Grey's Anatomy Derek Shepherd's Transformation Over The Years (In Pictures)
The incredibly handsome neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd was one of the main protagonists of the hit medical drama Grey's Anatomy that has had a record run on ABC for 16 long years and counting. It is gearing up for its 17th season this year.
Patrick Dempsey's 'McDreamy' was a brilliant surgeon, but his personality went through several phases, from desperately romantic and elegant to toxic and even egotistical.
10 Season 1: McDreamy
In season 1, Dr. 'McDreamy' was very much the stuff of dreams, sweeping the young starry-eyed surgical intern off her feet.
Derek was sweet and quite the Prince Charming in the first season of the popular medical drama before complications started arising both in his personal and professional lives.
9 Season 2: Dashing & Disturbed
In the first season finale, the dreamy doctor at Seattle Grace is revealed to be married to a successful and attractive obstetrician. It's also revealed that his wife has cheated on him with his best friend, the exceptionally sexy Dr. Mark Sloan.
Derek is seen conflicted over forgiving and getting back with his wife and getting together with Meredith. He has a natural conscience, which makes it difficult for him to walk out on his wife, who seems genuinely sorry for what she did.
8 Season 3 & 4: Overcoming Obstacles
Derek experiments with dating other women, as he and Meredith hit some rocky ground in their relationship.
He also undergoes a clinical trial to find a cure for malignant brain tumors, building on Meredith's research. Derek's ego shows when he refuses to let Meredith have her fair share for bringing her ideas for the trial to the table.
7 Season 5: On The Verge Of Giving Up
Derek has a few difficulties at work when he makes a mistake during surgery that leads to the death of a patient. He goes through a phase of depression when he starts questioning the right or wrong of everything a surgeon does.
Given how much power a doctor has over a person's life and death, it is perhaps natural for someone like Derek to mull over such things. However, he manages to get over his depression and things take a turn for the positive when he and Meredith decide to take their marriage vows.
6 Season 6: Trauma Strikes
One of the most important seasons for the brilliant neurosurgeon, Derek finds himself manipulating his way into becoming Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace, which seems rather uncharacteristic of him.
The season ends with Derek being shot by the grieving husband of a dead patient, who holds him responsible for his wife's death. Derek handles the shooter with surprising clarity of mind until the bullet actually pierces through him.
5 Season 7: Moving On
Derek goes through a phase of somewhat spiritual understanding when he realizes the value of life after being miraculously saved by Cristina Yang during the hospital shooting. He is the only one who is patient enough to give Cristina time to get over her post-traumatic stress following the incident. He also delves into medical research and once more embarks on a clinical trial for Alzheimer's.
He is shocked to find that the trial had been tampered with by Meredith and their relationship becomes rocky yet again. However, it's also at this time that Derek takes a huge step forward and decides to adopt little Zola, indicating that he is looking to put down some roots in life.
4 Season 8: Toxic Older Brother
Derek's complicated past and his relationship with his youngest sister who had a drug problem is revealed and the former is strangely dismissive of Amelia's achievements and her drive to help her patients.
He is seen disparaging her when he should be supportive and keen to help his baby sister. His relationship with his sister is a testament to the fact that Derek too has had a difficult family for all his elegance and suavity. He is also shown to have lost his dad at a young age, which forced him to grow beyond his years and take care of his family.
3 Season 9: Important Decisions
Derek has to get over the shocking death of his best friend Mark Sloan, following the devastating plane crash of the season 8 finale. He also has to come to terms with the possibility of losing his million-dollar hand as an aftermath of the crash.
Derek decides to take responsibility for the hospital when circumstances threaten that it might have to shut its doors forever. He and the other senior doctors come together to pool their resources, the compensation received from the airlines after the crash, and decide to buy the hospital. From a smooth and sexy brain surgeon, Derek has now gone onto become one of the owners of the hospital itself.
2 Season 10: Conflicted
Derek is deeply conflicted when he has to give up an amazing opportunity of working with the White House for his life in Seattle. He initially believes he can come to terms with it, but eventually decides to move, expecting that Meredith too would uproot her life for him.
He is shown to be entitled and egotistic, and often getting into fights with his wife while he is making this important decision. His inability to see beyond himself hurts his relationships, especially with Meredith.
1 Season 11: At Peace
Derek has a bit of a meltdown when he decides to take the plunge and move to DC without Meredith to lead a White House project for mapping the human brain. He even ends up nearly cheating on Meredith once there. However, the love story of Derek and Meredith could hardly end with McDreamy being such a jerk.
Fans are aware that right after Derek finally found some clarity, he was killed shockingly in a car accident, but not before ripping the audience's hearts out and saving the lives of multiple people who would have certainly died without his timely help.