diff --git a/core/modules/node/config/install/views.view.content.yml b/core/modules/node/config/install/views.view.content.yml
index f01eb21..3ea06e7 100644
--- a/core/modules/node/config/install/views.view.content.yml
+++ b/core/modules/node/config/install/views.view.content.yml
@@ -321,7 +321,6 @@ display:
           hide_alter_empty: true
           link_to_node: false
           comments: false
-          optional: true
           plugin_id: history_user_timestamp
           provider: history
       filters:
@@ -473,7 +472,6 @@ display:
             identifier: langcode
             remember_roles:
               authenticated: authenticated
-          optional: true
           plugin_id: language
           provider: language
       sorts: {  }
diff --git a/core/modules/node/config/install/views.view.content_recent.yml b/core/modules/node/config/install/views.view.content_recent.yml
index 07afd74..8e231b2 100644
--- a/core/modules/node/config/install/views.view.content_recent.yml
+++ b/core/modules/node/config/install/views.view.content_recent.yml
@@ -206,7 +206,6 @@ display:
           hide_alter_empty: true
           link_to_node: false
           comments: false
-          optional: true
           plugin_id: history_user_timestamp
           provider: history
         name:
diff --git a/core/modules/views/config/schema/views.data_types.schema.yml b/core/modules/views/config/schema/views.data_types.schema.yml
index a280d73..3cef265 100644
--- a/core/modules/views/config/schema/views.data_types.schema.yml
+++ b/core/modules/views/config/schema/views.data_types.schema.yml
@@ -330,9 +330,6 @@ views_handler:
     provider:
       type: string
       label: 'Provider'
-    optional:
-      type: boolean
-      label: 'Optional'
 
 views_argument:
   type: views_handler
diff --git a/core/modules/views/src/Entity/View.php b/core/modules/views/src/Entity/View.php
index 00098b88..93c446c 100644
--- a/core/modules/views/src/Entity/View.php
+++ b/core/modules/views/src/Entity/View.php
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ public function calculateDependencies() {
         if (!empty($display['display_options'][$handler_type])) {
           foreach ($display['display_options'][$handler_type] as $handler) {
             // Add the provider as dependency.
-            if (isset($handler['provider']) && empty($handler['optional'])) {
+            if (isset($handler['provider'])) {
               $this->addDependency('module', $handler['provider']);
             }
             // Add the additional dependencies from the handler configuration.
diff --git a/core/modules/views/src/Plugin/ViewsHandlerManager.php b/core/modules/views/src/Plugin/ViewsHandlerManager.php
index c3651cf..7b7b76e 100644
--- a/core/modules/views/src/Plugin/ViewsHandlerManager.php
+++ b/core/modules/views/src/Plugin/ViewsHandlerManager.php
@@ -70,9 +70,6 @@ public function __construct($handler_type, \Traversable $namespaces, ViewsData $
    *   An associative array representing the handler to be retrieved:
    *   - table: The name of the table containing the handler.
    *   - field: The name of the field the handler represents.
-   *   - optional: (optional) Whether or not this handler is optional. If a
-   *     handler is missing and not optional, a debug message will be displayed.
-   *     Defaults to FALSE.
    * @param string|null $override
    *   (optional) Override the actual handler object with this plugin ID. Used for
    *   aggregation when the handler is redirected to the aggregation handler.
@@ -83,7 +80,6 @@ public function __construct($handler_type, \Traversable $namespaces, ViewsData $
   public function getHandler($item, $override = NULL) {
     $table = $item['table'];
     $field = $item['field'];
-    $optional = !empty($item['optional']);
     // Get the plugin manager for this type.
     $data = $this->viewsData->get($table);
 
@@ -119,12 +115,8 @@ public function getHandler($item, $override = NULL) {
       }
     }
 
-    if (!$optional) {
-      // debug(t("Missing handler: @table @field @type", array('@table' => $table, '@field' => $field, '@type' => $this->handlerType)));
-    }
-
     // Finally, use the 'broken' handler.
-    return $this->createInstance('broken', array('optional' => $optional, 'original_configuration' => $item));
+    return $this->createInstance('broken', array('original_configuration' => $item));
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/core/modules/views/src/Plugin/views/BrokenHandlerTrait.php b/core/modules/views/src/Plugin/views/BrokenHandlerTrait.php
index e1623f7..0800f80 100644
--- a/core/modules/views/src/Plugin/views/BrokenHandlerTrait.php
+++ b/core/modules/views/src/Plugin/views/BrokenHandlerTrait.php
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ public function adminLabel($short = FALSE) {
     $args = array(
       '@module' => $this->definition['original_configuration']['provider'],
     );
-    return $this->isOptional() ? t('Optional handler is missing (Module: @module) …', $args) : t('Broken/missing handler (Module: @module) …', $args);
+    return t('Broken/missing handler (Module: @module) …', $args);
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/core/modules/views/src/Plugin/views/HandlerBase.php b/core/modules/views/src/Plugin/views/HandlerBase.php
index 979fa4b..e53cf75 100644
--- a/core/modules/views/src/Plugin/views/HandlerBase.php
+++ b/core/modules/views/src/Plugin/views/HandlerBase.php
@@ -86,13 +86,6 @@
   public $relationship = NULL;
 
