Matt Donovan ~ "I'm glad you pulled it together. The thing is, Ty, I get it, alright? We've all been through so much that it's bound to make us a little crazy. But I was thinking, you know, watching the way all those cops honored her today, I want to be a part of something like that. So I talked to one of the deputies, and he gave me an application. There's this, uh, officer training program. Seems pretty cool, you know, like something I'm supposed to be a part of. I got one for you too".

Matthew G. "Matt" Donovan is the son of Kelly Donovan. He was born and raised in the town of Mystic Falls. Matt is the ex-boyfriend of both Caroline Forbes and Elena Gilbert, as well as the brother of Vicki Donovan. After the death of Elena's parents, Elena broke up with Matt because she lost interest in him, although Matt still cares about Elena deeply and they've managed to maintain a good friendship. At the beginning of the series, Matt struggles with his sister, Vicki, because she becomes a vampire but then tragically dies. He begins dating Caroline Forbes and encourages her to become a more caring, kind and selfless young woman. However, Caroline soon breaks up with him after her transition into a vampire. Upon learning about the existence of supernatural creatures, he begins to distance himself from the Mystic Falls Gang, but eventually starts to help his friends defeat enemies that cause terror in their hometown, and also fixes his friendship with Caroline. He also becomes a Medium like Jeremy Gilbert. He began a brief relationship with Rebekah Mikaelson at the end of Season Four.

His best friends are Elena Gilbert, Jeremy Gilbert, Tyler Lockwood, and Bonnie Bennett. He is also close friends with Caroline Forbes.

Matt is everyone's definition of the "everyday man". He is the most "normal"; he does not possess any supernatural attribute, nor any supernatural artifact that makes him stand out of the rest of humanity and he wants it to stay that way (at least until he was given the Gilbert Ring previously worn by Jeremy). He is, however, aware of the supernatural world and has more than had his fair share of skirmishes with them in the past.

Matt is often seen by some people as a person who only cares about the sport, however, he is just the opposite, Matt is strong because he wants to protect his family and friends from the dangers that threaten them every day.

As far as personality goes, Matt is loyal, headstrong, and down-to-earth. According to Vicki, Matt is the "golden child" of their family, with a good future ahead of him. These qualities make it very hard for others not to like him, and he has captured the hearts of several females throughout the series.