'Vampire Diaries': What Does Alaric's [SPOILER] Mean for Next Season?

Warning: SPOILER ALERT if you haven't watched the latest episode of "The Vampire Diaries!"

You could tell by the title this past Thursday's episode, "Do Not Go Gentle," that something big was bound to happen. In fact, many fans had a good idea of the fate that was going to befall Alaric... just look at the comments section of the episode's preview clip on YouTube.

Sure enough, the episode saw Alaric playing the hero and staking Esther, but also facing his latest "death." It is only later in the episode though, when Bonnie completes the ritual, that Alaric becomes an Original, or "the vampire to end all vampires."

That leaves us, going forward, with Alaric's rather nasty alter ego, presumably with his former self lost forever. So what does that mean for next season?

Showrunner Julie Plec told THR that the new Alaric will be "a conflict provider" for the short remainder of season 3 and for the majority of season 4. "He's not going to be the friendliest version of Alaric that we've ever met. He's going to be pretty hardcore, which is going to be equally exciting and devastating. He's one of our heroes, who's no longer one of our heroes."

Will we ever get the old Alaric back? Tell us your theories on how season 4 will go in the comments!