From Katherine’s manipulation to Damon and Elena’s relationship, Stefan experienced a lot of betrayals on The Vampire Diaries. But which was worse?
Paul Wesley is all set to be a part of the Star Trek universe, and his fans are excited to see him in a new avatar. The actor has breached new frontiers, but his The Vampire Diaries role will always be the most memorable, especially for fans of the show who are still very invested in the supernatural drama, long after its conclusion.
Stefan was widely considered the better brother, but he often got the worst end of the stick on the show. He was sacrificial and compassionate form the start, but that also gave many characters, both friends as well as enemies, free rein to betray him in awful ways. It was hard for Stefan to recover from these as he was sensitive and none of these deceptions were easy ones.
10. Valerie Not Showing Up
As a character, Stefan liked family and would have liked to raise his own. He lost out on the chance to do so when he became a vampire, but it crushed him when he learned that he came extremely close to having one in the 1800s, but couldn’t because his first love, Valerie, never showed up.
Poor Stefan waited for a girl who never showed up, and dealt with this heartbreak early on. This didn’t impact the plot too much, but gave fans a glimpse into an alternate universe where Stefan could have stayed human and had a family (which was interesting to think about).
9. Damon Killing Lexi
This was one of the most jaw-dropping betrayals on The Vampire Diaries, and one that hurt Stefan deeply. Damon’s staking of Lexi was completely unexpected, and it robbed his brother of a friend who had helped him recover from the worst phases of his life. It did add up, however, as Damon had vowed to hurt Stefan at the beginning.
Lexi’s death meant that the next time Stefan would go into Ripper mode, the one person who could bring him back no longer existed. It also led to a capture of Elena and Damon by Lexi’s mate, but Elena thwarted that.
8. Lily Abandoning Him
There were many similarities between Damon and Stefan, but one that affected them most was the ensuing pain that came after their mother abandoned them. Stefan was very young when Lily decided to leave, so he was left without a mother, and with an abusive father, as a result.
Lily’s absence was what led to many emotional wounds for Stefan, and also set him on a path to vampirism, as he had no mother to guide him. Her deception was so acute, that when she returned, there was bad blood between the two which led to an all-out Heretic war in Mystic Falls. Her return also had some positives: she could help Stefan get his humanity back.
7. Caroline Forcing Him Turn Off His Switch
Stefan and Caroline’s relationship timeline got a bit messed up because of Stefan’s indecision and Caroline turning her humanity off (who also blackmailed Stefan into doing it too).
It was very inconsiderate of Caroline to stab Stefan in the back this way, especially since becoming a Ripper was his greatest fear. However, its likely something that Stefan didn’t hold against her since she wasn’t exactly in the best frame of mind and he knew that humanity-less vampires did a lot of things they later come to regret with their humanities on.
6. No One Realizing That He Was Missing For Months
After the shocking twist showed that Stefan had his own doppelgänger in Silas, the younger Salvatore brother had to come to terms with this while also spending a summer of drowning and reviving. The tragedy of it was that nobody bothered to find out where Stefan was or even register him as missing.
This incident left him with deep emotional wounds, which Katherine helped him recover from. While it really brought to life the chemistry between her and Stefan, fans couldn’t help but feel devastated for the young vampire since he always went out of his way to make sure everyone was fine after they experienced some life-changing event. It just reinforced the fans’ belief that he is one of the best and most selfless characters in The Vampire Diaries.
5. Katherine Loving Both Salvatore Brothers Caused A Huge Feud
Duplicity was in Katherine’s nature, and her love affairs with both Stefan and Damon led to chaos and enmity between them. She chose to get involved with Damon as well, which broke Stefan’s heart and also damaged his relationship with his brother.
This treachery by Katherine was the origin of the infamous feud between the Salvatore brothers. They were very loving before she came into their lives, but when they faced her divided affections, Stefan became bitter with Damon and vice versa. It really was a shame since, eventually, they both realized that she had just been manipulating them for a greater scheme.
4. Damon Giving Elena His Blood
Fraternal disloyalty seemed to be a theme with Stefan, whose elder brother coveted everything that Stefan liked. Damon gave Elena his blood twice: once when she was in danger of dying in Klaus’ ceremony, and the second when she turned into a vampire. Both these times, Damon refused to listen to Stefan and Elena’s wishes since she made it clear that she never wanted to be a vampire in the first place.
Blood sharing between vampires was an intimate act, which Damon did with Elena even though she was with Stefan at the time. Both these actions got Elena a step closer to becoming a vampire, and becoming closer to Damon. He orchestrated many such things which eventually diverted Elena’s affections (and further hurt Stefan).
3. Klaus Making Him A Ripper
Another big obstacle that came in Stelena’s way was Stefan’s prolonged absence, which was all thanks to Klaus’ dishonesty. He blackmailed Stefan into turning off his humanity and becoming a Ripper by threatening Damon’s life, which was not something that was agreed on. Stefan left with Klaus to save Damon, but that left a gaping void in his relationship.
Stefan being missing was what caused Damon and Elena to get closer and get to know each other better. The famous love triangle got room to really set in during this time, and it was something that Stefan came to deeply regret further down the line.
2. Katherine Being A Vampire
Unlike his brother, Stefan was not okay with Katherine’s vampirism. She double-crossed him by compelling him to stay with her, be okay with vampires, and making him drink her blood against his will. It was a big violation, and one that led to many major events in the story.
Katherine’s underhanded tricks led to Stefan becoming a vampire, killing his own father, and encouraging Damon to turn. He became a Ripper because he turned, which unleashed unchecked mayhem and havoc in Mystic Falls and beyond. This deception was what led to Stefan’s arc as a vampire.
1. Elena Falling For His Brother
The most shocking betrayal, for Stefan, was when Elena fell in love with Damon while she was already with him. He had been through something similar with Katherine, so it was incredibly heartbreaking to see history repeating itself, making him suffer even more than he already had.
What was even more devastating was that she started dating him a day after they broke up and he didn’t even learn it from them, but Caroline. This was a culmination of the love triangle that the show had teased for a long time, and easily one of the biggest events in the plot of TVD.
