Stefan begins The Vampire Diaries as the mysterious and attractive new student in Mystic Falls. He captivates many girls at his "new" school, especially Elena and Caroline. Little do they know that he is a vampire and lived in Mystic Falls many years ago. Elena and he fall for each other, opening the door between their two worlds for eight seasons of dramatic storylines, epic loves, and long-lasting friendships.
In many ways, Vampire Diaries' Stefan Salvatore is presented as a noble bloodsucker, one that resists and controls his hunger. He's presented as the better brother, whereas Damon can be selfish and destructive. Throughout eight seasons, fans witnessed Stefan stay true to himself and also be inconsistent.
Inconsistent: Not Giving Vicki A Second Chance
Stefan is the king of second chances. Often, he's willing to give multiple chances to the people that he cares about most. For instance, while Damon frustrates him, Stefan always believes in Damon. He's willing to trust that the best in Damon will eventually come out.
Yet, when Vicki is a newbie vampire, he isn't willing to work with her. Vicki is part of Elena's world since she's Matt's sister. Stefan easily kills her. Additionally, he has no remorse, which is uncharacteristic of him.
True to Himself: Teaching Caroline and Elena How To Be Vampires
When Caroline is turned into a vampire, she also has difficulties resisting her hunger. He works with Caroline, teaching her how to control her hunger. He's honest, kind, and a good teacher.
Later, when Elena becomes a vampire, Stefan also works with her. Although it doesn't work out as well as it did with Caroline, he is still a good and patient teacher. Stefan likes to help, and this is just one way in which he helps.
Inconsistent: Having His Mom Turn Back On His Humanity
A Stefan without humanity is a dangerous vampire since he's a Ripper. Generally, for a vampire to turn on their humanity, someone or something that means a lot to them has to convince them. When Enzo turned his off, Bonnie put herself in a life and death position, knowing that his love for her would cause him to flip back on his humanity and save her.
Stefan turns his on when he sees his mother, whom he thought was long-dead. However, little mention was ever made about how close they were to each other. Later, after his humanity is on, they seem more like strangers than family.
True to Himself: Honoring Elena's Wishes
Elena and Stefan share a special bond. Even though Elena is much younger than Stefan, he respects her wisdom. He also respects her boundaries and honors her wishes. When she and Matt are drowning, she tells him to save Matt instead of her. While she was the love of his life and he wanted to save her, he honored her wishes.
When she tells him that she doesn't want to be a vampire, he honors that and doesn't force her. Of course, Damon wasn't on the same train of thought, making Elena a vampire in order to save her.
Inconsistent: Muted Reaction to Lexi's Death
Lexi is Stefan's oldest and best friend. She taught him how to control his hunger and hone his power. When he was a Ripper, she could bring him back. In Season 1, she comes to help him celebrate his 162 birthday. She brings out another side of Stefan, one that has fun and jokes around.
So, when Damon kills Lexi and Stefan watches it, his reaction should have been intense. Initially, it was a little bit, but the next day was different. Although he wasn't happy with Damon, he was still joking with him. His best friend was killed, and he just went on quickly with his life.
True to Himself: Being Compassionate To Katherine
When Katherine is made into a human and then begins to die, she suffers. Katherine is a survivor, and she feels hopeless. At one point, she tries to jump from a clock tower to her death. Stefan saves her and after hearing her complain about dying, he says, "You're Katherine Pierce, suck it up." That's exactly what she needed to hear.
Later, when she is dying a human-death, he gives her a peaceful image of her family to help her. Of course, Stefan isn't always compassionate to Katherine, and Katherine isn't always deserving of compassion. However, he is there for her when she is at her lowest, giving her kindness and compassion.
Inconsistent: Killing of Enzo
While true that Stefan was the Ripper when he killed Enzo and under the influence of Cade, it was still shocking and inconsistent. Add on to this that Stefan was going to kill Elena, also show inconsistency of character. Stefan once resisted compulsion for Elena. These are people that he cared about so it would seem that he could have resisted more.
Even so, if he hadn't been able to resist, Ripper-Stefan didn't kill quite as clean and fast as he did in this episode. Enzo's death in The Vampire Diaries was more for shock-value and to test Bonnie, rather than any consistency with Stefan and Ripper-Stefan.
True to Himself: Love for Damon
Stefan loved his big brother, even when Damon didn't seem to deserve it. Damon tried to make Stefan's life difficult, but still Stefan had faith that Damon was the brother he admired and remembered. Stefan even sacrificed his own feelings and love for Elena when he saw that Elena made Damon a better man. Stefan was willing to give up so much for his brother.
The most consistent love story of this series was the brotherly love between Stefan and Damon. While Damon was slow to show, he did love Stefan as well.
Inconsistent: Becomes Apathetic, Gives Up On Damon
After Damon and Bonnie disappear at the end of the Season 5, the rest of the gang try to track them down, eventually finding out that both are in a prison world. However, before that, Stefan is supposed to be following leads. He ends up giving up on Damon, something that Stefan never does, and becomes apathetic.
He leaves Mystic Falls and doesn't respond to any of his friends. For a character who also cared so much, it was inconsistent to see him care so little, especially about his own brother.
True to Himself: Sacrifices Self For Others
Stefan cares a lot for his brother and friends, and because of this, he has often became a martyr. After fellow Vampire Diaries castmate Bonnie, he's probably the character that has become the martyr the most on the show. In each season, Stefan sacrifices a lot.
In the end, he sacrificed his life for his friends and Damon. He had just gotten married and found love, but he wouldn't let Damon die for him. He wanted Damon to live a long and rich human life, and so Stefan died to give that to him.