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Stefan Salvatore

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"I don't hurt people. I don't do that. I'm the good brother."
Portrayed by: Paul Wesley

One of the protagonists of The Vampire Diaries and the narrator of the series. The youngest of the Salvatore brothers who has recently moved into Mystic Falls. Stefan is known to be the "good" vampire brother but he has many dark secrets in his long past.


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  • The Ace: During his human years, he was practically the golden boy. He was a good student, was his parents favorite child, well-liked and respected by everyone and popular with the ladies. Stefan being nearly good at everything since his human years is what made Damon feel Always Second Best.
  • Action Hero: Stefan is involved in the middle of all of the action in the series. Since he is a vampire who has super strength and speed, he's one of the best physical fighters . He can take on other vampires and supernatural creatures with ease.
  • Actual Pacifist: Especially in season one. Stefan does not really like resorting to violence of any sort, but he will do so if necessary. Expect Stefan to angst afterwards though.
  • Adaptational Nationality: Stefan and Damon were from Renaissance Italy in the books. In the series the Salvatore family is one of the town's founding families and the two brothers are now Italian Americans from the Civil War era.
  • Affably Evil: When he turns off his humanity or when he's the Ripper, he can appear friendly, charming and affable. That doesn't mean he wouldn't ruthlessly kill someone or tear their head off.
  • Affectionate Nickname: Though everyone calls him Stefan, Damon will sometimes call him "Stef".
  • The Ageless: He's stopped aging since he turned into a vampire 200 years ago, and looks like someone around his twenties though he died when he was almost eighteen years old in 1864.
  • Alliterative Name: His name is Stefan Salvatore. Stefan's first and last name begin with the same letter. Popular choice for heroes.
  • Always Save the Girl: Stefan is willing to sacrifice his life to ensure Elena's safety. He constantly puts himself in danger to protect Elena and her loved ones from harm. He first saves her life when she and her parents get into a car accident at Wickery Bridge before officially meeting her. Elena survived the crash, but sadly, her parents did not. During season one, Stefan utilizes his vampire abilities to safeguard and rescue Elena, a vulnerable human, from supernatural beings that pose a threat to her. Throughout season two, Stefan tries to prevent Elena from Katherine and Klaus. He is willing to sacrifice his life for Jenna and Elena at Klaus' sacrificial hybrid ritual. In season three, he was willing to leave town and serve Klaus in order to protect Elena from him finding out she was alive. Even when Stefan had no humanity in the first half of season three, he was still protective of Elena, which proved how much he loved her. At the end of season three, Elena and Matt get into a car accident at Wickery Bridge and though Stefan intends to save Elena instead of Matt first, Elena refuses to be saved and tells Stefan to save Matt to which he complies. Elena ends up dying and becoming a vampire, something which haunts Stefan and racks him with guilt. All throughout season four, Stefan, ridden with guilt over not saving Elena at Wickery Bridge, goes to extreme lengths to find the cure to revert Elena's vampirism because he could see how much she was suffering as a vampire. There are many instances, both small and big, in which Stefan repeatedly goes out of his way to protect and save Elena.
  • Always Someone Better: Damon often thinks of Stefan this way going back to their human years. Stefan was the golden boy and favorite growing up. He was the favorite child of both parents. Giuseppe clearly favoured Stefan over Damon because he viewed Stefan as the ideal son who was studious, level-headed and responsible. Lillian also showed favoritism towards Stefan because he was a well-behaved child while Damon was the opposite. Damon also felt inadequate next to Stefan when it came to romance and women. More women preferred Stefan as a romantic partner because Stefan was more of the serious romantic relationship type while Damon was more into having flings. All of the women that Damon liked preferred Stefan, namely Elena and Katherine.
  • Amazon Chaser: All of his love interests are badass Action Girls who know how to fight and stand up for themselves. Stefan is definitely not one to fall for the damsel in distress. Elena, Katherine, Caroline, Rebekah, and Valerie are all strong, powerful women who can kick ass and take names.
  • Amicable Exes: With Elena starting season five onwards. Stefan eventually accepts Elena being with Damon and he moves on to being in a relationship with Caroline. He and Elena still have plenty of Ship Tease and Unresolved Sexual Tension moments throughout seasons five and six.
  • Anchored Ship: With Elena in Seasons 1 and 2. Their relationship was marred by constant ups and downs and they never caught t moment of peace. Stefan and Elena's relationship was marred by numerous factors: Elena discovering Stefan was a vampire, Stefan's blood addiction issues, Elena losing loved ones, Elena developing feelings for Damon, Katherine, etc. Their relationship ended in season four, though they always had a deep, abiding love for each other, even when it became platonic.
  • Anguished Declaration of Love: To Elena in the season four premiere. Stefan and Elena are both trapped in separate cells. Elena is in the process of transitioning into a vampire. If she didn't consume human blood promptly, she would die. Stefan feels guilty because he believed she should have consumed human blood immediately to complete her transition, but he hesitated. He wanted to believe that there was a way to undo Elena's vampirism or to find a cure, but Damon was insistent that there was no door number three and she needed to feed on blood to stay alive. Elena tells Stefan to stop feeling guilty about her situation because she chose to sacrifice herself to save Matt. Elena reveals to Stefan that she perished on Wickery Bridge while attempting to reunite with him, choosing him over Damon. Stefan anguishingly tells Elena that he loves her so much and she returns the sentiment. Stefan told Elena he loved her, knowing that there was a possibility that she was going to die that night.
  • Anti-Hero: Stefan starts out as The Hero archetype when the series starts. After undergoing a darker transformation in season three, he becomes a dark antiheroic character. His darker transformation didn't involve Stefan having any agency since he was forced to serve Klaus in order to save his brother. In season four, he continues being an anti-heroic character. he still fights not he side of good but he's willing to cross moral lines in order to do what is right. He's a Type II or Type III anti-hero.
  • Anti-Villain: Stefan is Type III or IV in Season 3. He willingly does a Face–Heel Turn by choosing to serve Klaus in order to save his brother from a werewolf bite. He turns off his humanity but turns it back once again to save damn. During his dark period, he comes off as Affably Evil.
  • The Atoner: He feels extreme guilt by all the innocent people he has killed due to his time as a Ripper, and is always willing to help people in part out of a sense of needing to repent.
  • Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Stefan has had tumultuous relationships with both Katherine and Rebekah. He's shown disdain for them and he's also shown tenderness and compassion towards them. His relationships with both of them are very complicated due to their messy histories together and his shared experiences with both of them.
  • Ax-Crazy: As Ripper Stefan or Non-Humanity Stefan, he is absolutely psychotic, unpredictable, ruthless and bloodthirsty. He has zero remorse when he goes on a killing spree. When he is in his Ripper phase or high on human blood, he literally blacks out and feeds extremely hard on people until he rips them apart. He got the Ripper gene from his mother, Lily, who is also a Ripper like her son.
  • Badass Angster: Stefan often angsts over his dark past as a vampire and a Ripper who has an inability to control himself on human blood. Much of his time is spent feeling guilty over the things he's done and him using his present time to make amends and atone for his past. There's also the fact that his love life has been a complete mess and he's had his heart broken over and over.
  • Badass Biker: Stefan is a badass vampire who rides a motorcycle starting in season four. Before this, his vehicle of choice was the Red Porsche.
  • Badass Boast: Stefan has plenty of his moments where he will threaten someone to get his way, especially when he himself is threatened or his loved ones are threatened. An example of him threatening someone is when Logan Fell threatens to expose Stefan and Damon for being vampires to the entire town of Mystic Falls if Stefan doesn't tell him how he can walk in the daylight. Stefan responds coldly to Logan y telling him to never threaten him again or he will be very sorry. Though Stefan hands out threats to those he deems enemies, he still doesn't use them as much as Damon and prefers to use the more diplomatic approach when dealing with most situations.
  • Badass Bookworm: Stefan is a badass vampire who is also known to be highly scholarly and academic. He often spends his time studying or researching and he has a passion for writing and literature. Stefan attended Ivy League schools such as Harvard.
  • Badass in Distress: Stefan gets himself into trouble at times and has to be helped out of it (as happens with most characters, given the nature of the show).
  • Badass Nickname: His Superpowered Evil Side with his humanity turned off is called The "Ripper". Downplayed in that it's technically the nickname associated with all vampires who become incredibly violent and bloodlusty when their humanity is turned off. Played more straight with his more specific moniker, "The Ripper of Monterey"
  • Bad Powers, Good People: Since he is a vampire, Stefan is capable of using his abilities to be extremely destructive, but instead, he chooses to use his abilities to save and help others because of who he is.
  • Battle Couple: With Elena, particularly in the earlier seasons. Stefan, being a badass vampire, a Guile Hero and Action Hero, would handle the physical aspects of a battle but would also use his intelligence and brains to solve problems. Elena, an Action Survivor, would use more diplomatic approaches to solve the town's issues. She didn't have any abilities which would be useful in a fight but she could still fend for herself pretty well. After she becomes a vampire, she morphs into an Action Girl.
