James

"You brought a snack"

- James on Bella Swan.

James was a vampire, who caught the scent of Bella Swan and hunted her as his next meal in Twilight. He was accompanied by two other vampires named Laurent, and Victoria. He tried to lure Bella into a trap by claiming he had captured Bella's mother in Phoenix. However he failed to make Bella his meal and was killed by Emmett, Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale. He was the main antagonist of both the book and film, although his role was slightly expanded in the film.

History
James was a skilled tracker who enjoyed the hunt as a sadistic game. He tended to get "feelings", a sort of "sixth sense", about his quarry's whereabouts, which aided him in the hunt. Though it's never explicitly stated, perhaps this was the ability he brought over from his human life. He never lost his quarry, except in one case (Alice Cullen) where his prey was turned into a vampire before he could attack her because Alice's scent was very intoxicating to the latter like Bella's is to Edward. For revenge, James murdered Alice's creator, causing Alice to be alone. Unlike the Cullens, he drank human blood regularly as his food source and because of this he was physically slightly stronger. His mate was Victoria, another sadistic almost feline-like vampire. Their coven was soon joined by Laurent, another strong vampire.

Twilight
He met his demise after tricking Bella Swan into a trap at her old ballet studio in Phoenix, where he brutally attacked and almost killed her. He bit her right hand before he was destroyed by Jasper Hale and Emmett Cullen in the book, as well as Alice Cullen in the Twilight film, after being weakened by Edward. His remains were burned moments later, along with the whole ballet studio.

It was later revealed that he once hunted a werewolf across Siberia, but apparently did not know what his prey was.

Physical appearance
James was described as being quite muscular but average-looking. 'There was nothing remarkable about his face or body at all' according to Bella Swan. He had light brown hair cropped short, and burgundy eyes that darkened to black as his thirst increased. His clothes comprised of blue jeans and a pale blue shirt, both frayed with wear. He also travels barefoot to allowing him to run faster.

Personality
James was cunning, playful, and enjoyed hunting and torturing humans to death for entertainment. He would go to any limit to get his prey, so much that he would kill any unlucky vampire that got to his prey before he does - the best example being Alice's creator.

Powers
James had the lethal abilities of a vampire, such as super strength, super speed, lethal senses and vampire venom.

Tracking sense


James had the additional ability of tracking, which meant for his senses to preceed that of a regular vampire. It allowed him to hunt his prey from a distance. It is also stated that james once picked up the scent of a werewolf without knowing it was a werewolf and hunted the creature across Siberia. His senses were mentioned by Laurent to be unparalleled and powerful. Edward recognized him as a "tracker".

Although his gift was strong, Demetri, a member of the Volturi guard, had a tracking sense that exceeds his by a billion times, as James needed to be in close range with his prey, and Demetri could track anyone around the world. Another vampire with the similar gift is Alistair, who can sense the location of those nearby.

Victoria
James' only known romantic relationship was with Victoria, though he may have only "loved" her for her innate ability to escape. Victoria was very angry when James was killed, and so she tried to kill the lover of James' killer, so that it would be "mate for a mate" (otherwise known as "an eye for an eye"). Edward Cullen was James' killer, and so Victoria aimed to kill Bella Swan.

In Eclipse, Edward taunted Victoria by saying James never loved her, and that he only kept her around because her ability was useful. Whether this is true or if Edward was just trying to distract Victoria is unknown.

Laurent


Laurent, along with Victoria, was a member of James' coven. However, the bond between the two was unlike that of the bond between members of the Cullen coven. This was shown when James made the decision to hunt Bella causing Laurent to leave his coven. After Carlisle makes it clear that Laurent is neither with the Cullens or against them, Laurent chooses to abandon his covenmates and head north to the Denali coven, later growing intimate with a member of the Denali coven, Irina. The ease he had leaving his coven and the lack of loyalty he felt shows how as a human blood drinking vampire it is harder to make real bonds with others, other than 'mates'. This is why James' coven of three was unusual.

Etymology
James is Latin for "holds the heel" or "supplanter" which makes sense as James attempts to "supplant" Edward. It is also worth noting that James is the Christian name of Professor Moriarty, the arch-nemesis of Sherlock Holmes. This is perhaps accurate as James plays the role of the nemesis or main antagonist in Twilight.

Film portrayal
James was portrayed by Cam Gigandet in the Twilight film. The character was given a different appearance than in the book, having long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. For the movie, James was also given the surname "Witherdale".

Appearances

 * Twilight
 * Twilight film