Damon and Stefan Salvatore were the male leads and protagonists of The Vampire Diaries and, as Rebekah Mikaelson stated, may have fought like dogs but would ultimately have died for each other. Both brothers did perish during the series, going to drastic measures to protect each other despite their bloody differences.
The Salvatore brothers loved each other deep down, but that didn't stop them from committing awful acts against each other. Damon and Stefan fought over women, bloodlust, and morality, pushing each other's boundaries in a way that no other character can. Here are the five worst things Damon did to Stefan and the five worst things Stefan did in return.
Damon: Pursuing A Romantic Relationship With Elena
When Damon Salvatore first arrives in Mystic Falls he has little love for his brother Stefan or his new girlfriend Elena outside of her resemblance to Katherine. However, as the season progresses, Damon falls in love with Elena and attempts to kiss her in the final episode, unaware that he has kissed his sire and Elena's doppelganger.
Damon shows little regard for Stefan and Elena's relationship and pursues a romantic relationship with his brother's girlfriend without remorse. The two eventually get together after Elena transitions into a vampire.
Stefan: Pursuing A Romantic Relationship With Katherine
The Salvatore brothers are no strangers to love triangles. Damon and Stefan fell in love with the same woman, Katherine, whilst they were human, with Damon showing an unconditional devotion to the vampire despite her preference for his brother.
Stefan knew how much Damon loved Katherine yet pursued her anyway, only recoiling after discovering she was a vampire. Katherine compelled Stefan's compliance afterward whereas Damon accepted her blindly.
Damon: Encouraging Stefan To Turn Off His Humanity
Stefan Salvatore is one of the most caring and compassionate characters in The Vampire Diaries. However, without his humanity, he is an exceptionally brutal vampire known as a Ripper with a penchant for violent dramatics.
Stefan 'fell off the wagon' during the 1900s after Damon encouraged him to turn off his humanity. Damon has shown little regard for his brother's struggle with bloodlust in the past, enabling his worst behaviors.
Stefan: Convincing Damon To Complete His Transition To A Vampire
Damon wanted to become a vampire so he could spend eternity with Katherine. After the vampire's 'death' in the church fire, Damon was content to die rather than feed on a human and complete his transition to vampirism, lost and alone without the woman he loved.
Stefan convinced Damon to complete his transition by tempting him with human blood. Damon continues to resent his brother for this, considering his brutal and bloodthirsty behavior Stefan's fault for not allowing him to die.
Damon: Killing Lexi
Lexi Branson was Stefan's best friend and mentor who taught him to control his thirst and enjoy life as a vampire. She first appeared in season one's "162 Candles," returning to Mystic Falls to celebrate Stefan's birthday only for Damon to stake and kill her.
Damon killing Lexi was one of his most despicable acts and a terrible thing to do to his brother. He knew how much Stefan loved Lexi yet still murdered his brother's best friend to cover his tracks with Sheriff Forbes.
Stefan: Telling His Father The Truth About Katherine
Stefan may not have directly stated that Katherine was a vampire but he made it clear enough whilst discussing matters with his father and notorious vampire hunter Guiseppe Salvatore. Stefan questioning his father about a vampire's capability for goodness made Guiseppe suspect Katherine and round up the vampires in Mystic Falls.
Damon blamed Stefan for Katherine's death for many years and, although the evil vampire didn't perish in the fire, it is easy to see why. Stefan alerted his father to the presence of vampires in town which led to Guiseppe's sons becoming vampires.
Damon: Turning Vicki Donovan Into A Vampire
Damon Salvatore arrives in Mystic Falls in the first season of The Vampire Diaries as the season's Big Bad, playing an antagonistic role that clashes with Stefan's. The older Salvatore brother torments the town, attacking the residents and transforming Vicki Donovan into a vampire.
Damon does this on purpose to antagonize his brother, having promised him an eternity of misery. However, the vampire falls in love with Elena and gradually begins to redeem himself.
Stefan: Killing Enzo
In the final season of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan makes a deal with the Devil to keep his brother safe, proving how much he loves Damon. However, this deal causes Stefan to switch off his humanity and attempt to kill Elena in her coffin, as well as killing Damon's friend Enzo in the crossfire.
Damon and Enzo met during the 1950s after being captured by the Augustines and, despite their differences, shared a friendship throughout the series. Killing Enzo was a terrible blow to Damon and his new friend Bonnie Bennett.
Damon: Killing Zach
In season one of The Vampire Diaries, Stefan returns to Mystic Falls and stays at the Salvatore boarding house with his descendant Zach. Damon's arrival in town ends in tragedy, however, as the sadistic vampire murders Zach by breaking his neck.
Zach mentions that Damon has killed most of his descendants and it is later revealed that he killed Zach's girlfriend, forcing Zach to put his daughter Sarah up for adoption. Family ties have little regard to Damon, who has brutalized his ancestors.
Stefan: Leaving Damon To Desiccate
To stop Damon's reign of terror in the town and his abuse of Caroline Forbes in the show's first season, Stefan poisons his brother with vervain and locks him in the cellar to desiccate. Stefan has no choice as Damon was going to kill Caroline and countless other people, though it is still a painful experience for a vampire to endure.
Damon breaks free after compelling Caroline to rescue him. He takes revenge on his brother by attacking Vicki Donovan and turning her into a vampire, forcing Stefan to stake her after she attacks Elena.