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 and Jasper. He was the main antagonist of both the book and film, although his role was slightly expanded in the film, and he was the main problem in the movie Twilight.

History
James was born towards the end of the American Revolution. His father was a French trapper and his mother was from England. She had come to America as an indentured servant and later ran away from her master. James was raised to track and trap by his father at a young age. The Iroquios killed his parents before his eleventh birthday. He used his substantial skills to survive on his own in the wilderness.

As a vampire, 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. He wanted 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.

While in Siberia, he came across the scent of a werewolf and chased it throughout the country.

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 left Bella Swan with 4 broken ribs, a head wound, a broken leg from where he stood on it. And he also 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 venom was drained out of Bella by Edward to stop her from becoming a vampire. His remains were burned moments later, along with the whole ballet studio.

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

In the Twilight film adaptation, James has black eyes the whole time.

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 allow him to run faster.

Personality
James was a cunning, sadistic, and merciless tracker who hunted humans for sustenance, but chiefly for fun. He often tormented his victims before killing them, as when he tortured Bella during his failed attempt to kill her. James had no appreciation for human life and considered them nothing more than food. He enjoyed hunting so much that he would destroy any vampire who got to his prey before he did.

Tracking sense
"He's got unparalleled senses. Absolutely lethal. I've never seen anything like him in my three-hundred years."

- Laurent on James's gift

James had the additional ability of tracking. According to Laurent, his senses were unparalleled and far superior to those of regular vampire. It allowed him to hunt his prey from a longer distance. He once picked up the scent of a werewolf without knowing what it was, and hunted the creature across Siberia.

Although his gift was strong, Demetri, a member of the Volturi guard, had a tracking sense that exceeds his, 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 the members of the Cullen family. 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 chose 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.

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
 * New Moon (mentioned)
 * New Moon film (mentioned and flashback)
 * Eclipse (mentioned)
 * Eclipse film (mentioned)