What Happened To Damon After The Vampire Diaries Ended

On The Vampire Diaries series finale, Stefan Salvatore injected his brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder) with the cure — but what happened to the bad boy turned anti-hero in the years that followed? The supernatural drama ran for eight seasons and featured an ensemble cast consisting of vampires, werewolves, witches, hybrids, doppelgängers, and sirens. The show spawned two spin-offs, The Originals, and Legacies. Several Vampire Diaries characters have appeared on one or both shows, including Alaric Saltzman, Caroline Forbes-Salvatore, Tyler Lockwood, Jeremy Gilbert, Jo Laughlin, and Matt Donovan. While Somerhalder didn’t reprise his roles on The Originals and has yet to make an appearance on Legacies, the shows have dropped some Easter eggs, giving fans some clues about Damon’s life following the events on The Vampire Diaries.

The Vampire Diaries series finale erupted into a showdown between Katherine Pierce, who, following Cade’s death, became the ruler of Hell. Damon decided to sacrifice himself to ensure Katherine died, but at the last minute, Stefan injected Damon with the cure for vampirism and took his place. Damon was reunited with Elena after Bonnie broke Kai’s sleeping spell. In the final moments of the episode “I Was Feeling Epic,” Elena writes in her journal that she went to medical school, returned to Mystic Falls, and that she and Damon lived a long and happy life together.

On The Originals, Damon isn’t mentioned, but on the season 4 episode, there is a shot of a sign that reads “Elena Salvatore, M.D.” This confirms what viewers already knew about Elena: she had become a physician, and she’s also married to Damon. On Legacies, season 1, episode 10, “There’s a World Where Your Dreams Come True,” Damon is referenced several times. A Jinni grants Lizzie Saltzman several wishes that create alternate universes. In one, The Salvatore School is in a state of disrepair and short on funding and students. Josie Saltzman tells her sister, “I mean, Damon Salvatore has been as generous as he can be, but he and Elena have kids of their own that they need to take care of.” In the same episode, but in a different reality, Josie mentions that Stefanie Salvatore’s dad gave Alaric a watch. In both scenarios, Damon has kids with Elena, but that could be the result of the Jinni’s magic and has yet to be confirmed. On the season 2 episode “This Christmas Was Surprisingly Violent,” Lizzie tells Sebastian that the 1969 Chevy Camaro convertible she’s driving was a sweet sixteen gift from their dad’s friend. That friend is Damon.

Alaric and Damon weren’t on the best of terms during the final season of The Vampire Diaries, but they’ve appeared to have made amends since Damon gave Alaric Stefan’s watch and Alaric’s daughters his beloved muscle car. Still, they aren’t the drinking buddies they once were. It seems as if Damon may have traded in his flashy wheels for something a stay-at-home dad might drive. During season 6, Damon mentioned owning a bar somewhere in the northwest, but since he and Elena are currently residing in Mystic Falls, maybe he opened a local watering hole instead.

What fans may not remember is that on The Vampire Diaries season 6 episode “I’ll Wed You in the Golden Summertime,” Stefan warned his brother he would be in danger if word ever got out that he had the cure running through his veins. Any vampire who wanted to become human could drink Damon’s blood, which holds the cure, and turn him into a “172-year-old corpse.” Damon and Elena’s decision to remain in Mystic Falls may have something to do with their best friend being a powerful Bennett witch who probably created some type of cloaking spell or found another way to keep the word from getting out.

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