Damon Salvatore
Damon Salvatore | |
| |
Portrayed by | Ian Somerhalder |
Sex | Male |
Born | 1840 |
Damon Salvatore is the older brother of Stefan Salvatore. He was 24 in 1864 when he became a vampire. Damon fought in the Civil War for the Confederates but left some time after Katherine Pierce arrived to stay at the Salvatore house. This doesn't help his already strained relationship with his father, Giuseppe, who obviously prefers Stefan's obedience to Damon's laid back, rebellious demeanor.
Damon does, however, have a good relationship with his brother, until both of them become involved with Katherine. When the town begins rounding up vampires, Damon trusts Stefan to help protect Katherine, but instead, Stefan wrongly trusts their father, which gets Katherine captured. They're shot and killed by Giuseppe but come back in transition. Damon is immediately upset for Stefan's part in what happened, and the fact that Katherine gave him her blood as well since Damon was told it was only him. Thinking Katherine is dead, Damon is determined to let himself die. However, Stefan persuades him to drink human blood, and Damon swears to provide Stefan with an eternity of misery.
Because he doesn't approve of Stefan's behavior after becoming a vampire, Damon leaves him behind and they don't have contact for around fifty years. Damon, having heard that the vampires in the church were alive, just desiccated, in a tomb underneath the building, feels hopeful that he'll eventually be reunited with her. As such, he doesn't really take pleasure in being a vampire. He simply uses humans to feed and that's it. Upon meeting Sage in 1912, however, he learns that it can be fun to be a vampire. Damon attempts to teach the same thing to Stefan but ends up a ripper and Damon doesn't care enough to do anything about it.
When Damon first shows up in Mystic Falls, he claims it's to mess with Stefan as well as to do something else, but he, of course, doesn't say what that is. What's clear, however, is that Damon is drawn to Elena Gilbert just as Stefan was both due to her looking like Katherine and yet acting nothing like her. Unlike Stefan, though, Damon is still going around killing and feeding on humans, which obviously doesn't sit well with Elena. He also uses Caroline Forbes to do some of his bidding and compels her various times, using her for sex and blood. Stefan is able to lock Damon up but it doesn't last very long and as soon as Damon gets free, he kills their relative, Zach, and then attacks Vicki Donovan. He soon turns her into a vampire, but she doesn't make the transition well and is killed.
For the first time, Damon shows Elena and Stefan some real humanity, doing a favor for Elena and compelling Jeremy Gilbert to not remember the circumstances of Vicki's death. He gets in good with Liz Forbes so that he can infiltrate the Founder's Council and be up on everything they know about vampires. He kills Lexi, Stefan's best friend, because of this.
Although he does apologize for it, he thinks of it as necessary. Eventually he tells his entire plan to Stefan, which is to bring Katherine back. It's revealed that Damon made a deal with Emily Bennett to help keep Katherine safe back in 1864 and in exchange, he would protect her bloodline. However, Emily takes possession of Bonnie's body and destroys the necklace that is needed for the ritual because she doesn't want the other tomb vampires to be released. As soon as she leaves Bonnie's body, Damon bites her, but is stopped by Stefan.
Damon finds Elena after she crashes her car and helps her. He also takes her with him to Georgia, where he's going to meet up with a witch acquaintance of his in order to hopefully learn of a new way to open the tomb. Even though Elena isn't wearing her necklace, Damon doesn't compel her, wanting their experience to be real. When Lexi's boyfriend is about to kill Damon, Elena begs him not to. Damon, figuring out it was Bree that set him up, rips her heart out after she tells him there is actually another way to open the tomb.
When Stefan and Elena agree to help him get Katherine back in order to get him to leave Mystic Falls, Damon is hesitant to trust them. He puts his trust in Elena more than Stefan, so when they betray him, he's more shocked by the former's part in it. Damon forces Elena to drink his blood, threatening to turn her into a vampire if Stefan doesn't hand over the grimoire, which is needed for the spell.
Damon strikes a deal with Anna since they both want to open the tomb. However, once inside the tomb, Damon learns that Katherine isn't there. When he confronts Anna, she tells him the cruel truth--Katherine was never in there in the first place, and she knows where Damon is but has never bothered contacting him. Damon takes this badly and slips back into his ways of feeding off of innocent girls, though he doesn't kill them.
