Despite the series’ many flaws, I continue to enjoy the vampire phenomenon—whether it’s in spite of it’s cheesiness, or because of it, is something I’ve still to decide. However, I’ve identified the two major elements which initially drew me to the saga, and which continue to leave me wanting more.
First, despite the underdevelopment of Bella Swan and the controversy surrounding her love interest, Edward Cullen, there is something to be said for the secondary characters. Alice remains one of my favourite characters, but Breaking Dawn also introduced us to a slew of new vampires—each with their own backgrounds and abilities. New Moon, too, introduced both the werewolves and the Volturi, and the Volturi alone are filled with abilities, unique histories, and potentially destructive secrets they hide from even one another.
Second, the lore of the series has intrigued me. Despite the knee jerk reaction many have to the fact Edward sparkles, it’s still worth noting that Meyer took vampires and spun them into something original. Love them or hate them, the changes Meyer made to the vampire canon are memorable. Aside from the sparkling, it could be argued that some of the changes are cool in their own right. The idea, for example, that vampires don’t need to sleep, or that individuals can develop unique super powers, are intriguing elements. The exploration of these special abilities, alone, generates lore, and we’re just covering the vampires.
Since this article is about spin off’s though, I want to make it clear that Renesmee does not make the list. As the child of the former protagonists, her story falls squarely into sequel territory; I’ll only be focusing on characters whose stories can diverge from the main series, though Bella’s family members are not off the table.
Whether it be because of the characters which grabbed me, or the world’s lore, there are several spin off’s I’d love to see.
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1) The Volturi
The self professed vampire police are one of the more interesting elements of the series. While they are intimidating villains, they brim with their own origin stories, super powers, and history. If one reads their backstories, for example, the history between Aro and Marcus is especially charged. According to Meyer, Aro is actually the reason Marcus is so indifferent; Marcus was once vibrant, filled with purpose and happiness. His main source of joy came from Didyme, who was Aro’s sister.
When Marcus and Didyme announced they were leaving the Volturi, Aro’s selfishness won out. He wasn’t willing to part with Marcus’s gifts, and so Aro, in secret, killed his own sister—a plan which backfired. Marcus remained, but the spark Aro had hoped to keep had been destroyed. To this day, Marcus remains unaware of Aro’s involvement in his beloved mate’s death, but it’s a secret which could destroy Aro, and even the Volturi itself, if Marcus learns the truth.
While Aro’s story alone would be gripping spin off material, whether for a prequel or a sequel in which Marcus seeks revenge, there is also Jane and Alec to consider. To date, a short film has been done depicting the so called witch twins. However, a full length novel, or at least a novella, covering their lives as humans and their eventual beginnings with the Volturi could make for a fun read. What were Jane and Alec like before they were turned? Were they always cold and cruel, or was it some combination of the venom and the hardship they faced which shaped them into monsters?
Did Jane and Alec have a family, or were they orphaned twins forced to rely on one another? What did their powers look like while they were in human form? After all, it’s not uncommon for people, before becoming vampires, to exhibit some hint of their future abilities; clearly they were doing enough to draw Aro’s attention, even in their human forms. Finally, however cruel they are to others, there’s no denying the twins care deeply for each other; exploring this gentler side of their characters, and seeing who they were apart from the Volturi, could make for an engaging read.
2) Charlie Swan
Charlie feels like a character who deserves more—not because he has special powers, but because he’s Charlie. While he’s been allowed to remain involved in the lives of his daughter and granddaughter, there is an implication that Bella will one day have to leave him before he can start asking too many questions. Before Charlie can notice that Bella isn’t aging, she will have to remove herself, and her family, from Charlie’s life.
However, this seems too simple. The main reason is that Bella isn’t the only one not aging. There is no indication that Sue Clearwater is going to leave Charlie; with this being the case, Charlie would also notice that his stepchildren, Seth and Leah, aren’t aging. Given that he knows his stepchildren don’t age, his granddaughter ages rapidly in her youth, and that there are werewolves, the fact his daughter doesn’t age shouldn’t even be much of a shocker down the road. If your granddaughter became an adult at the age of seven, and your step kids turned into werewolves, your daughter failing to sprout gray hairs would practically be a none event.
Taking all this into consideration, Charlie is already too enmeshed in the realm of the supernatural to be left alone. While he doesn’t know about the existence of vampires in the strictest sense, he knows his daughter is “different,” and that the rest of his family is magical in some way.
