In the world of relationships with Stefan and Elena evolved over time, but it seemed like Damon always wanted to project this image of the crazy, impulsive vampire, even if that image didn't match who he really was.
So with that in mind, in what ways did Damon stay true to himself consistently throughout the entire course of the show? And in what ways did his character seem to be very inconsistent?
Inconsistent: Being Selfish
One of the biggest ways in which Damon is incredibly inconsistent is in his selfish behavior.
On the surface, Damon seems to automatically look out for himself, but he has moments of self insight where he realizes that he wants to sacrifice his own wants for the sake of someone else, and he has also shown an innate instinct to make the biggest sacrifices for the people that he loves the most.
True To Himself: Going After What He Wants
Regardless of how anyone feels about the way Damon goes about getting what he wants, he deserves credit where credit is due.
Once he has his eye on something he wants, he will do whatever it takes to get it, and for however long it takes. Most guys wouldn't spend over a century going after one certain thing, but in Damon's own mind, there is no other option.
Inconsistent: Acting Out
Damon is someone who is seriously lacking in impulse control, and when he starts feeling emotionally agitated in any way, his first impulse is to lash out at the nearest available victim.
On many occasions though, he does go out of his way to try to rein in those impulses, and his attempts at self control have varied success, so no one ever knows which version of Damon they're getting.
True To Himself: Obsessing
Damon's fixations can change pretty quickly depending on the circumstances, but one thing is completely undeniable about his character.
Whatever it is that he has fixed within his sights, that's all that he can see. Once he has decided on what or who it is that he's going to care about at any given time, that becomes the only thing in the world that truly matters to him, and it takes a lot to break his obsession with it.
Inconsistent: Being The Bad Guy
At the beginning of The Vampire Diaries, Damon was kind of the worst. He was really one of the main villains of the first season, and he seemed to take great delight in being the bad guy.
But as time went on, it was clear that this joy at being the monster wasn't all that it seemed. At different times Damon seemed to like it, hate it, or just do it because he thought he had to. But either way, his feelings about being evil were wildly inconsistent.
True To Himself: Hating Being The Bad Guy
A vampire who lacks impulse control and who is willing to do anything to get what he wants is a pretty dangerous combination, and that combo has resulted in Damon seemingly doing a lot of things that he regrets in his life.
He tries to move on from it, but one thing that is completely clear throughout the course of the series is that try as he might, he can't forget the regrettable things he's done.
Inconsistent: Caring About People
Damon is a character who loves extremely intensely, but he seems to run very hot and cold as well. Take Katherine for instance, he was obsessed with her for literally longer than most human lifetimes, but once he realized that she betrayed him, he got over her and moved on to someone new pretty quickly.
And that attitude doesn't stop with Katherine. Damon can be even more brutal to those that he claims to care about, like Stefan, Elena, Enzo, or even Bonnie.
True To Himself: Trying Not To Care
While Damon might be someone who experiences love in the most extreme way possible, he will do everything in his power to avoid that fact when it becomes inconvenient or dangerous to him.
He'll even go so far as to turn off his humanity to dodge that pesky feeling of love that he might feel towards someone else, usually to disastrous results.
Inconsistent: Loving Katherine
It's hard to even know if what Damon felt for Katherine could be called love. He was definitely fixated on her beyond anything or anyone else, but the fact that his feelings changed so abruptly and so dramatically once he realized that she had abandoned him would make it seem like "love" might not be the right word to describe their relationship.
And every time they came face to face with one another, it was hard to know how Damon was even going to react.
True To Himself: Loving Stefan
Regardless of the fact that their relationship and lives, both human and vampire, were absolute train wrecks, one thing about Damon Salvatore as a character is clear.
His love for his brother never changed or went away, no matter how hard Damon tried to rid himself of it. These two are the ultimate ride or die brothers, and Damon had to love Stefan from the day he was born to the day he died, whether he wanted to or not.