  • Be All My Sins Remembered: Stefan struggled with being seen as good and heroic at different times throughout the series because he's completely wracked with guilt about the bad things he's done as the Ripper. He developed a huge Guilt Complex and became The Atoner in order to make amends for the pain he caused as a humanity-less, bloodthirsty vampire. In the series finale, he willingly sacrifices himself in order to save the town of Mystic Falls because he feels that it will help him find peace and redemption for his sins of the past.
  • Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Stefan gets a lot of cuts, bruises, and scrapes but because he's a vampire, he heals quickly and still looks handsome.
  • Being Evil Sucks: He always struggles to rid himself of his human blood addiction, because he really doesn't want to be a bad guy.
  • Being Good Sucks: Stefan is a genuinely good person (when he's normal and not in his Ripper phase), but his good and selfless acts don't bring him any happiness. Stefan is one of the most selfless and heroic characters on the show yet he is constantly faced with endless misery, suffering and pain. He can't seem to catch a break and whenever he finds some semblance of happiness, it's ripped away from him.
  • Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Katherine. Stefan proclaims to hate her after everything she did to him and his brother, but there's no denying that they have plenty of Unresolved Sexual Tension after many decades. They constantly snark and bicker with each other, showcasing the sparks between them.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Stefan appears to be gentle, kind, and compassionate, but he definitely has a tough and violent side when provoked. He even has a Superpowered Evil Side in his "Ripper" persona.
  • Betty and Veronica:
    • Stefan is involved in quite a few love triangles, the most notable one being the one between himself, Elena and Damon. Stefan is the Betty to Damon's Veronica for Elena's Archie. Stefan was in a relationship with Elena from seasons one to four. Elena started developing feelings for Damon in season three while Stefan was absent from town with Klaus. At the end of season three, Elena chooses Stefan over Damon despite her lingering feelings for Damon. Elena developed a relationship with Damon in season four but things were made complicated when it was discovered that Elena was sired to Damon. At the end of season four, Elena chooses Damon over Stefan and he ends up being the one she ends up with.
    • Stefan is the Betty to Damon's Veronica for Katherine's Archie. Katherine was involved with both Salvatore brothers back in 1864. She admitted that she loved both of them, but she had a preference for Stefan to obsessive Yandere levels. Stefan and Damon got over their feelings for Katherine and preferred Elena to her, which spiked intense jealousy and hatred from Katherine towards Elena.
  • Big Brother Instinct: To Jeremy, Elena's younger troubled brother. Stefan is often protective of Jeremy and makes sure that he is safe.
  • Big Brother Mentor:
    • To Jeremy. Stefan is seen to be protective of Jeremy. He takes on a bit of a big brother role and mentor to Jeremy whenever Elena isn't present. In 2x01, Jeremy takes pills and drinks Anna's blood in order to become a vampire. Stefan tells Jeremy to snap out of this; that he (Jeremy) really doesn't want to do this because he would end up regretting it for the rest of his eternity-long life. Stefan frequently gives Jeremy advice, pep talks and even lectures from time to time.
    • To Caroline at the beginning of season two. He teaches Caroline how to control herself on blood and how to keep her humanity. He manages to take lessons from his best friend Lexi on how to help Caroline adjust to the traumatic experience of transitioning into a vampire.
  • Big Fancy House: Stefan lived in the Salvatore Boarding House throughout the series. It is a very large house with a fancy and decorative interior.
  • Big Little Brother: Stefan is slightly taller than Damon by a couple of inches. Stefan is 5'11" and Damon is 5'9".
  • Big Man on Campus: Stefan is popular, athletic, a good student and easily attracts the girls. Top bloke at his school.
  • Birds of a Feather: With Elena. It seems that Elena and Stefan have various things in common, most notably the fact that like Elena, Stefan also writes a journal and records his thoughts.
  • Bittersweet Ending: Right after his wedding to Caroline, Stefan makes a Heroic Sacrifice and dies to save Mystic Falls from being engulfed in Hell fire in the series finale. Stefan gives Damon the cure before he sacrifices himself and finds peace and reunites with both Lexi and Damon (after he dies) in the afterlife.
  • Blessed with Suck: Stefan is a vampire and with that comes many powers and abilities such as invulnerability, speed, healing, strength, immortality, etc. But he hates being a vampire because of his lack of control on human blood. If he drinks too much human blood, he becomes addicted to it to extreme levels and he won't stop until he hurts someone (or more accurately, many, many someones). Because of his troubles with vampirism, he has desired to become a human once more so he doesn't have to deal with what he feels is a curse.
  • Bookworm: Stefan is highly knowledgeable and well-read. He reads many books and literature, studies and researches a lot.
  • Boy Meets Girl: Stefan and Elena meet each other in the first episode of the series and they feel an instant attraction and connection with each other. They get to know each other and they instantly fall in love. The rest is history and their relationship shapes the rest of the series.
  • Break Her Heart To Save Her: Stefan breaks up with Elena or turns his back on her in order to protect her. This is especially evident in season three when Stefan leaves Mystic Falls with Klaus and becomes a Ripper in order to protect Elena and the rest of the town.
  • Break the Cutie: Stefan's an attractive, cute guy. Whenever he finds some sort of happiness, something is always out there to hurt Stefan and to make him suffer.
  • Broken Ace: Stefan appears to have everything going for him and he's good at everything including romance, school, sports, etc. But he has constant internal battles within himself about his identity as a vampire. He suffers from serious blood addiction issues and has dealt with alot of guilt for his troubled past.
  • Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Stefan is the mysterious, brooding vampire who falls in love with Elena, the sweet, cheerful girl next door, who often makes Stefan crack a smile. Also has this dynamic with Caroline, both as friends and then love interests.
  • Cain and Abel: Stefan is the Abel to Damon's Cain, as Stefan is the good Friendly Neighborhood Vampire & Vegetarian Vampire who is selfless to a fault and cares about morals and innocent people with Damon has fully embraced the role of a selfish Life Drinker whose personality is It's All About Me. As the series go on, Character Development makes them become close again and by the end of the show, they reconciled and saved each other's lives more than they tried to kill each other.
  • Captain Obvious: Stefan is frequently stating obvious things, usually for the sake of reminding other characters (or the audience) about what's happening, though it eventually becomes an In-Universe trait that was sometimes Played for Laughs. For example:
    Bonnie: What's going on?
    Jeremy: We're gonna kill Katherine.
    Stefan: I can explain.
    Bonnie: Please.
    Stefan: We're ...gonna kill Katherine.
  • Card-Carrying Villain: As the Ripper, Stefan has zero inhibitions and embraces being a villain and the bad guy. He has no remorse for his actions. When Stefan turns his humanity on, however, it's a completely different story.
  • The Casanova: When he is normal and has his humanity, he's more of a Chick Magnet. However, when he's a Ripper with no humanity, he's definitely more of a ladies' man who will use women for their sexuality and their blood. He Really Gets Around when he has no humanity.
  • The Champion: Stefan was this for Elena during their entire relationship. There was nothing that he wouldn't do for Elena, including putting himself in danger or sacrificing himself to save and protect Elena. Stefan was practically a martyr when it came to Elena and keeping her safe at all costs. He would extend this same attitude towards Elena's family and friends.
  • The Charmer: If he's in a good mood, Stefan can be quite charming. Even in his old bad days as a Ripper, he used his charm to attract women like a moth to a flame.
  • Character Narrator: While he is only one of The Protagonists of the series, he is usually the one providing the voice-overs at the beginning and ending of the episodes.
  • Character Tics:
    • Stefan often tilts his head to the side when he's looking at or talking to someone.
    • He often points his fingers when talking or trying to make a point.
  • Chick Magnet: At the beginning of the series, all of the girls within the school found Stefan attractive, were drawn to him and wanted to gain his attention. Stefan has been the object of romantic or sexual interest for all of the major female characters of the series including Elena, Caroline, Bonnie, Katherine, Jenna, Callie, Rosalyn, and Rebekah.
  • Chronic Hero Syndrome: Stefan feels the constant need to save others and if he doesn't end up saving people, he'll burden guilt.
  • Clark Kenting: Especially in season one, Stefan keeps his identity as a vampire secret from everyone and tries to pass himself off as a new transfer student at Mystic Falls High.
  • Classical Anti-Hero: Stefan fits this trope in season three after starting to recover from Ripperdom. Stefan's flaws, vulnerabilities and weaknesses are exposed and therefore, we as the audience discover that Stefan isn't the perfect Ideal Hero that he was in seasons one and two.
  • Cock Fight: He was involved in pretty tumultuous love triangles with Damon over the affections of Katherine and Elena. Both Elena and Katherine had feelings for both Salvatore brothers and both Katherine and Elena had expressed loving Stefan more than Damon at different times. The situation between Stefan and Damon with regards to their affection for Elena got the most intense in seasons three and four.
