Damon Salvatore

Won

Damon Salvatore was a hero, a vampire, and one of the male protagonists of The Vampire Diaries.

He was a major antagonist in the first part of Season One. He was the elder brother of Stefan Salvatore. He was born in 1839 and lived in the colonial town of Mystic Falls with his brother Stefan and his father, Giuseppe Salvatore. He became a vampire in 1864. At the time of his return to Mystic Falls, Damon and Stefan hadn't seen each other in fifteen years due to their bitter, violent relationship.

In the 1950's, Damon was captured and tortured by the Whitmore family, of which the members experiment on vampires for a "bigger purpose" and during his 5 years of captivity, he meets another prisoner, Enzo, whom he becomes good friends with. Eventually, the plan the two made failed at a critical moment and thinking Enzo "died" because of him, Damon turned off his humanity to suppress the guilt and sadness. He sought revenge, an act of hunting down every member over generations which he finally ends with Aaron Whitmore's death.

Damon's sole purpose in coming back to Mystic Falls was to free Katherine Pierce, the vampire who turned him and who he deeply loved. After realizing that Katherine never loved him, his love for her faded as his friendship with Elena, Katherine's descendant and doppelgänger, grows. Due to her impact on him and the strengthening relationship with his brother, they begin working together and protect Elena, her friends and family. Before his death, and at the beginning of Season Five, he lived with his brother, girlfriend, Elena (when she isn't away at college), and her brother, Jeremy Gilbert in the Salvatore Boarding House.

Throughout the series, his bond with Elena continuously grows and they eventually fall in love with each other. Shortly after her death and subsequent transition into a vampire, Elena's feelings for Damon are heightened which makes her admit her love for him and they start a romantic relationship.

In Season Five, he discovers Enzo's undead status and they become friends once again however once "Elena" breaks up with him, he puts an end to his diabolical plan against the Whitmore Family and is then injected with a dangerous compound by Wes Maxfield, causing him to become an Augustine Vampire and the only one in existence. He was later cured, thanks to Enzo, Stefan, and Caroline's actions. Due to the Other Side collapsing, Damon gave up his life to save his loved ones and this particularly caused Elena, Stefan, and Alaric much grief.

His best friends are Elena Gilbert, Alaric Saltzman, and Lorenzo. After Alaric's death, he continues to think of him as his best friend, "brother", and drinking buddy.

As the bad boy of the show, he goes by this motto: "If you're gonna be bad, be bad with a purpose. Otherwise, you're just not worth forgiving."

Damon was a member of the Salvatore Family, and a member of the Town Council.

1800s


Damon was born to Giuseppe Salvatore and an unnamed mother on June 28, 1839 in the small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. His younger brother Stefan Salvatore is seven years younger than him, and the two were very close when they were human. He joined the Confederate Army at some point, coming back when he was on leave to spend time at the Salvatore Estate. It is unclear when Damon first met Katherine Pierce, but he left the Confederacy and returned to Mystic Falls to spend more time with her. His father disapproved of what he considered Damon's poor sense of duty.



It is uncertain how or when Damon found out that Katherine was a vampire, but unlike Stefan he did not fear or reject her, and willingly drank her blood. She once demonstrated to him one of her tricks for securing victims: lying in the middle of a road to stop any travelers that may come to pass. Though he showed an initial hesitance, Damon even kissed her while a victim's blood still stained her lips.



Damon wanted to give up his human life and spend an eternity with Katherine, and he begged Stefan to keep the secret from their father, who was a member of the Town Council and a vampire-hater. When Stefan inadvertently revealed that Katherine was a vampire, she was taken away by the townspeople. Their father was furious and scolded Damon for trying to conceal her secret and protect her. Damon was furious with Stefan, but Stefan agreed to work with him to rescue her. In the midst of their daring plan, they were both shot and killed by Giuseppe, who was ashamed of his sons for sympathizing with and loving a vampire. They both died with Katherine's blood in their systems, but Damon awakened first and witnessed the burning of Fell's Church, where the townspeople had imprisoned the vampires, including Katherine.



When Stefan awoke the next morning, Damon told him that Katherine's death meant his reason for living was gone, and he wouldn't complete his transition into a vampire. Later that day, when Stefan returned after being unable to resist feeding on his own father, and inadvertently completing the transition, he forced Damon to drink from a young woman's neck, causing Damon to also complete his transition. He promised Stefan an eternity of misery, not for making him turn but for the fact that Katherine had turned Stefan as well, instead of just Damon. At some point Damon received a daylight ring from Emily Bennett. She told Damon that she had spared the vampires in the church, which Damon kept secret from Stefan until 145 years later, when he would be able to free Katherine from the church.

