Rafael was not used to his full potential on Legacies

The pilot of Legacies sees Hope Mikaelson and Alaric Saltzman appear to help newly transformed werewolf Rafael Waithe. Rafael’s perspective is significant throughout the episode because this is his first interaction with both the supernatural generally and the Salvatore Boarding School specifically. But, it didn’t take long for Rafael to get pushed to the background.

As the mystery of Landon Kirby began to take hold, Rafael’s story became connected to the question of whether Landon would stay or leave the Salvatore School. Rafael fighting Jed for the position of the Pack’s Alpha was entirely about ensuring that someone solidified Landon, a spot in the school.

Rafael’s relationship with Landon could have been compared to the brotherly dynamics of Legacies’ predecessors, The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, with Damon and Stefan Salvatore or Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson. But, Rafael and Landon’s relationship never got the time to develop to that degree.

Instead, while it is clear that Rafael and Landon love and care for each other as brothers, Rafael was often used in dead-end love triangles. For example, Rafael is a brief love interest for both Saltzman twins and experiences a crush on Hope, creating an uncomfortable and quick love triangle between Rafael, Hope, and Landon.

Rafael was supposed to be an essential member of the Super Squad, but even though he was a central character, he was missing from several episodes at a time. As a result, he never got as many substantial storylines as Hope, Josie, Lizzie, or Landon.

Sadly, Rafael began to drift away from the series’ main narrative, primarily existing in the background and occasionally returning to create conflict in the plot. Even his time being resurrected by the Necromancer does not do much for Rafael’s development and reinforces already known things about him.

Several times, Legacies had the chance to reveal more about Rafael’s backstory but chose not to. In fact, during “We’re Not Worthy,” Legacies reveals that Rafael is a descendent of King Arthur. But, unfortunately, he was then written out of the series the very next episode.

Afterward, Rafael’s departure is briefly shown to affect Landon, but for the most part, he has not been referenced since “Goodbyes Sure Do Suck.” This is a shame, considering how essential Rafael and Landon once were to each other.

While other characters had the opportunities or storylines in which to grow, Rafael repeatedly got the short end of the stick throughout his time on Legacies. Since Rafael’s exit, Jed and Finch have stepped up as the central werewolves of the series, but there was still a lot that could have been explored with Rafael’s presence.

Overall, Rafael had the potential to be an exciting character. He was new to the world and could have brought a new perspective and held significant friendships with several others. Instead, Legacies did not let Rafael grow to his full potential.