  • Cold Turkeys Are Everywhere: Stefan has to resist the urge to drink human blood every day, as humans walk all around him.
  • Colour Coded Eyes: Stefan's eyes are green, which often indicates a character who can be wild and have uncontrollable and unpredictable tendencies. Stefan has an unpredictable alter-ego, the Ripper. In the novels, Stefan's green eyes are heavily emphasized and mentioned.
  • The Comically Serious: Stefan has a very dry, sarcastic sense of humour. Whenever he delivers comedic lines or dialogue, he does it with a straight face, which makes it funnier. He's definitely the Straight Man in Snark-to-Snark Combat moments with Damon.
  • Cool Bike: Stefan owns his own Harley motorcycle.
  • Cool Car: Stefan drives a red 1963 Porsche 356B Karmann Coupe.
  • Cool Shades: Stefan was seen wearing sunglasses in the episode 1x19. This is unusual since he's never seen wearing sunglasses. Him wearing the glasses indicated that Stefan was in the midst of a personal crisis. At the time, he was dealing with blood addiction issues but he was using sunglasses to conceal the distress in his eyes.
  • Corrupt the Cutie: At the end of season two, Klaus turned Stefan to the dark side by forcing him to drink tons of human blood bags in order to revert him back into a blood-addicted junkie vampire. After Klaus got Stefan to give into his dark side, he gave Stefan the cure for werewolf bites, which was his blood, to give to his brother Damon. Stefan then proceeded to leave town with Klaus, became The Dragon for him, and wreaked havoc across the States while assisting Klaus in building a hybrid army. He becomes The Starscream and turns against Klaus, resulting in him wanting revenge for Klaus taking away his agency and his life.
  • The Corruptible: To Klaus. At the end of season two, Klaus forced Stefan to become a blood-addicted vampire and turn off his humanity, embracing his dark side. He had a strong influence on Stefan changing for the worse and it took all of season three form to bounce back to his normal self.
  • Cultured Badass: Stefan is badass vampire who is an Action Hero and is involved in all of the action in the series. He is very well-read, highly educated, loves writing, literature, music and art. He is highly sentimental and has a pile of journals and diaries in which he has written in over the course of his immortal life.
  • Cursed with Awesome: Stefan is a vampire with superhuman abilities. Although, Stefan actually sees it as a curse more than anything.
  • Dandere: Stefan is generally shy but around the right people, he loosens up and is rather friendly and talkative.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: He has gone through some very dark phases in his immortal life and has a darker alter ego, known as the Ripper. He has had a rough life since his human years since he grew up with a controlling, authoritative, and stern Abusive Dad. He had a Missing Mom since she "died" when he was ten years old, only to discover that she wasn't really dead, had died from consumption and was turned into a vampire. Stefan felt incredibly guilty over the death of his mother, feeling like he was to blame for her dying because he didn't get the remedies she needed to get better in time. In 1864, Stefan and Damon both fell in love with Katherine, a vampire, and it caused immense strain in their once close brother bond. Katherine played both the brothers against each other by compelling them, feeding them her blood and telling them that she loved the both of them. Stefan was turned into a vampire against his will because Katherine compelled Stefan to drink her vampire blood. He was then shot and killed alongside his brother by his own father while attempting to rescue Katherine, triggering his transition into a vampire. He then confronted his father and accidentally killed him with his vampire strength. He became overcome with blood lust and fed on his father's blood, which completed Stefan's transition into a vampire. Following Stefan's transition, he forced his brother to complete his transition because he didn't want to live eternity without his brother. Damon, however, promised to use his immortality to make Stefan's life miserable in which he did for the next century and a half. Throughout his immortal life, Stefan has had intense battles within himself and has struggled with his vampirism. He struggles with controlling himself on human blood and has an extreme Guilt Complex. Stefan has turned his humanity off many times throughout the decades to help him deal with the guilt of losing control as a vampire, being a Ripper and a blood junkie and killing many innocent people when he had his humanity off. Stefan has suffered immense loss, guilt, grief and tragedy throughout his life, both during his time as a human and a vampire and it has haunted him for the entire series.
  • Dark Side: Stefan has gone down the path of darkness a few times throughout his immortal life, like an on-and-off switch. He often recovers from it and gains his humanity and compassionate side again.
  • The Dark Side Will Make You Forget: As the ripper, Stefan descends so far into darkness and into the blood lust that he mentions in one of his journals that he blacks out completely, forgetting how many people he's killed, how much human blood he's drank etc.
  • Daywalking Vampire: Stefan, along with many of the other vampires such as Damon, Caroline, and Elena, wears an enchanted special ring with a lapis lazuli stone that, when worn, allows him to have no issues in the sunlight.
  • Deadpan Snarker: He's usually stoic whenever he delivers any comedic or funny dialogue or lines in the series. His scenes and dialogue with Damon are true Snark-to-Snark Combat.
  • Deal with the Devil: Stefan has done this many, many times with Klaus. He did this at the end of season two when he sacrificed himself and his humanity and became the Ripper in exchange for his hybrid blood to cure Damon's fatal werewolf bite. Stefan did this again in season four, when he made a secret deal to work with Klaus to find a cure for Elena to become human again. In season 8 he pledged his soul to Cade to save Lizzy and Josie Saltzman.
  • Declaration of Protection: Stefan's existence basically revolves around protecting Elena and keeping her safe at all times. In season 2 he tells Caroline "I will never let anything to happened to you" and he goes on to keep this promise as well as possible.
  • Despair Event Horizon: There have been times throughout Stefan's immortal life where he has descended so far into darkness that he had given up hope and shut off his humanity. In season 3, Stefan shuts off his humanity after suffering much guilt from being the Ripper. Being a Ripper again changes Stefan as a person and turns him from an Ideal Hero to an Anti-Hero. Stefan is a walking tragedy.
  • The Determinator: Stefan is an extremely determined individual and he NEVER gives up. Whenever he has a mission, plan, agenda or goal in sight or in mind, he will do anything and everything to accomplish it. An example of this is Stefan doing everything in his power to find the cure for Elena to become human again, going as far as to make a deal with Klaus and making Jeremy stake vampires so that 'The Five' mark on Jeremy's hand grows. Stefan's primary motivation behind trying to find the cure for Elena to become human is a combination of guilt (from not saving her at the end of season 3), realizing how much Elena has changed as a new vampire, and her feelings for Damon being intensified).
  • Deus Angst Machina: Stefan is almost always angsting about something. It is normally about something that he feels guilty about.
  • Deuteragonist: To Elena's protagonist. Stefan is the second most important character of the series after Elena. He's also the narrator and the series is told from his perspective. From season 6 onwards he's the co-lead with Damon.
  • Devoted to You: Stefan has managed to attract many of the female characters, including Elena, Katherine, Caroline, Valerie, and Rebekah. It has turned into an Unwanted Harem for Stefan and even a Psychotic Love Triangle in regards to Stefan/Elena/Katherine/Rebekah. He was completely devoted to Elena and Caroline in those respective relationships. He would do anything for them, sacrifice himself in order to keep them safe, and would be willing to give up being with them if it was their wish.
  • Distressed Dude: In an episode of season three, Lexi as a ghost comes back to save Stefan from his Ripper binge. She chains him up in a cellar so that he can dry out from human blood. She also uses tactics to get him to hallucinate drying out and tortures him to get him to flip his humanity switch on. It doesn't work.
