Comic-Con 2015: Everything wewe need to know before The Vampire Diaries panel 

Julie Plec on 'Vampire Diaries': 'a ton of story left to tell'

Last time we saw Mystic Falls, it wasn’t looking too great. And by that, I mean that it looked like an abandoned city completely void of happiess and all things good. So before we get the details on what that all means for our favorite vamps at Sunday’s Comic-Con panel, here’s a refresher on what we know so far.

Where we left off: Elena Gilbert had entered her 60+ year sleep so that Bonnie could live a full and (hopefully) happy human life. Meanwhile, Tyler left town, Alaric was once again single, Stefan professed his love for Caroline, and Damon was standing on the clocktower in what appeared to be a post-apocalyptic Mystic Falls. That, of course, could have something to do with the fact that Mama Salvatore brought back her heretics from the prison world. 

What we know about season 7: Without Elena, Damon will return to his season 1 ways, but more than anything, the show is going to refocus on the Salvatore brothers. And when it comes to the villains, fans will get to know a lot more about the heretics, who 

creator Julie Plec says are reminiscent of the Originals in that they have “deep, lush histories and vivid personalities.” In other words, they’re more than just “one-note villains,” as Plec put it.

Comic-Con burning question: Really though, what happened to Mystic Falls?

•Everything to know about EW’s Comic-Con 2015 coverage

•9 burning questions about Comic-Con 2015

Olivia Munn geeks out over finally being a superhero

\'Star Wars: The Force Awakens\': Four theories after the Comic-Con footage

Bobby Brown, Alicia Etheredge welcome a baby girl

\'Minions\' nabs $115M at weekend box office, second biggest animated debut ever

$1 million reward offered for stolen pair of Judy Garland’s ruby slippers

Comic-Con 2015: Everything you need to know before the \'Supernatural\' panel

Comic-Con 2015 Star Portraits, Day 3: \'Batman v Superman,\' more faves

Jessica Chastain and Norman Reedus in EW Celebrity GIFs

Taylor Swift, Wilmer Valderrama, Lea Michele and More!