Caroline Forbes was one of the most popular characters to come out of The Vampire Diaries and its various spin-offs. She was the daughter of Liz Forbes, the Sheriff of Mystic Falls, and shared a close bond with practically everyone who lived in the mystical town.
Originally, Caroline was portrayed as shallow and selfish, with a slight mean streak about her. She was enamored with both of the Salvatore brothers. Caroline died in the season 2 premiere and became a vampire, a change that greatly improved the character. Unfortunately, Caroline still suffered many tragedies throughout the series, ensuring not a dry eye remained.
Being Brushed Off By Stefan
No one deserves to be treated like this, let alone a fan-favorite character such as Caroline. In the finale of Season 5, Bonnie and Damon were trapped in a prison world, with everyone else assuming they had perished when the Other Side was destroyed. Damon's brother, Stefan, was obviously distraught.
As a result, Stefan left Mystic Falls much to the dismay of Caroline. Having decided to drag him back to where he belonged, though, Caroline and Enzo tracked Stefan down. However, when they found him, Stefan was extremely unpleasant, causing Caroline to break down.
Being Used By Damon
Caroline's history with the Salvatore brothers is fairly complicated. While she was initially attracted to Stefan, when he and Elena became a couple, Caroline set her sights on the next best thing: Damon. However, this was very much an abusive relationship, as Damon never cared for her.
Instead, Damon essentially thought of Caroline as his personal food bank, compelling her into giving him her blood whenever he felt a bit hungry. As if this wasn't bad enough, Damon also used Caroline to do his dirty work for him. Considering the person Caroline grew into, this was uncomfortable to watch.
Breaking Up With Matt
Caroline and Matt's relationship was adorable and during season 1, they were one of the few couples in the series that remained uncomplicated. Caroline and Matt were both human, so their problems could be easily resolved. However, all that changed when Caroline became a vampire in season 2.
Desperate to continue her relationship with her boyfriend and thinking it would help her hold on to her humanity, Caroline found that her desire for blood was nearly overwhelming. After an incident where she almost killed Matt, Caroline then manipulated events so that Matt would break up with her.
Caroline's Death And Transition
Whatever one might have thought of Caroline during the show's first season, no one deserved to die the way she did. After a particularly brutal car crash in which Caroline was almost fatally injured, Damon gave her his blood to heal her. Then, Katherine proceeded to smother Caroline with a pillow until she died.
This in itself was a horrible ordeal, to die alone and afraid. However, for poor Caroline, it simply got worse. She was transitioning into a vampire, which was already established as a very difficult process. As everyone was unaware of her condition, however, Caroline had to suffer through this alone, as well.
Wiping Her Mother's Memories
Coming out as a vampire is not an easy task in the supernatural world of The Vampire Diaries. Early on in the series, Liz Forbes was established as one of the few people in Mystic Falls to know about vampires and the danger they posed. So, when she found out about her daughter's condition, she was heartbroken.
Try as she might, Caroline just couldn't get her mom to accept her for who she was. However, Liz began to realize how much better a person Caroline had become. After telling her daughter she would keep her secret, Caroline tearfully erased her memories because her mom would never be able to trust her friends.
Saying Goodbye To Klaus
Arguably one of the most popular ships in The Vampire Diaries universe, Caroline and the age-old Original Hybrid shared some undeniable chemistry. During his time on the show, the writers constantly kept fans guessing as to whether Caroline and Klaus would ever get together.
However, before that could happen, Klaus moved to New Orleans to head up his own show but thankfully, Caroline appeared sporadically in the final season of The Originals. In the series finale, Klaus went to sacrifice his life, but not before he and Caroline said goodbye and shared one beautiful, final kiss.
Being Tortured By The Werewolves
Watching one's favorite characters get tortured repeatedly is no fun at all. When it comes to watching Caroline in pain, though, that's unacceptable. After Caroline had almost gotten through her transition, she grew close to Tyler, who had recently become a werewolf and was scared of the oncoming change.
Due to a spat between the Salvatores and the werewolves, Jules kidnapped Caroline and only agreed to free her in exchange for Tyler. While the Salvatores were off scheming and plotting, the wolves tortured Caroline, including shooting her at point-blank range, while Tyler just stood by and let it happen.
Being Tortured By Her Father
Caroline really went through it all on The Vampire Diaries, as she was tortured multiple times throughout the show. However, this particular infliction of pain was extremely tough to watch. Caroline's dad was even more anti-vampire than her mother, and so he actively tried to cure her desire to drink blood.
He did so by torturing her every time she showed her vampire face. The LGBT allegory certainly didn't help matters, as this was an openly gay man refusing to accept his own daughter for what she was. Instead of trying to help her, he tried to curb her 'unusual' impulses. Not the best message to send out.
Losing Stefan
The fandom is generally divided when it comes to Caroline and Stefan. Some think that they made a wonderfully sweet couple, and others thought they were better left as just best friends. At the very least, everyone agreed that Caroline and Stefan shared some amazing chemistry together.
Unfortunately, that made the way their relationship ended all the more tragic. Stefan had recently become human as a result of Bonnie injecting him with the cure, and he and Caroline had recently married. However, to stop Katherine and save Damon, Stefan sacrificed himself, leaving Caroline a widow.
Losing Her Mom
Season 6 was slightly uneven in terms of storytelling, but one particular plotline really hit the mark. Over the course of the season, Caroline's mom was diagnosed with cancer, and it was terminal. This was a shock to both the character and the fans of the series, as Liz had acted as a mother figure to all.
Caroline tried her best to save her mother, but to no avail. Finally, it seemed as though Caroline had almost come to terms with her mother's impending demise, but, when the devastating death eventually happened, Caroline missed it. Liz's funeral in the next episode was absolutely heartbreaking.