You've heard of Pavlov? Conditioned his dog to salivate at the sound of a bell? This compound is like that bell except instead of a ding, your body will salivate at the smell of vampire blood.
Wes on the Ripper Virus in Fifty Shades of Grayson

The Ripper Virus, also known as the Ripper Compound, was a chemical compound created by Dr. Wes Maxfield to turn Vampires into Augustine Vampires. It was created through genetic alteration, biochemical manipulation and blood-conditioning for the purpose of transforming vampires into cannibalistic, anti-vampire Rippers  that prey soley upon their own kind, from which it recieved its infamous moniker. Its prototype was modified vampire blood known as Augustine Blood, which was used to turn Jesse into an Augustine Vampire. It had been used on Damon Salvatore, with Jesse being the test subject prior to him until Jesse was killed by Elena to save Damon's life.

Damon, with help from his friend Enzo was for the most part able to control the Ripper urges by feeding on vampire blood every eight hours since any longer will result in him becoming rabid. The Ripper Virus/Ripper Compound was most recently injected into Elena Gilbert after being enhanced with werewolf toxin, making her more rabid and deadly than even Damon​​​​. With both Damon and Elena now cured of the virus, the Ripper Virus has been rendered officially extinct.   

Throughout The Vampire Diaries Series

Season Five

The Ripper Virus was effectively the culmination of Wes Maxfield's experimentations on vampires and their predatory relationship with humans. Wes believed that by affecting a fundamental change in the vampires’ feeding instincts, he could make the vampire race turn on itself, to make it so vampires only ever craved vampire blood instead of human blood, thereby safeguarding humans and making vampires their own worst enemy.

Although Wes was able to successfully transform a college student Jesse into a cannibalistic vampire, the process took weeks of exhaustive conditioning, forcing Wes to the conclusion that a faster and more economical method was needed to create more Augustine Vampires the quicker. To this end, Wes kidnapped Elena Gilbert and began experimenting on her in her father's old clinic. After draining several pints of her blood, he spent the next several hours experimenting until finally he succeeded in creating a compound that upon injection into a vampire would turn him/her into a cannibalistic ripper vampire immediately. He then tried to make Elena his patient zero for his new "Ripper Virus" but was foiled by her and Stefan. Nonetheless, Wes had succeeded and his compound was ready for further testing.

After being alerted by Sloan that Damon and Enzo were hunting him, Wes was able to turn the tables on the two vampires by allying with the Travelers, who incapacitated Damon and Enzo long enough for Wes to inject Damon with his Ripper Virus, turning Damon into a cannibalistic Ripper on the spot. Mere minutes after he woke up, Damon was immediately triggered into a feeding frenzy on another vampire being held captive by Wes, proving once and for all that the Ripper Virus was a complete success.

With the virus now coursing through his body, Damon began feeding on vampires voraciously, often ripping off their heads in the process. Meanwhile, Wes concentrated on manufacturing more of the Ripper Virus when he was suddenly contacted by Katherine who asked him to create a werewolf venom antidote to save Nadia. Wes however betrayed Katherine and instead used the werewolf venom to synthesize an even deadlier strain of the Ripper Virus, which caused even greater blood lust and near constant rabidness. Not long after its creation, Katherine injected herself and by extension Elena with the Upgraded Ripper Virus as an act of final revenge. The enhanced virus made Elena so rabid for vampire blood that she was triggered into feeding frenzy mode with seconds of merely smelling it regardless of the fact that she could have killed Stefan.

Eventually, both Damon and Elena were cured of their respective viruses by the Travelers, thereby eradicating the Ripper Virus forever.


The Vampire Diaries Season 5


  • Vampires infected with the Ripper Virus are also capable of feeding on and gaining sustenance from the blood of Hybrids, specifically Vampire-Werewolf hybrids or Vampire-Witch hybrids as evidenced by Damon Salvatore feeding on Tyler Lockwood in Gone Girl to gain the strength needed to escape his cell.
  • It is currently unknown what effect the Ripper Virus would have on an Original Vampire or even an Immortal as both are similar vampiric entities that require blood for sustenance. Though, with Wes dead, and Elena and Damon cured, it may never be known.


See also