   /**
-   * Whether or not this handler is optional.
-   *
-   * @var bool
-   */
-  protected $optional = FALSE;
-
-  /**
    * The module handler.
    *
    * @var \Drupal\Core\Extension\ModuleHandlerInterface
@@ -112,7 +105,6 @@
   public function __construct(array $configuration, $plugin_id, $plugin_definition) {
     parent::__construct($configuration, $plugin_id, $plugin_definition);
     $this->is_handler = TRUE;
-    $this->optional = !empty($configuration['optional']);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -179,15 +171,6 @@ protected function defineOptions() {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Returns whether this handler is optional.
-   *
-   * @return bool
-   */
-  public function isOptional() {
-    return $this->optional;
-  }
-
-  /**
    * Return a string representing this handler's name in the UI.
    */
   public function adminLabel($short = FALSE) {
diff --git a/core/modules/views/src/Tests/ModuleTest.php b/core/modules/views/src/Tests/ModuleTest.php
index dd976e7..e719a9c 100644
--- a/core/modules/views/src/Tests/ModuleTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/views/src/Tests/ModuleTest.php
@@ -108,21 +108,11 @@ public function testViewsGetHandler() {
     $item = array(
       'table' => 'table_invalid',
       'field' => 'id',
-      'optional' => FALSE,
     );
     $this->container->get('plugin.manager.views.filter')->getHandler($item);
     $this->assertEqual(strpos($this->lastErrorMessage, format_string("Missing handler: @table @field @type", array('@table' => 'table_invalid', '@field' => 'id', '@type' => 'filter'))) !== FALSE, 'An invalid table name throws a debug message.');
     unset($this->lastErrorMessage);
 
-    $item = array(
-      'table' => 'table_invalid',
-      'field' => 'id',
-      'optional' => TRUE,
-    );
-    $this->container->get('plugin.manager.views.filter')->getHandler($item);
-    $this->assertFalse($this->lastErrorMessage, "An optional handler does not throw a debug message.");
-    unset($this->lastErrorMessage);
-
     restore_error_handler();
   }
 
diff --git a/core/modules/views/tests/modules/views_test_config/test_views/views.view.test_view_optional.yml b/core/modules/views/tests/modules/views_test_config/test_views/views.view.test_view_optional.yml
index de319fe..2f6fe29 100644
--- a/core/modules/views/tests/modules/views_test_config/test_views/views.view.test_view_optional.yml
+++ b/core/modules/views/tests/modules/views_test_config/test_views/views.view.test_view_optional.yml
@@ -10,79 +10,6 @@ display:
         pager: '0'
         pager_options: '0'
         sorts: '0'
-      fields:
-        id_optional:
-          field: id_optional
-          id: id_optional
-          relationship: none
-          table: views_test_data
-          plugin_id: numeric
-          optional: 1
-          provider: views
-      filters:
-        id_optional:
-          field: id_optional
-          id: id_optional
-          relationship: none
-          table: views_test_data
-          plugin_id: numeric
-          optional: 1
-          provider: views
-      arguments:
-        id_optional:
-          field: id_optional
-          id: id_optional
-          relationship: none
-          table: views_test_data
-          plugin_id: numeric
-          optional: 1
-          provider: views
-      sorts:
-        id_optional:
-          field: id_optional
-          id: id_optional
-          relationship: none
-          table: views_test_data
-          plugin_id: numeric
-          order: ASC
-          optional: 1
-          provider: views
-      relationships:
-        id_optional:
-          field: id_optional
-          id: id_optional
-          relationship: none
-          table: views_test_data
-          plugin_id: numeric
-          optional: 1
-          provider: views
-      header:
-        id_optional:
-          field: id_optional
-          id: id_optional
-          relationship: none
-          table: views_test_data
-          plugin_id: numeric
-          optional: 1
-          provider: views
-      footer:
-        id_optional:
-          field: id_optional
-          id: id_optional
-          relationship: none
-          table: views_test_data
-          plugin_id: numeric
-          optional: 1
-          provider: views
-      empty:
-        id_optional:
-          field: id_optional
-          id: id_optional
-          relationship: none
-          table: views_test_data
-          plugin_id: numeric
-          optional: 1
-          provider: views
       pager:
         options:
           offset: '0'