In this dream, the pair "were discussing the difficulties inherent in the facts that ... they were falling in love with each other while ... the vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of her blood, and was having a difficult time restraining himself from killing her".

[2] A recurring theme in the series, especially in the first three books, is that Edward is constantly trying to avoid accidentally harming Bella, due to his vampire nature.

In Twilight, Edward meets Bella Swan, a 17-year-old outcast whose thoughts he is unable to read, and whose blood smells overwhelmingly sweet to him.

[3] Edward builds a growing attraction to Bella, but after saving her life on several occasions, he succumbs and eventually falls in love with her.

His adoptive father, Carlisle Cullen, transformed him into a vampire in 1918 to prevent him from dying in the Spanish influenza epidemic in Chicago, Illinois by the request of Edward's mother, who begged him to do whatever it took to save him.

Carlisle instilled in him a sense of morality uncommon in most vampires, and central to his way of life is the refusal to consider humans as food.

In an attempt to protect her, he convinces her that he no longer loves her, and moves away with his family, leaving Bella heartbroken and depressed for several months.

Edward finds it difficult to live without Bella, and becomes severely depressed at the prospect of an infinitely long and meaningless life.

After he mistakenly learns from his sister Rosalie that Bella has committed suicide, Edward attempts to convince a group of Italian vampires, the Volturi, to kill him.

She eventually forgives him entirely, and they continue with their relationship as though Edward had never left, with the exception that Bella has ties that cannot be broken with a werewolf named Jacob Black.

A grudging truce is made between the Cullens and the Native-American werewolf pack led by Sam Uley and Jacob Black, a friend of Bella's who was there for her when Edward broke her heart.

Edward stands with Bella and their allies to convince the Volturi that Renesmee is not an immortal child and poses no threat to their existence.

Edward, like all vampires in the Twilight series, possesses superhuman stamina, senses, mentality and agility, as well as a healing factor and night vision.

His bodily tissue is stronger than granite, making him much more durable and tougher than humans, as well as contributing slightly to his body weight.

"[10] When the film was optioned by Summit Entertainment in July 2007, Meyer stated that; "The most disappointing thing for me is losing my perfect Edward",[11] as Cavill was by then 24 years old, and thus too old to realistically fill the role.

Meyer reported on her website that the four most popular fan suggestions for actors to play Edward were Hayden Christensen, Robert Pattinson, Orlando Bloom and Gerard Way.

[12] Erik Feig, Summit Entertainment's President of Production, stated: "It is always a challenge to find the right actor for a part that has lived so vividly in the imaginations of readers but we took the responsibility seriously and are confident, with Rob Pattinson, that we have found the perfect Edward for our Bella in Twilight.

"[14] She revealed that she was initially underwhelmed by a photo of Pattinson, but said of his audition, which was a love scene with co-star Kristen Stewart: "It was electric.

"[15] In early 2008, Pattinson spoke of a fan backlash against his casting, disclosing Entertainment Weekly that "I stopped reading [fansites and blogs] after I saw the signatures saying 'Please, anyone else.

'"[14] He revealed to the Evening Standard that; "The books have a huge following, and I've already got bags of letters from angry fans, telling me that I can't possibly play Edward, because I'm Diggory.

[17] Pattinson revealed that Meyer had given him an early copy of Midnight Sun—a re-telling of the events of Twilight, narrated from Edward's point of view.

"[18] In preparation for the role, Pattinson wrote journal entries as Edward and distanced from his friends and family, explaining that he "wanted to feel his isolation".

Pattinson was given the opportunity to submit a composition for consideration for this scene, with Hardwicke stating; "I told him he should write one, and let's see if we can make it work, because that would be really cool if it was Rob's song.

[20] In April 2008, Hardwicke, in a turnabout from her initial underwhelmed reaction upon first seeing a photograph of Pattinson, enthused; "The thing that's great about him is he really does [...] feel like he's otherworldly.

[28] Entertainment Weekly named him "one of the greatest characters of the last 20 years" and described him as a "literary influence and love of girls and women everywhere for a long time to come".

[29] Since the release of the Twilight series, the character of Edward has developed somewhat of a cult following, with millions of devoted, mostly female, fans worldwide.

Gina R. Dalfonzo of the National Review Online described Edward's character as mentally unstable and a "predator", using behavioral examples such as spying on Bella while she sleeps, eavesdropping on her conversations, dictating her choice of friends, and encouraging her to deceive her father as reasons why Dalfonzo believes he is "one of modern fiction's best candidates for a restraining order.