Upon realizing that he attacked Alaric's wife, Isobel, Damon taunts him with that information without outright saying he killed her. When Elena mentions that Alaric's wife was also her birth mother, Damon appears to genuinely regret what he said. This shows, not for the first time, that he has a soft spot for Elena. When Alaric shows up to attack him, Damon baits him, saying he slept with Isobel and then turned her into a vampire because she asked for it. Alaric goes for the kill, but instead, Damon kills him and shows no remorse for it. He is surprised, however, when Alaric comes back due to the ring that he wears.
Despite recent differences, when Stefan is taken and tortured by the tomb vampires, Damon is determined to do everything he can to get his brother back, going so far as to enlist Alaric's help. He also does his best to keep Elena from getting involved, not wanting to put her in danger.
When John Gilbert arrives in town and seems to know a lot more than he should, Damon kills him. However, John comes back, having the same type of ring as Alaric. Even though he's always tried to get Stefan to be more like him, Damon seems genuinely concerned when Stefan begins drinking human blood again because of how bad he is at controlling it. With Elena's help, the two of them get Stefan into the basement cell after he attacks an innocent girl. When Stefan is more back to normal, Damon tells him the real reason he's always "hated" him--Katherine was supposed to only turn Damon, not the both of them.
When Isobel shows up in Mystic Falls and wants the Gilbert device, threatening Elena and the townspeople, Damon confronts her and gives her his own threat. In front of Elena, Damon, and Stefan, Isobel claims that Damon loves Elena. He doesn't confirm it, but he doesn't deny it, either, and it brings about him intentionally flirting with Elena and trying to bait Stefan with snide remarks. He also tells Stefan that in all likelihood, John is Elena's real father, given the information they have.
While Damon doesn't trust Bonnie to despell the Gilbert device, he's willing to trust that Bonnie will do it for Elena, and he sincerely thanks Bonnie for doing so. This turns out to be a ruse, and Damon is almost killed. He makes it out alive thanks to Stefan, but not before having to watch, helpless, as John kills Anna.
Damon goes to Jeremy and delivers the bad news about Anna. He also tells him that it is in fact easier to be a vampire because you can shut off your emotions. Outside on the porch, Damon runs into who he thinks is Elena. He thanks her for thinking he's worth saving, and he's surprised at his own behavior to try to save the town considering he originally came partially for revenge. He kisses her, and then leaves when Jenna Sommers interrupts.
At the hospital later, Damon wants to talk to Elena about the kiss but she denies that it even happened. He soon realizes the truth--it was Katherine, not Elena, which obviously disappoints him. What hurts him further is the fact that Elena expresses such surprise that he'd think she would kiss him.
Damon tries to bait Stefan into a fight after telling him about the kiss between him and Katherine. When Katherine shows up at the mansion, they begin kissing, but Damon pulls away, wanting to know the truth. Katherine tells him that she never loved him, that it was always Stefan. Hearing this visibly breaks his heart, having been in love with her for over a hundred years. He goes over to Elena's, drunk, and calls her a liar for pretending there's nothing between them. After he kisses her, Elena tells him basically the same thing that Katherine did--despite her caring about Damon, it will always be Stefan.
Unsurprisingly, this causes him to snap emotionally. Damon snaps Jeremy's neck, killing him, and then leaves. He soon expresses remorse over his actions and admits that he didn't see the ring on Jeremy's finger. When Elena uses him to get information about Katherine, he's hurt, and says she and Katherine "have a lot more in common than just" their looks.
With the knowledge of both Tyler Lockwood and his father having been affected by the Gilbert device despite not being vampires, Damon is curious about what it means. His curiosity grows when Mason Lockwood shows up to town and seems to have some supernatural strength and agility. With the help of Alaric, the gang finds out that werewolves are real and that a bite from one can kill a vampire. Damon is determined to kill Mason because he's a werewolf, but it doesn't go as planned. Mason tells Liz about Damon and Stefan and she captures them. However, Caroline saves them and, having considered Liz an actual friend, Damon decides to just erase her memory instead of kill her.