  • Doom Magnet: Pain, trouble, darkness, and despair seem to follow Stefan wherever he goes. He seems to attract it all the time, probably more than any other character in the series. Even his years as a human were pretty bad. Growing up, he was the favorite child and the golden boy, but he had his issues. He grew up with a controlling, abusive, and stern father who mistreated his mother and older brother. He felt immense pressure to meet his father's expectations in order to avoid disappointing him. He met Katherine in 1864 and he fell in love with her. She ends up falling in love with Damon too, which puts a strain on their relationship due to the competition. He discovers that the girl he has feelings for is not who she appears to be; she is actually a vampire. He is so scared of her when he discovers who she is that he wants nothing to do with her. Katherine ends up compelling Stefan to forget what she is and not to be scared of her, thus taking away his agency. Stefan indirectly betrays Damon when he hints to his father that Katherine is a vampire. His father ends up capturing Katherine and having her imprisoned with the intention of killing her. Damon is extremely angry and betrayed by Stefan's actions, which further destroys their once close bond. Stefan, in an attempt to make it up to Damon, assists him in rescuing Katherine from her captors. While rescuing Katherine, he and Damon are shot by their own father, triggering their transformation into vampires. Stefan wakes up in transition and learns from Emily that Katherine had been compelling him to drink her vampire blood for weeks without his knowledge and consent. Basically, Stefan was turned into a vampire against his will, and his agency was taken away from him. Damon, depressed and heartbroken over Katherine's "death," tells Stefan that he won't complete his transition because he wants to die now that she is gone. Stefan goes to visit his father and is shocked to see that he has transitioned into a vampire. Stefan's father attempts to stake and kill him, but Stefan unintentionally kills his father with his vampire strength. Stefan tries to save his father, but his bloodlust as a newborn vampire takes over, and he feeds on his dying father's blood. Stefan turns off his humanity in order to cope with the guilt of what happened to Katherine, his betrayal of Damon, and accidentally killing his father. After transitioning, he forces Damon to complete the transition into a vampire because he doesn't want to be alone as an immortal. After Damon completes his transition, he angrily tells Stefan that he is going to use his eternity as a vampire to make Stefan's life a living hell. Stefan and Damon continue to be bitter enemies throughout the decades, often spending many years trying to kill each other or being estranged from one another. Stefan spends many decades as a vampire struggling with blood addiction issues. He has struggled with toggling his humanity on and off because he cannot bear the guilt of the harm he has caused as a Ripper and the lives he has taken as a result of his lack of control. On top of grappling with his blood addiction since becoming a vampire, he has also had to face constant heartbreak and challenges in his romantic relationships. All the women with whom he has been involved either end up dying, leaving him, or revealing themselves to be unstable, psychotic, and crazy. Katherine turned out to be a Yandere and a Stalker with a Crush who was obsessed with him and had been stalking him for years. Elena was the love of his life and soulmate, but she ended up dying and turning into a vampire. She developed feelings for Damon, repeating the same history he had with Damon and Katherine. Rebekah also became obsessed with him and tried to kill Elena out of jealousy. Valerie was his first love, who ended up getting pregnant with his child, only for the child to tragically pass away. He's had on-and-off issues with Caroline, someone who was there to mend Stefan's heart after Elena had broken it. His girlfriend, Ivy, was murdered by Enzo because Stefan refused to return home to Mystic Falls. All of these things are just the tip of the iceberg of what Stefan has had to endure. Stefan cannot seem to catch a break.
  • Doppelgänger: At the end of season four, it was revealed that Stefan is one of the many doppelgängers or "shadow selves" of the first immortal man, Silas. Silas created the immortality spell over 2,000 years ago, defying nature that all living things must die. Stefan and the other doppelgängers of Silas were born as mortal beings who would die in Silas' place. Ironically, Elena is one of the doppelgängers of the first immortal woman, Amara, who was Silas' true love and soulmate.
  • The Dragon: In season three, Stefan is basically Klaus' second in command when he works with him and helps him to create an army of Hybrids, although he's only doing it because he was forced to, in a deal he made with Klaus in order for him to spare Damon.
  • Dragon with an Agenda: Stefan is the Dragon to Klaus, but he sure has very different motives than his master Klaus. While Klaus wants to kill Elena and take her blood in order to create more Hybrids, Stefan's goal is to protect her and the entire town of Mystic Falls, especially from Klaus.
  • The Dreaded: When Stefan morphs into his Ripper alter ego, he is extremely scary and intimidating. He was known as the Ripper of Monterrey. He slaughtered an entire village in Monterrey when he was in his Ripper phase, hence the nickname. His antics as the Ripper have given him quite the reputation as someone to be feared.
  • Driven to Suicide: In 1x20 "Blood Brothers", Stefan wants to end it all because of his extreme guilt. He attempts to do so by taking off his daylight ring.
  • Drunk on the Dark Side: Especially as a ripper. Once he becomes a ripper, he loses all control and gets drunk on the power of feeding on human blood.
  • Easily Forgiven: Since Stefan is often viewed as a more moral character of the show, many of his immoral or morally questionable deeds and acts are brushed aside. Elena is especially very forgiving of Stefan. After Stefan had nearly driven Elena off of Wickery Bridge (y'know, where her parents died and she almost died, so a traumatic location to begin with) and terrorized her in 3x11, Elena immediately forgave Stefan in the next episode after Stefan apologized and realized the error of his ways.
  • Emotion Suppression: In "The Reckoning", Klaus compels Stefan to shut off his humanity and his emotions. It lasts only a couple of episodes with him being a huge Jerkass.
  • Enemy Within: Stefan's dark side or his alter ego: The Ripper. It's the evil version of him.
  • Everyone Can See It: Stefan and Elena just belong together. Almost all of the characters on the show can see or have commented on Stefan and Elena's undying love for each other. Klaus tells Damon about Stefan and Elena's love for each other: "Crazy or not, that kind of love never dies." Or Caroline tells Elena: "Stefan is your epic love." and even: "Stefan is your soulmate!" There is Lexi telling Elena about her love and relationship with Stefan: "When it's real, you can't walk away." Other characters on the show have noticed and commented on Stefan and Elena's love and devotion to each other, such as Damon, Katherine, Klaus, and Rebekah. Various characters ship them. Such characters include Klaus, Caroline, Bonnie, Matt, Lexi, Jeremy, Jenna, etc. The producers of the series, Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec have both referred to Stefan and Elena as being the true epic love story of the show. Kevin Williamson has repeatedly referred to Stefan and Elena as soul mates. He also suggests that although the plot is about a love triangle (between Elena, Stefan and Damon), the series revolves around Stefan and Elena's love story and that their relationship is the central plot and "anchor" of the show.
  • Evil Feels Good: When he is Ripper Stefan or Non-humanity Stefan, he completely revels in causing trouble and wreaking havoc wherever he goes. He shows no remorse when he commits immoral acts and he gets an adrenaline rush out of doing those deeds. When Stefan turns his humanity back on, however, he ends up consumed with guilt and tries to atone for his misdeeds as the Ripper.
  • Face–Heel Turn: Stefan turns into the Ripper (the darker side of himself) by sacrificing himself to Klaus in order to get the blood to cure Damon's werewolf bite. Stefan then went from being a good guy to the Anti-Hero. This happens because Klaus forces Stefan to become the Ripper by drinking tons of human blood bags.
  • Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: As the Ripper with no humanity, Stefan is Affably Evil and charming as hell. He has a very handsome and non-intimidating face which is very disarming. But he's absolutely psychotic, ruthless, and bloodthirsty.
  • Fallen Hero: Stefan doesn't start out as a villain, he becomes one because of a heroic deed. Stefan fits the classical trope of Ideal Hero before he turns off his humanity and becomes a Ripper at the end of season two. Stefan becomes this tragic figure because he committed a Heroic Sacrifice. Back in 1864, Stefan is consumed with guilt for betraying Damon and accidentally killing his father, he shuts off his humanity and gives into his vampirism. This is when the Ripper gets born.
  • Fatal Attractor:
    • Poor Stefan seems to attract some women who are completely crazy, jealous and vengeful. He is a magnet for Clingy Jealous Girls and Yanderes.
    • Elena got very jealous and suspicious of first Caroline, then Lexi (who only turned out to be Stefan's best friend), then Katherine, and then Rebekah, who all happened to harbor either an attraction, obsession or affection for Stefan. As of recently, Elena has even gotten very jealous of Stefan and Tessa and jumped to the conclusion that they were sleeping together. It seems as though Elena gets jealous, angered, and suspicious of any girl that gives Stefan the slightest affection or attention or any girl who so much as even looks at Stefan or shows any kind of interest in him (and Elena is supposed to be in a relationship with Damon!) Elena also showed extreme jealousy when she found out that Stefan slept with Rebekah in Season 4. Even when her humanity was turned off during the later part of the same season, Elena showed jealousy towards Stefan and his relationship with Caroline. She also didn't take it well when she found out that Stefan slept with Katherine in Season 5. It seems that no matter if Elena is in a relationship with Damon, she will always be possessive of Stefan and be envious and jealous towards any girl that looks Stefan's way.
    • Katherine is extremely obsessed with Stefan to Yandere, If I Can't Have You…, Stalker with a Crush, Villainesses Want Heroes, Love Makes You Crazy, Love Hungry, Not Good with Rejection and Murder the Hypotenuse levels. She is willing to kill people and manipulate others in order to have Stefan all to herself.
    • Caroline is extremely clingy, needy and jealous towards Stefan. She didn't understand why Stefan paid Elena more attention than her. However, this later changes as she becomes the biggest Stelena supporter ever. Caroline does become very clingy and jealous in regards to both Matt and Tyler though. However, she reverts back to her clingy and jealous side in regards to Stefan in Season 5 and she takes those jealous and clingy feelings towards Stefan up a notch in later seasons.
    • Rebekah was obsessively in love with Stefan to Yandere levels, although nowhere near as extreme as Katherine. She did not react well when she discovered that Stefan was in love with Elena and she openly admitted that she hates Elena because she is super envious of Stefan's love for her.
    • Valerie was also jealous and possessive over Stefan. It was apparent that she was jealous of Caroline and Stefan's relationship with her.
