In comparison to antagonistssuch as Klaus, who arrives in town specifically to kill Elena Gilbert, or Kai Parker, a charismatic sociopath, it is easy to see howThe Vampire Diarieselevates Stefan and Damon Salvatore to hero status. Damon and Stefan take on a sense of protectiveness over Elena Gilbert, Caroline Forbes, Bonnie Bennett, Matt Donovan, and Mystic Falls itself. Their time in the town had them eventually become its leading protectors. But Stefan and Damon are not always the heroes thatThe Vampire Diariestries to suggest they are. Instead, there have been numerous moments throughout the series that prove Damon and Stefan are just as villainous as the rest of the show’s antagonists, if not more.
Sometimes, the characters were justified in their anger toward others, such as Tyler hating Klaus for turning him into a Hybrid against his will and killing his mother. But, his response to that hatred, allowing it to take over the best of him, leads Tyler to do some awful things. Bonnie’s issues with vampires result in more trouble than she initially anticipated. The desire to find the Cure for vampirism introduces bumps in the road, but none more to Elena and Jeremy, who go about growing Jeremy’s Hunter’s mark in one of the worst ways possible.
Vampire Diaries
10Elena and Jeremy Kill Kol
Elena’s vampire arc is one of the most disliked in the show’s eight-season run, and the race to the Cure does not help. Everyone is determined to turn Elena human again after she has seemingly accepted her potential immortality, even if she does not love the idea. Still, to help Jeremy’s mark grow faster, they enact a plan to kill Kol.
Elena and Jeremy End an Entire Sire Line
At this point, Elena and Jeremy knew that killing an Original resulted in the deaths of their entire sire line. That is why they targeted Kol in the first place. However, while Kol may have been chaotic, there were still hundreds or thousands of innocent vampires who were killed just so Elena could become human. Neither of them took a minute to consider what this would mean for others, and there were no real ramifications for their actions. Elena and Jeremy unleash a vampire genocide for the Cure, and it is absolutely not worth it.
9Matt Turns Against Stefan
Matt has always had issues with vampires, and he is more than justified in his dislike of them. Damon turned Vicki, and then Stefan killed her. Vampires then went on to take over the town, turning his friends or threatening them. Humans were fighting a losing battle against the supernatural, and Matt clearly saw there was a line in the sand. But, after the time jump, one of the plot twists is that Matt has turned against Stefan.
Refusing to Communicate Leads to Misunderstandings
Matt does not have any specific understanding of the truth. He knows he was compelled by Stefan, and instead of reaching out to Stefan and asking questions about what really happened to Penny, Matt jumps to the conclusion that Stefan is the villain. While Stefan had certainly proven he had his moments of being the antagonist, Matt had no reason to believe that Stefan had backslid and, instead, easily turned against him, even after everything they went through. Granted, Stefan should not have compelled Matt in the first place, even with how traumatizing the truth that Matt had accidentally killed Penny may have been. Protecting others from the truth only causes harm.
8Stefan’s No-Humanity Behavior
Although Stefan is mostly known as being the “good brother,” he has his moments of being bad too. When Stefan’s humanity is off, or if he is in Ripper mode,Stefan easily becomes one of the most frustrating charactersin the series. Stefan even kills Enzo before Bonnie forces the Cure on him.
Stefan Causes Mayhem With No Regard for Anyone Else
Regardless of whether he is drinking people dry in the 1920s, being the Ripper of Monterrey, or causing chaos in Mystic Falls, No-Humanity Stefan always gets on everyone’s nerves. His desire for revenge allows him to nearly drive Elena off the same bridge that killed her parents. His uncaring attitude always leads to his intense brooding and desire for redemption after he finally gets back to himself. But Stefan never figures out how to have the control that he needs, which ultimately causes problems for everyone else.
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7Tyler Prioritizes Revenge on Klaus
Tyler had every right to hate Klaus. Klaus transformed Tyler into a Hybrid without Tyler’s consent. Then, Tyler becomes unwillingly sired to Klaus and is forced to do everything Klaus says, including hurting Caroline, until Tyler finally manages to break the sire bond. But Tyler’s obsession with revenge is where he gets into hot water.
Tyler Takes His Obsession too Far
Following all of his issues with being a Hybrid, Klaus killing Tyler’s mother was the last straw, and Tyler was unwilling to let things lie. Granted, Tyler’s anger was entirely justified. Still, he could not give himself the ability to grieve and move on. Instead, he became obsessed with getting revenge on Klaus to the point where it hurt his relationship with Caroline, and he went after Hayley in New Orleans. Tyler wanted to hurt Hayley because she was pregnant with Klaus' child, and seeking vengeance on an unborn child was going way too far. Revenge inevitably made his storyline feel repetitive,and it all resulted in a meaningless death.
6Caroline Turned Off Her Humanity
Caroline’s quick ability to gain control prevented her from being a difficult vampire. Instead, transitioning helped become a catalyst for Caroline’s development, which helpedtransform her into one of the best vampiresin the franchise. But, eventually, Caroline had to succumb to the darker side of vampirism too, which she did when she turned off her humanity following her mother’s death.
