Damon and Stefan Salvatore were the male leads and protagonists of The Vampire Diaries and, as Rebekah Mikaelson stated, may have fought like dogs but would ultimately have died for each other. Both brothers did perish during the series, going to drastic measures to protect each other despite their bloody differences.
RELATED: Vampire Diaries: 5 Times Damon Was The Superior Salvatore (& 5 Times It Was Stefan)
The Salvatore brothers loved each other deep down, but that didn't stop them from committing awful acts against each other. Damon and Stefan fought over women, bloodlust, and morality, pushing each other's boundaries in a way that no other character can. Here are the five worst things Damon did to Stefan and the five worst things Stefan did in return.
When Damon Salvatore first arrives in Mystic Falls he has little love for his brother Stefan or his new girlfriend Elena outside of her resemblance to Katherine. However, as the season progresses, Damon falls in love with Elena and attempts to kiss her in the final episode, unaware that he has kissed his sire and Elena's doppelganger.
Damon shows little regard for Stefan and Elena's relationship and pursues a romantic relationship with his brother's girlfriend without remorse. The two eventually get together after Elena transitions into a vampire.
The Salvatore brothers are no strangers to love triangles. Damon and Stefan fell in love with the same woman, Katherine, whilst they were human, with Damon showing an unconditional devotion to the vampire despite her preference for his brother.
Stefan knew how much Damon loved Katherine yet pursued her anyway, only recoiling after discovering she was a vampire. Katherine compelled Stefan's compliance afterward whereas Damon accepted her blindly.
Stefan Salvatore is one of the most caring and compassionate characters in The Vampire Diaries. However, without his humanity, he is an exceptionally brutal vampire known as a Ripper with a penchant for violent dramatics.
Stefan 'fell off the wagon' during the 1900s after Damon encouraged him to turn off his humanity. Damon has shown little regard for his brother's struggle with bloodlust in the past, enabling his worst behaviors.
Damon wanted to become a vampire so he could spend eternity with Katherine. After the vampire's 'death' in the church fire, Damon was content to die rather than feed on a human and complete his transition to vampirism, lost and alone without the woman he loved.
RELATED: The Vampire Diaries: The 10 Most Selfless Things Stefan Salvatore Has Done
Stefan convinced Damon to complete his transition by tempting him with human blood. Damon continues to resent his brother for this, considering his brutal and bloodthirsty behavior Stefan's fault for not allowing him to die.
Lexi Branson was Stefan's best friend and mentor who taught him to control his thirst and enjoy life as a vampire. She first appeared in season one's "162 Candles," returning to Mystic Falls to celebrate Stefan's birthday only for Damon to stake and kill her.
Damon killing Lexi was one of his most despicable acts and a terrible thing to do to his brother. He knew how much Stefan loved Lexi yet still murdered his brother's best friend to cover his tracks with Sheriff Forbes.
Stefan may not have directly stated that Katherine was a vampire but he made it clear enough whilst discussing matters with his father and notorious vampire hunter Guiseppe Salvatore. Stefan questioning his father about a vampire's capability for goodness made Guiseppe suspect Katherine and round up the vampires in Mystic Falls.
Damon blamed Stefan for Katherine's death for many years and, although the evil vampire didn't perish in the fire, it is easy to see why. Stefan alerted his father to the presence of vampires in town which led to Guiseppe's sons becoming vampires.
Damon Salvatore arrives in Mystic Falls in the first season of The Vampire Diaries as the season's Big Bad, playing an antagonistic role that clashes with Stefan's. The older Salvatore brother torments the town, attacking the residents and transforming Vicki Donovan into a vampire.
RELATED: The Vampire Diaries: 10 Things Even Diehard Fans Don't Know About Damon Salvatore
Damon does this on purpose to antagonize his brother, having promised him an eternity of misery. However, the vampire falls in love with Elena and gradually begins to redeem himself.
In the final season of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan makes a deal with the Devil to keep his brother safe, proving how much he loves Damon. However, this deal causes Stefan to switch off his humanity and attempt to kill Elena in her coffin, as well as killing Damon's friend Enzo in the crossfire.
Damon and Enzo met during the 1950s after being captured by the Augustines and, despite their differences, shared a friendship throughout the series. Killing Enzo was a terrible blow to Damon and his new friend Bonnie Bennett.
In season one of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan returns to Mystic Falls and stays at the Salvatore boarding house with his descendant Zach. Damon's arrival in town ends in tragedy, however, as the sadistic vampire murders Zach by breaking his neck.
Zach mentions that Damon has killed most of his descendants and it is later revealed that he killed Zach's girlfriend, forcing Zach to put his daughter Sarah up for adoption. Family ties have little regard to Damon, who has brutalized his ancestors.
To stop Damon's reign of terror in the town and his abuse of Caroline Forbes in the show's first season, Stefan poisons his brother with vervain and locks him in the cellar to desiccate. Stefan has no choice as Damon was going to kill Caroline and countless other people, though it is still a painful experience for a vampire to endure.