    • Qetsiyah also displayed jealousy over Stefan briefly, especially when it came to Elena. It seems as though Qetsiyah was transferring her 2,000+ year-old obsession with Silas onto his doppelgänger Stefan.
    • It seems as though Stefan has a habit of attracting obsessive, jealous, psychotic and clingy girls. In regards to Elena/Katherine/Stefan/Rebekah, it's become a Psychotic Love Triangle. Silas and his doppelgangers (like Stefan) are strongly appealing to women in general and attract them to the point where they become obsessive.
  • Fatal Flaw: His addictive personality and inability to control his addiction and urges to/for human blood.
  • The Fettered: When Stefan is his normal, human self, he is one of the most moral characters on the show. He lives by a strong set of morals, ideals, values and beliefs and always believes in doing the right thing as much as possible.
    "We choose our own path. Our values and our actions, they define who we are." - Stefan to Vickie in 1x07
  • Fire and Ice Love Triangle: Stefan and Damon fit this trope in their Love Triangle with Elena. Stefan is the Fire, who is warm, kind, compassionate, caring, and loving and Damon is the Ice, who is uncaring, arrogant, cold, unsympathetic, and impulsive.
  • Foil: To Damon. Stefan's overall the "good brother" (The Hero) to Damon's "bad brother" (the Anti-Hero or outright Villain).
  • Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Stefan is the Responsible Sibling to Damon's Foolish Sibling. They are vampire brothers and Stefan is more practical, serious and responsible, while Damon is more impulsive, irresponsible and careless.
  • For the Evulz: As the Ripper with no humanity, Stefan does many immoral acts for the sake of causing havoc and turmoil. Many of the acts he commits are just him being bad for the sake of being bad and he finds contentment in doing them. When he has his humanity on, it's a vastly different story and Stefan can't stand the thought of hurting someone or causing unnecessary harm to others.
  • Freudian Excuse: The reason why Stefan is a Ripper who struggles to control his blood lust and has killed many people over the decades is because he inherited the Ripper gene from his mother, Lillian. Stefan has lived with intense guilt over not being able to control himself on human blood and the consequences of his addiction. But his Ripper persona isn't really his fault because he has no control over it.
  • Friendly Neighborhood Vampire: He's not a "dangerous" vampire and is willing to protect people against the supernatural. However, he has a Superpowered Evil Side called the Ripper.
  • Friends with Benefits: He has this arrangement with Rebekah in the middle of season four, sleeping together without any attachments or romantic feelings involved.
  • From Nobody to Nightmare: Stefan started out as a regular human born during the 1800's. He was kind, caring, chivalrous and respectable and always believed in doing the right thing. After he is turned into a vampire, he becomes a much darker person with a Superpowered Evil Side called the Ripper. He has gone on Ripper binges throughout the decades he has been a vampire and has wreaked havoc while having his humanity off. Arguably, Stefan is much scarier than Damon when he is the Ripper or when he has no humanity on.
  • Good Is Not Nice: Stefan is a nice guy when he's well-adjusted and has his humanity on. However, it's not a good idea to get on his bad side by hurting those he cares about. A very unpleasant side of Stefan will come out to play.
  • Good Is Not Soft: Stefan is generally nice, polite and kind, but DO NOT get on his bad side. You will regret it.
  • Guile Hero: Stefan is an Action Hero who uses his abilities as a vampire to fight enemies during battles. However, he also uses his intelligence and strategic planning to solve the problems of the town.
  • Guilt Complex: Stefan suffers from a major case of this. He feels guilty for things that are his fault and for things that aren't his fault. Some of the things that Stefan feels guilty about include betraying his brother over Katherine, being responsible for hs father's death, forcing his brother to turn into a vampire, for losing control on human blood as a vampire and killing people over the decades. In addition to those reasons, he feels guilty about not saving Elena from drowning and becoming a vampire at the end of season three. He spends all of season four trying to fix his mistake by finding the cure for vampirism so Elena can be cured.
  • Has a Type: Stefan has fallen for two Petrova doppelgängers, Katherine and Elena. He fell in love with with Katherine in 1864 when he was a human. And he fell in love with Elena in 2009 as a vampire. The reason why Stefan was curious about getting to know Elena is because of her uncanny physical resemblance to Katherine, the girl he was in love with back in the day. However, once he realizes that Elena is the opposite of Katherine in regards to personality, he falls deeper in love with her.
  • The Hedonist: As the Ripper, Stefan takes pleasure in hedonistic activities such as drinking blood and alcohol, partying, and getting involved with many women. His hedonistic lifestyle as the Ripper is put on display in 3x04 when he was engaged in hedonistic activities in Chicago with Klaus and Rebekah.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Stefan spent the first half of season three being The Dragon for Klaus by doing all of his dirty work. By the mid-season finale, he is uncompelled by Klaus, turns on his humanity in order to save Damon's life and seeks revenge against Klaus for forcing him to become a bad guy. He is back to normal in the second half of season three and does all he can to protect Elena and the rest of the town from Klaus.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: Stefan is a badass vampire who can be seen wearing leather jackets from time to time. His brother Damon wears them just as often, if not more than him.
  • The Hero: Stefan is considered to fit the role in the series. Elena may be the main character, but it can be argued that Stefan is the hero of the series. Not only is he a protagonist but he's the narrator of the story. The story is told from his point of view and many of the story arcs centre around him. He's the primary character who makes the big sacrifices to save Mystic Falls and their inhabitants. He made the biggest sacrifice in the series finale when he died to save Mystic Falls from Katherine.
  • Heroes Classic Car: Stefan's car is a red 1963 Porsche 356B Karmann Coupe. It was first seen in 1x16, where Stefan tells Matt that it's been passed through the family, though he probably bought it when it was made or took it from a victim.
  • Heroic BSoD:
    • Stefan "shuts down" when he discovers that his vampire brother Damon is dying of a fatal werewolf bite at the end of season two. Due to Stefan's desperation to save his brother, he becomes his worst enemy, the Ripper.
    • This happens again at the end of season three, when he saves Matt instead of Elena and Elena dies by drowning. Stefan is overwhelmed with shock and grief, adding to his guilt, causing him to emotionally crumble.
  • Hidden Hero Agenda: It was unknown what Stefan's intentions were when he came back to Mystic Falls. It was discovered that he came back to Mystic Falls to uncover the truth about Elena and why she bore a strong resemblance to his past love Katherine. Before that, Stefan came back to Mystic Falls because it is his home. At that time, he heard the Gilberts get into a car accident at Wickery Bridge, which is where he saved Elena's life.
  • Horrifying Hero: Stefan may be a hero, but he's also a vampire and that can be very scary.
  • Humble Hero: Stefan saves lives and his heroic by nature, but he isn't cocky about his heroism.
  • Hero Antagonist: Stefan fits this trope in season three as the Ripper. Although he was doing many morally questionable things, he was doing them to protect Damon, Elena and the rest of Mystic Falls from Klaus.
  • Heroic Resolve: Stefan appears defeated and actually succumbs to being Klaus' second in command. He tells Klaus that he doesn't care about Elena anymore and that she means nothing to him (which is a lie). However, when Klaus attacks Elena and attempts to kill her, Stefan becomes enraged, becomes a resolved hero again, and attacks Klaus angrily.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Stefan gave himself over to Klaus and became the Ripper again in order to save Damon's life and protect the entire town of Mystic Falls from Klaus.
    • He makes the biggest one in the series finale when he dies by killing Katherine and sacrificing himself to save Damon and the entire town of Mystic Falls from being consumed by Hellfire.
  • Heroic Self-Deprecation: Despite saving and helping others and making sacrifices for other people, Stefan is incredibly guilt-ridden and self-loathing.
  • Heroic Willpower: Stefan fights the dark side of him and his addiction to human blood in order to maintain his humanity and not hurt anyone.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners:
    • With Damon during his human life. The two brothers were very close during their human lives and they were inseparable. That is until Katherine came between them by playing them against each other. The situation with Katherine changed the trajectory of the relationship between Stefan and Damon forever.
    • With Klaus during the 1920's. At first, Klaus couldn't stand Stefan and felt he wasn't good enough to be with his sister Rebekah. With time, Klaus came to admire Stefan and his tactics as the Ripper. The two grew close and felt a bond because they were both orphans who had bad relationships with their families.
  • Hidden Badass: Only in the very beginning where he was hiding being a vampire.
  • Horror Hunger: Stefan suffers from a major case of this. He is addicted to human blood and goes crazy when he has too much of it.
  • Hunk: Stefan is a handsome guy with a muscular physique which makes him quite the Chick Magnet.
  • Hunter of His Own Kind: Stefan is a vampire. Throughout the series, many of Stefan's kills are vampires.
  • I Can't Dance: Stefan just hates dancing because he doesn't think he's good at it. But in reality, he's not that bad. Elena says that she practically has to drag Stefan onto the dance floor.
  • I Am a Monster: Stefan frequently thinks he's a monster. He's not wrong though, as he's a vampire.
