Throughout its six-season run,Teen Wolfsaw its fair share of characters come and go, leading to a frequently evolving cast. While many familiar faces exited the series, some departures significantly alteredone of the best supernatural teen shows’core dynamic and narrative direction more than others. From recurring friends like Danny and members of Derek’s initial pack, such as Erica and Boyd, to more transient allies like Cora or the Alpha twins Ethan and Aiden,Teen Wolfwas constantly introducing and writing out characters, leaving mounting factors ofwhat went wrong with theTeen Wolfmovie.
However, the most impactfulTeen Wolfexits that left viewers reeling were themajor players whose absence had a profound and lasting impacton the central storyline and the remaining characters. These are the individuals who, through extensive screen time and crucial plot involvement, became integral to Scott McCall’s pack and the supernatural world of Beacon Hills. Their exits, whether through death or simply moving away, reshaped the series. Some of them arecharacters who did not even appear inTeen Wolf: The Movie.
6Crystal Reed
Allison Argent
Allison Argent had a dramatic ending worthy of her character, who was a cornerstone ofTeen Wolf.In a heartbreaking farewell, the fierce, bow-wielding hero met her end inTeen Wolfseason 3, episode 23, “Meltdown,” after a fatal sword wound inflicted by an Oni. Having just saved Isaac and his allies, she succumbed to her injuries on the ground, cradled by Scott, whom she affectionately called"my first love"in her final moments. Speaking toEntertainment Weekly,actressCrystal Reed opened up about why she leftTeen Wolf:
“I’ve grown into a woman from the show - from beginning to end - and I think that was the biggest motivating factor for me to leave. I feel that there’s nothing more that I can give to this character.”
Reed’s gracious comment communicates thatshe simply grew out of Allison’s characterand that it did not make sense for her to be playing a teenager anymore. She further elaborated:“Creatively, there were things I wanted to do differently, and I wanted to explore other avenues of film and TV”.
This makes complete sense - Crystal Reed was 26 when she startedTeen Wolf,and by the time she moved on,Reed was 29 and playing a 17-year-old character.It seems she was extremely grateful for whatTeen Wolfdid for her career, but Crystal was ready to move on. Aside fromTeen Wolf: The Movie,Reed most recently starred inPinball: The Man Who Saved the Game.
5Tyler Hoechlin
Derek Hale
Derek was an early-established key player in theTeen Wolfseries, but as the seasons went on, he became more secondary.Tyler Hoechlin left afterTeen Wolfseason 4, which was a huge blow to the show.Teen Wolfhad already had several losses before Derek’s exit. However, Hoechlin thought it agood time to move on to bigger thingsrather than fade into the background. In an interview withBuzzfeed,the creator, Jeff Davis, revealed the following about Hoechlin’s departure:
“Tyler Hoechlin decided he wanted more time to pursue movies. We talked and creatively agreed that maybe this was a good season to refocus on the teens of Teen Wolf, and while he won’t be a series regular anymore, I can say that you probably won’t have seen the last of Derek Hale. We love him and miss him.”
– viaBuzzfeed
Derek was not totally written out ofTeen Wolfafter season 4, and he returned for theTeen Wolfmovie - however, to the dismay of viewers, he was killed off. Choosing to sacrifice himself, Derek perishes in flames with the Nogitsune. Since his departure, Tyler Hoechlin has kept busy with a mix of film and television projects, most recently the acclaimed 2020 moviePalm Springs. Hoechlin’s primary focus has remained on television, especially sincetaking on the iconic role of Clark Kent/Superman in The CW’sSuperman & Lois.
