7 Red Flags in Edward Cullen Spotten by Gen Z 'Twilight' Fans

Remember the time when we all just wanted to have what Kristen Stewart’s Bella Swan had?

To many, it seemed like her choice was obvious for a bunch of reasons while a potential threat that the Cullens were for a human girl was nothing more but another dramatic swirl in the love story between a vampire and an ordinary young woman.

It was only a hundredth rewatch of the Twilight franchise’s movies that made many realise that they’d rather jump to the other side and root for Jacob instead.

Particularly, Gen Z’s new way of thinking completely turned the tables, so here’s what younger generations think they’d never tolerate in someone like Edward Cullen.

1. Edward Constantly Controls Bella

In both books and movies, Edward’s selfish actions are motivated by his desire to protect Bella, though what he really does is just not letting her come up with her own decisions.

Throughout the storyline, Edward keeps controlling Bella’s every step and at some point even removes engine wires from her car so that she couldn’t come visit Jacob (jealousy issues come in here too).

In a more general way, Edward also forces Bella to stay away from certain people and not only Jacob, seeing them as a danger for her and thus not even allowing her to use her own judgement.

2. Edward Stalks Bella — In School and Even in Her Own House

The first movie now seems way less romantic when it’s reminded that Edward and Bella’s romance starts right after he sneaks into her room at night without her consent, justifying it with his intention to watch her sleep.

Apparently, Bella’s silent acceptance of her future boyfriend’s weird traits and habits reassures Edward that he isn’t doing anything wrong, so he continues to stalk Bella everywhere around, even when they started a relationship and she (so far) gave no reason to doubt her feelings.

While this might have been considered a pure sign of love and care in 2008, right now it’s nothing but a violation of Bella’s personal boundaries.

3. Edward and Bella’s Huge Age Gap Becomes Another Reason for Manipulation

Even though Edward claims he’s seventeen and the only trick is that he’s remained in that age for way longer than normal humans, he still turns back to his “wisdom” every time Bella tries to decide for herself.

Edward repeatedly makes attempts to convince Bella that he knows better, also implying that this is the way he expresses his love for her.

4. Bella Is Always Gaslighted by Edward

Still considering their age gap which is, technically, almost 100 years, Edward sees Bella as a naive and inexperienced 17-year-old teenager who he can talk into feeling inferior to him.

Throughout the entire storyline, Bella’s feelings and decisions are constantly questioned, with Edward clearly abusing Bella emotionally.

The best example of Edward’s indifference towards his girlfriend’s feelings can be the fact that his sudden disappearance in New Moon resulted in Bella’s depression that lasted for months. However, his return wasn’t driven by his feelings for Bella — Edward returns at the moment when he himself wants to.

5. Edward Is Obsessed with Bella in a Very Unhealthy Way

It’s hard to imagine why Edward’s iconic “You are my own personal brand of heroin” phrase even sounded romantic at some point, considering how cringey it seems to be in 2025.

Being (moderately) obsessed with someone you’re in love with is pretty normal during the first months of the relationship, but Edward’s feelings for Bella go way beyond, leading him to exclude everything else from his life except for her.

This might be fair in Edward’s case since he has lived for more than a century and can afford spending time with someone for as much as he wants to.

Bella, however, doesn’t have this option initially and, in fact, also starts centering her entire life on Edward at some point, dooming her future and abandoning everything she’s been interested in before.

6. Bella’s Entire Life Becomes Edward’s Design

Even though the entire story revolves around Bella, it’s not her who drives the plot, but rather two male characters whose obsession with her results in an even bigger tension between vampires and werewolves.

On top of that, Bella’s biggest life decisions — like becoming a vampire — are influenced by Edward or just by his presence in her life, with Bella clearly being dependent on her boyfriend and thus being ready to do anything to keep him close.

7. Edward’s Jealousy Is Always Romanticized

It’s not only Edward’s words that indicate his toxic trait of never letting any other male get close to Bella whatsoever, but also his actions which prove that he just went over the roof with control issues.

Edward is determined to force Bella to stop talking with Jacob and reconciles with it only after Bella marries him.

Just like any other signal of Edward’s red-flagged personality, this has also long been considered a definite proof of his love, though the only thing it actually was is his attempts to limit Bella’s freedom to those actions Edward can allow her to have.