When Elena is kidnapped by Trevor and Rose, Damon goes with Stefan to save her even though they know they both could die. After she's rescued, Elena automatically runs to Stefan, which visibly pains Damon. Later, when he gives her back her necklace, he confesses his love for her. Showcasing how far he's come, Damon also says that he doesn't deserve her, but Stefan does. He then compels Elena to forget the confession, having simply needed to say it and have her hear it, but not remember it.
He develops an affection for Rose, although he doesn't admit to it out loud. When Rose is bitten by a werewolf in his place and goes through a painful death, Damon feels immense guilt and sadness. He also showcases his ability for compassion and thoughtfulness when he gives Rose a happy dream where she's back home. As Damon stakes her, tears roll down his face. As if the pain of losing her isn't enough, Elena pushes him to admit his emotions, which also pushes him over the edge. He goes out that night and debates over killing an innocent girl he comes across, while admitting out loud for the first time that he genuinely misses being human. In the end, Damon kills Jessica, claiming he can't be what "she" [Elena] wants him to be.
He seems to feel remorse when he sees a report about Jessica on the news. He also stays away from Andie Star, a friend of Jenna's who wanted to meet him, thinking it's a bad idea for him to be around women. By the end of the episode, however, Damon calls Andie and they take a bath together. He expresses his feelings, how he's in love with a girl who he can't be with and how he likes to kill people because it's in his nature. He compels Andie to not be afraid of him, and then he feeds on her.
Damon enters into an actual relationship with Andie, though he compels her that she can't tell anyone about anything vampire related. Damon goes to Elijah and tries to figure out what he's up to, but is overpowered and shot down. At the mansion, Damon is jumped by a group of werewolves, including Jules, who chain him up and torture him. He's saved by Elijah. After being given a weapon that can potentially kill an original vampire, Damon goes to Katherine to see if it's true, and she confirms it. She begs him not to because killing Elijah will mean she's trapped in the tomb forever, but Damon doesn't care.
He comes up with a plan to kill Elijah that night during a dinner party. As he's about to pull it off, Alaric stops him after learning from Stefan and Elena that it'll also kill Damon. He's pissed, realizing John was trying to get him killed, but gets over it as soon as Alaric kills Elijah instead. When Damon realizes that Elijah is gone--because they removed the dagger--he rushes to the lakehouse to tell Stefan and Elena, who kills Elijah. They bring him back to the basement where Stefan reminds Damon that he killed Lexi. Damon recalls a memory in which Lexi told him his hate would boil over, but he doesn't listen, instead telling her to help Stefan.
When he goes up to his room, he's shocked to find Katherine taking a shower. She reveals she was lying before about the compulsion being stuck if the Original is killed. They're stuck with her for the time being since she claims she wants to help with Klaus, though no one trusts her. Damon finds the location of the dead witches, which is essential to the plan. He ends up killing Luka when he tries to undagger Elijah. Later, he reluctantly defers to Katherine because she says she has a plan to stop Jonas from getting revenge.
When Katherine tries to seduce him, Damon shuts her down without hesitation, over his obsession with her. Damon is unable to enter the house in the area the witches died in because they render his daylight ring useless. He finds the moonstone gone from its hiding place and he and Stefan try to find Katherine but can't. They get the idea from Isobel to sign the mansion over to Elena so that she has to invite vampires inside. When Damon realizes that Klaus has Katherine, he shows a bit of concern despite being over her by now.
Damon shows genuine concern toward Bonnie when he finds out that she's going to die if she uses all of the witch power against Klaus. He comes up with a plan to make everyone--including Klaus--think that Bonnie dies using up her power. He soon tells Elena the truth, which causes her immense relief. Stefan is angry with him for the stunt, but Damon says his way will keep Elena alive even if there's some collateral damage. He even says that she can hate him as long as she's alive to do so. When Elena apologizes for slapping him, Damon tells her that he'll always choose her.
When Elena revives Elijah and wants to talk to him, Stefan trusts her but Damon wants to stop her. He does his own thing and goes to see Katherine, giving her vervain to prevent further compulsion from Klaus. Stefan scoffs at Damon's relationship with Andie and Damon tells him he should be happy, that Andie is his distraction from what he really wants. Stefan finally shows his anger toward Damon for also being in love with Elena. He says that she'll never respect Damon, and the two of them come to blows. They're interrupted by Elijah and Elena, the former of which asks for an apology from both of them. Stefan obliges, but Damon tells them all to go to hell.
