At the start of the CW's The Vampire Diaries, it seemed as if Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert were the main characters of the series. Over time, Damon became a bigger and bigger presence, and it seemed like perhaps this was truly the story of Damon and Elena. But then Elena left, and clearly the duo of Damon and Stefan took center stage.
It's natural that different characters will be at the front of an ensemble piece like The Vampire Diaries at different times, but in the end, who was truly the main character of the show? Here's all the reasons why Stefan is clearly the frontrunner.
Because He Was A Doppelganger Of The First Immortal
Given that the show itself is focused mostly on vampires, it seems pretty relevant that Stefan is an identical copy of the first immortal in the world.
Silas was truly the beginning of the supernatural disease of immortality becoming a problem within the natural world, and the fact that Stefan is his twin would seemingly signify that Stefan has always been at the very center of the story of vampires from the very beginning.
Because He Was Always At The Center Of The Supernatural Plots
The Vampire Diaries encapsulated many different genres into one series at the same time, but given the title, it comes as no surprise that it was pretty consistently a supernaturally driven show above all else.
And while every character was involved in the supernatural stories like the Silas storyline, the Travelers, Katherine's story, and the story of the Originals at one point or another, it seems like Stefan was almost always the central or one of the most important figures in the storylines.
Because He Pulled So Many Of The Characters Together
In a similar vein, the relationships and connections that developed between all of the characters in the series varied a lot, and there were a lot of groups and duos that seemed to stick together while other characters hardly ever interacted with one another.
But Stefan seemed to make up a lot of the connective glue between these disparate threads. His friendships and romances with so many of the characters are what facilitated their interactions with other characters in the first place.
Because It Was Literally His Vampire Diary
To put it simply, Stefan is obviously the main character of the series because it's called The Vampire Diaries and the only vampire writing in a diary at the start of the series is Stefan.
No other character's diaries became relevant at all besides Elena's, and she didn't even become a vampire until nearly halfway through the show, so the titular vampire in the entire series can't be anyone other than Stefan.
Because His Vampirism Was A Central Plot Point
There are many characters who are or become vampires throughout The Vampire Diaries, but Stefan's vampirism became one of the biggest and longest-running plot points in the show.
For most characters, whether or not they were a vampire was a bit more incidental, or if their vampirism did become a storyline that storyline eventually ended. But with Stefan it was a very consistent and important aspect of the series overall.
Because His Love Story With Elena Was Important
First love obviously doesn't always equate to lasting love or the most important love, but it's undeniable that Stefan and Elena's love story sustained TVD for many seasons before their relationship finally collapsed.
TVD was a supernatural show at it's heart, but it was a romance series at it's heart as well, so Stefan being a part of the major romance plot for so long signifies his central importance to the show.
But His Character Wasn't Defined By Elena
Being the brother that Elena chose was obviously a very important aspect of the story as a whole, and for a long time Stefan was the chosen one.
But what makes his character feel like more of a central figure than perhaps Damon is that Stefan had relevance and storylines outside of his relationship with Elena as well. Stefan's character actually moved on from being more than just Elena's boyfriend.
And It Wasn't Defined By His Romances In General
Especially in it's later years, The Vampire Diaries switched from being a supernatural show with a dash of romance to a romance show with a dash of supernatural drama.
So while Stefan had other significant on-screen romances, unlike many other characters, his entire characterization didn't revolve around whatever relationship he was in at the time. He was an independent character outside of his relationships, which distinguished him from most other characters.
Because The Show Began With Him
Every character contributes something to the overall story, however this story itself could not have existed without Stefan. He is the person who returned to Mystic Falls and found Elena, and it was his love for her that propelled the story from the start.
And going even further back than that, when he and Damon were turned into vampires, it was Stefan who actually convinced Damon to turn in the first place, and had that not happened, nothing else would have happened either.
Because The Show Ended With Him
If the fact that Stefan's choices are what enabled the entire story of The Vampire Diaries to happen wasn't enough, the fact that the show ended when Stefan's story did seems to confirm that this is his story above all others.
Damon, Elena, Caroline, and most of the other characters lived long lives after the conclusion of the series, and it's Stefan's death that really punctuates the end of The Vampire Diaries.