1912
Damon saw Stefan in 1912 for the first time in 48 years since they transitioned; both had returned to Mystic Falls for their nephew's funeral. After an initial hesitance, Damon agreed to have a drink with Stefan and catch up. When he was feeding on a human alone, the vampire Sage found him and commented on his lack of enjoyment for the feed. Damon seemed content to feed just enough to survive, but Sage encouraged him to enjoy it, to take pleasure in being a vampire. Once he was persuaded, he tried to get Stefan to enjoy the feed, and talked him into feeding on human blood again. Stefan fed so hard on his victim that he tore her head off, shocking both brothers. Furious with Damon for making him drink human blood, he ran off and Damon did not pursue him.

1942
Damon was living in New Orleans with a vampire he had turned named Charlotte. Damon soon noticed a pattern of strange behavior from the woman, in that every order he gave her, even seemingly innocuous ones, she followed with frightening enthusiasm. He sought guidance from the witch Valerie LaMarche to break the sire bond between him and Charlotte, and the witch told him she needed a human sacrifice of 12 people to do the spell. Damon killed the 12 people, but could not find Val to perform the spell he needed. He ended up ordering Charlotte to count every brick on every building in New Orleans and meet him at the corner of Bourbon and Dumaine. He left New Orleans soon after...

Stefan and Lexi found Damon while he was in New Orleans. At Lexi's insistence, Stefan sought to make peace with his brother before shipping out to the North African front of the war. After an initial hesitance, Damon seemed happy to reunite with his brother after thirty years apart, and the two spent the evening talking. Damon even suggested he might join Stefan and leave for war with him, but Lexi made it clear she did not approve of the idea. Her concerns seemed warranted especially after Charlotte brought a bleeding victim to the bar where they were talking and Stefan started to lose it at the sight and smell of human blood. Later, Damon was all ready to ship out with Stefan when Lexi talked him out of it, citing his profligate lifestyle and how Damon's behavior would not be good for Stefan's rehabilitation. Realizing she might be right, Damon decided not to go, and he left the train station without explaining to Stefan.

1953 - 1958
In 1953, Joseph Salvatore lured Damon to Mystic Falls in order to hand him over to Dr. Whitmore. After Joseph injected Damon with vervain, Damon killed him, but Dr. Whitmore entered the room shortly after and injected Damon with another dose of vervain. When he woke up he was strapped to a table and Dr. Whitmore cut one of his eyes out, in order to experiment and study vampire healing abilities. Damon was brought to a cell and in the cell next to him was another vampire named Enzo. The two vampires bonded and it was Enzo's friendship that allowed Damon to hold on to his humanity. Dr. Whitmore continued to torture and perform experiments on him and he called him 21051.

Every year Whitmore would show the rest of Augustine Damon and Enzo and demonstrate his research on the annual New Years Party. Enzo then came up with a plan for one of them two would drink the others blood ration in order to build up his strength until the coming New Years Eve. Damon was the lucky one and when the next New Years Eve Party came he broke free from his chains and he slaughtered every member of Augustine while the building set ablaze. Enzo was still trapped in his cage and Damon tried to free him, but the cage bars were soaked with vervain and couldn't get him out. Damon knew that if he was going to save himself he had to stop caring about Enzo so he turned his humanity switch of. Now not caring he left Enzo to burn alive. After finally being free from five years of torture, Damon kept the promise he made to Enzo to kill every member in the Whitmore family, but one and let that person have a family and kill them to but one and to the same thing again and again. Damon did exactly that and among the ones he killed was Aaron Whitmore's parents and Aaron was among the ones that he kept alive.

1960
It had been two years since Damon escaped the Augustine cell, and he still had his humanity switched off. On November 8, 1960, during Election night, a lady asked Damon for a interview. She asked him questions related to the terrible fire at Whitmore House and then tried to attack him with a vervain injection, but Damon easily stopped her. When he found out that she was an Augustine member he ripped her head off. Decades later Damon finds out that the girl he killed was actually Enzo's one true love, Maggie James.