Damon is completely against the plan Elijah has come up with, not trusting it to work, but no one else is on his side. In a moment of desperation to ensure Elena's survival, Damon forces his blood down her throat. After Stefan rushes in, they have a short fight and Damon ends up stabbing him with a wooden object, and then he leaves. He goes to the bar and when Alaric shows up, he confesses that he screwed up. After Klaus arrives to tell them to not try anything stupid, Damon already has a plan forming. He goes to Katherine and finds out that Caroline and Tyler are being used for the ritual, and he goes to rescue them. While willing to leave Tyler to die, Damon obliges Caroline and saves him as well.
When Tyler begins his transformation into a wolf, Damon jumps in front of Caroline to save her and gets bitten. He goes to offer himself to Klaus as the vampire in the sacrifice but because of the bite, Klaus can't use him. He's pissed later on when he finds out that Stefan has gone to take Jenna's place, thinking that his brother has gone to clean up his mess. When he and the others get there, Damon carries Elena's body to safety after helping his brother. He's immensely relieved when he discovers the spell that Bonnie performed worked and Elena is still human when she comes back to life. At Jenna's funeral, Damon lets Stefan in on the fact that he's been bitten by a werewolf and asks him not to tell Elena.
Damon apologizes to Elena for feeding her his blood and asks for forgiveness. She says she needs time and he tells her that he understands, despite the fact that he only has a little time left. He heads back home where he has one final drink of alcohol, pulls off his ring, and steps into the sunlight. Damon is prepared to die right there, having seen what happened to Rose and not wanting to go through that, but Stefan stops him and locks him in the cellar. When Alaric shows up to "comfort" him, Damon brings up the things he's done that should make Alaric hate him and he's confused as to why the man doesn't. Damon soon begins hallucinating about his interactions with Katherine back in 1864. In one, Elena appears and tells him that he didn't have to love Katherine, that he chose to be used by her.
He escapes the cellar thanks to a screw up by Liz and eventually finds Elena at the Gone With the Wind event. Damon thinks she's Katherine and the present mixes with the past. In the past, he remembers the first time he willingly feeds on Katherine's blood, knowing it will lead to them being together forever. In the present, he's reliving it, and Damon feeds on Elena, saying it's the only way for them to be together forever. Elena is able to get through to him and then helps him back home and to his own bed. Damon apologizes for everything bad he's done to her and finally comes to terms with the fact that no one forced him to love Katherine, that it was his choice. He also admits that it was his choice to turn and he's done blaming Stefan.
Damon tells Elena that she would have liked him in 1864 and she comforts him with her words, saying that she likes him right now. She gives him a kiss and he thanks her. That's when Katherine shows up with Klaus's blood, which is the cure for a werewolf bite, and has him drink some. She gives them the news about Stefan and also admits that she loved both brothers, not just Stefan. Damon appears surprised, most likely by both bits of news.
Damon spends the next two months tracking Stefan and Klaus--going by certain accounts of death in the news--although he doesn't tell Elena, not wanting to get her hopes up. When Stefan kills Andie to stop Damon from looking for him and Klaus, Damon gives up on his brother. He's forced to tell Elena the truth, especially after she finds out what he's been doing, trying to make her understand that Stefan is gone. However, he doesn't mention Andie or seeing Stefan. Damon breaks down and tears apart Stefan's room.
When Elena comes up with an idea to find Stefan, Damon wants no part of it, really believing his brother is gone, at least for a long time. He's forced to comply later when she and Alaric are out in the mountains with a bunch of werewolves. They come across a hybrid and Damon distracts it so that Alaric and Elena can get to safety. Stefan appears and possibly saves him from the hybrid, then tells Damon to keep Elena in Mystic Falls, that he's not coming back. That night, Damon mentions what happened to Elena, revealing a renewed sense of hope for getting his brother back. Damon also forces Elena to admit that she was worried about him, and he says he wants her to remember what she's felt for him during Stefan's absence.
