Summary

• Damon Salvatore evolves from a ruthless vampire to a comionate hero who values family and love.
• Damon showcases his loyalty and love by protecting his brother, saving Elena, and ing her when Stefan lets her down.
• Despite his past and personal struggles, Damon consistently prioritizes the well-being and happiness of those he cares about.

Damon Salvatore may be the bad boy of The Vampire Diaries, but he wastes no time proving he has a softer, more heroic side too. One-half of the Salvatore brothers and a third of the love triangle with Elena Gilbert, Damon is a complex character who often walks his own path, but throughout the course of the series, he finds himself becoming a part of a family. Played by Ian Somerhalder, the character is always fun to watch as he explores what it means to really love someone and put them and their interests ahead of his own.

Damon begins TVD as an unfeeling creature of the night. He derives pleasure from killing and feeding upon humans while his brother, Stefan is clearly a contrast who only feeds on animals and experiences human emotions much more deeply. Throughout the show, Damon slowly learns to accept his more human side and allow feelings of love, and loss to define his character, and this leads to some incredibly heroic moments from the vampire that terrorized communities for the best part of 150 years.

10 Killing Logan

Season 1, Episode 6 "Lost Girls"

Early in The Vampire Diaries season 1, Damon's comion and love towards his brother are established. While he and his brother don't see eye to eye on every issue, Damon doesn't want anyone else to hurt him, and potentially kill him. At the end of "Lost Girls," Damon goes out in search of his brother and finds him weakened thanks to wooden bullets shot by Logan. Damon ends up taking some of these bullets himself and, together with Vicki, he manages to get the upper hand and kill Logan before he does any more damage.

9 Saving Elena From A Car Wreck

Season 1, Episode 11 "Bloodlines"

Again, in season 1, Damon proves himself to have some noble intentions. At the beginning of episode 11, "Bloodlines," Damon rescues Elena from a car wreck. She is trapped and unable to free herself and Damon uses his considerable strength to save her. At this point, he is still very much the bad guy of the series, and he is doing shady stuff elsewhere, but his affection and desire to protect Elena rings out loud and clear.

8 The Miss Mystic Pageant

Season 1, Episode 19 "Miss Mystic Falls"

Late in Damon reveals a softer side, while Stefan has begun to act more erratically. One of the sweetest moments of the series comes during "Miss Mystic Falls." When Elena is set to participate in the Founder's Ball, she is genuinely excited to be attending with Stefan. However, when Stefan doesn't turn up, Damon wastes no time in stepping in and ing Elena. Elena could have been left embarrassed and alone, but Damon read the situation and stepped up, even when Stefan didn't.

7 Easing Rose's Death

Season 2, Episode 12 "The Descent"

Damon develops deep and meaningful connections with the few people he decides to allow into his life. One of those people was Rose, and during the second season, Damon shows how much he wants to keep his friends happy and at peace. When Rose is suffering in horrific pain from the werewolf bite that is a death sentence for vampires, she asks Damon to help her and put her out of her misery. Damon uses his ability to enter her mind and take her to a happy place, with the two of them at peace and completely free of worry or pain. Outside of her mind, with tears in his eyes, Damon drives a stake into Rose, ending her suffering.

6 Bitten By A Werewolf

Season 2, Episode 22 "As I Lay Dying"

When Damon is bitten by a werewolf later in season 2, he tries to make amends and end his life, so he doesn't cause trouble for others. In his weakened state, Damon is prone to hurting others and hallucinating, but even at the height of the infection, he possesses enough self-control and willpower to stop himself from seriously hurting Elena, and he its his love for her. While Stefan is the real hero of the episode, giving up his will to Klaus to save his brother, points to Damon for showing how far he has come and overcoming weaknesses that he would have given into earlier in the show.

5 Choosing Stefan Above Himself

Season 3, Episode 9 "Homecoming"

Despite being blackmailed by Klaus and his girlfriend being murdered by Stefan while under Klaus' compulsion in TVD season 3, Damon still does all he can to try and save and bring back his brother. In episode 9, "Homecoming" plans come to a head with Damon who is ready to kill Klaus and free his brother, but due to interference from Stefan's long-term love interest, Katherine, he is stopped at the last minute. Damon clearly shows his loyalty and love for his brother, even when things are at an all-time low.

4 Letting Elena Go

Season 5, Episode 10 "Fifty Shades Of Grayson"

Damon has deep feelings for Elena, and while they got together before season 5, episode 10, he struggles to feel deserving of her love. When Elena is trapped by Wes, Damon puts his past to one side, ignoring jibes from Katherine and seeking the help of his brother to rescue Elena. However, when she is finally saved, he is overwhelmed by the evil acts he committed in the past and believes Elena shouldn't just ignore and forgive those things. In an attempt to save her from himself, he breaks up with Elena, causing both of them to be devastated, but Damon believes she could have a better life without him.

3 Restoring Stefan's Humanity

Season 6, Episode 18 "I Could Never Love Like That"

Damon's loyalties to his brother are further evidenced in season 6, episode 18, "I Could Never Love Like That," when Damon calls upon his and Stefan's mother, Lily, to help restore Stefan's humanity. Lily is an incredibly dangerous vampire who spent much of her existence as a Ripper before the events of The Vampire Diaries, but Damon knows she may be the only way to get his brother back. He cuts a deal with Lily and brings his brother back from his bloodlust, even at the risk of any personal costs.

2 Finding And Saving Human Stefan

Season 7, Episode 17 "I Went To The Woods"

When Stefan has his soul cast out of his body and into an alcoholic homeless man named Marty. Damon has a near-impossible task to find his brother in time, ahead of the cold weather and Stefan's soulless body committing terrible violent acts. Damon searches the streets high and low to find his brother with an unfamiliar face in time and save him.

1 Becoming Human

Season 8, Episode 16 "I Was Feeling Epic"

In The Vampire Diaries series finale, Damon has come incredibly far and is more than willing to lay down his life to protect his friends and family. However, just before he can sacrifice himself to protect those he loves, his brother manages to change places with him despite his arguments to the contrary. Damon is injected with blood to turn him back into a human and give him a shot at real life with Elena and their friends. Finally, Damon can enjoy a new life as a human and let go of his darker side completely.