When Hope became the tribrid and activated her vampire powers in Legacies, she should have been stripped of magic. Here's why she can still use it.

After three seasons, Legacies finally saw Hope become the Tribrid, but her turn completely broke the rule about witchcraft first outlined in The Vampire Diaries. Despite the melodrama, and the over-the-top nature of many of the show's plotlines, The Vampire Diaries did a surprisingly good job establishing the universe's rules regarding supernatural creatures and magic. It all pivots around nature, always finding a balance, whether naturally occurring or through the help of witches.

True hybrids are so rare in the Vampire Diaries universe: nature abhors one creature having so much power. Thus, it will do anything to keep the balance between humans, werewolves, witches, and vampires. Each supernatural group has weaknesses to keep them in check: Vampires will die if bitten by a werewolf, but werewolves can only turn during the full moon, which limits their abilities. Witches are granted terrifying amounts of power, but as humans, they don't possess the superhuman characteristics of vampires and werewolves. Likewise, no matter how powerful a witch is, every spell has a loophole. In all ways, nature and the spirits maintain the balance. So, where does the Tribrid Hope fit in?

In Legacies, tribrid Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell) seemingly is immune to a cardinal rule of witchcraft. In The Vampire Diaries, a witch is only granted powers as humans. If a witch is turned into a vampire, they lose their powers: as they're servants of nature, but nature considers vampires to be an abomination, witches are stripped of magic if they turn (save for Siphoners, which is another matter). Yet, even though Hope's transformation into the Tribrid involved her awakening her dormant vampire side, she was shown using magic after her vampire awakening to reform her clothes. In theory, the minute Hope Mikaelson activated her vampire powers in Legacies, she should have lost her ability to wield magic. Hope is nature's ultimate loophole, and it likely explains why she can still use her witch powers.

How Hope’s Tribrid Nature Sets Up The Legacies Season 4 Finale

Hope uses her Tribrid powers to face off with the formidable Malivore, resulting in her victory — though, beings return from death all the time in TVD and Legacies. Her victory isn't necessarily well-received, because the reality is, Hope shouldn't exist. She is nature's walking definition of too much power as a werewolf, witch, and vampire, and who possesses all of their powers but few of their weaknesses. Yet witches created her, and nature allowed them to because there is something in the world that is just as powerful as her, and that's Malivore. A thousand years ago, witches, vampires, and werewolves combined their blood to create Malivore, a golem that could help them defeat dragons. Still, he eventually grew too powerful for them to control and turned on them. As established, though, nature always creates a counter: Hope, the only being strong enough to defeat the Malivore golem in Legacies. She's only strong enough to defeat Malivore because she is a Tribrid and a combination of all three supernatural creatures.

There's even a loophole within the loophole that is Hope, that arguably allows the logic of The Vampire Diaries universe to remain intact. As a new vampire, Hope shouldn't have witch powers as vampires aren't human. However, Hope is also a werewolf, and werewolves are human. If Legacies were to reveal that the magic bypassed her inhuman vampire side and was granted to the still-human werewolf side, technically, that wouldn't break the rules of witchcraft laid forth by nature. Even with that allowance, Hope's tribrid powers and abilities are unstable, which the rest of Legacies season 4 explores. It will be interesting to see just how far it pushes the boundaries of The Vampire Diaries universe.

Why The CW Hasn’t Yet Renewed Legacies For Season 5

As of now, Legacies has not been renewed (or canceled) for season 5. The radio silence regarding Legacies season 5 is odd. But the Tribrid Hope could play a part in the show's long-awaited announcement. While there's no real indication that season 4 is the final installment, ratings for the show are down 30% since season 3. This could be because people notice that Hope's tribrid abilities leave her without faults and render her far too powerful for The Vampire Diaries universe. In addition, the departure of Kaylee Bryant (Josie) from the show doesn't bode well for the series, as the Saltzman sister has been around for quite a while. The biggest reason for delays around Legacies' season 5 renewal has to do with The CW in general. Rumors have been flying about the sale of the network, which means that many of their shows hang in the balance, as the acquisition of such a company doesn't happen overnight.

Regardless, Legacies and The Vampire Diaries have an international following. Therefore, it's doubtful the former would be canceled, without being given a chance to wrap up the main story. Even if the Tribrid Hope Mikaelson breaks the rules a little, people could be forgiving of the fact if the show explains it well enough.

Next: Legacies Finally Remembers What TVD Vampires Are Supposed To Be Like