Damon Salvatore: Fans Mourn Death; But Executive Producer Says He'll Be in Season 6 [UPDATED]

Annette Brown/The CW

Damon Salvatore was left dead after the Vampire Diaries season 5 finale on Thursday night, prompting many fans to mourn the death.

“I think my heart just broke....” said one fan via Twitter.

“R.I.P Damon Salvatore,” said another.

“Damon dying has destroyed me completely :'(,” said yet another.

Others questioned the decision of having Damon die in the show, and called for him to return in the next season. TVD has already been renewed for a season 6.

“#TVD without Damon Salvatore? No! no, no, no, no.. Did I mention? NO! We Need Damon Back,” said one phone.

“WHY KILL DAMON SALVATORE!” said another.

“I’m a Damon Salvatore fan there is NO TVD without @iansomerhalder We Need Damon Back,” said yet another. 

There has also been speculation that Damon will return in some capacity for season 6. UPDATE: This from TVLine

Question: “We’ve been told that the finale would make death irreversible from now on. What does that mean for Bonnie and Damon?”

Executive producer Julie Plec: “I think it means there’s a mystery attached to how the show ended. Did they die? Did they find peace? Are they still on the Other Side? Does the Other Side still exist? If not, where the hell are they? And will they ever come back? Certainly, we will see Ian [Somerhalder] and Kat [Graham] again, but where and in what context? That’s part of the mystery of Season 6.”

Bustle notes several ways he could come back. He could live out his days as a ghost. He could get brought back with the help of Davina, the witch from The Originals. Or he could come back somehow through a new supernatural rule that hadn’t been revealed yet.

“TVD is notorious for revealing supernatural rules we didn’t think were possible. The concept of hybrids, the cure, the doppelganger issue, every bit of magic Bonnie has ever conceived, the fact that Jeremy still hasn’t managed to stay dead: it’s all pointing us to one final solution for this Damon problem. The solution is probably something we’ll never guess because it’s going to be an invention all TVD’s own,” it said.

“Look, the producers know we love Damon and that we probably won’t be as inclined to tune in without him. They’re not stupid. Hell, even Lexi could get behind Damon’s survival — homegirl risked her chance to come back in order to give Damon a shot and he’s the one who killed her.”

Ian Somerhalder is under contract through the end of the next season.