  • I Did What I Had to Do: At the end of season two, Stefan sacrifices himself to the villain Klaus and becomes a Ripper in order to save his brother Damon from dying from a fatal werewolf bite.
  • I Hate You, Vampire Dad: Stefan hates Katherine who is his as well as Damon's maker. Although Katherine is still in love with Stefan and plans on waiting for him forever, Stefan hates her and wants nothing to do with her.
  • I Just Want to Be Normal: Stefan hates being a vampire and has mentioned that he misses being human. Part of the reason why Stefan wants to be normal is because of his dark side (he's forced to become a Ripper) and also his lack of control when it comes to human blood. Stefan tells Rebekah in 4x04 that he desires to be human again; to have a family with Elena, grow old with Elena, die with Elena and be buried with Elena. That if he found the cure and had the opportunity to take it and become human, he would do it without question.
  • I Let Gwen Stacy Die: At the end of season three, Stefan fails to save Elena when he makes the decision to save Matt over Elena from drowning because Elena tells Stefan to do so. Elena dies and becomes a vampire. This only contributed to Stefan's never-ending guilt.
  • I'm Not a Hero, I'm...: He reacts this way when someone tells him he's a hero. Stefan views himself as a monster, or a predator meant to hurt people. But on the contrary, Stefan is a heroic, selfless, brave yet tragic individual who despite what he is - a vampire - makes endless heroic sacrifices to save, protect and help people, especially those he loves.
  • Interspecies Romance: Stefan is a century-old immortal (vampire) and Elena is an eighteen-year-old mortal human. This later changes when Elena is turned into a vampire and therefore is no longer human.
  • In the Blood: Stefan inherited two curses from his familial bloodlines: the Doppelgänger gene and the Ripper gene. He inherited the Doppelgänger gene from the Salvatore side of his family (his patrilineal lineage). In addition to this, he unfortunately inherited the Ripper gene from his mother Lily.
  • It's All My Fault: Stefan constantly blames himself for every bad thing that happens. Stefan especially blames himself for Damon going bad, for Damon killing people and descending into villainy. Stefan blames himself for Elena becoming a vampire, being sired and having her humanity shut off.
  • It's Not You, It's My Enemies: Stefan commits his entire immortal life into protecting and saving Elena and keeping her safe. He sometimes distances himself from Elena in order to protect her due to the fact that he is a vampire with a dark past, and therefore, has much darkness, enemies, and danger follows him around.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Stefan will do anything and everything to make Elena happy, even if he has to give her up.
  • I Was Quite a Fashion Victim: According to Damon, the 90's grunge look was not a good look on Stefan.
  • Jerkass to One: Stefan is generally friendly and nice to everyone he meets, but there are a few people who Stefan can be very rude or mean to from time to time: Damon, Katherine, and Klaus. But his reasons for being rude to all of them are completely justified. He had an estranged relationship with Damon because Damon has made it his mission to destroy his life to get revenge. He's not nice to Katherine because of what she did in the past to him and Damon and how much heartbreak and pain she caused him. Finally, he was mean to Klaus because Klaus was a villain who was intent on killing Elena and wreaking havoc in Mystic Falls.
  • Jekyll & Hyde: Two distinct sides of Stefan's personality: Stefan the Hero and Stefan the Ripper. One side of him is more dark, sinister and crazy (Hyde aka Stefan the Rippah) and the other side is kind, heroic and gentle (Jekyll aka Stefan the Hero). Human blood is normally the trigger for the "Hyde" side of Stefan to come breaking through. That, or shutting off his humanity to the point where he becomes a cold, ruthless and remorseless individual.

     K-P 

  • Knight in Shining Armor: Stefan is heroic, saves the day, fights the bad guys, knows how to charm the ladies, has a strong sense of nobleness and honour and is chivalrous towards the opposite sex. Stefan especially fits this trope in regards to Elena as he is always saving and protecting her.
  • Knight Templar: In season four, Stefan goes to extreme lengths to find the cure for vampirism so that he can cure Elena of being a vampire. He makes a deal with Klaus, manipulates Rebekah in order to gain information about finding the cure and kills a murderer and turns him into a vampire so that Jeremy can kill him and grow his hunter's mark.
  • Life Drinker: Stefan is a vampire who is capable of living forever and never physically ages. Although he physically looks 17, he is actually 165 years old. He cannot die under normal human circumstances. Stefan feeds on blood.
  • Like Parent, Like Child: Like his mother Lily, he became a Ripper when he turned into a vampire. Both Stefan and Lily carry the Ripper gene which activates when someone is turned into a vampire. Ripperism is when vampires cannot control their blood lust, blackout and feed so hard on their victims that they tear them apart. Stefan has a high body count during his Ripper phase and his mother Lily's body count is estimated to be a shocking 3,000. When Lily tries to appeal to Stefan and get him to turn on his humanity, she tells him that his lack of control came from her as she passed the Ripper gene down to him.
  • Living Legend: He was infamous for being the Ripper of Monterrey. During one of his Ripper binges, he rampaged through a village in Monterrey and killed everyone in it.
  • Love Interest: Stefan is one of Elena's main love interests in the series. Aside from Elena, Stefan has also been a love interest to Katherine, Rebekah and Caroline.
  • Lovable Jock: In season one when Stefan was playing the position of wide receiver on the high school football team, but still acted as a Nice Guy to everyone. He was the opposite of Tyler, who was a Jerk Jock.
  • Love Makes You Crazy: Stefan has acted irrationally and impulsively in the name of his love for the people he cares about, particularly Elena and Damon. He has willingly put his life in danger in order to protect Elena from harm, even if it is irrational. In season three, he willingly serves Klaus and sacrifices his humanity in order to save Damon. In season four, he forces Jeremy to give into his hunter curse by killing a confessed murder and turning him into a vampire for Jeremy to kill. He does this because he wanted to grow the tattoo on Jeremy's arm so that they could find the map to locate the cure for vampirism. Stefan was extremely desperate to cure Elena's vampirism because she wasn't herself and all the acts of desperation were out of his love for Elena.
  • Love Makes You Evil: He did a Face–Heel Turn at the end of season two in order to save his brother from dying. He became The Dragon to Klaus and left Mystic Falls to Klaus dirty work and wreak havoc wherever they went.
  • Love Martyr: With Damon, although not in a romantic sense. Despite Damon being an antagonistic and even intolerable individual to most people, Stefan still can't stop loving and caring about his brother and saving him repeatedly.
  • Magnetic Hero: Stefan seems to have a magnetic quality that draws people to him; he has the ability to persuade people to hear his point of view and without the influence of mind compulsion.
  • Manipulative Bastard: As the ripper. Stefan is ultra cold, sociopathic, and cunning as the ripper. He has no regard for anyone else.
  • Martyr Without a Cause: Out of all of the characters in the series, Stefan fits the role of martyr more than anyone, even Elena. He constantly offers himself up to be sacrificed in the place of others (i.e. offering himself as the vampire to be sacrificed instead of Elena's Aunt Jenna) or puts himself in the most dangerous situations in order to protect others from getting hurt or killed (i.e. offering himself up to Klaus in order to save Damon, protect Elena and the entire town of Mystic Falls).
  • The Masquerade Will Kill Your Dating Life: In the first few episodes of season 1, he got into some awkward hard-to-explain moments with Elena before she learned he was a vampire. Such as the fact someone named Stefan and Damon Salvatore also used to live in Mystic Falls decades ago.
  • Mayfly–December Romance: With both Katherine and Elena. Katherine was much older than him when she fell in love with Stefan back in 1864. Katherine was an over three hundred years old vampire while Stefan was a seventeen-year-old human. With Elena, it's the opposite. Stefan was one hundred and sixty-two years old and Elena was a seventeen-year-old human girl when they first met and fell in love.
  • Meaningful Name: Stefan is named after the very first Christian martyr, St. Stephen. Stefan is the classic example of a martyr. The name also means "Crown". Other meanings for Stefan include "Garland" and "Wreath" or "Crowned with Martyrdom" or "Honour". His last name Salvatore means Saviour in Italian. Very fitting for the hero of the show.
  • Meet Cute: With Elena in the first episode. He unexpectedly meets her outside of the men's washroom. She was the one coming out of it. Awkward.
  • Messianic Archetype: Stefan is often portrayed as a highly good, selfless, altruistic, moral and noble character on the show, but especially in the novels. In the books, Stefan is named after the very first Christian martyr, St. Stephen and he is a highly religious person and is a young man of faith (he practiced Catholicism). On the show, Damon mocks Stefan's noble and heroic qualities, even sarcastically referring to Stefan as probably the most noble, heroic superhero ever Superman.
  • Missing Mom: Stefan's mother died when he was a young child.
  • Misunderstood Loner with a Heart of Gold: In the beginning, he came off as a creepy loner who didn't get along with people, but still had a moral compass. He gets more social as the series went on.
