It’s been over a decade since the release of Breaking Dawn, the final installment of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, hit bookshelves worldwide and forced readers to say goodbye to their vampires to Forks and the beloveds, shapeshifters, and humans that resided there. For some Twi-hards, however, it hasn’t been quite so easy. Fans continue to write fan-fiction, binge-watch Summit’s Twilight Saga films and argue over which of Meyer’s dynamic and captivating characters is the best.
HE THINKS HE WAS BORN AROUND 1640
Most Twilight fans know that Alice can’t recall the details of her life before becoming a vampire, but she’s not actually the only Cullen who isn’t quite sure of when they were born. Carlisle believes he was born sometime around 1640, but he’s not entirely positive.
HIS FATHER HUNTED SUPERNATURAL CREATURES
Back in the sixteen-hundreds, pastors didn’t simply give sermons and oversee their churches. Carlisle’s father and several of his fellow pastors in London also regularly led hunts for supernatural creatures such as werewolves, witches and vampires, in an attempt to rid the world of evil and sin.
HE WAS BITTEN DURING A VAMPIRE HUNT
While Carlisle didn’t enjoy leading these hunts for supernatural beings as much as his father did, his intelligence still made him a phenomenal hunter and helped him find a real coven of vampires who were hiding away in the sewers of London.
HE TRIED ENDING HIS OWN LIFE
Carlisle’s father had taught him throughout his entire life to loathe and fear vampires, so when Carlisle was turned into one, he was disgusted by his own existence. He was too kind-hearted to want to take the lives of others, but he didn’t shy away from trying to take his own life so he wouldn’t have to be the monster he was conditioned to hate.
HE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN HIS “VEGETARIAN” DIET
As a vampire, Carlisle was granted enhanced speed and strength, skin that was tough as diamonds and sparkled in the sunlight, and significantly stronger senses. He couldn’t appreciate his superhuman gifts, however, because he was frightened by his thirst for blood and worried that he’d use his new talents to hunt humans.
BECOMING A VAMPIRE GIFTED HIM WITH UNPARALLELED COMPASSION
When humans transform into vampires, their special skills and talents occasionally get enhanced and develop into additional powers. As a human, Alice would occasionally get premonitions of the future, so when she was turned, she acquired the ability to see an individual’s future based on their present decisions. Human Edward was incredibly sympathetic and was great at understanding others, so as a vampire, he was able to actually read minds.
HE PERFECTED HIS BLOODLUST AFTER TWO CENTURIES
While Carlisle decided to follow a “vegetarian” diet as soon as he fed on some deer and his incredibly compassionate nature helped him follow through with that plan, it wasn’t always easy for him to stifle his thirst for human blood.
HE LIVED WITH THE VOLTURI FOR 20 YEARS
The Volturi are the largest and most powerful coven of vampires in the entire world, and while Edward told Bella and Jacob in Breaking Dawn that they are “the foundation of our peace and civilization,” it’s impossible to deny that the enforcers of vampire law were the most dangerous villains of Meyer’s franchise.
HE MOVED TO AMERICA TO BECOME A DOCTOR
After living with the Volturi in Italy for twenty years, Carlisle decided to move on to the New World and become a doctor so he could spend his eternal life helping others. During the two centuries he avoided contact with humans so he could get over his bloodthirst, Carlisle spent most of his time studying.
HE MET ESME YEARS BEFORE TURNING HER
Edward and Bella’s love story is the focus of the Twilight saga, but it’s definitely not the only beautiful romance featured in Meyer’s beloved series. All of the Cullen family marriages are inspirational examples of how fate can help people find their true soulmates.
EDWARD WAS HIS FIRST TRUE COMPANION
While working in a Chicago hospital during the Spanish influenza epidemic, Carlisle encountered a woman named Elizabeth Masen who was in pain from the influenza. She begged Carlisle to do anything within his power to save Edward, her son, as he was in pain from the flu as well and didn’t have much longer left to live.
HE TURNED ESME AND ROSALIE TO SAVE THEM
While it’s true that Elizabeth Masen had asked Carlisle to save Edward at any cost, his primary motivation for turning Edward into a vampire was his own personal desire for a companion. When he turned Esme and Rosalie, however, it was solely to save their lives.
HE WAS FAR YOUNGER THAN THE FILMS PORTRAY HIM
Peter Facinelli was 35 years old when he portrayed Carlisle Cullen in Summit’s first Twilight film. This actually seemed to make perfect sense, as he was meant to be the adopted father of five teenagers.