1977
Damon lived in New York City during the 70's, where he maintained a wild life full of parties and feeding off of people. At the time, he still had his humanity switch off and he killed locals of New York; a soon to be fed upon victim asked if he was the Son of Sam, to which Damon replied, "Son of Giuseppe, but close enough". Damon was friends with Will, another vampire, who ran a bar and let Damon feed on the people there, while in exchange, Damon stole his victim's ID's for him.



Lexi had eventually found Damon and told him that she and Stefan had heard all about Damon's current life and that Stefan was worried for him. Lexi tried to help Damon get his humanity back, but Damon rejected her offer. However, Lexi was stubborn and she stuck with Damon for the following six months. She had gotten Damon to talk about Katherine Pierce, thinking that if he talks about her, his switch will flip on. Damon tricks Lexi into thinking that his humanity was back and the two have a night full of wild sex.



The next morning, Lexi woke up on a roof because the sunlight was burning her skin. She tried to escape by opening the door to get into Billy's, but it was locked. Then she found out the truth: Damon had tricked her. Damon told her that it was his way of getting back at her for annoying him for the past six months. He ditched Lexi on the roof thereafter, leaving her trapped until nightfall. It was revealed in The Cell, that Damon turned off his humanity in the 1950's because he couldn't deal with the pain of leaving Enzo behind while escaping from the Augustine Society.

Throughout The Vampire Diaries Series

 * -|Season One=


 * -|Season Two=


 * -|Season Three=


 * -|Season Four=


 * -|Season Five=


 * -|Season Six=

Personality

 * -|Human=

Damon was originally a very free-spirited young man, who was best friends with his younger brother Stefan Salvatore, both of whom were instantly smitten with the vampire Katherine Pierce. He had a positive relationship with Stefan and he held his position as elder brother in high regard, being the one to teach Stefan how to fight when they were younger. As a human, Damon also held a sense of duty as he enrolled in the confederacy, however their father saw him as very irresponsible and reckless, proving he was very much a free spirit who did things on a whim, taking no mind to what people thought.

Damon could be considered much the opposite to his brother in many regards. Whilst they both were respectful and polite, Damon had a dark side which came to play when he fell in love with Katherine, whilst initially terrified at the prospect, his love for Katherine and dependency for her affections made the choice easy and he willingly drank her blood and conspired with her to kill innocent humans, a trait which passed on to his vampire lifestyle. Damon was very naive as a human, he loved Katherine deeply and recklessly, regardless of the consequences and not caring that his father was ashamed of him. His carefree life fell apart when Stefan betrayed Damon by alluding to their father that Katherine was a vampire; information that resulted in Katherine being trapped and taken to a church to be burned, also doing whatever he could to get her back, even if it resulted in his death.
 * -|Vampire=

When Damon fed on Joey in Total Eclipse of the Heart, he was shown to have no remorse or guilt over ripping the young vampire's head off.
 * -|Augustine Vampire=

In No Exit, Damon appears to have much increased strength when he feels the urge to feed on Vampire blood, he has all the abilities that a normal vampire would have except, enhanced to much more extreme levels making him much more powerful than vampires that are much older than him. For example Damon was able to break free from his chains in a matter of seconds when Enzo chained him up. Though this is something any-other vampire might not be able to do. TBA
 * -|Ghost=

Physical Appearance


Damon is very handsome, standing 5'10" or 5'11" in height with a well built, toned physique. His physical appearance is that of around a 22-25 year old despite being over 170. Damon has a light complexion with olive undertones and has a strong bone structure with high cheeks bones and a solid jaw line. He possesses darkened brown, almost black hair which hangs just over his ears, usually styled in a casual disarray yet sometimes gelled for special occasions. With striking, intense light blue eyes contrasting wonderfully against darkened lashes and eyebrows, a "bad boy" smile, he can be described as relatively athletic, tall, strong, sexy and seductive. He also considers himself the "eternal stud".

Damon's clothing style has remained somewhat similar throughout the series, usually favoring darker clothing; black shirts, t-shirts and boots underneath darkened jeans and black trousers, although on occasion has been seen wearing lighter colors. Damon is rarely seen without his leather jackets and his favorite clothing designer is "John Varvatos". On special events, such as dances, he wears smart attire such as tuxedo's and dress shoes. As a vampire, he wears a large lapis lazuli daylight ring enchanted by Emily Bennett, as a means to walk around in the sunlight as a vampire. The ring has the Salvatore crest and an embedded "D".

