Damon Salvatore and Alaric Saltzman had a complicated relationship throughout The Vampire Diaries. They were initially bitter enemies, then drinking buddies, then unlikely friends. They have fought together against countless supernatural threats but they have also fought against each other with fatal consequences.
Damon and Alaric’s friendship is one of the show’s most popular pairings. However, like most of the relationships in Damon’s life, it’s not without its toxicity. Here are ten reasons why Damon and Alaric aren’t real friends.
10 Damon Killed Alaric Multiple Times
Alaric’s resurrection ring had dire consequences in season three, but without it, the history teacher would have perished long ago. Damon kills Alaric in season one but his ring revives him. This isn’t the only time Damon has killed his best friend, however, as he has counted on the magic of the ring far too often to revive Alaric after he lashes out.
Damon may consider Alaric to be his best friend but this doesn’t spare Ric from the worst parts of the vampire’s behavior. He has demonstrated a complete disregard for Ric’s life and well-being on more than one occasion.
9 Damon Turned Alaric’s Wife Into A Vampire
Alaric Saltzman comes to Mystic Falls as a full-time history teacher and part-time vampire hunter. He believes his wife Isobel – who also happens to be Elena’s birth mother – was murdered by a vampire, but soon discovers she was instead turned by none other than Damon.
This is a huge hurdle for Ric to overcome in his friendship with Damon. Alaric loved Isobel and Damon is responsible for turning her into a vampire and destroying their marriage. Although he didn’t know Ric at the time, Damon ruined his best friend’s first opportunity to have a normal life.
8 Alaric Almost Killed Damon
Alaric’s multiple brushes with death come back to haunt him in the third season of The Vampire Diaries. The history teacher develops a dark alter-ego determined to kill all vampires. He allies with Esther, the mother of the Originals, who transforms him into an Enhanced vampire capable of killing even Klaus.
Alaric pursues Damon in his hunt for the Originals and almost kills his old drinking buddy. However, Elena’s death and transformation into a vampire sever Alaric’s connection to life and kill him… temporarily.
7 They Have Very Different Moral Compasses
Alaric is a compassionate character who does what he can to protect Elena, Jeremy, and the rest of the people in Mystic Falls. Although Damon has shown that he is capable of heroism, he has also murdered countless people without remorse. His moral compass couldn’t be more different from his best friend’s.
Damon gradually redeems himself throughout the series and sacrifices his life for the town. This doesn’t erase all of his bad deeds or the multitude of innocent lives he took, however, something which Alaric should have difficulty accepting.
6 Damon Is A Vampire And Alaric Is A Vampire Hunter
To say that Damon and Alaric have opposing professions would be an understatement. Alaric comes to Mystic Falls as a dedicated vampire hunter and Damon is a vicious vampire. Their natures alone put them at odds with one another.
Alaric’s hatred of vampires wanes throughout the series but his past puts him at odds with the Salvatore brothers. Considering how different Damon and Alaric are from each other, it is astonishing they ever became drinking buddies – and best friends – at all.
5 Damon Uses Alaric For Company
Damon’s attitude isolates him from the people around him and he is not the most popular person in Mystic Falls. Although he considers Alaric to be his best friend, it is fair to suggest that the vampire just uses him for his company. Damon and Alaric became drinking buddies out of convenience rather than mutual respect.
Until his redemption, Damon uses the people in his life and values them only when they can provide him with something he needs. Alaric provides him with a drinking companion and the occasional voice of reason, which the vampire often disregards.
4 They’re Both Loners By Nature
Damon and Alaric are not as social as Elena, Caroline, and the rest of the Mystic Falls gang. They are solitary by nature, but particularly Damon, who has spent over a century alone pining for Katherine. Although they hang out occasionally, both characters generally prefer to be alone.
The friendship between Damon and Alaric is nothing like the friendship between Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie. The Mystic Falls gang has similar interests and enjoys socializing whereas Damon and Alaric’s partnership was established from convenience.
3 Alaric Made Elena Forget About Damon
After Damon’s death, Elena struggles to cope with the grief of losing her boyfriend. Alaric, who is resurrected as an Enhanced vampire following the destruction of the Other Side, intervenes and helps his pseudo-stepdaughter again by compelling her to forget all about the older Salvatore.
This enrages Damon and damages his relationship with Elena, especially after Ric becomes human again and cannot compel Elena to remember. Ric’s actions prove that, although he considers Damon a friend, Elena still means more to him.
2 Damon Compelled Alaric Against His Will
Damon has taken liberties with the residents of Mystic Falls before on The Vampire Diaries. In season six, he compels a newly human Alaric to investigate his new girlfriend Jo. Although Damon’s suspicions are valid, this angers Ric and temporarily drives a wedge between them.
Damon compels Alaric and takes his choices away because he believes he knows what is best for his best friend. He does the same thing to Elena whilst she is human, putting him at odds with his brother who understands that part of being human is having free will and making your own choices.
1 Damon Nearly Killed Alaric’s Daughters
Damon’s redemption arc is nearly undone in the final season of The Vampire Diaries. After accidentally releasing Sybil, Damon is ensnared by the siren’s spell and reverts to his old ways, killing countless people and endangering the lives of his loved ones. He puts Alaric’s daughters in danger which prompts his best friend to nearly stake him through the heart.
This greatly hurts their friendship and the two never fully recover from this moment. Damon nearly killed Ric’s children. Had he succeeded then there would be no going back for their friendship.
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