It’s been eleven years since The Twilight Saga came to an end. And though the franchise has faded a bit from the culture zeitgeist, it hasn’t disappeared completely. When the movies were first released, I was fully on board the Twilight trend, attending midnight screenings and owning more merch than one person should. And yet, I’ve never watched all five movies back to back until this weekend.
Maybe it’s because I’m older now, but I felt myself analyzing the movies in a way I never have before. I’m not the only one to have some wild theories about Twilight, but this one is pretty depressing since it’s about Edward and his lack of interest in fulfilling Bella’s wish of being a vampire.
We’re Supposed To Believe Edward Loves Bella
From the very beginning, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is set up as Bella Swan’s (Kristen Stewart) one true love. They’re instantly drawn to each other, and their love (or codependency) becomes even stronger when Edwards confides in Bella about his true identity. I don’t know about you, but the iconic scene where Bella tells Edward she “knows what you are” has lived in my head rent-free since 2008.
Watching Edward and Bella overcome obstacles and near-death experiences was the definition of true love and had an entire generation of fans in a total frenzy, wishing for our own caring vampire boyfriend. After all, there’s no denying Edward cares about and loves Bella. He puts his family’s life in jeopardy when he tells her the truth about them and regularly puts her own needs above his own — going as far as disappearing for months because he thinks Bella would be better off without him.
It was impossible to go anywhere in the late 2000s and early 2010s without spotting a Team Edward shirt or tote bag for that exact reason. But does Edward really love Bella as unconditionally as he says he does? I’m not so sure anymore.
But Does He Love Her Enough To Spend Eternity With Her?
I know I said there’s no denying that Edward cares about and loves Bella, and I stand by that statement. But after my latest rewatch, I can’t help but feel that Edward might not feel as forever about Bella as she feels about him.
An overarching plot point of all five movies is that Bella wants to be turned into a vampire so she can spend eternity with Edward. The idea of living without him is worse than death in her mind, which becomes clear in New Moon. We’re supposed to believe that Edward shares that same wish, and yet he constantly comes up with excuses as to why he can’t and won’t give Bella what she wants.
Let’s start with Twilight. The emotional climax of the first movie centers around Bella being hunted by James. After cornering her in a ballet studio, James manages to bite Bella’s wrist. With vampire venom coursing through her, it would have been easy for Edward to nurse Bella through the pain and have her finally join him in eternal life. Instead, Edward puts both their safety in jeopardy and decides to suck the venom from Bella’s body to keep her human.
Ignoring the weird vampire science behind this move, the real problem with it is that they both could have gotten what they hypothetically wanted if Edward hadn’t intervened. After all, Bella doesn’t really care who turns her as long as she gets to be a vampire, and Edward allegedly doesn’t want to be the person responsible for inflicting the pain. Instead, both end up losers.
So, what gives? Why didn’t Edward let the venom transform Bella? Well, he claims it’s because she deserves to be human for as long as possible, but I think our dreamy vampire begins to have second thoughts about having to be tied to Bella for eternity.
I Don’t Think So!
Eternity is a long time, and as Twilight shows, vampires seem to mate for life. At least, that’s the case for the Cullens. Perhaps Edwards’s apprehensions about turning Bella are less to do with his own complex feelings about vampires and his fear of “destroying her soul” and more to do with his own fears that he won’t always love her.
This trend continues throughout the rest of the movies, too. In New Moon, he leaves Bella hoping she’ll move on from him, despite also knowing that she’s hopelessly in love. Originally it reads as romantic, but now I’m getting mixed feelings. Even when they’re finally reunited, it takes a family vote to convince Edward that turning Bella is the right thing to do. He reluctantly agrees, but only if she’ll marry him first.
Now, I see how Edward’s proposing marriage might make it seem like he’s serious about spending forever with Bella, but let’s not forget Edward originally proposed waiting five entire years before he turned Bella. Maybe the informal marriage proposal in New Moon was a way to appease Bella’s stubbornness and give him an out since getting Charlie’s permission would be an uphill battle.
Even when Edward does formally propose to her, both at the start and end of Eclipse, the wedding doesn’t happen immediately. Certainly, if he was willing to spend eternity with her, he’d want to get started on that right away. Not to mention turning Bella into a vampire in Eclipse might have put her life less at risk when they’re hunted by Victoria and her newborn Vampire boyfriend, Riley.
And don’t even get me started on Breaking Dawn. Sure, they finally get married, but Edward still refuses to turn Bella into a vampire. They spend at least two weeks on Isle Esme, and yet Edward never once brings up starting Bella’s transformation. It would have been the perfect location. Free from wandering eyes and wouldn’t violate the treaty the Cullens have with the Quileute tribe in Forks. But nope!
He doesn’t even consider changing her when she becomes pregnant with their half-human, half-vampire creepy baby. While there’s a possibility this would have endangered her life more, it’s wild to me that it’s never even talked about.
In the end, Edward waits until the very last moment, when Bella literally dying as a result of childbirth, to turn her. And he doesn’t even have to bite her, inserting a syringe full of his venom directly into her heart instead. I don’t know about you, but that sounds way more traumatic than just letting her turn into a vampire after James’s bite.
Maybe this is just an area where the book and movies are different, but there’s no denying that the movies show Edward over and over being willing to lose Bella for eternity rather than turning her into a vampire so they can spend forever with each other. I don’t know how we all missed it, but now that I realize it, I’m starting to think Team Edward isn’t the right side after all.
I don’t blame you for not believing me, but I implore you to rewatch The Twilight Saga yourself and see if you come to the same conclusion. The complete saga is currently available to rent on places like Prime Video. While you’re there, check out some other best movies that are available on Prime Video.
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