4Colton Haynes
Jackson Whittemore
Colton Haynes is perhaps the most contentiousTeen Wolfexit because hetalked about the monetary reasons for leavingin his very honest and vulnerable memoir,Miss Memory Lane.Jackson wasTeen Wolfseason 2’s antagonist after dramatically transforming into a Kanima, but he died after implicitly giving Derek permission to kill him in order to save everyone. This was a surprisingly redemptive turn for his character. Colton Haynes wrote candidly about why he was written out relatively early in the series:
“A failed contract negotiation is what the press ran with, but the real truth was that they didn’t want to pay me the same amount as everyone else […] which wasn’t a lot to begin with by Hollywood standards, even though my working quote — the fee I would be paid to appear on anyone else’s show — was higher than most of the cast’s.”
– viaBusiness Insider
Haynes’ comments onwhy Jackson leftTeen Wolfafter season 2also explained thathe felt caught in the middle of his team and the producers, and he is the one who got hurt. However, it wasn’t all hard feelings - Jackson returned in season 6 and was also inTeen Wolf: The Movie.This marked a reconciliation between Haynes and the showrunners. In his memoir, Haynes recalled that Jeff Davis had fought for him to get the role as Jackson despite homophobia from the network, so this, in part, must have informed his eventual return to the franchise.
3Dylan O’Brien
Stiles Stilinski
Stiles Stilinski was a big part of what gaveTeen Wolfso much heart, so it was especially gutting for viewers thatStiles was barely inTeen Wolfseason 6. He is also not in the movie - the movie explains Stiles’ absence byalluding to him working for the FBI, following his leaving the show to pursue an FBI internship.
In addition, Lydia says in the movie that she broke up with Stiles because she had a recurring dream about him dying in a car accident, which is eerie writing consideringDylan O’Brien was actually thrown from a moving vehicle on the set ofMaze Runner: The Death Cure,an accident that almost claimed his life (perVariety).
Dylan O’Brien was satisfied with how Stiles’ story was left.
It was this very accident that, obviously less importantly, caused delays that partly led to his fewer appearances in the show’s farewell season. Following this, Dylan O’Brien was satisfied with how Stiles’ story was left in the show and decided not to appear in the movie, despite this being“a difficult decision”(perVariety).
2Daniel Sherman
Isaac Lahey
At the end ofTeen Wolfseason 3, Isaac left Beacon Hills, never to return. After the Nogitsune, the big bad of season 3, is contained in a box, Isaac seems to leave apartment 402 alongside Chris. This gives the impression that these two characters have been through enough and simply need a break from it all. However, whereas Chris returns to the show,Isaac never comes back, and it’s baffling. His unexplained absence led to fair questions aboutwhy Isaac leftTeen Wolf.
Although his storyline was left open and Isaac wasn’t killed off, he didn’t return forTeen Wolf: The Movie.This is deflating for such a compelling character in the series - he was Derek’s first alpha, a member of Scott’s first werewolf pack, and was a love interest for Allison. The reason is probably less mysterious than Isaac canonically ghosting his friends. Right after he leftTeen Wolf,Sherman starred as Kol Mikaelson inThe Vampire Diaries’spinoffThe Originals.It’s most likely that there were simply scheduling conflicts.
1Arden Cho
Kira Yukimura
Kira was a thrilling character inTeen Wolf,and her send-off is probably the most disappointing of the lot. The reasonwhy Arden Cho leftTeen Wolfwas out of her control because she had previously stated she was looking forward to season 6, only to never return.The network decided Kira’s storyline was finished,which seems unfair compared to other cast members who got more epic endings. Kira stayed with the skinwalkers with the implication that she might return, which only led to another unexplained character absence and a lack of closure.
Cho detailed how it was taking a stand for the principle…
Speaking toThe Cut,Arden Cho opened up more in retrospect abouthow difficult it was to be abruptly dropped from the show. She also revealed that Paramount+ asked her to reprise her role as Kira inTeen Wolf: The Movie -however, she turned it down because she was offered significantly less pay than her white co-stars. Cho detailed how it was taking a stand for the principle:“I wasn’t saying ‘no’ necessarily for me or because I was angry. I was saying ‘no’ because I hope that there will be more equality in the future.”