  • Morality Pet: Stefan has a gift of serving as a moral compass to several vampires, mostly due to him having a lot of experience given his own dark past as a ripper.
    • For Katherine. Katherine has always had a soft spot for Stefan and he's one of the few people she actually looks out for, despite her It's All About Me attitude to life.
    • At the beginning of Season 2, for Caroline. After Caroline is turned into a vampire, Caroline learns to not turn off her humanity and stays human because of Stefan's influence. Caroline retains her compassion mainly because of Stefan's help.
    • For Elena in season 4 after she turns into a vampire. Deep down, Stefan will always have a special influence on Elena, even though Elena is sired to Damon and she fights her vampirism urges and her thirst to kill primarily for Stefan.
    • For Klaus. Villainous Klaus has a soft spot for Stefan and his friendship/brotherhood. Because of Klaus' desire to have Stefan's friendship, Klaus often becomes a much softer person.
    • Damon. Stefan is the one person on the show who has a tendency to keep Damon's recklessness, impulsiveness and hedonistic tendencies in check.
  • The Movie Buff: Stefan is a big Martin Scorsese fan and is a big fan of the movie Taxi Driver.
  • Mr. Fanservice: Stefan has had multiple shirtless scenes, showcasing his [[Hunk buff, muscular body, especially his abs. This is a real treat for the female viewing audience.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: He instantly regrets not saving Elena over Matt once he realizes that she was fed vampire blood and was turned into a vampire. He does everything he can to reverse the situation.
  • My Grandson, Myself: In season 1, he pretended to be the descendants of "the original Stefan Salvatore" from Mystic Falls' founding families. However, when Elena discovers that both Stefan Salvatore are identical, she realizes the truth.
  • My Greatest Failure: Stefan feels guilty for not saving Elena from drowning at the end of season three and instead, saving Matt. He follows Elena's request to save Matt which results in Elena's death and her transformation into a vampire. This action haunts Stefan and adds to his guilty conscience.
  • Mysterious Protector: After Elena and her family get into a car accident at Wickery Bridge, Stefan hears it and saves Elena's life. After saving her, Stefan flees the scene and watches her from afar for four months to look out for her and make sure she's safe. At first, he watches her to be sure she's not Katherine.
  • Narrator: Stefan is the storyteller of the series. He is the one narrating and telling the story of The Vampire Diaries and all of the events that occurred or have lead up to the events of the present.
  • New Transfer Student: In the pilot episode, Stefan compels the secretary to enroll him in Mystic Falls High, so that he can pose as a new high school student. He attempts to get to know Elena.
  • Nice Guy: Stefan is generally nice, kind, compassionate, caring and an empathetic person by nature. But when he is the Rippah, it's a totally different story. More like a totally different person.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: At the season three finale, Stefan respects Elena's requests to save Matt over her after being trapped underwater in Matt's truck. Elena drowns and is turned into a vampire because Dr. Meredith Fell had given her vampire blood in order to heal bleeding on her brain. Stefan spends the majority of season four feeling extremely guilty for not saving Elena and goes to lengths to find the cure for vampirism.
  • Noble Male, Roguish Male: Stefan is the Noble Male to Damon's Roguish Male. While Stefan is more noble and diplomatic in how he approaches things, Damon is much more impulsive, reckless and more prone to violence.
  • Non-Human Lover Reveal: Elena unexpectedly meets Stefan and feels an instant connection with him in season one. However, Stefan is hiding a deep, dark secret: he is a century-old vampire. As Stefan and Elena fall harder for each other, Elena eventually discovers that Stefan is a vampire.
  • Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Stefan speaks as a normal modern-day American person. He could have lost it from his travels and just adapt his speech pattern over the years. It doesn't explain his lack of accent in 1864. The trope Eternal English might explain it, though.
  • Not Himself: Whenever Stefan reverts to his blood-addicted, non-humanity Ripper-mode, most notably in season three when he's forced to shut off his humanity and serve Klaus.
  • Official Couple: Stefan and Elena are the main canon romantic pairing of the series for the first few seasons, until they break up and she and Damon become the new official couple.
  • Parental Favoritism: Stefan was strongly favoured over Damon by his parents, especially his father Giuseppe. Giuseppe saw Stefan as a responsible and dutiful son.
  • Perpetual Frowner: Lampshaded by both Damon and Caroline. Stefan is very broody, therefore, he doesn't always smile all that much. Though he is able to smile on occasion.
  • Pop-Cultured Badass: Stefan is a fan of literature, especially literature by F. Scott Fitzgerald and especially his masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, he loves the TV show Seinfeld and I Love Lucy is his all-time favorite show (loving cup episodes are the best). He's a huge fan of Martin Scorsese and his favourite movie is Taxi Driver In terms of pop music, his range is very broad. He is a fan of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, Kanye West and even Miley Cyrus.
  • The Power of Love: Stefan is able to fight Klaus' compulsion THREE TIMES just so that he doesn't hurt Elena. It's possible only because of his deep love for Elena.
  • Pragmatic Hero: Stefan may be a hero who has strong morals and good intentions, but at the same time, he is willing to do morally questionable actions in order to achieve his goals.
  • Pro-Human Transhuman: Stefan is turned into a vampire in 1864. Despite what he is, he does everything he can to maintain a part of humanity, especially by fighting his blood lust and succumbing to the darker side of himself (the Ripper).
  • Protagonist-Centered Morality: Since Stefan is the narrator of the story, his feelings, thoughts and priorities will often dictate the course of the plot. However Stefan views each character whom he is telling about, they will be viewed by the audience in the same way.
  • Protagonist Journey to Villain: Originally at the beginning of the series, Stefan starts off as an Ideal Hero with good intentions. However, in season three, he loses his morals and descends into villainy when he becomes the Ripper. Later on in the series, he becomes the complete opposite of who he was at the start of the series. Quite the Tragic Hero.
  • Protectorate: Stefan's overly protective towards anyone he deeply cares about, especially his love interest Elena, his vampire brother Damon, Elena's younger brother Jeremy, or friends Bonnie and Caroline and eventually come to feel responsible for protecting the town of Mystic Falls in general and everyone who lives in it.
  • Real Men Cook: Stefan is an excellent cook and can be seen cooking in the kitchen from to time. Stefan says that he makes a very good chicken parmesan and that is thanks to his Italian roots.
  • Redemption Quest: After Stefan falls into darkness, he starts to regain his humanity and heroic side again towards the middle of season 3. Stefan turning on his humanity again is a way that Stefan seeks redemption for him succumbing to his dark side.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Stefan is the Blue Oni (logical, calm, cool, composed) to Damon's Red Oni (impulsive, reckless, hot-headed, passionate).
  • Reincarnation Romance: Stefan and Elena share this type of romance. This is due to the fact that Stefan and Elena are doppelgangers from the first two immortals, who were lovers. As such they're soulmates for eternity and therefore have shared "past lives" together. This trope is based on Stefan/Elena's relationship in the novel series; they are bound together by a silver cord.
  • Rejection Affection: Katherine is deeply in love with Stefan who makes it clear he wants nothing to do with her. That doesn't stop Katherine from insisting she will have him again.
  • Really 700 Years Old: He was turned into a vampire when he was seventeen and has been stuck like that for around two hundred years.
  • Reluctant Warrior: He's an Actual Pacifist and he doesn't enjoy fighting but if he has to, he will.
  • Rescue Romance: Stefan saves Elena from the car accident which kills her parents months before fatefully meeting her and falling in love with her.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After Katherine is seemingly killed, he attacks and kills several of the original founders of Mystic Falls in rage as his revenge.
  • Romantic Vampire Boy: He's a vampire who serves as one of the two main Love Interests to the heroine Elena. Compared to Damon's The Vamp attitude, Stefan is the Friendly Neighborhood Vampire type.

     S-Z 

  • Sadist: As the Ripper with no humanity, Stefan is absolutely ruthless and bloodthirsty and takes pleasure in causing pain. An example of Stefan's sadism when his humanity is shut off is during the 1920's when he was with Klaus and Rebekah in Chicago. He compelled a woman to let him cut her wrist with a knife and bleed into a glass. He forced a man named Liam Grant to then drink the blood. Klaus took pleasure in Stefan's sadistic ways and became his biggest fan.
  • Samaritan Syndrome: Stefan always has the constant need to help others, especially those in need.
  • Secret Identity: Stefan keeps his identity as a vampire a secret from the general public (especially during the first season).
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Stefan is the Sensitive Guy (kind, compassionate, empathetic, gentle) to Damon's Manly Man (aggressive, passionate, impulsive, strong).
  • Sex God: Katherine and Elena have both admitted that Stefan is extremely good in bed, even by vampire standards.
  • Shadow Archetype: Stefan has a shadow or alter ego of himself that he absolutely hates: the Ripper. This side of him represents everything that Stefan is the opposite of in term of his inner 'Self'.