Damon finds out from Katherine that Stefan and Klaus are in Chicago. He brings Elena along, showing her Stefan's journal entries from that era (the 1920s), trying to make sure she's ready for what she might find. Damon says he always kept an eye on ripper Stefan but that he didn't want to be around him. Damon brings Elena to Stefan's old apartment and shows her a wall of names, which is a list of Stefan's victims. He leaves her there to go check Gloria's bar. Damon is upset with himself when Elena tells him that Klaus almost found her. They go to the bar and Damon distracts Klaus so she can talk to Stefan. Damon says how he's much more fun than Stefan and would make a better partner in crime. Klaus ends up almost killing him.
After this experience, Damon and Elena both try to not think about the issue, and they also seem to be getting closer. When Alaric tells Damon that he needs to step back from Elena, Damon is pissed about it. He's distracted by the fact that Bill Forbes, whom he thought he had compelled to leave town, shows up in a council meeting, still knowing everything. Damon tells Alaric and Elena about it, then mentions that he'll just have to kill Caroline's father. Alaric tries to stop him so Damon snaps his neck. He feeds on Bill a bit, having missed human blood, but is interrupted by Caroline. Elena yells at him but Damon yells back, sick of her trying to make him more like Stefan. Katherine shows up at just the right time and Damon heads out of town with her.
The two of them get Jeremy to contact Anna, who in turn tells them about Mikael, a vampire who hunts other vampires. Damon goes back to Mystic Falls on his own and uses this knowledge to scare Klaus out of town. He apologizes for Elena for leaving and promises to never do it again. With Stefan's humanity shut off, Damon is the more in control one. He gives Elena advice on how to hurt a vampire, and also goes along with her plan to get Stefan locked up in the basement. Damon flirts with Rebekah to do so, which seems to make Elena a little jealous, and he takes notice of it. He also realizes that Tyler is now sired to Klaus.
Mason Lockwood comes back temporary and tortures Damon a bit. Damon forces a half-assed apology out of himself and the two work together to find something that could help with the Originals. Mason disappears, however, and Damon has to call Alaric for help--and gives a genuine apology this time. Once they find the symbols, Damon realizes that Mikael is the original father. He also frees Stefan and tries to make him remember what freedom is like now that he's compelled by Klaus. Mikael shows up and Stefan finds a loophole in the compulsion when Mikael threatens Damon's life. Damon considers his plan a success because he realizes Stefan still refuses to let him die even if he supposedly has no humanity.
Damon comes up with his own plan to kill Klaus that doesn't involve Stefan, so Mikael gets him out of the way. Damon also makes sure Elena is safe, and switches her for Katherine. However, right as Damon is about to kill Klaus, Stefan interrupts and stops him. Damon is devastated and confused and has to be comforted by Elena. When Stefan vows revenge on Klaus, Damon tells him to be smart about it, and tries to play peace keeper. Complying with Elena's wishes, Damon compels Jeremy to move to Denver so he doesn't have to deal with this stuff. Although Elena feels guilty about it, he reassures her that she's just trying to keep her brother safe. Damon then kisses her, and she doesn't pull away, which instantly puts him in a better mood than usual.
Damon ends up undaggering Elijah and teaming up with him temporarily. When Esther, Kol, and Finn return to life and Esther wants to meet Elena alone, however, Damon is determined not to let her go. Elena has Stefan snap his neck to get him out of the way, and Damon is far from happy about it.
The entire situation is made all the more difficult on him with Stefan being back. Because his stress level is heightened, Damon is more controlling toward Elena than usual. When he says he's pissed at her because he loves her, Elena tells him that maybe that's the problem, which is basically what Stefan told him a little earlier. Hearing that he cares too much is quite a blow to Damon, who was always the one told that he didn't care enough (except when it came to Katherine). After all this time of people trying to get him to embrace his humanity, Elena and Stefan are throwing it in his face. In response--but also to save Matt Donovan's life, Damon attacks Kol and snaps his neck, temporarily killing him. He walks off letting them think he's just being his impulsive self.
Later that night, he and Rebekah hook up. When Elena finds out and appears upset, Damon basically blows her off, sick of trying to play up to her expectations and getting nothing in return when Stefan is around. However, when her life is threatened, Damon and Stefan team up to save her. They're forced to turn Abby Bennett, Bonnie's mother, into a vampire. To decide who does it, they flip a coin. Even though Stefan loses, Damon takes on the burden himself and does the deed, later saying being the bad guy fits him better, and this way Elena won't hate Stefan. Damon has also noticed that Stefan has gone back to his animal blood diet.
