As the decision was made to kill Damon, played by Ian Somerhalder, Kevin Williamson, one of the show’s creators, finally decided to spare him and put Stefan to death instead. “It felt like killing Stefan freed him from a weight while leaving Damon alive allowed him to be free and be the man he was always meant to be.“, explains Julie Plec.
Note that the death of Stefan and Damon has also been considered. “The boys would have sacrificed themselves to save Elena, so that she could live a human life”, says Julie Plec. An option that was abandoned with the departure of Nina Dobrev from the series.