  • Sibling Rivalry: Stefan has had a sibling rivalry with his brother Damon going back to their human years. It seemed to have heated up after Stefan and Damon met Katherine and a Sibling Triangle started.
  • Sibling Team: With Damon frequently. They join forces, generally when Elena's life is at stake or when it's in Damon's interests.
  • Sibling Triangle: Their Sibling Rivalry relationship is built from this trope. They've both been in love with the same girl twice (Katherine and Elena) in the past century and a half, and the resulting Love Triangle has made their relationship sour.
  • Sibling Yin-Yang: With Stefan. H and Damon are polar opposites in terms of personality, outlook, values, goals and beliefs. Stefan and Damon are often referred to as the "good brother" and the "bad brother" respectively.
  • The Smart Guy: Stefan is known to be highly intelligent and book smart. He attended ivy league schools all over the country, such as Harvard, for example. He was an aspiring doctor before he was turned into a vampire against his will. He worked a few lucrative jobs but had to leave when it became apparent he isn't aging.
  • The Snark Knight: As the Ripper, Stefan is extremely sarcastic and snarky. Nobody can out-snark him, not even Damon.
  • Spiky Hair: Stefan's hair is always gelled and spiked a certain way. Damon referred to Stefan's spiked hair as a 'hero hairdo'.
  • The Spock: Stefan is this of the main trio between himself (The Spock, Superego), Elena (The Kirk, Ego) and Damon (The McCoy, Id). Stefan is intelligent, serious, stoic, practical, and reasonable. He is the one who thinks before he acts and is the logical voice of the trio.
  • Stalking is Love: Follows Elena around for months and digs up all kinds of information on her before introducing himself. Though he does have a reason for doing this other than creepiness. He wants to make sure Elena isn't Katherine, his maker. The two young women look identical.
  • The Stoic: Stefan goes through a lot of pain yet he masks it with a calm facade and demeanour. Lampshaded in 2x03 "Bad Moon Rising":
    Caroline: Why are you looking at him with your serious vampire look?
    Stefan: My wha... my serious vampire look?
    Caroline: Umhm... I mean it’s different from your worried vampire look. Neither of which stray too far from your "Hey, it’s Tuesday" look.
  • Star-Crossed Lovers: Like Romeo and Juliet, Stefan and Elena suffer from many issues, obstacles and struggles (mostly external, but also internal or personal) that try to keep the two apart. Things try to tear them apart and keep the two from being together. But despite the odds, they often overcome whatever obstacle they face and always seem to come back together, often stronger than before.
  • Straight Man and Wise Guy: Stefan is the Straight Man to Damon's Wise Guy. Stefan is aloof, serious, and stoic while Damon is more openly humorous, snarky and sarcastic.
  • Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Stefan can often shift from being aloof, stoic, and brooding to empathetic, gentle, and supporting.
  • Superpower Lottery: Stefan is a vampire, therefore, he possesses superhuman abilities. 1) Super-Speed: He can move and run much faster than a normal human. 2) Super-Reflexes: Also known as super agility. Stefan can react much faster and quicker to situations. 3) Super-Strength: Stefan is able to carry or lift heavier objects with much ease and little effort. 4) Mind Manipulation: He's able to control the mind of any human and influence their thoughts and their actions in the process. The only way to prevent Stefan from mind-influencing someone is for the human victim to have vervain on them. 5) Healing Factor: Stefan can get stabbed, shot or wounded and he will heal immediately. 6) Super-Senses: All of Stefan's senses, such as sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing have become clearer, stronger and heightened. He is able to see, smell and hear things from a greater distance than people.
  • Suicide by Sunlight: Sunlight is lethal to vampires. Stefan attempts to kill himself in sunlight in episode 1x20 "Blood Brothers", but Elena stops him.
  • Supporting Leader: While Elena is the main heroine in the Mystic Falls gang, Stefan is usually the one who takes the lead in the missions and plans they take against the supernatural threats in the town. He is involved right in the middle of the action more so than Elena.
  • Supporting Protagonist: Elena is the protagonist of the series while Stefan is the second most important character. The story generally centers around Stefan and Elena.
  • Sympathetic Murder Backstory: In the beginning, Stefan comes off as kind, caring, and humane. However, he harbors a deep dark secret. In his old days as a vampire, he turned his humanity off and used to be a Ripper that violently killed people, in a much more monstrous fashion than Damon. Stefan expresses extreme guilt and remorse for his actions from that time. He often gains sympathy because when he killed people, he gave in to his blood lust. That means he really had no control over what he was doing and was sort of unaware of his actions.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He's a very tall guy with dark coloring and one of the most handsome guys in the series.
  • Terror Hero: Stefan in Season 3 is a hero who targets the fear of villains. In 3x11, Stefan plays on Klaus' fear of turning Elena into a vampire by feeding her his blood, so that Klaus wouldn't be able to make any more hybrids. At the same time, Stefan is also committing a heroic act, getting Klaus to get his hybrids out of Mystic Falls.
  • Thou Shalt Not Kill: When Stefan has his humanity in check, Stefan believes that killing shouldn't be the first option for everything.
  • Token Evil Teammate: In season 3, after Klaus turns off his humanity and he goes back into being a Ripper.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: In season 3 he becomes a Not Himself Jerkass with a Lack of Empathy due to Klaus compelling him to shut off his humanity.
  • Tragic Hero: Despite Stefan's heroism, his good intentions and his selflessness, Stefan hardly receives anything positive in return. Instead, Stefan ends up suffering the most despite his good deeds and good intentions.
  • Tragic Villain: In season three, he's forced to shut off his humanity and embrace his Ripper persona in order to save Damon from Klaus, thus becoming The Dragon for Klaus for a time.
  • Tranquil Fury: When Stefan gets angry, he's still rather calm and stoic, especially in comparison to Damon, who often lashes out.
  • Trauma Conga Line: From his blood addiction issues, to him battling with the dark side of himself (the Ripper), to his never-ending guilt, to self-loathing as a vampire, Stefan can never seem to catch a break. He is always the one getting kicked around. As if Stefan didn't just recover from being a blood-addicted, compelled-by-Klaus, humanity-turned-off Ripper, he loses Elena (who happens to be sired to Damon) to his brother, Damon. He doesn't even seem to be having much luck in the romance department; something that Stefan has always had at least a little bit of luck.
  • Troubled, but Cute: He's a handsome vampire who is a Love Interest to the main Nice Girl heroine, who is attracted to him despite Dark and Troubled Past and his constant brooding due to the guilt of his past as a Ripper.
  • The Unfettered: Stefan fits this trope when he is the Ripper. As the Ripper, Stefan loses his humanity and when he sets a goal or has an agenda, he doesn't care who it hurts and he doesn't think about the detrimental consequences of his actions.
  • Unwanted Harem: There are many female characters who are in love with Stefan or fall under his charm: Caroline, Katherine and Rebekah. Too bad that he doesn't reciprocate any of their feelings and has his eyes set on only one girl: Elena.
  • Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Katherine. He hates her, but there is some passion. Stefan and Katherine haven't gotten their desire to have hate-sex out of their systems yet.
  • Vegetarian Vampire: There are periods of time when Stefan chooses to live off the blood of animals instead of humans. In season 2 however he drinks human blood in order to curb his blood addiction and control himself.
  • Viral Transformation: His transformation physically changed him from human to vampire and it was done via by vampire blood. Stefan became a vampire in 1864 he "died" from being shot in the chest and after Katherine fed him her own vampire blood.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With Damon. Stefan may be angry with Damon or wary of his brother most of the time, but he'll allow no one else to touch him.
  • Walking Disaster Area: Doom and gloom seem to follow Stefan around wherever he goes.
  • Warm Bloodbags Are Everywhere: Stefan is noted as having a problem with blood addiction. His use of animal blood, while most non-homicidal vampires steal from blood banks, is because he's afraid of relapse. Later on he carefully starts drinking human blood again, because using only animal blood makes him weaker. In the season 2 finale Klaus makes him drink bag after bag of human blood until his addiction resurfaces and he turns into a "Ripper", an extreme version of a vampire that is definitely not a Friendly Neighbourhood Vampire.
  • Weak, but Skilled: While Stefan is noticeably weaker in strength because of his animal blood diet, he is still rather skilled and capable of defending himself whenever necessary.
  • "Well Done, Son" Guy: While Damon was more openly antagonistic to their abusive father, Stefan strove to try to please him and earn his approval. This is why his affair with Katherine and vampirism weighed on him much more than they did on Damon.
  • Working with the Ex: Stefan offers to be partners with Rebekah and work with her on the quest to find the cure. This is sure to rekindle some old feelings between the two of them.
  • Worth Living For: For years his Best Friend and mentor Lexi was the reason he lived as a Friendly Neighborhood Vampire
  • Youngest Child Wins: Stefan has always been strongly favored over his older brother Damon by almost everyone.

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