In flashbacks, as a human in the 1860's era, Damon generally wore the same attire as his younger brother; Stefan, including dress shirts with suspenders, waistcoats, dress coats, hats, cravats and leather laced boots as his usual style. His color scheme as a human was much lighter, Damon was seen wearing a red waistcoat, yet still formal, showing the Salvatore family's wealth. His hair was slightly longer in style, with slight curls, showing a much more youthful appearance.

Powers and Abilities
Damon possesses all the standard powers and abilities of a non-original vampire.

Stefan Salvatore
"You're my brother, I'm not going to give up on you. I never will."

- Stefan to Damon in No Exit

Stefan is Damon's younger brother, when they were human they were very close, best friends up until the arrival of the beautiful Katherine Pierce. After Katherine's "death", Damon swore to make Stefan's life a misery, and succeeded in 1912 by making him loose control of himself, fifty years after their last meeting. In the 1940's, for the first time since their transition, Damon showed a rare selflessness by backing out of his plan to join Stefan in war, so that Stefan could try to control his urges, as Damon would've been a bad influence. Despite unknowing the truth of Damon's selfless act, Stefan still returned the favor to his brother in the 1970's, sending Lexi to help Damon turn on his humanity. From these glimpses of the past, it is shown that whilst they may outwardly despite the other, deep down they truly care. Before season one, the brothers hadn't seen each other since the early 1990's, their relationship having taken a steep turn for the worse, as their relationship was described as "violent and bitter". Due to Katherine's influence they became enemies, yet have recently began repairing their strained relationship due to Elena Gilbert, ironically Katherine's descendant and doppelgänger. Through the seasons, both fell in love with Elena and whilst she was the factor bringing them together, she is also the biggest strain in the brother's complex relationship. In the season four finale, although Stefan was heartbroken at Elena's choice, he admitted that he was happy for Damon. Through this, they have proven just how far their relationship has come from their violent past. Whilst their relationship will continue to be tested, through the highs and lows, it is clear that the two share a strong brotherly bond. In Season 5, they have some issues but appear to be getting along better as brothers and appear to show much more care and concern for one another, though their bond is tested through time. After Damon's sacrifice, Stefan breaks down over losing the only family he has left.

Elena Gilbert
"Do you see a future with me? Because that's all I see."

- Elena to Damon in Home

Elena Gilbert is the love of Damon's life and his best friend. As the series progressed, he fell in love with Elena. He first met Elena when he was in Mystic Falls looking for his object of obsession for over a century, Katherine Pierce. He then talked to Elena but afterwards, compelled her to forget their meeting. He then met Elena again at the Salvatore Boarding House when she was looking for Stefan. After a while, Elena started to view Damon as self-centered, violent, sociopathic and cruel, especially when she found out that he continuously abused and used her best friend, Caroline Forbes against her will. She was horrified to discover that Damon was also behind all of the murders and unusual "animal" attacks in Mystic Falls. Originally, Damon disliked Elena and was rather apathetic about whether Elena lived or died. Although, Damon was drawn to Elena, mostly due to the fact that Elena bears an uncanny resemblance to the object of his obsession for over a century, Katherine. Although Damon and Elena often bicker and don't get along, Elena began to slowly warm up to him as she got to know him, befriending him in the process. But she still kept her distance due to Damon's constant immoral and impulsive behavior. Damon and Elena's friendship deepens with time and the two become closer, with Damon haven fallen for Elena and Elena developing feelings for Damon. Damon has repeatedly admitted that he is in love with Elena, however, Elena has admitted that she loves him too. Damon once told Elena that he loved her, but that he didn't deserve her, but Stefan does. He then compelled her to forget his confession afterwards. As opposed to Stefan, Damon is seen to be extremely selfish when it comes to Elena, willing to put the life of Elena's before anyone else's, including Elena's loved ones. It has been a consistency throughout the series that even though Elena cares deeply about Damon and has feelings for him, she still strongly loves Stefan and has repeatedly chosen him over Damon much to Damon's disappointment. But Elena and Damon are still closer than ever, and the sexual tension between them has even increased as Elena's emotions were heightened. During Season 4, Stefan ends his relationship with Elena because of her no longer fighting the feelings she has for Damon. Elena admitted to Damon that he was the reason of her breakup with Stefan and with Jeremy trying to kill her, Elena had to move with Damon. Stefan moves out when she moves in because of the relationship between her and Damon. Damon and Elena also had sex for the first time and became a real couple the night she moves in with him. Despite being sired to him, her feelings for him are real and she loves him either way. She will not be giving up on him. He may be selfish with his feelings but he doesn't regret it – when push comes to shove, he'll always put her first and it's for that same reason that he's always saving her when she needs him. Damon brings out a side of Elena that none of her past loves have been able to and challenges her in a way that no one else can. He hasn't taken advantage of Elena when he's had the opportunity. He's usually played fair with her, and he's always saying that she's the one woman he has to do the right thing by. When Damon and Elena are in the same room together, the sexual tension between them crackles and pops like a sparkler. And even when they aren't saying anything, the pair can carry on entire conversations through eye contact and body language. Damon loves her unconditionally without expecting anything in return because that's who he is. He loves her either way, human or vampire.

Alaric Saltzman
"I miss you too, buddy."

- Alaric to Damon in Memorial

Alaric is Damon's best friend. It started out antagonistic towards each other since Alaric knew that it had been Damon who had killed his wife but it later turned out that she wasn't dead and that she had in fact been turned into a vampire by Damon. From that point on, they have been shown as becoming closer and they often team up to fight the usual threats to the town. Alaric is the only one (other than Elena) to call Damon a friend. They are seen often drinking together; it's often seen that they do taunt each other as well though. Throughout the series, they become like brothers. Towards the end of Season 3, Alaric was turned into an Original Vampire by Esther and fed on Bonnie to complete his transition and then took the White Oak Stake from Bonnie. Alaric died in Damon's arms in season 3 finale, moments after Elena's death causing Damon to break down having lost his best friend. But when Alaric appears as a ghost we learn that he will always be watching over Damon. In the season 5 finale, Damon gives up his life to save their loved ones including Alaric whom were still on the Other Side, which causes Alaric much grief of losing his best friend.

Jeremy Gilbert
Jeremy is Damon's new roommate and Elena's younger adoptive brother/biological cousin. Their relationship is similar to the relationship Damon has with Alaric. It's complicated between them but Damon is a father figure to Jeremy. Even though Damon goes about things the wrong way, Jeremy knows he means well and has good intentions in helping people and trying to do the right thing. There are times when Damon has treated Jeremy like a little brother and is a mentor to him. After Alaric's death, Damon trains Jeremy in how to fight and kill vampires. There are even times when they protect each other. Damon does his best to keep Jeremy alive for Elena's sake as he is the only family she has left and multiple times when Damon has told Jeremy to kill him but he refuses to do so, proving they do care about each other. Currently, they have reverted back to enemies due to Damon's uncaring persona and that he held him hostage and had a hand in his near-death.

Lorenzo
"That's the problem, Damon. I don't wanna hate you. Because if I hate you then I have nothing left."

- Enzo to Damon in Man on Fire

Enzo is Damon's best friend. They were cellmates in 1953 where both of them were captured and used to be tortured by the Augustine society for scientific purposes. They both became close as they spend more time together. Enzo got an idea to free them from Augustine, however on the night when they executed their plan, Damon accidentally started a fire and was unable to free him. Damon then decided to turn off his humanity to escape the pain of leaving Enzo behind. They both meet again in 2011 and rekindle their friendship. In Season Six, Enzo tries to find a lead of how to get Damon and Bonnie back.

Other Relationships

 * Damon and Katherine (Ex-Girlfriend/Enemies)
 * Damon and Klaus (Partners in crime/Possible friendship)
 * Damon and Liz (Friends)
 * Damon and Caroline (Ex-boyfriend/Friends/Allies)
 * Damon and Rose (Former Girlfriend/Close Friends)
 * Damon, Elena and Stefan (Former Love Triangle)
 * Stefan, Damon and Katherine (Former Love Triangle)
 * Damon and Bonnie (Friends, Ex-Enemies)
 * Damon, Elena, and Alaric (Best Friends)


 * Damon and Andie (Former Girlfriend)
 * Damon and Elijah (Frenemies)
 * John and Damon (Enemies)
 * Damon and Rebekah (Ex-fling, Frenemies)
 * Damon and Sage (Former Friends/Enemies)
 * Damon and Kol (Enemies)
 * Damon and Charlotte (Ex-Girlfriend)
 * Damon and Meredith (Good Friends)
 * Silas and Damon (Enemy, Ancestor)
 * Aaron and Damon (Enemies)

Appearances
{{Scroll| {{Col-begin}}{{Col-3}}

A Darker Truth

 * A Darker Truth (Part 4)

