Hope Mikaelson’s long-suffering love interest Landon Kirby has died and been revived no less than four times over the three seasons of Legacies, but how have The Originals spinoff star’s deaths been caused each time? Debuting in 2018, Legacies is the second spinoff from ‘00s young adult supernatural soap The Vampire Diaries. Legacies picks up after the ending of the show’s first spinoff, The Originals, and follows the lives of some paranormally powered, drama-addicted students in the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted.

Although Legacies has not proven as popular as The Originals and The Vampire Diaries, the show does boast a campy sense of humor and an admirable commitment to never taking itself too seriously. This has ensured that Legacies maintained a solid fanbase despite the occasionally absurd plot terrain that the series explores, and this playful approach also means fans have been willing to excuse the show’s excessive focus on central couple Hope Mikaelson and Landon Kirby. In an initially clever subversion of the typical supernatural drama formula, the hapless Landon is often the character saved by the resourceful, powerful Hope and not the other way around.

While Legacies’ subversive “dude in distress” formula was at first a welcome twist on a hoary old cliche, the setup started to lose its appeal when the show relied on it for three solid seasons. By late season 3, many fans were thrilled to see Landon gain an independent character arc without Hope swooping in to save him, although some were still annoyed to see Legacies continue sidelining supporting characters’ stories in favor of the central pair. As if to prove that Legacies has effectively become a show centered around Hope and Landon at the expense of their co-stars, the show has killed off Landon no less than four times over its three seasons, only to revive the romantic lead each time through increasingly absurd injections of unlikely lore. As Legacies nears its season 4 debut, there is no better time to look back on the many deaths of Landon Kirby and see how the character has made it through so many seemingly fatal scrapes unscathed.

Landon’s First Death (Season 1, Episode 13)

Landon’s first death comes late in Legacies season 1. Episode 13, “The Boy Who Still Has A Lot of Good To Do,” sees Legacies explore the relationships of supporting star MG’s backstory as Landon pushes the young vampire to visit his family and explain his condition to them. Things do not go to plan and an enraged MG ends up punching Landon, only for his bleeding to awake the bloodsucker in Landon’s erstwhile friend. Although it takes a while for the episode to piece this together, eventually it is revealed that MG, unable to control his bloodlust, smelled Landon’s arterial spray and chowed down, killing his classmate in the process. However, before the episode ends, MG and Raf attempt to move their unfortunate former friend’s corpse, only for Landon to start smoking, burst into flame, and be reborn as Legacies reveals his supernatural power. Landon, it transpires, is not a human as previously assumed, but rather a Phoenix.

Landon’s Second Death (Season 2, Episode 16)

Legacies Season 3: Is [SPOILER] Really Dead? Necromancer

Landon’s second death occurs in Legacies’ season 2 finale. Episode 16, “Facing Darkness is Kinda My Thing,” sees Raf (the same friend who almost helped MG dispose of Landon’s corpse the first time he died) stab Landon in the chest with a golden arrow. Fortunately for Raf, he is possessed by a dark spirit known as the Necromancer at this point, meaning he is not responsible for his actions. Unfortunately for Landon, the Golden Arrow is a specific artifact capable of killing even Phoenixes (despite Legacies earlier informing viewers that immortality was the one verifiable power phoenixes have). However, despite this effectively killing the Pheonix element of Landon, the Necromancer is still able to revive the human element of Landon (i.e. bring Landon back to life, basically) in the Legacies season 3 premiere. That’s where things get really complicated for the show’s hero.

Landon’s Third Death (Season 3, Episode 4)

Despite Legacies season 3 finding time to spoof Midsommar, the early stretch of the season is an action-packed thrill ride. The appropriately titled “Hold On Tight” (episode 4) sees Landon allow his villainous Golem father Malivore to temporarily use his body as a host so the pair can do battle with the aforementioned Necromancer. The Necromancer is handily defeated thanks to Hope’s help, but not before Landon is burned to death by its undead dragon. Luckily, this is his most short-lived death, with the Necromancer’s defeat immediately resurrecting Landon.

Landon’s Fourth Death (Also Season 3, Episode 4)

Legacies Hope and Landon can not ever have sex

“Hold On Tight” truly lives up to the episode’s title, offering viewers not one, but two deaths for poor Landon. The second occurs after Hope and her love interest have been brought back from the Prison World seemingly safe and sound. After seasons of slow-burn chemistry and relentless “will they/won’t they” buildup that earned the ire of many fans, Hope and Landon finally have sex to celebrate their survival and their anniversary. It is an atypically touching moment from Legacies that allows the two characters, who have been through the wringer physically and emotionally, to find comfort and solace in one another at the end of a fraught, intense adventure. Then Landon melts into a puddle of dark goo as Hope watches, helpless to intervene.

Of course, this being Legacies, Landon soon gets better, although season 3’s shocking ending implies that viewers may not have even seen or heard from the real Landon since this event. Regardless of which Landon is real and which is Malivore masquerading as his son, as of the end of season 3, the Legacies lead can still seemingly never have sex with Hope without dying as a result. This complicates the duo’s relationship, and whether Hope and Landon stay together despite this evident challenge is one of many questions Legacies season 4 needs to answer. Fortunately, fans will not have to wait long for an answer, as Legacies returns to screens soon along with its often-killed hero.

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