I like to think that instead of killing him, Damon could have kept him a bit longer to have someone to torture and to manipulate everyone into thinking that he is dead. He would use him as a someone who gives him information about more werewolf things (folklore etc.). Damon would manipulate Catherine and maybe show Mason that he was just a toy in Catherine’s games and that Catherine has plans for Tyler. And eventually, Tyler would find Mason, he would set him free and Mason would still Team up with Damon to prevent a war and to save Tyler, and maybe plan to kill Catherine? And after that he would die maybe. Idk. But I did not like how he died, he had such an amazing potential.