Comic-Con: Elena's Transformation and More Scoop From The Vampire Diaries' Season 4

The Vampire Diaries has added one more vampire.
Elena met her fate in the Season 3 finale after her fateful trip over Wickery Bridge left her on a slab in the morgue. But don't worry: She will be back next season, along with her portrayer, Nina Dobrev, who joined the rest of the cast and executive producers Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson at their Comic-Con panel, moderated by TV Guide Magazine's Debra Birnbaum, on Saturday dish about the upcoming season. (Turns out, Elena was supposed to become a vampire in Season 2, so this has been a long time coming!)
Check out what's in store below:
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1. Elena the vampire: "Obviously, Elena is going through a new change, and Damon [Ian Somerhalder] and Stefan [Paul Wesley] will have to deal with that change," Plec teased. Added Dobrev: "Elena has had some pretty crazy experiences. Now she actually dies and comes back as a vampire. Everything is going to be heightened and she's constantly going to be struggling with herself" because she's never wanted to be a vampire. Plus: Dobrev said she is struggling with herself in figuring out how to make vampire Elena different from Katherine.
2. Graduation: They're gearing up for graduation, but that's not to say that it'll happen this year. On the way there, there's a lot of "deep, emotional, twisted stuff," Plec said.
3. Bad boy Damon is back: Damon spent the first three seasons trying to be something he's not in order to please those around him, but Damon in Season 4 will not be doing that anymore. "He is not a nice guy," Somerhalder said ominously.
4. Matt to the rescue? Matt (Zach Roerig) was partially at fault for Elena's fate since she forced Stefan to save Matt after the car crash. Surprisingly, though, that may bring him closer to Elena. Williamson noted that Matt will continue to be a very important person to vampire Elena because he may be able to keep her grounded. "I don't know if it's the season of Matt, but I think it's the season of Matt trying to stay human," Roerig added.
5. Delena vs Stelena: Elena may have chosen Stefan in the season finale, buther transformation will change the dynamic of the trio's relationship. "One really cool thing is Elena is a badass vampire girl and she can take care of herself finally," Somerhalder said. "It's going to add a really interesting dynamic between the three of them. She's going to need help from these two, and the three of them are going to learn a lot together in a very short amount of time."
6. Original witch: Esther (Alice Eve) may be called the original witch, but that doesn't mean she actually is. "We call her the original witch, but where did she come from and who was before her and where did that spell come from to create the original vampires?" Plec noted. "That's actually a big question and something we'll be asking this year."
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7. Will Katherine return? It doesn't sound like Elena's doppelganger will be around this season. "Katherine will not show her little face until Klaus [Joseph Morgan] is no longer a threat," Plec said.
8. Meredith will! SinceMystic Falls has a dearth of adults now, Meredith (Torrey DeVitto) will be staying in town. "She's part of the family now," Plec said.
9. Goodbye, Alaric? Though Matt Davis has his own CW series — Cult, coming midseason — Plec said that his contract allows him to return to The Vampire Diaries in some fashion, whether it be via flashbacks or ghostly apparitions. "I would say that it's possible and it's certainly something that we'd like very much," Plec said.
What are you looking forward to in Season 4?
The Vampire Diaries returns Thursday, Oct. 11 at 8/7c on The CW.