Here's Why The Vampire Diaries Fandom Hates Matt So Much (And Why It's Totally Unnecessary)

Everyone hates Matt, but is this hatred justified? The fans have taken to Reddit to prove why he was not so bad.

Remember Matt Donovan?

For those who have not binged The Vampire Diaries recently, here is your reminder that Matt was played by Zach Roerig. Throughout the course of the series, he becomes an ex-boyfriend to several main characters, including Elena, Caroline, and Rebekah, and even becomes engaged to Penny until he accidentally kills her.

His personality could be best described as loyal, determined, and eager to protect the innocent. His character, however, has often been stated to be boring. Yet, despite having no supernatural powers and being surrounded by magical beings, he continues to fight for what is right, undeterred, and fearless. When we first meet Matt, it is difficult not to like him. But that changes over time, as fans on Reddit have pointed out.

'I didn't enjoy how much he hated [Stefan and and Damon] in season 6 and for me his character flips and flops in the last 3 seasons to fully hate him. I really liked him in the beginning though,' one fan said.

So why all the hate?

Matt was likable at first. But it seems that viewers did not enjoy the changes in his character's motivations and personality that went with it. It seems that this stems from Matt shifting from being someone many fans could relate to, into someone with an almost irrational hatred of vampires that seemed to come out of nowhere.

‘I hated him a lot especially on the last seasons but I don't hate him as much now. I realized it's probably because he's a vampire hater in a pro vampire show. So even though the vampires are honestly the bad guys they're my(and most peoples)favorite characters so I'm always rooting for them,’ one fan pointed out.

The essence of the fan hate for Matt clearly seems to be his being at odds with who the fans want to cheer for over the course of the series. And a frequent criticism from fans seems to be the lack of clear reason for his vicious hatred of the vampire characters.

Why the hate is unnecessary

Matt need not fear, because there are many fans of The Vampire Diaries that have leaped to his defense. Reddit is a haven for differing opinions, and when it comes to Matt, that is no exception. Even among those who profess to not hate him, the views are widely mixed.

Some feel his attitude toward the vampires was justified and the hate directed at him was utterly misplaced. Others admit feeling Matt could not be hated as he did not contribute a great deal to the show overall.

But most fans do tend to agree that he became far less a likable character as time went on.

Sources: Reddit.