Damon Salvatore was either loved or hated by fans of The Vampire Diaries. The series attempted to give him a story arc that took him from villain to hero, but it's up for debate whether Damon deserved redemption or not. Damon had two sides to him, which is what made his character so conflicting.
There were times when he was such a great boyfriend that it felt like a crime to dislike him. The thing that made Damon so puzzling though was that he would always follow up his good deeds with bad ones. Vampires are rash and impulsive by nature, but Damon's inconsistencies stood out in his romantic relationships more than anything.
Was: He Refused To Be With Elena When She Was Sired To Him
Elena's love is eventually the only thing Damon wanted, but it was also something he thought he could never have. When Elena finally chose him, it was the happiest he had ever been. Nothing ever comes without a catch though, and Stefan and Caroline discover that Elena is sired to Damon.
It was heartbreaking for Damon to hear, but rather than continuing his relationship with Elena, he put a stop to it. He searched for a way to break the sire bond and refused to take advantage of the bond because he was worried that her feelings for him weren't genuine.
Wasn't: He'd Rather Die Than Be Human While Elena Was A Vampire
Damon's decision to die rather than be human didn't necessarily make him a bad person, but it did make him a bad boyfriend. One of the biggest problems in Damon and Elena's relationship was that Damon did whatever it took to keep Elena alive, even if it went against her wishes.
When the roles were reversed, Damon was a hypocrite. He did what he wanted and didn't factor Elena into his decision to succumb to death. Even though his death would've hurt her, Damon didn't want to grow old while Elena remained immortal.
Was: He Dedicated Over A Century To Freeing Katherine
When Damon loves a person, there's nothing he won't do for them. It's a love that can be toxic but can also be admirable. Unaware that Katherine betrayed her friends and escaped Mystic Falls, Damon devoted his life to freeing her from the tomb under Fell's Church.
Katherine might not have cared about Damon, but his loyalty to her was unwavering. He never stopped loving Katherine during the century he spent without her, and all he ever wanted was to love Katherine and be loved in return.
Wasn't: He Lied To Elena About His Murder Sprees
No matter how many seasons went by, Damon couldn't be trusted. At the end of the day, he was always going to do what he wanted when he wanted it. There were times when he made selfless decisions, but these occasions were too sporadic to rely on.
After he and Elena become a couple, he lies to her and withholds information. One of the most notable examples is when he left town to murder a girl from the Augustine bloodline to get revenge on her ancestors and hid it from everyone he loved.
Was: He Loved Elena Unconditionally
The thing that stood out about Damon as opposed to Elena's other love interests was his unconditional love for her. Stefan had good and bad traits, but his attitude towards Elena changed after she became a vampire. He missed who she was as a human, and did everything in his power to get her the cure, even if it meant putting Jeremy in danger.
There was no side of Elena that Damon didn't like, and he loved the worst and best parts of her. Elena's friends all shamed her behavior after becoming a vampire, but Damon helped her embrace it.
Wasn't: He Manipulated And Fed Off Of Caroline
Most of Damon's romances failed, and he was almost always the problem in them. After what he did to Caroline, it's shocking that Elena would ever consider dating him. He used his mind control to manipulate her and took away Caroline's ability to consent to anything they were doing.
Elena realized Damon was hurting her when she found the bite marks covering her body, and Damon tried to kill Caroline that same night. He clearly had no remorse for the way he treated her, as he tried to kill Caroline again after his blood turned her into a vampire a season later.
Was: He Took The Cure To Start A Family With Elena
Everyone was concerned about Damon's decision to take the cure because he had made it clear throughout the series that he never wanted to be human again. But he was willing to give up his immortality to give Elena the life she always wanted.
In one of the best Delena quotes, Damon says, "The smallest chance of a perfect life with you is infinitely better than an immortal life without you." From Elena's voiceover in The Vampire Diaries series finale, it's clear that both of them got the life they'd always wanted.
Wasn't: He Didn't Respect Elena's Decisions
One of Damon's biggest issues was that he loved selfishly. There are times when he made selfless decisions in regards to Elena, but it doesn't change how many horrible things he did for his own benefit. He took her choices away and thought he knew what was best for her.
A perfect example of his self-centered love was when Damon force-fed Elena his blood instead of letting her drink an elixir that had a chance of keeping her human. It's one of the many reasons that the Stefan/Elena/Damon love triangle is so controversial.
Was: He Did Everything And Anything To Protect Elena
No one can argue that Damon didn't move mountains for Elena. Regardless of whether he was being selfish or selfless, he would die a million times over if it meant keeping her alive. Elena could always count on Damon to come for her, and his passion shines brightest when he's under pressure.
If Elena was in danger, he'd find a way to make the impossible happen. His love for her was his ultimate strength, but also his ultimate weakness. Elena was used as bait in several situations to blackmail the Salvatore brothers because Damon loved her so intensely.
Wasn't: He Killed People Elena Loved
The hardest thing to overlook about Damon is his violent tendencies. All of the vampires in the show are killers, but most of them steer clear of the people they care about. Damon claims to love Elena, but he purposely does things to hurt her. When she rejected his advances in The Vampire Diaries Season 2, Damon lashed out by killing Jeremy.
Even after seasons had passed, Damon killed Elena's friend to get revenge on her for breaking up with him. And, it made Damon look especially bad because Katherine was secretly possessing Elena's body when it happened.