All of the characters on Damon Salvatore went through.
He Damon was a master of either trying to do the best thing or worst thing in any situation, but what were his most villainous and most heroic moments throughout the show?
Was The Hero: Telling Klaus It Was All Him
One of the most consistent aspects of Damon as a character was that he would royally screw things up, make everyone mad, and ruin all of their plans, and then he'd do anything that he could to fix what he ruined.
This was one such instance, as when the Mystic Falls gang comes up with a plan to stop Elena from dying, Damon disagrees and forces her to drink his blood. When he realizes his mistake, he does whatever he can to screw up Klaus' plans for the ritual, and then tells Klaus what he's done.
Was The Villain: Using Caroline
Caroline may have been an annoying girl in the earlier seasons of The Vampire Diaries, but that still doesn't justify the fact that Damon used Caroline as his errand girl and abused her horribly.
Caroline had a romantic interest in Damon which he used to his full advantage, and even if he was looking for a way to get at Elena or Stefan, his mistreatment of Caroline was insanely undeserved.
Was The Hero: Going After Elena, Stefan, And Klaus
When it looked like Damon was on death's door, the elder Salvatore sporting a werewolf bite that everyone believed couldn't be cured, Stefan agreed to leave Mystic Falls with Klaus in exchange for the cure.
Of course, Damon couldn't leave his baby brother hanging, nor could Elena, so while Damon was doing what he could to bring Stefan back, he also intervened when Elena went after him herself and put herself in great danger.
Was The Villain: Turning Vicki
There are many instances where Damon does the wrong thing or is clearly the bad guy. But turning Vicki into a vampire is one of his worst villainous acts because not only is it a terrible thing to do, but there was no reason for him to do it.
As he explains to Vicki, he literally did it out of boredom, which is just about the worst excuse for getting someone killed that there could possibly be.
Was The Hero: Doing Anything To Save Katherine
Granted, Katherine was one of the worst villains in Vampire Diaries history, and Damon ultimately fell completely out of love with her. However, there is something to be said for the fact that Damon was completely loyal and devoted to Katherine for his entire vampire life.
And while many of the things that he did in service of rescuing Katherine from the tomb were terrible, it's undeniable that he would have done absolutely anything for her.
Was The Villain: Attempting To Kill Jeremy
When Damon realized that Katherine had not only been free from the tomb for the past decades, but that she barely cared for him and had no interest in resuming their relationship, he was understandably devastated. And when he expressed his feelings to Elena afterward, he obviously didn't handle it well.
However, snapping Jeremy's neck was not the right way to handle his emotional issues, and had he not been wearing the Gilbert ring, Jeremy might have been dead for good.
Was The Hero: Doing Anything To Save Elena
There are very few people in the world that Damon Salvatore likes, let alone loves. But one thing that is undeniable about his character is that when he loves someone, he loves them as deeply as possible.
Katherine was the focus of his devotion for most of his vampire life, but once he fell for Elena, he showed her the same kind of loyalty, coming to her rescue and doing whatever he needed to do in order to keep her safe and happy many times.
Was The Villain: Killing Lexi
Stefan doesn't have many close relationships either, but one of the most important people in his unnaturally long life was his best friend, Lexi Branson.
So then, it was exceptionally cruel for Damon to kill Lexi, especially when his reasoning behind it (that he needed a fall guy to get the Founder's Council off his scent and make them believe that they'd already found the vampire threatening their town) was so shoddy.
Was The Hero: Trying Sacrifice Himself Instead Of Stefan
At the very conclusion of the series, it looks like the entire town of Mystic Falls is going to be destroyed. But of course, the Mystic Falls gang comes up with a plan to stop it, the only problem is that someone has to stay behind to make sure that Katherine is gone for good.
And although Stefan is the one who ultimately does the deed, Damon makes it clear that he's ready to sacrifice his life for his brother and their town.
Was The Villain: Leaving Enzo To Die
Unfortunately, when it comes to a character like Damon, he will both do everything he can for those he loves but will treat them horribly on occasion as well.
And while he's killed and hurt many, when he left Enzo behind to die in the Augustine fire, it was really his lowest moment as a person. Enzo kept him sane and alive, and Damon didn't do the same for Enzo.