Damon breaks free after compelling Caroline to rescue him. He takes revenge on his brother by attacking Vicki Donovan and turning her into a vampire, forcing Stefan to stake her after she attacks Elena.
NEXT: The Vampire Diaries: 10 Couples Who Would Have Been Perfect (But Never Got Together)
NextThe 10 Worst Sci-Fi Action Movies Of The 2000s (According to IMDb)
Leah Flavell is a freelance writer currently living in Leicester, originally from Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. She graduated from the University of Wolverhampton with a degree in Creative Writing and Film Studies and is currently completing a master's course in Creative Writing at De Montfort University. She contributes content to The Sportster, Screen Rant, CBR, and YourDogAdvisor, as well as writing additional fictional material.
Read more:
The Vampire Diaries: 5 Worst Things Damon Did To Stefan (& 5 Stefan Did To Him) - Screen Rant
- The face of a 500-year-old vampire with a brick between her teeth - Metro.co.uk - March 24th, 2024
- Scientists recreate face of 16th-century vampire buried with brick inside mouth - WION - March 24th, 2024
- Montreal daily apologizes following backlash over Netanyahu vampire cartoon - The Times of Israel - March 24th, 2024
- This Major Aspect of 'Interview with the Vampire' Makes It Better Than the Movie - Collider - March 24th, 2024
- Stare Into the Screen Not the Sun: Vampire Weekend to Livestream Special Solar Eclipse Show - Rolling Stone - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Dormitory Anime Cast to Cover Every Little Thing Song for Ending Theme - Crunchyroll - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend will livestream Austin eclipse show - Brooklyn Vegan - March 24th, 2024
- 10 Essential 80s Vampire Movies You Might Have Missed - Flickering Myth - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend, Slightly Stoopid, Portugal. The Man, and more shows announced at Dillon Amphitheater (so far) - Summit Daily - March 24th, 2024
- 'Interview With the Vampire': Meet the Real Armand With Assad Zaman (VIDEO) - TV Insider - March 24th, 2024
- Xbox Game Pass gets cowboy vampire-slayer classic today, just in time for weekend - ReadWrite - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Tease Punky, Jammy New Offshoot With An Imaginary Backstory - Stereogum - March 24th, 2024
- The GLAAD Wrap: Trailers for The Acolyte and Interview with the Vampire, New Music from Xana, Anglica Garcia ... - GLAAD - March 24th, 2024
- Interview With the Vampire Season 2 Will Unlock Deeply Hidden Memories - Gizmodo - March 24th, 2024
- Netanyahu caricatured as vampire in Canadian newspaper: 'Every Jew understands the meaning' - Ynetnews - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend tease a new offshoot project with an "imaginary back story" - NME - March 24th, 2024
- Scientists Reconstruct Face Of 16th Century 'Vampire Woman' Buried With Brick In Mouth - Study Finds - March 24th, 2024
- Here's a haunting, beautiful Interview With The Vampire season 2 trailer - The A.V. Club - March 24th, 2024
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Most Important Moment Features One Word - Den of Geek - March 24th, 2024
- TV Shows Like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' That'll Suck You In - The Lineup - March 24th, 2024
- Remember When Pedro Pascal Was on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? - Remezcla - March 24th, 2024
- Interview With The Vampire Season 2 Goes Bigger Than Ever, See The Extended Look Into Fan-Favorite Series Return - Giant Freakin Robot - March 24th, 2024
- Fury Over Antisemitic Canadian Newspaper Cartoon Depicting Netanyahu as Blood-Sucking Vampire - Algemeiner - March 24th, 2024
- INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE: Memory Is The Monster In Stunning Extended Season 2 Trailer INTERVIEW WITH ... - CBM (Comic Book Movie) - March 24th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Extended Look: Memory Is Monster - Bleeding Cool News - March 24th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire trailer season 2 trailer is brimming with queer lust and the return of Lestat - Gay Times Magazine - March 24th, 2024
- Everything we're obsessed with in the new 'Interview With the Vampire' trailer - Pride.com - March 24th, 2024
- Pedro Pascal Was Saved By Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Giant Freakin Robot - March 24th, 2024
- AMC reveals an extended look at Interview with the Vampire Season 2 - Claire and Jamie - March 24th, 2024
- "Interview with the Vampire" Season 2 Trailer Previews the Return of AMC's Anne Rice Series on May 12 - Bloody Disgusting - March 24th, 2024
- Scream directors explain how their new vampire horror movie fits into the Universal Monsters universe, and share ... - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- 'Blood Hunt' Connecting Cover Holds the Line Against the Vampire Armies - Marvel.com - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist - Official Distortions Trailer - IGN - March 16th, 2024
- How Mel Brooks and Twilight inspired a vampire visual novel mixing funny with therapy - Rock Paper Shotgun - March 16th, 2024
- Game Theory: Yes, please, bring on the Vampire Survivors clones - The A.V. Club - March 16th, 2024
- Son 'stabs dead his mum he believed was a vampire biting him at night' - Metro.co.uk - March 16th, 2024
- Man accused of killing mother in Siletz believed she was a vampire - KOIN.com - March 16th, 2024