Season 1

 * Pilot
 * The Night of the Comet
 * Friday Night Bites
 * Family Ties
 * You're Undead to Me
 * Lost Girls
 * Haunted
 * 162 Candles
 * History Repeating
 * The Turning Point
 * Bloodlines
 * Unpleasantville
 * Children of the Damned
 * Fool Me Once
 * A Few Good Men
 * There Goes the Neighborhood
 * Let the Right One In
 * Under Control
 * Miss Mystic Falls
 * Blood Brothers
 * Isobel
 * Founder's Day

Season 2

 * The Return
 * Brave New World
 * Bad Moon Rising
 * Memory Lane
 * Kill or Be Killed
 * Plan B
 * Masquerade
 * Rose
 * Katerina
 * The Sacrifice
 * By the Light of the Moon
 * The Descent
 * Daddy Issues
 * Crying Wolf
 * The Dinner Party
 * The House Guest
 * Know Thy Enemy
 * The Last Dance
 * Klaus
 * The Last Day
 * The Sun Also Rises
 * As I Lay Dying

Season 3

 * The Birthday
 * The Hybrid
 * The End of The Affair
 * Disturbing Behavior
 * The Reckoning
 * Smells Like Teen Spirit
 * Ghost World
 * Ordinary People
 * Homecoming
 * The New Deal
 * Our Town
 * The Ties That Bind
 * Bringing Out The Dead
 * Dangerous Liaisons
 * All My Children
 * 1912
 * Break On Through
 * The Murder of One
 * Heart of Darkness
 * Do Not Go Gentle
 * Before Sunset
 * The Departed

Season 4

 * Growing Pains
 * Memorial
 * The Rager
 * The Five
 * The Killer
 * We All Go A Little Mad Sometimes
 * My Brother's Keeper
 * We'll Always Have Bourbon Street
 * O Come, All Ye Faithful
 * After School Special
 * Catch Me If You Can
 * A View To A Kill
 * Into the Wild
 * Down the Rabbit Hole
 * Stand By Me
 * Bring It On
 * Because the Night
 * American Gothic
 * Pictures of You
 * The Originals
 * She's Come Undone
 * The Walking Dead
 * Graduation

Season 5

 * I Know What You Did Last Summer
 * True Lies
 * Original Sin
 * For Whom the Bell Tolls
 * Monster's Ball
 * Handle with Care
 * Death and the Maiden
 * Dead Man on Campus
 * The Cell
 * Fifty Shades of Grayson
 * 500 Years of Solitude
 * The Devil Inside
 * Total Eclipse of the Heart
 * No Exit
 * Gone Girl
 * While You Were Sleeping
 * Rescue Me
 * Resident Evil
 * Man on Fire
 * What Lies Beneath
 * Promised Land
 * Home

Season 6

 * I'll Remember
 * Yellow Ledbetter
 * Welcome to Paradise

}}

Stefan's Diaries
Damon comes home from the Confederate Army where he served with "General Groom's boys". He drinks and gambles as a human. Damon is often criticized by his father, or by his father to Stefan. Even though he is the second one to see Katherine, he is the first of the brothers to be with her. He wants to die rather than become a vampire but Stefan brings back the barmaid, Alice, for him to feed on. When they first turn, Damon is weaker than Stefan because he refuses to feed often. Damon often points out to Stefan that the blood is a weakness to him because it consumes him and makes him a killer, because he can't control his urges. Damon is better at compulsion than Stefan and it is assumed that Katherine taught him how to compel people. He kills Callie Gallagher, the daughter of a vampire hunter who captured Damon and used him as a circus act, when trying to kill Stefan.

Novels
As with the series, he initially serves as the main antagonist until the third book, where he becomes an anti-hero. In the books, he is born in Florence, Italy and is described as arrogant, charming and seductive, but he is known to keep his word. Ian Somerhalder's television portrayal is faithful to the handsome, hedonist of L. J. Smith's creation. Damon loves the undead life and all that it entails, and no one's ever quite sure if they should love him or hate him. He leaves countless broken hearts in his wake, but the heart Damon desires the most is Elena's.

Name

 * Damon is a masculine name the Greek origin, from the Greek δαμαω (damao) meaning "to tame" or "subdue".

Trivia

 * Damon's birthday is June 28 and is a Cancer. However his actual age is inconsistent with the show's timeline.
 * He was the first vampire in the show to have killed someone.
 * Damon is extremely fond of dancing.
 * Damon has a closet full of black leather jackets.
 * Damon's favorite bad word is "dick".
 * Damon doesn't like Taylor Swift but is willing to listen to her to impress girls.
 * Damon likes pickles.
 * Damon shares many attributes with other bad boy/rebellious vampires from other TV series' such as;
 * Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel
 * Eric Northman from True Blood.
 * Damon's favorite alcoholic beverage is Bourbon.
 * Damon's favorite clothing brand is John Varvatos.
 * Damon's favorite book is "Call of the Wild" by Jack London.
 * Damon read a bit of one of the Twilight books at Caroline's and hated it, while reminiscing Anne Rice's vampire novels. Also, he said Edward is whipped.
 * Damon is a descendant of Silas' Salvatore line.
 * Damon's ethnic background on the show is half-French (from his mother) and half-Italian (from his father). However, in the novels, both he and Stefan are full Italian descent.
 * Damon has read "Gone With The Wind" by Margaret Mitchell, a classic romantic novel.
 * Damon is a veteran of both the American Civil War (1861-65) as a soldier in the Confederate Army until 1864 and the US Army in World War 2 (1939-45) when he joined in 1942.
 * Damon owned a Blackberry Torch 9800 during Season Three, and a HTC Vivid during Season Four.
 * Paul Wesley, Michael Trevino, Zach Roerig originally auditioned for the role of Damon
 * Damon can cook as seen in Children of the Damned.
 * Damon mentioned that he attended college at one point.
 * The first powers Damon was seen using are no longer on the TV show because they were considered too supernatural. They were controlling fog, flight, and using a crow to spy on people. The crow died in the same episode as Zach, early on in season one.
 * In the books, Damon is constantly shown as a very strong and powerful vampire. He has many powers and it is always noted that he really is an exceptionally powerful vampire. In the show, he is as strong as an average vampire of his age, but he is not compared to others like in the books. All of his unique powers are rarely shown in the show, nor is how he is naturally powerful compared to others: However, he was an Augustine Vampire at one point, which granted him considerable more power than he had previously had before he was returned to normal..
 * In the books, Damon is considered by others as very dangerous, sadistic, and cruel. In the series, Damon is manipulative and cruel, but changes to help Elena in the search for information about Katherine and protects her from being taken by Klaus; he helps protect Elena from constant hazards and makes a promise that will keep them safe and away from the tomb; Caroline as Damon gives his blood to her to prevent her death.
 * Damon, at one point, had sexual relationships with seven recurring characters:
 * Katherine Pierce had a sexual relationship with him in 1864. After her return, they nearly had sex but were interrupted when Katherine declared she never loved him.
 * Lexi Branson had a one night stand.
 * Isobel Flemming had an affair with him before and possibly after he turned her into a vampire.
 * Caroline Forbes was compelled by him to be in a relationship with him.
 * Rose slept with him after they both got drunk and developed true feelings for her.
 * Rebekah Mikaelson had a two night stand.
 * Elena Gilbert had both a romantic and sexual relationship with him starting in 2011 and ending with his death in Home.
 * Damon shows friendship and loyalty to Elena, Stefan, Alaric, and Jeremy.
 * Damon and Stefan are roughly 350 years younger than their novel counterparts.
 * Damon was the second vampire to be bitten by a werewolf after Rose and before Katherine, and the second to be cured, after Katherine.
 * Damon is comforted by Elena in his "final moments" similar to how Damon comforts Rose in hers, both because of werewolf bites.
 * Damon in the books loves being a vampire and he tried to return to that state when he was accidentally turned into a human; Damon in the series seems to love his hedonist life style as a vampire but, as he said to Jessica, he misses being human beyond anything else.
 * Damon has kissed a Petrova Doppelgänger in Four season finales. He kissed Katherine in the first season finale, and Elena in the second, fourth, and fifth season finales.
 * Damon is the fourth character who kills Elijah, following Alaric, Elena, and Klaus.
 * Damon has become friends with every character he failed to kill except Klaus.
 * Damon's death in Home makes Elena Gilbert, his girlfriend, the last vampire made with his blood.
 * Damon was of 173 years when he died in Home.
 * Damon usually wears black.
 * Damon and Stefan are the only characters who have appeared in all episodes.
 * He is connected by blood with both Petrova Doppelgängers: Elena and Katherine. He was turned into a vampire by Katherine's blood and Elena was turned into a vampire with Damon's blood.
 * Damon has given names to most of the characters.
 * Damon often makes references to the characteristics of other characters by nicknames.
 * Elena - Pouty, Buffy, Warrior Princess, Scaredy Cat, Judgy, Stone Cold Bitch, Baby.
 * Stefan - Shady Stefan, Saint Stefan, Superman, Beefcake, Stefan: the Hero, Stef.
 * Katherine - Psychotic Doppelgänger, Evil Vampire Slut, Smiley, Evil One, Kitty-Kat.
 * Caroline - Blondie, Vampire Barbie, Judgy, Prudy Trudy, Munchie, Meryl Streep, Sexy Blonde Frenemy.
 * Bonnie - Witchy, Judgy, Wicked Witch of the West, Medusa, Bon Bon.
 * Jeremy - Van Helsing, Karate Kid, Big Jer, Little Gilbert, Pocahontas.
 * Matt - Busboy, Quarterback, Prom King, Wonder Boy.
 * Tyler - Wolf Boy.
 * Rebekah - Barbie Klaus, She-Devil, Original sister, Goldilocks, Sexy Bex, Scaredy Cat.
 * Mikael - Papa Original.
 * Rose - Rosebud
 * Connor - The New Guy, Mr. Busybody Guy, Bible salesman.
 * Amara - Crazy Pants.
 * Nadia - Eurobitch, Devil's Spawn.
 * Mary Porter - Scary Mary.
 * Liv - Crazy Locks.
 * Enzo-Butter Fingers.
 * Atticus Shane - Professor Creepy, Professor Shady Pants, The Nutty Professor, Witchipedia.
 * Wes - Professor Blondie, Doogie, Professor Forbes, Dr. Frankenstein.
 * Jesse - Killer, Sweetie.
 * Vanessa - Hottie.


