The following contains spoilers for Legacies Season 4, Episode 20, "Just Don't Be A Stranger, Okay?," which aired Thursday, June 16 on The CW.

The Vampire Diaries' original character Caroline Forbes, portrayed by Candice King, made an appearance in the series finale of Legacies. A fan favorite, Caroline began The Vampire Diaries as a self-absorbed teenager. The writers arguably breathed new life into Caroline by having Katherine Pierce (Nina Dobrev) transform her into a bloodsucker in Season 2. Over the years, Caroline grew into someone who selflessly stood by her friends to save the day. She proved instrumental in establishing the Salvatore School for the Young & Gifted in order to ensure a safe haven for her two daughters, Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) and Josie (Kaylee Bryant), as well as other supernatural beings. That institute, and its student body, served as the cornerstone for Legacies.

It then made sense that with Alaric (Matt Davis) closing the school -- and Legacies concluding its four-year run -- Caroline to pop by to reunite with Lizzie and assume the mantle of headmaster. King recently spoke with CBR about her surprise cameo, Caroline taking over as headmaster, the character's growth, and the possibilities in a would-be Season 5.

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CBR: Let's rewind for a second. How surprised were you to get that call to reprise your role as Caroline Forbes for the Legacies series finale, or was it a long time coming?

Candice King: This was a long time in the making. I actually moderated the Legacies panel at ComicCon in 2019. This was always in the making. It was just all about timing. For me, after being on The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, I learned pretty quickly… I had worked throughout my first pregnancy and my daughter's first year-and-a-half of being born. I just needed to take a beat and have some time with family, but eventually, we would get there. Finally, by the time we were ready, we were ramping up ideas. We were having dinner with Julie Plec, phone calls were getting thrown into the mix, and a little thing called 2020 happened.

Not only did the world shut down, but the week the world shut down, I found out I was pregnant with my second daughter. I was in no shape to be bouncing off to go film anything. It did take this long, but golly, I am so grateful that we made this happen, especially given that this is the series finale. It could not have been a more beautiful experience, and I think a really lovely full-circle experience for the fans and for Caroline while also still honoring the characters of the Super Squad and what they've done and created for their show over the last four seasons.

What was it like getting back into character? How quickly did that come back to you?

I was a little bit nervous because it had been a while. I knew it would be like riding a bicycle, but I wanted the fans of not only Legacies but also the fans who have followed Caroline throughout The Vampire Diaries and The Originals to feel satisfied with her return and do my due diligence to make them happy. Once I actually got on set, there are so many people on the crew and production, and I had known the cast of Legacies before. Obviously, Matt Davis and I had worked for so long on The Vampire Diaries. It immediately felt like I was coming home. It felt like home.

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What did you make of Caroline stepping up as headmistress at the school? What does it say about where she is at this point in her life?

This was always part of the potential trajectory for Caroline. I know this is something that had been talked about in a long-term plan, depending on the run of the series and whenever Caroline would have returned and for how long. Considering the Salvatore School was Caroline's legacy to Stefan, I think it's beautiful for her to be able to come back and step up as headmistress. I think she's exactly where she would have ended up and wanted to be.

What kind of headmaster do you feel Caroline would make in comparison to Alaric?

Oh, man. Probably have a lot less of a Whiskey stash in the office. The rules would have been reinforced more. Probably way less big, bad creatures of the night coming in to terrorize the students. She would have been a few steps ahead of everybody. She would have laid down the law a little more intensely than Alaric would have.

Caroline shares moments with Lizzie, Hope, and Cleo. Did any of them stand out for you?

All of them. I actually knew Jenny Boyd. We were in an acting class in L.A. when she booked this role. It's such a small world, so to all of a sudden, now four years later, be on a set together was really fun. Also, for most of the cast, I got to know them for ComicCon. Just to see them a few years in, at different stages in their lives... It's impossible to work on a television series and not feel bonded with the people you are with for 14-, maybe 16- or 17-hour shoot days. To throw a pandemic into that, while also continuing to film, this was a very bonded group.

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Caroline Forbes is concerned in The Vampire Diaries

There was a possibility that Legacies could get a fifth season. At the time, what kind of discussions did you have with Brett Matthews and Julie Plec about what that would mean for you and Caroline?

I had a few conversations with Brett Matthews and Julie Plec had there been a fifth season. I think we would have seen Caroline more. Unfortunately, that's not happening. There's not a fifth season. But to know the door was always open for that character is a special thing, and that doesn't happen often. Timing can be fickle. As much as I want to think, "Oh no, but there was still so much story to tell," there has to be some belief of, "Well, maybe this was exactly how this was supposed to end." I think it was a pretty spectacular series finale. I am grateful that we got in there before it ended.

Looking back, what were your thoughts on Caroline's evolution since her debut in The Vampire Diaries?

I was never bored, in a beautiful way. I was on the show for eight years, and I was never bored. That says it all. It's easy to be playing the same character in each episode or each season, and I never felt that way at all. I am very grateful that the writers had so much fun with Caroline because then I got to be in the passenger's seat having a great time, as well.

I was nervous when they said they were going to turn Caroline into a vampire because no female that had been turned into a vampire had survived the series yet. I was like, "Oh gosh, this could be a gift or a death sentence." I didn't know which one, and I don't think any of us knew how it was going to turn out. It could have just not worked, but it did.

Even later on, they didn't plan for Caroline and Klaus. That scene was not meant to have chemistry. At the time, we were in this new digital age where you had this immediate feedback from your audience. The writers would start to recognize what people were drawn to in the storylines. The evolution of the show is so funny, and how much of them taking chances on storylines to see how things would turn out, and then getting to a point that the audiences were jumping in and choosing their own adventures, wanting them to take chances on things they can see. It was a very unique time to be on a TV series.

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The Vampire Diaries paved the way for The Originals and Legacies. People still talk about Vampire Diaries, and there are conventions dedicated to the show. How proud are you of The Vampire Diaries' legacy?

I am so proud to have been a part of The Vampire Diaries' legacy. When I booked that show, I was the greenest of the bunch. I learned about what a mark was. I learned about how cameras were set up. I learned about how many takes it took. This was my Salvatore School. To have the opportunity, and the blessing, to not only have a job with people you truly care about but also play a character who you happen to adore and keeps you on your toes and walks you through the formative years of your own life...

Then finally, the other cherry on the top is to have people all over the world love the series and lift it up and watch it, and it brings them joy... What more can you ask for? That's the stuff. I am so proud of the opportunity to have been able to be a part of the finales for each three of these series because they have changed my life in the most beautiful ways. I will always be grateful.

The series finale of Legacies aired June 16. Catch up with the show on The CW.