The Twilight Saga may predominantly focus on Bella (Kristen Stewart) and the Cullen family, but the supporting characters really bring the story to life. There are many brilliant side characters that fans love, from the Volturi, to Charlie (Billy Burke). They may not always be around, but without them the story wouldn’t be complete, and the same was true going into the third film of the saga, Eclipse. Eclipse serves as the epic conclusion to the Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) storyline, which has been ongoing since James (Cam Gigandet) was killed in the first film. She wants revenge on Bella and the Cullen family for killing her mate, and enlists Riley (Xavier Samuel) to create a newborn army that is designed and trained to attack the Cullen’s. The army is filled with thirsty, brutal newborns who are under the influence of Riley, and will stop at nothing to destroy the Cullen’s by his request. We don’t get to know many of the newborns, as they’re simply there to add numbers to the army, but there is one that we become acquainted with. One that was so endearing, they earned a novella based on their short life. And that person is Bree Tanner (Jodelle Ferland).
Who Is Bree Tanner in the ‘Twilight’ Saga?
At sixteen, Bree is the youngest vampire in Riley and Victoria’s newborn army, and also one of the most sympathetic. When we first meet her in Eclipse, she’s cowering in a corner, pained from the intense thirst she’s feeling. She’s scared and confused and has no idea what has become of her. When the army eventually goes head-to-head against the Cullen’s, she hides and watches as the Cullen’s and the werewolves destroy her fellow newborns. She’s eventually discovered by Esme (Elizabeth Reaser) and Carlisle (Peter Facinelli), who intend to kill her until they notice how she cowers in fear, terror filling her eyes. Realizing that she’s not a threat, and instead a deeply frightened and confused girl, they choose to protect her and take her in as one of their own. However, once the Volturi drop in on the battlefield, they discover that she’s the only newborn of the army still alive — something Jane (Dakota Fanning) disapproves of. Carlisle explains that they offered her asylum in exchange for her surrender, which Jane says was not theirs to offer, before torturing Bree with her intense powers. Esme informs her that Bree will tell her anything she wants to know and there’s no need for the torture, and though she reiterates once more that they will take full responsibility for Bree, Jane orders Felix (Daniel Cudmore) to kill her.
The same year that the film adaptation of Eclipse was released, Stephenie Meyer — the author of Twilight — released a spin-off novella titled “The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.” As the title suggests, the novella centers around Bree and details her short time as a vampire. It’s a much more in-depth look into her character and gives her a backstory that is just as tragic as her demise. It’s revealed that her father was abusive and killed her mother when Bree was just four years old. Because of the abuse, Bree ran away from home just before her sixteenth birthday, having only enough money for a bus ride to Seattle but nothing more. Riley finds her in an alley as she rummages through the trash. He offers her a burger, which she eagerly accepts, and it’s her ultimate downfall. He takes her into an alley where Victoria promptly turns her into a vampire, thus thrusting her into a brand-new way of life. The novella brings readers through the time leading up to the big battle in Eclipse, and offers an interesting perspective on the character. Unlike most newborns, Bree is absolutely terrified of her new life, and clings to those whom she feels safe with. She doesn’t understand what’s been done to her and only follows Riley because she doesn’t know what else to do. It’s why her ultimate outcome feels so tragic.
During her short period as a vampire, she becomes friends with a vampire named Fred who has the power to repel people, and another young newborn named Diego, with whom she sparks up a relationship. Diego is kind and disciplined, much like herself, and together they hunt and explore the lore of their new life. Riley tells them that sunlight will kill them and that they must hide during the day, but they eventually discover that it’s a lie, and that sunlight isn’t lethal to them — it simply makes them sparkle. Together they learn more about the Volturi and the world of vampires, more than they could have ever expected, and seek out Riley to confront him with their discoveries. Riley tells Bree that Diego had gone with Victoria to watch over the Cullen’s, but Bree is suspicious of him and Diego’s true whereabouts. Before the army departs for battle, Fred asks Bree to leave and explore the world with him, and though she wants to, she opts to find Diego first. On the battlefield, she finds no trace of Diego and realizes that Victoria and Riley killed him after he learned the truth about the sunlight. Though she’s been hiding and watching the battle go down, she’s eventually found by Esme and Carlisle, just like in the movie. They offer her safety if she surrenders, which she agrees to, but Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) isn’t too keen on his family’s choice to keep her alive. He agrees not to harm her so long as they allow him to watch her, since he’s well-versed in the ways of newborns. The rest of the novella plays out similar to the events of Eclipse. The Volturi shows up and Jane discovers that Bree is still alive, eventually ordering Felix to kill her. But before she is killed, Bree sends a dying wish to Edward through her mind to be kind to Fred if they were ever to cross paths, as he is her only surviving friend.
Bree Tanner Deserved Better in ‘Eclipse’
Bree may not have been a huge presence in Eclipse, but there was just something about her that was so easy to connect with. In a lot of ways, she’s reminiscent of Bella. Both are so very young when they’re introduced to the vampire world, and are very quiet and reserved. But unlike Bella, Bree never chose this life. Bella wants to be a vampire, but it was forced upon Bree, and the events of her life that led to her becoming one are so sad. Becoming a vampire didn’t give her much better of a life. She was still surrounded by violence and was constantly scared, just like how she was before she left home. In the novella, her biggest fear is being found by the police and being sent back home to live with her father again, and though that doesn’t happen, she is forced to exist among perpetually violent vampires with no self-control — so it’s really not much of a change.
Eclipse spends the majority of its time doubling down on how dangerous newborns are, so when we meet Bree we’re thrown for a loop. She’s not scary, she’s not dangerous, she’s just a girl who was dealt a pretty crappy hand. Which is why it’s so gut-wrenching to see how her story ends. When Carlisle and Esme come across her, we expect her to retaliate, to attempt to fight them off. Instead, she backs up as they approach, eyes wide with fear, and showing no resistance against whatever they plan to do to her. It’s so different from the carnage going on around them, and Carlisle and Esme notice it immediately. They take her under their wing because they see the gentleness within her, it may be overpowered by her thirst at the moment, but even still, she’s not violent and she’s not uncontrollable. The novella explains that she’s tempted by Bella’s blood but finds it in her to resist, something that’s usually near-impossible for newborns to do, and proves that she’s different from the newborns in her army. The Volturi however, don’t see this side, and simply see a criminal in her, which is why she meets such a brutal end despite the Cullen family’s pleas.
Jodelle Ferland herself said it best in an Eclipse featurette. “It’s sad because even though she’s on the bad side, she’s a victim. Bree’s not really given a chance. She wants to be good, but nobody gives her a chance. She doesn’t know the rules. How can you follow rules that you don’t know?” It’s a shame she never truly got to prove that she was good. Yes, Carlisle and Esme saw the good in her, but she never got to prove herself to the Volturi or anyone else, and was simply labeled as a criminal for a life she didn’t choose. It’s tragic to look back on, and with every rewatch or reread of Eclipse it’s hard not to root for a miraculously different outcome. Bree deserved more time, onscreen and otherwise, and to this day, she’s one of Twilight’s most tragic side characters.
