Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that Sebastian Roche, who you might know best as Balthazar on “Supernatural” or Jerry Jax on "General Hospital" (or maybe that last one’s just us...), is headed to town this fall as a "mysterious vampire hunter," who even has our favorite hybrid biting his claws.

"For some reason, Klaus, who shouldn’t be afraid of anybody, seems to be concerned about this person," Julie Plec told EW. While the details on this new character are still sparse, fans can expect to see him pop-up somewhere within the first half of the season.

He's not the only new Mystic Falls resident, though. The show is also introducing "Bill," a returning resident who comes back to take the council to task for failing to keep the town fang-free--as if our favorite "TVD" friends didn't have enough (like sure-to-be-psycho ex-girlfriends) to worry about!

Fans shouldn't be too worried though; while next season is shaping up to be full of doom and gloom, it looks like the gang will get some playtime as well. After all, the first episode of the season promises to be a celebration of Elena's 18th birthday (you can check out some behind-the-scenes photos of that episode over at EW), and we're sure that'll go off without a bloody hitch in sight (note intense sarcasm).

Either way, we can't deny that while we may still be more than a month away from the premiere, this is already shaping up to be one seriously interesting season. But what are you most excited for? Tell us in the comments below!

What do you think about the new characters on "The Vampire Diaries"? Will this new vampire hunter give Klaus a run for his money? Tweet us your thoughts!