is stuck in, we’re still not sure what it actually, you know, is. Could Kai be the person who rules this purgatory-like place? Does he make the rules and decides who stays and goes? He seems to be presenting himself as someone who, like Bamon, is trapped there, but we’re not so sure. Could Kai be the ruler of May 10, 1994?

Member of The Gemini Coven. The group of witches in Oregon called The Gemini Coven has gotten not one, but two mentions so far on TVD this season. This could just be a coincidence, or The Gemini Coven could be poised to play a larger role in this season. Though Kai hasn’t yet demonstrated any magical ability of his own, that doesn’t mean he isn’t a witch (warlock?). He knew that Bonnie’s powers would be brought out by her desire to protect Damon. Besides, there’s no way Kai filled up all of those liquor bottles with vervain without magic.

Someone sent by Grams. We can’t forget that Grams was the one who sent Bonnie and Damon to this other world. Did she also send Kai? Did another powerful elder make their own plan to send Kai to this purgatory in the same way that Grams did? If either of these explanations is true, then maybe Kai can be trusted.

Sarah’s loved one. TVD likes to connect characters in unexpected and interesting ways. Another recent addition to the TVD cast is Sarah, the girl Elena nearly killed and Jeremy has been making out with non-stop. We now know that compulsion doesn’t work in Mystic Falls, which means Sarah remembers everything that Elena did to her. And still she stays. Why? Perhaps, she’s trying to find a way to bring back her own loved one. Perhaps, she and Kai share some kind of connection.

Catch this episode of The Vampire Diaries on Thursday, October 23 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.