 * Damon has turned three regulars into vampires with his blood, Vicki, Caroline and Elena. He also turned Isobel, Bill and Abby. This makes him the most used vampire in the show to be seen turning people into vampires.
 * Out of the three regulars that he turned, Vicki, Caroline and Elena respectively, he killed only Vicki. Caroline was suffocated by Katherine and Elena drowned, because of Rebekah.
 * Damon is the only known vampire who's blood was used to turn a mother and daughter into vampires, Isobel Flemming and her daughter Elena Gilbert.
 * He's the only known vampire that had other vampires sired to him.
 * Charlotte and Elena Gilbert are the only known sired vampires.
 * He slept with three members of the Petrova family. He first slept with Katherine Pierce (Katerina Petrova), and second with Isobel Fleming, and finally he slept with Elena Gilbert.
 * Out of all the characters in the TV series, he has had sex with the most women.
 * Damon is the only character closest to most of Elena's family members.
 * Damon has been in danger in every season finale.
 * In Season 1, Damon was nearly killed in the burning house.
 * In Season 2, Damon was nearly killed by werewolf venom.
 * In Season 3, Damon was nearly killed by Evil Alaric.
 * In Season 4, Damon was once again nearly killed by werewolf venom.
 * In Season 5, Damon is killed and his ghost is on The Other Side when it is destroyed, his fate left unknown.
 * Except for the Originals and Marcel, Damon was the oldest known living vampire, as Katherine became human.
 * Damon was the first out of the main trio to be an antagonist.
 * He was the first vampire in the show to have known to have a sire bond.
 * He is the only vampire to have compelled someone via eye-contact and no verbal command. It is unknown why, but this method of compulsion hasn't been used again.
 * Damon became an Augustine Vampire and began feeding on vampire blood in the episode Total Eclipse of the Heart. He's later cured in While You Were Sleeping.
 * In No Exit, Enzo was turning humans into vampire's to feed Damon, every 8 hours. He later fed on both Enzo and Elena/Katherine.
 * In While You Were Sleeping, Damon (and Elena) were cured of the ripper virus, making them normal vampire's again. The cure was given to them by Enzo.
 * Damon dies in Season Five finale, Home because of the explosion and is unable to return back from the other side in time.
 * His fate along with Bonnie, is left unknown at the end of the finale.
 * In the books, Damon has the ability to shape-shift into a crow and wolf. In the series, Damon can control a crow and the mist but they were removed from the plot early on.
 * In the books, Damon owns a black Ferrari, and in the series, a blue 1967 Chevy Camaro convertible.

Tropes

 * Damon Salvatore/Tropes

Quotes
Damon's Quotes