- 11 Best Songs of the Week: Ride, Vampire Weekend, Drahla, Waxahatchee, and More - Under the Radar Mag - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Give Upbeat History Lesson About Cruelty Through the Ages on New Song Classical - Rolling Stone - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist - Counsel the undead and help them rest in peace - ReadWrite - March 16th, 2024
- Watch: Vampire Weekend Share Classical, Third Preview Single from 'Only God Was Above Us' - Relix - March 16th, 2024
- Oregon man claims mom was vampire before he's alleged to have killed her - Toronto Sun - March 16th, 2024
- Court docs: Man accused of killing elderly mother in Siletz believed she was a vampire - Fox 12 Oregon - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend present the orchestral single, "Classical" - The Line of Best Fit - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend releases new song & video from upcoming album, 'Only God Was Above' 105.7 The Point - 105.7 The Point - March 16th, 2024
- The 'Vampire Survivors' soundtrack is coming to vinyl this month - NME - March 16th, 2024
- Blood Hunters #2 introduces an all-new vampire hunter and shows what happens when vampires drink the Hulk's blood - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire survival game V Rising sinks its teeth into a full-blooded 1.0 release this May - Rock Paper Shotgun - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend have released a new album cut, 'Classical' - Dork Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survival Game V Rising Is Leaving Early Access On May 8th - MMORPG.com - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist Releases New Distortions Trailer - Bleeding Cool News - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survival Game V Rising Launches Into 1.0 This May Before It Hits PS5 Later This Year - Game Informer - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend glance at the cruelty of history on Classical - Beats Per Minute - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Horror Abigail Is 'Very R-Rated', Says Tyler Gillett: 'We Want The Blood To Stick To You' - Empire - March 16th, 2024
- After 2 years, this vampire anime based on one of our favorite manga is getting the second season it deserves - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Man brutally kills mother, believing she is a vampire - The News International - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survivors is the next Nintendo Switch Online Game Trial in Europe - Nintendo Everything - March 16th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire stars tease "fierce" and "feisty" season 2 - Gay Times Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- New action RPG combines the best of Diablo and Vampire Survivors - PCGamesN - March 16th, 2024
- 'Your vampire ball is over' Putin to Western elites - azrbaycan24 - March 16th, 2024
- 8 Interview With The Vampire Book Moments We Can't Wait To See In Season 2 - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- Inside Ukraines terrifying Vampire drones unit striking fear into Russian troops who liken them to chi... - The Sun - March 8th, 2024
- Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 will let you become a super vampire by drinking vamp blood, taking their ... - PC Gamer - March 8th, 2024
- 'Vampire' grave over 300-years-old that lies on Liverpool's edge - Liverpool Echo - March 8th, 2024
- Meet the Bloodcoven, the extra-creepy vampire villains of Marvel's Blood Hunt event - Gamesradar - March 8th, 2024
- The Vampire Diaries: Every Main Characters Age At The Start Of The Show To The End - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- 'Vampire Facials' at Spa Linked to HIV Infections - Medpage Today - March 8th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend launches 'Vampire Campfire' podcast 105.7 The Point - 105.7 The Point - March 8th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 premiere date confirmed (get the details) - Claire and Jamie - March 8th, 2024
- Skyrim remake of 24-year-old Vampire RPG shows off its modern London level, and the guns are way less janky than I ... - PC Gamer - March 8th, 2024
- Ancient Origins of the Vampire Squid - Deep-Sea News - March 8th, 2024
- 2024 Canadian Screen Awards: BLACKBERRY, HUMANIST VAMPIRE, And INFINITY POOL Rack up Massive Nominations - ScreenAnarchy - March 8th, 2024
- Vampire Breast Lift 101: Everything to Know About the Trending Treatment - NewBeauty Magazine - March 8th, 2024
- Luke Perry and the Untold History of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' - Vanity Fair - March 8th, 2024
- Rose Byrne Wore The Vampire's Wife To The Roundabout Theatre Company's 2024 Gala - Red Carpet Fashion Awards - March 8th, 2024
- Candice King to Reunite With 'Vampire Diaries' Creator Julie Plec On New Series 'We Were Liars' - Just Jared - March 8th, 2024
- Marvel thinks Dracula & Morbius aren't enough of a threat for the Avengers, so they've created a vampire supergroup - Popverse - March 8th, 2024
- Learn about the Brujah's playing style in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - Gaming Trend - March 8th, 2024
- Mike Gordon Adds Headlining Shows Ahead Of Tour With Vampire Weekend - Live for Live Music - March 8th, 2024
- This Is Still 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Most Underrated Season - Collider - March 8th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero