| “ | I can't atone for my mistakes if I keep making them. I love her. I don't wanna drag her down with me. | ” |
— Stefan about atonement in It's Been a Hell of a Ride
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Stefan Salvatore was one of the two main male protagonists of The Vampire Diaries. Stefan was a 171-year-old cured vampire and the distant descendant and doppelgänger of Silas. Stefan was born and raised in the supernatural town of Mystic Falls, Virginia and came of age during the time of the Civil War. Stefan was the youngest child of Giuseppe Salvatore and Lillian Salvatore. He had an older brother, Damon Salvatore, who is also a cured vampire and whom he shared a strained relationship with, stemming from the appearance of Katherine Pierce in which they fought over whilst human.
Stefan had 3 children with Alexandria Gilbert before he died. The oldest of the 3 triplets is Jax, Nina, and the youngest, Lily Salvatore. He is also the paternal uncle of Grayson, Sarah, and Stefanie Salvatore.
During the years following his transition, despite the help from close friend Lexi Branson, Stefan has constantly battled with his bloodlust, and during the 1900's after "falling off the wagon" due to Damon's unhealthy influence, he widely became known as the Ripper of Monterey due to his inability to control his blood thirst. For a brief time, Stefan was romantically involved with the Original, Rebekah Mikaelson, and shared a close friendship with her brother, Niklaus.
After many years away, Stefan returned to his hometown of Mystic Falls to visit his distant nephew, Zach. Stefan then saw Alex Gilbert and Elena Gilbert for the first time while rescuing them after their parents' car drove off Wickery Bridge. After finding their personal records and observing her from afar, Stefan determined that Alex and Elena was definitely not Katherine. Still, he was strongly intrigued by Alex and decided to pose as a new transfer student at Mystic Falls High School to get to know her. They were instantly drawn to each other and they immediately bond, beginning a romantic relationship shortly afterwards. However, despite them becoming romantically involved.
Stefan's life has been fraught with constant change and various complications: from falling in love and being with Alex to mending his complicated relationship with Damon; from sacrificing his freedom for his brother's life to growing apart from Elena after her transition to a vampire, and suffering the guilt that came from making a split-second decision that resulted in Elena becoming a vampire.
He is best friends with Lexi Branson until her death (now reunited in death), he is also best friends/his wife Alex. He was also close friends with Bonnie Bennett, Caroline Forbes and Elena.
Throughout the series, outside forces threaten those he loved and what he most desired: a normal, human life.
Stefan was apart of the Salvatore Family. He also had ties with the Petrova Family, Gilbert Family, Labonair Family, and Mikaelson Family.
Early History[]
Human Life[]
Stefan Salvatore was born on November 1st, 1846, on Veritas Estate in what would eventually become the town known as Mystic Falls, Virginia. He is the youngest child born to Giuseppe Salvatore and Lillian Salvatore. He is the younger brother of Damon Salvatore. In 1851, when Stefan was five years old, during a Thanksgiving dinner in the Salvatore Estate with his parents and brother, his father confronted Damon about money that was taken from his bureau, believing his oldest son to have been the thief. Young Stefan witnessed as his father burned Damon's hand with a lit cigar as both a punishment for lying and stealing. Unknown to Stefan, it was actually his mother who took the money, trying to flee from her husband with her sons. Damon mentions that in October 1852, he broke Stefan's nose trying to teach him how to throw a right hook. In 1858, his mother Lillian became very ill with tuberculosis (also known as consumption). Deciding not to spend any time with her while she was ill, he instead did whatever he could do to avoid her, such as walking into Mystic Falls and getting the tea she liked or picking out her favorite flowers. Whereas he pretended that he was doing it for her, Stefan was actually in denial about her impeding death and in fact, was afraid to see her in such a sick and grave condition. Sometime later, Giuseppe sent her away but then ended up dying. Stefan mentions that he would have given anything to have spent one more day with her before her death. Flashbacks show that Stefan felt extreme guilt for the death of Lillian. Giuseppe had sent Stefan to retrieve a remedy to help with Lillian's illness. Stefan felt guilty because he felt that he did not retrieve the remedy fast enough before Lillian was then sent away to a TB ward where she ended up dying. Unknown to Stefan, she ended up turning into a vampire. The death of his mother was something that Stefan never got over and he never really moved on from her absence. Stefan was very close to Lillian as a child, so much that Damon himself even referred to Stefan as being a "mama's boy". It's strongly indicated that Stefan was Lillian's favorite son and that between the two brothers, Stefan was the son she shared a closer bond and relationship with. After his mother's passing, Stefan lived with his father and his brother Damon. Stefan is seven years younger than Damon. Despite the semi big age difference between the two brothers, Stefan grew up to be the best of friends with Damon and had even said that Damon was his best companion, despite having other friends growing up since his childhood. Going by flashbacks, it is evident that Stefan was also Giuseppe's favorite son, and that Stefan had a rather close and good relationship with his father, the complete opposite of Damon, who appeared to have had a rather strained and tension-filled relationship with Giuseppe. Personality wise, Stefan was seen to be kind, caring, compassionate, introverted, intelligent, well-spoken, responsible, dutiful, noble and an overall respectable young gentleman.