The two of them get Jeremy to contact Anna, who in turn tells them about Mikael, a vampire who hunts other vampires. Damon goes back to Mystic Falls on his own and uses this knowledge to scare Klaus out of town. He apologizes for Elena for leaving and promises to never do it again. With Stefan's humanity shut off, Damon is the more in control one. He gives Elena advice on how to hurt a vampire, and also goes along with her plan to get Stefan locked up in the basement. Damon flirts with Rebekah to do so, which seems to make Elena a little jealous, and he takes notice of it. He also realizes that Tyler is now sired to Klaus.
Mason Lockwood comes back temporary and tortures Damon a bit. Damon forces a half-assed apology out of himself and the two work together to find something that could help with the Originals. Mason disappears, however, and Damon has to call Alaric for help--and gives a genuine apology this time. Once they find the symbols, Damon realizes that Mikael is the original father. He also frees Stefan and tries to make him remember what freedom is like now that he's compelled by Klaus. Mikael shows up and Stefan finds a loophole in the compulsion when Mikael threatens Damon's life. Damon considers his plan a success because he realizes Stefan still refuses to let him die even if he supposedly has no humanity.
Damon comes up with his own plan to kill Klaus that doesn't involve Stefan, so Mikael gets him out of the way. Damon also makes sure Elena is safe, and switches her for Katherine. However, right as Damon is about to kill Klaus, Stefan interrupts and stops him. Damon is devastated and confused and has to be comforted by Elena. When Stefan vows revenge on Klaus, Damon tells him to be smart about it, and tries to play peace keeper. Damon ends up undaggering Elijah and teaming up with him temporarily. When Esther, Kol, and Finn return to life and Esther wants to meet Elena alone, however, Damon is determined not to let her go. Elena has Stefan snap his neck to get him out of the way, and Damon is far from happy about it.
The entire situation is made all the more difficult on him with Stefan being back. Because his stress level is heightened, Damon is more controlling toward Elena than usual. When he says he's pissed at her because he loves her, Elena tells him that maybe that's the problem, which is basically what Stefan told him a little earlier. Hearing that he cares too much is quite a blow to Damon, who was always the one told that he didn't care enough (except when it came to Katherine). After all this time of people trying to get him to embrace his humanity, Elena and Stefan are throwing it in his face. In response--but also to save Matt Donovan's life, Damon attacks Kol and snaps his neck, temporarily killing him. He walks off letting them think he's just being his impulsive self.
Later that night, he and Rebekah hook up. When Elena finds out and appears upset, Damon basically blows her off, sick of trying to play up to her expectations and getting nothing in return when Stefan is around. However, when her life is threatened, Damon and Stefan team up to save her. They're forced to turn Abby Bennett, Bonnie's mother, into a vampire. To decide who does it, they flip a coin. Even though Stefan loses, Damon takes on the burden himself and does the deed, later saying being the bad guy fits him better, and this way Elena won't hate Stefan. Damon has also noticed that Stefan has gone back to his animal blood diet.
With the attacks and murders of the Founder's Council members, Damon recalls a similar thing happening back in 1912, back when he met Sage. With the attacks and murders of the Founder's Council members, Damon recalls a similar thing happening back in 1912, back when he met Sage. He enlists Stefan's help in trying to figure out who did it then and who's doing it now. At the same time, Damon is trying to teach Stefan that it's better to control his intake of human blood instead of outright refusing to drink it. Damon admits that Stefan is the only one he has, so he wants to help him as much as he can. When Sage arrives in town, Damon gets her help to get inside Rebekah's head and figure out what she wants from him. He plays on her need for attention and the fact that she clearly has low self esteem, and gets her to sleep with him. While Rebekah is out, Sage gets inside her head and then relays the information to Damon.
He checks his family's records and finds out that the Wickory Bridge was made of white oak wood, which means there's plenty left to kill Originals. He fakes being upset when Sage tells Rebekah about it, then reveals to Stefan that he still has the sign for the bridge. Damon, Alaric, and Stefan make a bunch of stakes out of it and give them to the gang, devising a plan to take out whatever Original they can. However, feeling scorned, Rebekah grabs Damon and tortures him for hours.
