Twilight: 5 Inspiring Things Edward Did (& 5 Times Fans Felt Sorry For Him)

Edward Cullen is the main love interest in the Twilight series, and with Midnight Sun set to release this August, fans have renewed interest in the character. Edward might seem like he’s just an attractive romantic lead, but he actually has a rather interesting past and some complicated moments throughout this series.

As a character that many fans fell for, there are some moments from the saga that fans were inspired by Edward as well as times where they felt sorry for him.

10 Inspiring: Saving Bella From James

One of the most dramatic moments from the series happens at the end of Twilight. When Bella goes to meet James in the empty ballet studio, she’s doing so to try to save her mother. Edward gets there in the nick of time to save her life from the sadistic vampire, and it’s clearly a rather traumatic moment for him as well as for Bella. He even finds the ability within himself to suck the poison out of her blood without killing her which is quite impressive.

9 Felt Sorry: When He Thought He Was Damned

If there’s one consistent through-line with Edward’s view of himself, it’s that he believes that he’s damned to hell because he’s a vampire. He thinks that he is something almost evil because of this, and he has a lot of self-loathing. While Bella, and also many fans, believed he should be judged on his actions over anything else, it was sad that he believed he had no soul.

8 Inspiring: Trying To Leave Bella So She Could Be Safe

One of the most heartbreaking moments in the series is when Edward breaks up with Bella and leaves with the rest of the Cullens.

At the time, he truly doesn’t seem to care about her anymore, but fans and Bella later learn that he is doing so to try to protect her. While this might have been misguided, seeing as that he was a literal vampire and he did care about her, this was a self-sacrificial move.

7 Felt Sorry: Being Alone For A Hundred Years

While Edward was only 17 when he was turned into a vampire by Carlisle, he lived for about 90 years before he met Bella. As a rather romantic soul and being surrounded by other vampires who had found their romantic partner, it would have been a very lonely existence. That’s a lot of time to be alone and without someone to love you back in that way. It’s no wonder that Edward was both confused, shocked, and relieved when he found Bella.

6 Inspiring: How Much He Cared About His Family

One reason why so many fans love the Twilight series is because they love the Cullen family. The mix of these six individuals who have lived together over the years makes for a dynamic and compelling group. Edward might have moments where he resents his family, especially Carlisle, but he does clearly love them. They do mean a lot to him and this is heartwarming to read about.

5 Felt Sorry: Not Understanding Bella’s Feelings For Jacob

When Edward leaves Bella, she falls into a deep depression. Jacob is the one person who helps her feel like herself again and enjoy life. So, when Edward comes back, Bella is understandably not willing to let that relationship go. However, it’s also easy to see why Edward struggles with this relationship out of both jealousy and guilt, and it’s also complicated because of the history between the vampires and the werewolves.

4 Inspiring: Working Together With The Shapeshifters

The shapeshifters of the Quileute tribe are understandably mistrustful of vampires, even the Cullens who made the treaty with. Despite this, both sides are willing to work together to defeat Victoria’s newborn army and then to fight against the Volturi. While Edward has a hard time with this, mostly because of Jacob, he is willing to set his own feelings aside to try and protect others.

3 Felt Sorry: When He Tried To Die At The Hands Of The Volturi

After Edward mistakenly thinks that Bella has died, he takes some rather drastic measures. He believes that he can’t live without Bella, and while this isn’t exactly a healthy response, it did make fans feel sorry for him.

He was clearly miserable living without Bella, and he couldn’t imagine not having her in his life. Fans were just as upset as Bella when they learned that Edward meant to force Volturi into killing him.

2 Inspiring: His Love For Bella

If there’s one defining characteristic of Edward in the Twilight series, it’s that he loves Bella a lot. These two really do consider one another to be soul mates, and they are always trying to protect one another. His loyalty and deep devotion to Bella made many fans root for their romance, and it could be considered the most inspiring thing about him.

1 Felt Sorry: When He Thought Bella Died, More Than Once

There are two notable moments in the series where Edward thinks that Bella has died. The first is when he thinks that Jacob and the others are attending Bella’s funeral and tries to go to the Volturi to be killed. The second is during Renseme’s birth when the trauma of that experience nearly kills Bella. It’s clear that losing Bella is the worst thing he could imagine, and it’s heartbreaking to see how he reacts.