Throughout The Vampire Diaries Series[]
Season One[]
Stefan was first seen as a mysterious, handsome and new high school student at Mystic Falls High School. He was born and raised in the town of Mystic Falls and had just moved back to town, where he lives with his nephew Zach in the Salvatore Boarding House (he lived in Salvatore Estate). Zach refers to him as "Uncle Stefan", even though Stefan looks significantly much younger. When Stefan first arrives at the high school, all the girls are irresistibly attracted him and want to gain his attention.
It is at the high school that Stefan inevitably and fatefully meets Alexandria Gilbert, who bears an unusual, and striking uncanny physical resemblance to Stefan's past love from 1864, Katherine Pierce. Upon meeting each other, Stefan and Alex are instantly, undeniably drawn to each other and the two instantly connect. Over a gradual period of time, Stefan and Alex bond, fall deeply, passionately in love and eventually develop a romantic relationship. According to Caroline Forbes, Stefan's favorite color is blue. Stefan wears a large, silver ring made from enchanted Lapis Lazuli stone (a stone which was enchanted by Emily Bennett back in 1864) that allows him to walk around in the sunlight without burning. Unlike Damon, who drinks human blood and feeds off of innocent people, Stefan has chosen a vegetarian diet, living on an animal blood diet.
His best friend, and supposedly one of his few friends, was a vampire named Lexi Branson. In 162 Candles, it was mentioned that she visited him every year on his birthday, and this was the only day he allowed himself do any crazy or stupid stuff. He has jumped naked into the Trevi Fountain and he has also got drunk on a tour to the Statue of Liberty. When Damon killed her, he was furious. He was thinking about killing Damon. He instead let him off with a warning, staked him, but missed the heart on purpose.
It is revealed that it was Stefan who rescued Elena and Alex from the car crash which killed their adoptive parents he tried to rescue them too, but he was too late.
When Damon turned Vicki Donovan into a vampire, Stefan tried to teach her the ability of self control but she couldn't handle it. She ran away and went to the Halloween Party at school, but when Vicki was threatening Elena, Alex, and Jeremy's life, Stefan had to kill her. He has a bitter relationship with his older brother Damon.
They overcame some of their differences when they tried to free Katherine from the tomb, but after they opened it, they discovered she wasn't there. When Damon learned that Katherine wasn't there and that she had never really loved him he was heartbroken, leaving both Stefan and Alex to do their best to comfort him. In Let The Right One after the vampires were released from the tomb, a vampire named Frederick and some other vampires kidnapped Stefan and tortured him and tried to kill him. Harper tried to protect him, but they tied him up. He was saved by Damon and Alex.
They killed most of the vampires, but because Harper tried to help Stefan, he told Damon not to kill him. Alex gave Stefan some of her blood so could be stronger Frederick put a stick into him and almost killed him but Stefan was faster then Fredrick and killed him. But then he became addicted to human blood, and drank it behind Alex's back.
When Damon told Alex what he was doing, they got into a fight. Stefan then attacked Amber, a girl in the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. He drank her blood and almost killed her but was stopped by Bonnie when she cast a spell on him. Damon and Alex then locked Stefan up in the basement to try to get him back to normal.
In Blood Brothers, Stefan felt really guilty about all the things he had done and thinks that Damon did was his fault since he forced Damon to turn into a vampire. He also told Alex how he and Damon became vampires. Stefan felt so guilty that he tried to take his ring off and was about to commit suicide, until Alex convinced him not to do it. When they came back, Damon told him two things. 1: What Damon does isn't Stefan's fault, it's Damon's. 2: Damon still hates Stefan, but not because he forced him to turn into a vampire. He hates him because he wanted Katherine all to himself.
In Founder's Day, when the tomb vampires was about to attack the during the Founder's Day festival, Stefan was affected by the device when John Gilbert started it like all other vampires in town. He was about to be taken by a deputy, but Alaric, Elena, and Alex came when Stefan was spotted, Alaric sent the deputy to towards another vampire instead of Stefan, saving his life. after they discovered that Damon had been taken, Stefan and Alex asked John were Damon was, he told them where they could find Damon; Stefan saved Damon with some help from Bonnie.
Throughout The Originals Series[]
Season Three[]
In A Streetcar Named Desire, Stefan goes with Klaus to the compound so he can ask Freya to help him hide from Rayna. While Elijah and Klaus discuss the events that are going on, Stefan tells Freya he dated Rebekah for a little bit and she puts a herb paste on that will keep Rayna from tracking him. He asks what is going on and Freya tells him about the white oak bullets and the sireline situation. Afterwards, Stefan appears when Marcel, Alex, and Lucien are talking about their lives being tied to Klaus and that his is in danger as well. He and Lucien plan an attack, but they end up throwing banter at each other and Freya tells them she has a way to get them and she wants to use Lucien. After Freya magically snaps Lucien's neck, Stefan thanks her and they begin their plan. Stefan and Alex are in the trunk of the car Marcel is driving and they talk. She tells him about her daughter and he shows her a picture of him and Alex. While talking, Stefan peels off the paste and Rayna instantly comes after the beacon. Before the others can save Klaus from the spell, Davina finishes it and Lucien, Marcel and Stefan began to feel a burning and the sireline is broken. Afterwards, Stefan is seen sitting outside near the tomb Klaus put Aurora in and he asks if this will be the last they will see of each other. Stefan tells Klaus he needs to do right by Alex and that she cares for him, as she went out of her way to help. They then bid farewell to each other and Stefan leaves.