He checks his family's records and finds out that the Wickory Bridge was made of white oak wood, which means there's plenty left to kill Originals. He fakes being upset when Sage tells Rebekah about it, then reveals to Stefan that he still has the sign for the bridge. Damon, Alaric, and Stefan make a bunch of stakes out of it and give them to the gang, devising a plan to take out whatever Original they can. However, feeling scorned, Rebekah grabs Damon and tortures him for hours.
Despite being tortured, Damon insults her for being so starved for attention that she bought his act of actually wanting her. After being freed and finding out that Alaric's alter ego hid the final stake, Damon and Elena head to Denver to get Jeremy while Stefan stays behind. To try to establish a connection between Jeremy and Rose, Damon mentions the dream he gave her when she was dying, and Elena is surprised. Later on, she asks why he never mentioned it to her, and Damon says that it wasn't about her. He admits that he doesn't want to live up to anyone's expectations, so he hides away the good part of him sometimes.
Elena kisses him but later after a confrontation with Kol, she pulls away. Damon becomes momentarily confused, especially when Elena says she doesn't know how she feels about him despite her earlier actions. He then realizes that she figured he would screw up and push her away. Damon tells her that he's not going to make it easier for her this time.
When Damon realizes that Alaric hasn't been taking the herbs needed to suppress his alter ego, he thinks that Alaric needs to be killed. When Alaric decides not to complete his transition, Damon offers to snap his neck so that nothing goes wrong. They then share one last drink and conversation with each other. Damon is almost in tears when Alaric falls asleep, but shows restraint when he replaces the cap on the bottle instead of breaking the bottle itself, which is more like Damon's style. After Bonnie knocks him out and feeds Alaric her blood, Damon brings her to the Gilbert house to tell the others what happened. He mocks Klaus when he can't get in and misses hitting them with fence posts. Damon and Stefan both get their necks snapped by Alaric, but then have to help him kill Klaus.
While on the road with Stefan, Damon reluctantly promises to leave town if Elena picks Stefan since Stefan promised the same if she were to pick Damon. When Jeremy tells them that he's taken Elena to the hospital, Damon berates him. Stefan goes home while Damon continues on. Damon does not agree with Elena making the deal with Elijah and tells Stefan he wouldn't have let her do it. His philosophy, as stated previously, is that he'd rather have Elena hate him and be alive than let her do something stupid. Damon deposits Klaus's body at a storage facility. He gives Bonnie a moment with Klaus and then Alaric shows up and snaps his neck. When he wakes up, Rebekah arrives and the two of them try to get Klaus's body out of there. However, Alaric is able to stake Klaus and Rebekah takes off. Damon calls his brother, hoping they're not from Klaus's blood line but prepared for it. He tells Stefan goodbye.
When Damon gets the news from Elena that she's choosing Stefan, he's not surprised, but he is heartbroken. When Alaric comes to kill him, he practically welcomes it. "Maybe if you and I had met first..." Damon remembers Elena's words and the fact that they did, in fact, meet first. Damon thought she was Katherine on the night of the bonfire and talked to her. He then told her that what she wanted was "a love that consumes you, you passion, and adventure, and even a little danger." Damon then compelled her to get what she wanted and to forget about their meeting. The memory gives Damon renewed hope and he fights back against Alaric. Soon after, Alaric beings to die.
Damon breaks down now more than at any other point in the show as he holds Alaric in his arms. Damon says "You are not dead", the line referring to both Alaric and Elena. Not only is he losing his best friend, but he's also losing the woman he loves. Damon speeds back to Mystic Falls and is told by Meredith that she gave Elena vampire blood to heal earlier, and Damon realizes that Elena is going to be in transition.
Damon is most known for his sarcasm, impulsiveness, and passion. Although Damon has threatened Stefan's life multiple times, he's never gone through with it because at the end of the day, he loves his brother and would do anything for him. He's also gradually let more and more of his humanity show. While more impulsive than others, Damon also tends to think the most and come up with the best plans. Unlike his brother, Damon would rather have Elena hate him and be alive than let Elena get her way if it puts her life in danger. Because of this, it's easy to see that if Damon had found her and Matt in the water instead of Stefan, Matt would be dead but Elena would still be human.