Elena Gilbert was the beating heart of The Vampire Diaries. The resident of Mystic Falls was a doppelganger, which meant that she unwittingly became a part of the supernatural world since her birth. Elena became the key to everything, but it was her kindness and empathy that made her so loved in the show, as well as with audiences.
For Elena, her family and friends were the most important. Her feelings for both Stefan and Damon Salvatore were intense, which put her in a position where she had to choose between them. Therefore, Elena's character arc was packed with memorable moments of love, sacrifice, generosity, and strength, unlike any other character in The Vampire Diaries.
10 Elena Accepted Stefan as a Vampire and Was Vulnerable With Him
Elena's attraction to Stefan was instantaneous, but she did not know that he was a vampire. When she did find out, she had a visceral reaction to it, and fear got the better of her. However, Elena's love for Stefan won out in the end, and she reached out to Stefan, letting him know that she accepted him as he was.
Even when he tried to tell her to go for her safety, Elena did not listen. She had decided that she wanted Stefan in her life, and it was commendable that she could be so vulnerable even after everything she had been through. This was the first time they got intimate, marking the beginning of their relationship in one of the best Stefan and Elena episodes.
9 Elena Kissed Damon When He Was Bitten by a Werewolf
In what is considered the most important Elena and Damon episode, Elena initiated her first kiss with Damon when he was on the brink of death. Damon had been bitten by a werewolf, and with no cure in sight, it looked like he had reached the end of the road.
In a moment of compassion and kindness, Elena decided to give him a farewell kiss because she knew what his feelings for her were. It may have been a parting gift for Damon, but Elena definitely felt something when she kissed him. This was a pivotal moment that made her realize that she may also feel for Damon, along with Stefan.
8 The Denver Road Trip Kiss
A quality that served Elena but also held her back was her desire to do the right thing. She was innately a good person, but she often repressed her own wants and needs in the pursuit of being morally correct. This was why fans loved it when Elena broke these shackles and gave into her feelings at the motel in Denver, where she and Damon had come to look for the bloodlines of the Salvatores.
By that point, it was obvious that Elena loved Damon deeply and couldn't tolerate being apart from him any longer. They made out passionately on the motel balcony, marking the beginning of their budding love story in earnest, without the compulsion of the supernatural or regular kind.
7 Elena Trained to Become Stronger
For far too long, Elena had been considered weak and an easy target by everyone in Mystic Falls. It was not her fault that, as a doppelganger, she was the key to breaking spells which made her wanted by powerful supernatural creatures. In response to being victimized and injured for too long, she took the decision to train and become stronger.
Elena decided to take Alaric's help for this. Running, self-defense, weight training, and endurance were only a few of the techniques she perfected with Alaric, which made her less endangered against Klaus, the Travellers, and every other entity after her. It also proved how disciplined and independent the young teen could be, and she became quite a threat after she learned to use weapons.
6 Elena Made Sure Matt Lived Even if It Meant She Didn't
Elena's selflessness was her greatest trait, and she proved this in the most dire moments in The Vampire Diaries. Elena and Matt got driven off of Wickery Bridge, mirroring grotesquely the accident she was in with her parents in the same location. This time, however, she did not allow Stefan to save her first.
She made sure that he took Matt to the surface first, even if it meant that she would drown and die. At the time, Elena didn't even know that she had vampire blood in her system. She was ready to lay her life down for her friend, but because she had vampire blood in her, Elena died and came back to life as a newborn vampire.
5 Elena Was Sure That Her Love for Damon Was Real and Not Because of the Sire Bond
Turning into a vampire changed Elena's life irreversibly — and also her feelings. At the end of Season 3, she had chosen Stefan over Damon, but as a vampire, she was inclined towards the older Salvatore. Damon helped her transition from human to vampire, but this also led to the unfortunate formation of a sire bond between them.
Still, Elena proved that her love for Damon was real when she was kidnapped by Rebekah and Klaus and asked if she truly loved Damon. She made it amply clear that a sire bond did not drive her feelings for Damon, and she had loved him when she was human and even more as a vampire.
4 Elena's Epic Fight with Katherine
Having the same face did not mean that Elena and Katherine saw eye to eye. In fact, Katherine was always out to get Elena, though she was not prepared for Elena's new reflexes as a vampire. When the older vampire attacked Elena at Mystic Falls High School, she did not think that Elena would fight back lethally.
Eventually, Elena gained the upper hand in the riveting fight, pulling a shocking move that nobody saw coming. Elena jammed the cure to vampirism into Katherine's mouth and made sure that she swallowed it, which essentially sapped her of her abilities and saved Elena's life. It was one of her most awesome and badass moments on The Vampire Diaries.
3 Elena's Alternate Reality With Stefan
Many Stelena fans still had their hopes up in Season 5, and Markos' alternate reality featuring Elena and Stefan fueled it further. Here, Elena and Stefan had an ordinary but sweet meet-cute; they were both human, Elena's parents were alive, and they led a happy life together. Stages of their romance, like Elena moving in with Stefan, getting married to him, and having children with him presented viewers with a glimpse into what could have been.
As doppelgangers, Elena and Stefan were destined to fall in love because of a Traveler spell, and fans loved to see a light, happy, and untraumatized version of Elena. It was the life she could have had without the existence of vampires, witches, and wolves.
2 Elena's Farewell and Sacrifice for Bonnie
When Kai cast the sleeping beauty curse on Elena, she was faced with the impossible. As long as she remained asleep, Bonnie would be able to live. Once Bonnie's lifetime ended, only then would Elena be able to wake from her slumber. Yet again, she proved that she would do anything for her friends, even if it meant leaving her entire life behind so Bonnie could live.
She gracefully accepted her fate and had some very touching goodbyes with Damon, Stefan, Tyler, Jeremy, Alaric, Bonnie, and Caroline. They were able to communicate with her telepathically, indulging her in one last dance or a last boxing match to remember them by. It was heartbreaking to see Elena go, but also one of the most poignant moments on the show.
1 The Reunion With Damon and Elena's Family
Fans breathed a sigh of relief when Elena returned in the series finale of The Vampire Diaries. After several hints and teases, she made a triumphant return to Mystic Falls, where she got to meet Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, and Caroline after years of being asleep. Watching Bonnie figure out a way to bring Elena back and Elena finally waking up was a tear-jerking moment.
Things got even more emotional when the show narrated that Damon and Elena lived long and happy lives as humans, eventually going to some version of heaven. There, Elena met Jenna, her parents, and John Gilbert decades after she lost them. Family was the one thing Elena loved the most and lost tragically early, and watching her meet them again in the afterlife was heartwarming.