Tyler Lockwood is a bit of an odd character in Season 1, only Damon, Stefan, Elena, and Bonnie knew about the supernatural.
However, sooner or later, all of Elena Gilbert's friends became in the know, and the show started to progress. In Tyler's case, though, the character teetered on a very fine line between tragic and unlikeable, with the fandom unsure of how they felt about Tyler and his storylines.
Felt Bad - When His Mom Died
One of Tyler's biggest storylines on the show was his ongoing feud with Klaus Mikaelson, one of the Original vampires and the first hybrid to boot. It's fair to say, then, that Klaus was extremely powerful and definitely not one to be messed with.
Unfortunately, it seemed that Tyler did not get the memo, as he spent the majority of Season 4 de-siring Klaus's hybrids so that they could be free. Klaus was forced to kill all of his creations and so for revenge, he killed Tyler's mom in a devastating twist for the character.
Hated - When He Returned To Being A Jerk
So much happened in Season 5 of the show. Almost all of the main cast died and got sent to the other side. Fortunately, thanks to Bonnie Bennett, they all came back to life, including Tyler. However, Tyler soon realized that he had come back as a human.
This meant that he didn't have to transform every full moon, which was great, but it also resulted in Tyler's anger issues manifesting again. This was proved in the Season 6 premiere, where Tyler had a go at Alaric Saltzman for accidentally bumping into him during a party.
Felt Bad - When His Uncle Died
The second season of The Vampire Diaries was one of its best, as it juggled a lot of interesting plot points while giving each arc room to breathe. One of these storylines was Tyler bonding with his Uncle Mason, one of the few positive male role models in his life.
It's no secret that Tyler hated his dad, and to be fair, it's easy to see why. Tyler's father was an abusive bully who constantly made Tyler feel small and humiliated. When Mason arrived, he respected Tyler and was kind to him, but wasn't afraid to set him straight either. His death hurt Tyler deeply.
Hated - His Pre-Werewolf Anger Issues
Although most of the main cast remained in the dark regarding the existence of the supernatural during Season 1, they were all still decent, likable people, even Caroline. The one exception was Tyler Lockwood, who honestly struggled to make any friends at all.
Part of it can, of course, be blamed on the Lockwood family curse that causes them to have problems with anger management. The other part is that Tyler was just a nasty, spiteful little bully who really didn't like being challenged and was jealous of his friends.
Felt Bad - When He Saw How Painful His Transformation Would Be
One mystery that plagued Tyler throughout Season 1 was his uncontrollable temper. At first, he was just a stereotypical jock with anger management problems. However, it was revealed over the course of the season that something else was responsible.
In Season 2, it was revealed that Tyler came from a long line of werewolves. Why Tyler accidentally killed someone, he and Caroline watched Mason's recordings to see what it would be like. The result scared Tyler so much he collapsed into Caroline's arms, absolutely terrified.
Hated - When He Left Caroline
Caroline and Tyler were once one of the hottest couples in Mystic Falls. Both characters had undergone incredible emotional development, as they went from two of the least likable people on the show to two strong, confident, and sweet individuals who stood up for their friends.
However, their relationship started to fracture during Season 4, as Tyler embarked on a mission to take down Klaus and his hybrids once and for all. This resulted in Tyler going on the run, but he still refused to let his hatred for Klaus go, and broke Caroline's heart in the process.
Felt Bad - When Damon Killed Him
Unfortunately, it's fair to say that as The Vampire Diaries went on, Tyler became less and less relevant to the main plot, with the character departing in Season 6. However, that wasn't the complete end of Tyler, as he made several guest appearances in Season 7 and 8.
In Season 8, things were not looking well for the Mystic Falls gang. Damon and Enzo were under the control of a vindictive Siren. To stop Stefan trying to save him, an emotionless Damon resorted to killing Tyler to finally get his message across.
Hated - When He Kissed Matt's Mom
Most of the 'bad' entries on this list are from Season 1, and for good reason. Tyler was a complete and utter moron. He was angry, rude, brutish, and just incredibly selfish. The werewolf curse might have helped, but underneath it all, this was Tyler at his worst.
Matt Donovan was soon the only real friend Tyler had left after he had alienated the rest of Mystic Falls. However, Tyler burned this bridge down as well. After he had been drinking, he made out with Kelly Donovan, Matt's mom, causing Matt to give up on them both.
Felt Bad - When He Had To Kill Liv To Survive
Liv Parker was first introduced as a grumpy but extremely talented witch dedicated to making sure that the Travellers didn't eradicate magic once and for all. In Season 6, she had chilled out a bit and started a flirtatious relationship with Tyler.
The two were surprisingly cute together, as they balanced out each other's more negative qualities. However, in the season finale, they were caught in an explosion and severely injured. In order to save Tyler's life, Liv told him to take her life so that Tyler could live on as a werewolf.
Hated - When He Didn't Help Caroline
In Season 2, Caroline and Tyler were in very similar situations. Caroline had to get used to her new life as an immortal vampire with heightened emotions, and Tyler had to cope with his painful transformation into a werewolf every month.
They both decided to help the other, but complications soon arose when Tyler discovered Caroline had lied to him. Shortly after, Caroline was taken by the wolves. Tyler helped get her back, but she was taken hostage at gunpoint by Jules, and Tyler did nothing but watch.