Stefan Salvatore has had a terrifically rocky road on The Vampire Diaries, proving once and for all,+ that being immortal is no cakewalk. Stefan has been a steady fan favorite for all 9 seasons and his ‘nice guy’ arc earned him a lot of love as fans rooted for a happy ending for him. Stefan, however, does not get one since he gives up his life so his brother could find happiness, but the conclusion of his arc had a redemptive quality about it.
Stefan had both good and bad traits and some of the most controversial storylines on the show, from his violent Ripper episode to his relationship with Caroline (the latter divided his fandom rather significantly). Some of the stormiest and most unpopular opinions about these can be found on Reddit.
10 Was Stefan The Better Salvatore?
The TVD fandom has largely been divided over whether Damon or Stefan was the better man for Elena. But this Redditor points out that broadly speaking, Stefan was definitely a better, more self-aware person who had been working on curbing his vampiric urges long before he met Elena.
Damon, on the other hand, only felt the need to work on his toxic patterns for Elena, at least to be able to be in her life. This Reddit thread simply argues that while Damon was the better man for Elena and was a great ally to her, Stefan was the bigger man on a more subjective level since he worked towards the greater good consistently.
9 Stefan, The Manipulator
In the first season, TVD shows Stefan in a much better light than Damon; while Damon was the erratic, bad-boy vampire brother who wants to sabotage his brother’s relationship, Stefan has been largely projected as the brooding, troubled lead with a dark past and good intentions. But this Reddit post brings up some arguments that establish Stefan as someone quite sketchy.
It can’t be denied that he stalked Elena for months and inserted himself into her life when she was the most vulnerable (post her parents’ death). Not to mention he also withheld information from her, be it about his past or her connection to Katherine, all of which could have led Elena to decide that she didn’t want him in her life.
8 The ‘Steroline’ Problem
The TVD fandom has had a lot of opinions about Stefan and Caroline getting together and pursuing a relationship; many fans claimed that they just could not see the chemistry and they were better off as friends. This Redditor identifies a problem with how the ‘Steroline’ romance was designed.
The truth is both Stefan and Caroline had a lot going on in their lives when they decided to date each other, so their romance was put in the backseat and didn’t get enough attention or even enough screen-time. The romance between Stefan and Elena, on the other hand, was the central storyline for the first two seasons, which makes Stefan and Caroline’s arc seem quite half-baked and somewhat uninspiring.
7 Is Stefan A Better Lover?
This is a controversial opinion considering Damon talks a big game and possibly has had more sexual partners than Stefan. But this Redditor actually lines up evidence that suggests that Stefan is perhaps a better lover than Damon and was more skilled in such matters.
The Redditor points out that Katherine, Elena, Rebekah, Caroline have all at some point during the show expressed that Stefan is a superior lover. It would also explain why non-human Elena was drawn to Stefan and expressed an interest in pursuing sex since she already knew about his prowess.
6 Elena Didn't Love Stefan
‘Stelena’ fans may find this opinion to be too controversial but this certainly adds up, everything considered. This Reddit post claims that when Elena and Stefan pursued a relationship the grieving Elena was simply looking for a safety net and she may have been drawn to Stefan since he felt safe. He had saved her life once and he was immortal, which meant he would never abandon her like her parents.
This is not to say that she did not love Stefan but this Redditor points out that the reason why she was so affected by her attraction to Damon was that it was so different and intense since she claimed that her love for Damon ‘consumes’ her. Her feelings for Stefan were certainly not the same and it’s entirely possible that she was confused about her feelings for Stefan and didn’t perceive him as a romantic partner.
5 Klaus Wanted To Share A Special Bond With Him
This Redditor makes some claims that could come across as a bit of shock, considering how Klaus has treated Stefan. The Reddit post claims that Klaus wanted to be Stefan’s friend, and perhaps thought they both shared a kinship considering Stefan’s history as the Ripper (somewhat of an inconsistency).
The way he was obsessed with Stefan in season 2 and turned his humanity off to turn him into his ripper companion definitely suggests that Klaus, much like his sister Rebekah, wanted to cultivate a special kind of bond with Stefan. Considering Klaus’ violent history, the only way he and Stefan could be friends was if he was removed from his sense of humanity and Klaus did exactly that. Klaus did have other bigger motives as well, but establishing a friendship with Stefan was also something he looked forward to.
4 The ‘Good’ Brother Argument
Stefan and Elijah’s arc shares a few parallels; they’re both widely deemed to be the ‘good’ brother, less likely to go off on a bloody rampage at a minor inconvenience, and are also perhaps more in touch with their humanity. This distinction was played up in the show to establish a contrast between Stefan and Damon and Elijah and Klaus.
But this Redditor claims that both Elijah and Stefan are just as ruthless and violent as their siblings and have demonstrated very similar sociopathic tendencies. But they're simply better at hiding this duality and are less vocal about their vengeful side (unlike Klaus or even Damon at times) and keep their true feelings under wraps which often makes them look ‘nobler’ than their respective siblings.
3 Stefan & Caroline < Stefan & Elena
Stefan and Caroline had a great foundation of a friendship which made it easier for them to transition into a couple and envision a future together, although many fans would prefer to see Caroline with Klaus. Their chemistry was realistic, earthy, and developed quite organically; Caroline was a parent at this point and Stefan was keen to include her daughters into their lives. It became obvious that they both considered each other family and when Stefan proposed, he, in fact, tells Caroline that she’s like family to him.
But this Redditor believes Stefan’s feelings for Caroline were less intense than his feelings for Elena and that he was colder towards Caroline. Moreover, he sacrificed his life so Damon could have a life with Elena, which in turn devastated Caroline since she was left a widow. Perhaps there’s some truth to the fact that Stefan simply cared about Damon more than anyone else, but there’s no evidence to suggest that he didn’t value Caroline as well.
2 Just Some Me-Time
Stefan Salvatore’s arc ends with his death and though he gives up his life for his brother’s happiness and thus does acquire a kind of redemption, fans largely believe he also deserved happiness and bliss. This doesn’t necessarily mean a romantic happy ending or even a new relationship, but his storyline could easily have been more fulfilling.
This Redditor points out that Stefan desperately needed some time away on his own, away from Mystic Falls (perhaps for self-reflection or travel) and it would have been far more rewarding than sacrificing his life for his brother’s happiness.
1 The Forgotten Main Lead
It’s a fact that the TVD pilot was designed to fit Stefan’s narrative; he literally says the words, “I am a vampire and this is my story.” But by the time the first season ended it was obvious that the story was unraveling from Elena’s perspective and centered around her and not Stefan; this shift was quite significant but was never addressed by the writers.
This Redditor expands upon this loophole and drives home the point that Stefan was indeed the forgotten main character because the focus gradually shifted away from him, and Elena and Damon’s story took over the entire premise, and by season 7 writers were treating Stefan like a secondary lead.
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