‘The Originals’ premiere spoilers: Charles Michael Davis stars in new sneak peek

In case you didn’t quite realize it, there is a reason to watch the premiere of “The Originals” on The CW Thursday night that doesn’t have any reason at all to do with characters from “The Vampire Diaries,” and his name is Charles Michael Davis. His character of Marcel is going to be a huge part of the show, and he also represents something that is rare in this universe: A villain who is more maniacal than dark and brooding.

In the video below, you can see just a touch of what we are talking about in the way in which Marcel chooses to torment the witches of New Orleans. There’s almost a little element of the Joker (with more charisma versus instability) or Seth Gabel’s performance as Vertigo on “Arrow” last season in Davis’ take on the vampire king-of-sorts; you combine these elements with that of an angry dictator, and you more or less have Marcel in a nutshell. He rules New Orleans the way in the way he wants to rule it, and until Klaus arrived, there was really not anyone there to stand in his way.

Thursday night is going to be a huge one for “The Originals.” They have “The Vampire Diaries” as a lead-in, but this marks the first time that the show has been able to really function as its own entity, separate from anything that is transpiring in Mystic Falls. While there will at times be crossovers, they will not be so frequent as to serve as a major distraction for those who are only watching one of the two series.

Are you digging Marcel and Davis’ performance, and what do you make of Elijah (Daniel Gillies) watching the whole thing from above. Sound off in the comment box below! Meanwhile, click here if you want to read some more of what Gillies has to say about playing Elijah this season.

Photo: The CW