The Vampire Diaries Robbed Itself of Damon Salvatore Being an Actual Villain
Anti-heroes are just as loved when done right.
Summary:
- The Vampire Diaries was The CW TV show based on the book series by L. J. Smith.
- The endgame couple Elena Gilbert and Damon Salvatore went through a lot of changes during 8 seasons of the show.
- However, many fans believe Damon should’ve stayed the villain of the story all along.
There is something so alluring about bad guys that viewers of almost any movie or TV show are inevitably drawn to them. Whether the character is simply misunderstood and portrayed in a way that doesn't do them justice, or whether they are truly the menace they appear to be, viewers often admire them as much as the protagonists.
This would definitely be the case with Damon Salvatore. Realistically, you wouldn't want either of the Salvatore brothers around. Not only are they vampires, which makes you question whether they're the right kind of people, but they're also very manipulative and prone to crime of all kinds.
Damon, on the other hand, was farther away from any kind of redemption than his brother. From sexual assault to torture to murder, he has done so many truly awful things that anyone in their right mind would be afraid to even cross paths with him. Yet he never lost an ounce of his appeal in the eyes of the audience.
At least not until they saw the forced redemption come to life. While some were at least a little happy that Elena ended up in a loving and caring relationship, others still believe that such an ending took away a huge amount of emotion that The Vampire Diaries could have had otherwise.
What Is Wrong With Damon Salvatore?
When we first meet Damon, he appears to be the perfect bad boy that almost every high school girl would fall for. Portrayed by Ian Somerhalder, he has a mischievous look and personality to match. He is unapologetically dark and intriguing until he shows his true nature and becomes truly scary.
With a character like Damon, the showrunners must have had a tough decision to make, whether to try and make him somewhat likable, or to go all in on this sadistic, manic personality that shows through from time to time. While the first choice made a love story seem a little less controversial, the second choice would actually benefit the storytelling more.
By having Damon Salvatore really go off the rails at some point, but not come back and be forgiven the moment he walks in the door, the show would have far more opportunities to showcase the vampire lore and create more moral dilemmas for Elena.
No show about vampires should feel 100% relatable and authentic, but the story of loving someone so terrifying and deeply flawed would definitely resonate more with the audience than the story of a very young girl happily "fixing" an old man with so many very serious problems.
There is no way to know what The Vampire Diaries would have looked like and ended like if Damon had been allowed to live out his truly antagonistic arc and finish the series with the same energy, so the only thing left for fans to do is to reimagine the plot in fan fiction or re-watch the original show.
To join them, you can stream The Vampire Diaries on Peacock TV or MAX.