The Vampire Diaries: 5 Times Elena Should Have Dumped Stefan (& 5 He Should Have Dumped Her)

Stefan and Elena fans may have been devastated by the fact that their characters weren’t endgame on The Vampire Diaries, but was it surprising? Not really. There were just too many obstacles that got in the way every single time they tried to give it a go. His vampiric identity. Katherine. Klaus. Damon…

Surprisingly, Stefan and Elena only broke up four times (basically every season they dated). However, many other incidents in the show also suggested why the pair weren’t perfect for each other. Would you like some examples? Keep reading to see the 5 moments Elena should have dumped Stefan (& the 5 moments Stefan should have dumped her).

10 When Stefan Revealed His Vampiric Nature

It’s not every day that you find out your boyfriend is a 171-year-old bloodsucking vampire, but when has Elena’s life been anything but ordinary? While Elena had been initially scared about the discovery, she was quickly able to get over it and insisted that she could cope with all the supernatural events.

However, by continuing to date Stefan she had placed all her family and friends in danger. If Stefan left town as he planned, Caroline wouldn’t have been turned into a vampire. If Elena insisted they stayed broken up, the likes of Jenna and Vicki would have been alive. Life would have been much easier for Elena if she sent the Salvatore brothers packing.

9 When Elena Kissed Damon

Over the series, Elena was seen to kiss Damon several times while she was somewhat involved with Stefan. The first time Elena kissed him was in season 2 when she believed that Damon was on his death bed. At this point, Stefan had jumped town with Klaus in exchange for the hybrid saving his brother’s life.

She also kissed Damon in season 3 while they were looking for a way to bring Stefan home. No matter how much Stefan tried to deny it, Elena clearly had feelings for Damon. After the Katherine situation, it wouldn’t have been surprising if Stefan chose his brother over Elena this time. After all, blood is thicker than water.

8 The Katherine Saga

It’s not surprising that Elena and Stefan took a mini-break in season 2 after Katherine made her grand return to Mystic Falls. The Petrova doppelganger made her feelings for the couple known when she tried to split them up by threatening their family and close friends.

However, Elena should have broken up with Stefan in season 1 when she found the portrait of Katherine. While Stefan said Damon lied about him being on the rebound, that wasn’t the complete truth, otherwise he would have got rid of the picture. It doesn’t help his case that Elena is a descendant of Katherine. Anyone else would have thought he had a stalker-ish complex and ended the relationship there and then.

7 When Elena Slept With Damon

While Stefan did break up with Elena at the beginning of season 4 because of her feelings for Damon, he was heartbroken to discover how quickly she moved on. In “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” Caroline was the one to tell Stefan that Elena and Damon were already a couple and had slept together one day after the break-up.

In the real world, if anyone found out that their ex had already moved on within 24 hours of their break-up, any sense of respect flies out the window. It just served to make Stefan feel like their relationship meant nothing to him and that she was just waiting for someone better to come along. It should have instantly squashed any feelings Stefan had for her.

6 When Stefan Failed To Take Her To The Founders’ Ball

Another issue where Elena should have probably called time on their relationship was when Stefan failed to escort her to the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. In the nineteenth episode of the first season, Stefan was seen to struggle with his bloodlust and was excessively drinking human blood.

Stefan told Damon and Elena that he had it under control. However, while everyone was preparing for the Ball, Stefan kidnapped another contestant and almost caused a scene. Elena had told Stefan how the Ball was important to her because of her parents’ legacy and he just disregarded this. So not only did Stefan lie to her, but his selfishness almost ruined the day for her.

5 When Elena Said She Wanted To Be Human

Another incident where Stefan should have called time on his relationship with Elena was back in season 2 when she insisted that she wanted to stay human. This all came about after Damon forced his blood into Elena’s system after the older Salvatore said he didn’t trust Elijah to save her life.

On what Elena believed to be her last few hours as a human, she told Stefan that she didn’t want to become a vampire at all. While Stefan would never force Elena into something she didn’t want, it did put a time limit on their relationship. If Elena was to stay human, she would grow old where Stefan wouldn’t. Stefan also wouldn’t have been able to give her the family she dreamed of because people would have noticed his immortality.

4 Stefan’s Fling With Rebekah

Stefan and Elena had already broken up by the time the younger Salvatore brother began hooking up with the original vampire. However, if Elena had decided that she had made a rash decision in jumping into a relationship with Damon and wanted to get back together with Stefan, this probably would have been a final nail in the coffin (hypothetically speaking).

When Elena found out that Stefan and Rebekah were somewhat of a thing, she was shocked (and a bit jealous). Rebekah was the one who was responsible for her becoming a vampire. She had also been taunting Elena over the lack of control she had over her bloodlust and tried to kill her on several occasions. Stefan was literally sleeping with the enemy and didn’t even care.

3 Elena Gave Up On Stefan

Again, Stefan should have called time on his relationship with Elena when the human doppelganger began to give up on him. As fans know, Stefan was forced to turn off his humanity switch by Klaus, which caused him to be indifferent to those around him.

For the first part of season 3, Elena was desperate to have Stefan back. However, as Stefan began to insist that he didn’t want his humanity back, Elena said that she was willing to give him up and let him go. When she also admitted to growing closer to Damon, fans could see the clear hurt in his eyes. It was like Elena couldn’t accept him at his worst.

2 When Stefan Threatened To Kill Elena

The worst thing that Stefan ever did to Elena occurred in season 3 when he threatened to kill her. As aforementioned, Stefan’s humanity switch was turned off which made him indifferent to Elena’s feelings for him. Instead, his attention was directed towards Klaus and bringing his cronies down with him.

However, he ended up putting Elena at risk when he threatened to turn her into a vampire and drive her off the same bridge her parents were killed on. You would have to be a cold-hearted individual to remind someone of the worst time of their life, especially when this was Elena’s biggest regret. The fact that he even contemplated doing this should have been the final nail in the coffin.

1 When Elena Chose Damon

It’s not that Stefan should have dumped Elena at this point, it’s more that he should have let her go when Elena chose Damon. After four years, the love triangle between Elena and the Salvatore brothers came to a close when the new vampire finally chose to take a chance on Damon.

However, season 5 saw a new spanner thrown into the works when Qetsiyah stated that Stefan and Elena were destined to fall in love. Stefan also admitted in season 5 that he had been waiting around for Damon and Elena’s relationship to fail. He wouldn’t be able to move on properly unless he put some distance between them and himself.

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