'The Vampire Diaries' takes bite out of Comic-Con

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Season 5 of The CW's "The Vampire Diaries" ended with characters Damon and Bonnie (played by Ian Somerhalder and Kat Graham) being separated from their loved ones as they enter a mysterious, purgatory-like dimension.

The cast returned to Comic-Con on Saturday where they played a video of Somerhalder and Graham wondering about their fate off-screen, now that their characters are trapped in oblivion. Are they off the show? Will they get a spin-off?

Somerhalder and Graham along with Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Matt Davis and showrunner Julie Plec attended the panel on Saturday to tease the new season premiering on Oct. 6.

"The Vampire Diaries" is about vampires, werewolves, doppelgangers, witches and a few humans living in and around the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. It's loosely based on a book series.

A few panel spoilers:

—Season 6 picks up about four months after the events of the finale.

—Davis' character Alaric, back from the dead and a full-time cast member again, is now a college professor.

—Plec doesn't see Dobrev's Elena turning to her former flame Stefan Salvatore for anything other than friendship, now that she's separated from Damon. "Right now the love between Damon and Elena is so strong," she said.