Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert were one of the most iconic and well-loved romantic pairings in The Vampire Diaries. The show initially centered around a love triangle involving Damon's brother Stefan, but eventually, Elena fell in love with the older Salvatore brother and chose him indefinitely.
Many fans of the CW's popular vampire show who were dedicated shippers of "Delena" were ecstatic when they reunited in the series finale. Damon and Elena were couples goals repeatedly throughout The Vampire Diaries, but there is evidence to suggest that they were also a toxic pairing.
Couple Goals: Damon And Elena Shared A Love That Consumed Them
Damon and Elena's romance was an epic tryst that captured the hearts of countless fans of The Vampire Diaries. In Season 3, fans discover that Elena met Damon first instead of Stefan. Damon claims that Elena wants a love that consumes her, and Elena later agrees when they finally give in to their feelings.
Many fans of the show remain dedicated "Delena" shippers due to the intense chemistry between Elena and Damon. Their love was a passionate tryst that could only be described as epic.
Toxic: Damon Disregarded Elena's Choices And Made Decisions For Her
Damon disregarded Elena's choices continuously throughout The Vampire Diaries and made decisions on her behalf that ensured her safety. This juxtaposes his younger brother Stefan's more considerate nature, as Stefan always encouraged Elena's autonomy.
Damon makes a rash decision in Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries. Klaus drains Elena's blood and sacrifices her during the moonstone ritual to break his hybrid curse, and Damon forcefully feeds her vampire blood beforehand. Elena is momentarily spared from becoming a vampire when John Gilbert sacrifices his life for her's.
Couple Goals: Damon Became Human For Her
Damon eventually embraces life as a vampire and holds no longing for his human life. However, he later realizes that he can't bear the thought of life without Elena. Damon and Elena reunite in the series finale and Damon becomes human after being injected with the cure.
Elena reunites with Damon and the two lovers finally find happiness in their human lives together. It is later mentioned in spin-off show Legacies that they are married and have children together.
Toxic: Damon Tried To Kill Her Brother
Damon commits countless atrocities throughout The Vampire Diaries that directly hurt Elena. In Season 2, Damon is dismayed to learn that he kissed Katherine instead of Elena and is heartbroken by Elena's rejection. He breaks Jeremy's neck in retaliation and would have killed Elena's brother if it wasn't for the Gilbert ring.
Damon may have loved Elena but he frequently hurt the people she loved. He showed little care towards Jeremy or her friends throughout most of the series and continuously valued her life over theirs.
Couple Goals: They're The Endgame Romance Of The Show
Elena reunites with Damon in The Vampire Diaries' finale "I Was Feeling Epic." The doppelganger awakens from Kai's cursed coma and reconnects with a now human Damon. The two are shown living together before reuniting with their families in the afterlife.
Delena was the endgame romance of the show and the only pairing to receive some semblance of happiness. Caroline and Stefan were torn apart after their wedding when the younger Salvatore sacrificed his life to save the town and Enzo was killed, tearing him away from Bonnie.
Toxic: Damon Tried To Compel Elena To Kiss Him
Damon initially arrives in Mystic Falls in Season 1 of The Vampire Diaries as the show's original antagonist. The older Salvatore brother torments his younger brother and shows no remorse for the people he kills. In "Friday Night Bites," Damon attempts to use compulsion to force Elena to kiss him.
Elena is luckily wearing the vervain necklace gifted to her by Stefan. This spares her from Damon's mind control and she answers the vampire's advances with a firm rejection.
Couple Goals: Damon Was Devoted To Elena
Damon gradually fell in love with Elena throughout the first season of The Vampire Diaries. Although he comes to Mystic Falls to free Katherine from the tomb, Damon falls for his brother's girlfriend and is irrecoverably in love with her throughout the rest of the series.
Damon was undeniably in love with Elena and rejected several characters, including Rebekah Mikaelson, to be with her. Elena finally gives in to her passionate feelings for Damon in Season 3's "Heart Of Darkness."
Toxic: He Hurt Her Best Friends
The initial antagonist of The Vampire Diaries was Damon Salvatore, and he set a series precedent of villainous characters slowly seeking redemption. Damon compels Caroline during the early episodes of the show and would have killed her in Season 1 if Stefan hadn't intervened.
Damon also attacks Bonnie several times early in the show, though she defends herself with magic. Although Damon eventually becomes friends with Bonnie and Caroline, this doesn't detract from his previous actions towards Elena's best friends.
Couple Goals: Elena Had Fun With Damon
Elena's romance with Stefan was epic, but the doppelganger arguably had much more fun during her adventures with Damon. Damon brought out Elena's wild side. The two go on a brief road trip in Season 1 and party together as vampires in New York in Season 4.
Elena and Damon's romance was passionate, intense, and exciting. Damon challenged Elena and urged her to let loose and live more, whereas Elena encouraged the good parts of Damon.
Toxic: Elena Was Sired To Damon
Elena breaks up with Stefan in Season 4 after becoming a vampire and gives in to her feelings for Damon at long last. The two sleep together, but it is later revealed that Elena is sired to him. This ensures that Elena has no choice but to follow Damon's orders due to her previous romantic feelings as a human.
This element of Elena and Damon's relationship is toxic as it takes Elena's choices away and makes both characters doubt the authenticity of their love. Elena breaks the sire bond when she switches off her humanity, though luckily, her love for Damon remains the same.