Caroline Forces the Return Of No-Humanity Stefan
Turning off her humanity ensured that Caroline would not need to feel the hurt and grief that came from Liz passing away. But, although Caroline’s no-humanity ways are still far more calm and non-violent than other characters, Caroline’s No-Humanity arc also resulted in forcing Stefan to turn his humanity off too, which only added to the growing problems. Caroline forces Stefan to join her on her no-humanity journey when she threatens the life of the last remaining human Salvatore relative.
5Bonnie Faked Turning Off the Gilbert Device
For most of the series,bad things were happening to Bonnie. Bonnie had far less of a role in causing chaos for others, even if she did have her moments. While trusting Shane ended up being a huge problem, one of Bonnie’s bigger issues was pretending to turn off the Gilbert Device.
A Catalyst for Bigger Things to Come
Bonnie had her reasons for wanting vampires gone, which included their violent nature and her grandmother’s recent death. But lying about turning off the Gilbert Device only caused more problems. Leaving it on meant Damon was captured, Anna was killed, Tyler’s father died, and Caroline was nearly killed because of Tyler’s reaction to the noise. While Bonnie’s decision did tease future things to come, like Tyler’s werewolf arc and Caroline’s transition into a vampire, it also caused many deaths.
4Damon Abused and Killed Many People
Damon causes many problems throughout his time in Mystic Falls, but he is never held accountable for his worst actions. Damon abuses Caroline during the first few episodes of the show. He attacks Bonnie while her body is possessed and kills Jeremy because Elena rejected him. He compels and abuses Andie, his short-term “girlfriend,” for a few episodes as well.
Damon Faces No Repercussions for Hurting Many People
Damon brought pain and suffering to many people and never received proper ramifications for his actions. Damon gets away with basically everything he does because he is protected by either Stefan or Elena, even and especially when Damon does not deserve it. He stole women’s consent to do whatever he wanted. He killed Lexi because it would give him credibility, entirely ignoring and not caring that she was his brother’s long-time best friend. Even after doing so many horrible things, and with basically no apology to others, Damon is eventually or constantly forgiven as others make excuses or attempt to justify his behavior. In doing so, Damon never faces up to his worst behavior and actions, nor does he receive proper ramifications for all he did.
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3Enzo Sides with Lily
Due to Enzo and Damon’s history, as well as Enzo’s issues with Stefan, it takes a while for Enzo to really join the group. But, Enzo’s decision to join Lily may be one of the worst things Enzo could have done.
Enzo Picks the Wrong Side
Enzo had a lot of problematic moments, especially when he was initially introduced and had an obsession with disliking Stefan. But, teaming up with Lily, whom he once believed himself to love, knowing that she was on the opposite side of a growing war to everyone else, allowed him to, at least temporarily, be solidly placed in the villain’s territory. Enzo’s connections with Bonnie, Caroline, and Damon allow him to grow beyond his villainous past.
2Alaric’s Alcoholism and Killing Spree
Alaric is one of the most problematic and troubling characters. He is an adult vampire hunter and a teacher at a high school. But, after Jenna is killed, Alaric moves into her house and becomes the main adult caretaker for Elena and Jeremy. However, throughout Alaric’s entire time inThe Vampire DiariesandLegacies, Alaric’s alcoholism is clearly on display. His brief murder spree as a result of the Gilbert Ring only added to his troubling narrative.
Alaric Is Either Drunk or Hurts Others
Alaric’s hobby of drinking was certainly not the best example he could set for any group of teenagers, even if alcohol consumption was the least of their daily concerns. But he killed many innocent people, led a violent rebellion against vampires, and nearly got many people killed. Alaric’s problematic tendencies continued onLegacies, as he was accused of showing more attention to Hope above Josie and Lizzie, whether it be through training or because he feared she would turn out like Klaus. Meanwhile, his drinking never improves, leading him to come across more as being in the way than an actual important member of the team.
1Elena and Damon Never Noticed Bonnie and Stefan Were Missing
Elena and Damon’s romantic relationship had collateral damagefor many others. Stefan was devastated and hurt by it. Caroline was forced to watch Elena date her abuser. Jeremy had to see Elena date the man who killed him. But, one of the best examples of how Elena and Damon were ultimately unaware of anything outside each other was when Stefan spent the summer repeatedly drowning without knowing that Bonnie was dead.
Elena and Damon Ignore Those Closest to Them
Elena and Damon, at this point, would have claimed they still loved Bonnie and Stefan. These were supposed to be people important to them. Yet, Elena refused to acknowledge the strong feeling she had that something was wrong with Stefan because of how it could impact her relationship with Damon. Meanwhile, she was unaware of Bonnie’s death entirely. Meanwhile, although Stefan had told Damon that he was leaving, Damon should have been more aware that Stefan disappearing without a word to anybody was suspicious at the least. Yet, he had never shown any inkling of caring until Silas showed up. While Jeremy did a decent enough job of tricking everyone into thinking that Bonnie was still alive, it was not a good enough excuse that everyone seemed to take the information at face value and not question it until Jeremy revealed the truth.
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