The Cullen’s will eventually have to leave before others notice they’re not aging, but there’s no reason why they couldn’t visit Charlie or the wolf packs. After all, Renesmee is tied to the packs; Jacob is likely going to hang around, which means Renesmee will come and go from Forks too. Charlie is never going to be entirely out of the loop, and this semi-involvement is just enough to put him in danger.
The presence of the supernatural will attract other supernatural beings, vampires foremost among them, and the fact Charlie is a police officer will push him even further on to the front lines.
A novel, or even a series, which follows Charlie’s investigation of a murder case involving a vampire would be exciting. Charlie would know just enough to consult his in-law’s, especially if the victims were drained of blood, and a point may even be reached where Charlie is told the truth. It’s a secret his entire family keeps from him; despite his “need to know” clause, a sense of wanting to be involved, or a need to keep his town safe, may drive him to demand answers from his loved ones. There’s also the big question: what would happen if Charlie became a vampire?
In reading Midnight Sun, the reader is given some glimpse into the minds of Bella’s parents, and Edward finds something intriguing: both parents have minds which are slightly different from those of your average human. This would indicate that, if Charlie or Renee were changed, they too could exhibit particular gifts. Charlie, specifically, is described as having thoughts which are vague. While Edward can read Charlie’s mind, Edward is only able to catch at the edges of his thoughts; they aren’t clear, which indicates that Charlie has a weaker version of Bella’s talent.
If Charlie were to ultimately become a vampire, he too would have a shield—it just wouldn’t be infallible. If anything, it would subdue pain based attacks rather than eliminate their affect entirely (an ability which would nevertheless remain useful, especially if Bella wasn’t always around). Charlie, as a cop, is also comfortable with the potential for danger; he has seen blood, he can handle a gun, and he’s capable of protecting others. Changing him, whether willingly or accidentally, almost seems natural. At any rate, many readers, myself included, would like to see what else Charlie has to offer as a character.
3) Leah’s Story
Leah is the only female werewolf in her pack…but the reason as to why was never actually explored. While Leah worried about the implications of her abilities, the mystery was never solved. Why is Leah able to phase when other women don’t? Is Leah even the first of her kind? Had phasing not skipped a generation, could Sue have been a werewolf too? In the books, Billy jokes that Sue would have made a hell of a wolf, but perhaps there’s something to his joke.
The ability to phase is inherited. It’s possible Sue was the first to develop the genetic quirk which allows females to transform; if so, she may have, despite her own existence as a human, passed the gene to her daughter. For Leah, the ability to change seems to come as naturally as it does for the men, even if she does struggle to think like a wolf once turned.
Personally, I have my own theory as to why Leah can phase. It has to do with genetics. Meyer’s science is weird, and Carlisle loves to theorize, but the explanation for Leah’s differences are something actual science may be able to explain.
Scientists have since discovered that we, as humans, can have chromosomes that don’t match our sex. While it’s most common for women to have two X chromosomes and men to have a Y and an X chromosome, exceptions have been found. As it turns out, gender isn’t the only aspect which doesn’t always match one’s sex—your chromosomes can be different, too.
While Leah is female in regard to both her sex and her gender, it’s possible her chromosomes are more male than not. Such a biological difference, undetectable to the naked eye, could explain why Leah can phase. Whatever Meyer decides, it’s a mystery which needs solving.
There are other questions raised by Leah’s phasing, too: could Leah pass the gene to any offspring she has once she stops phasing? Were there any female ancestors of hers who had the ability, but who gave it up in order to produce children? It’s possible many female wolves gave up the form because they needed to have children, and thus pass the wolf gene on. Even if Leah passes the ability to a daughter, she herself would need to stop phasing to pass it on; her daughter, in turn, would also have to give up the ability to pass it on to children, all of whom may be boys. Taking this all into account, it’s not hard to see how female wolves would remain rare, or why, for practical reasons, they might not keep their abilities for long.
The supernatural aside, many felt Leah was cheated out of a happy ending. A story following Leah as she finally lets go of Sam, and finds her own path, could help to tie loose ends.
4) Alice Cullen
Alice might be closely linked to the Cullen clan; however, her and Jasper occasionally go off on their own too. They were already an independent unit before they invited themselves into the Cullen family, and Alice especially is an intriguing character.
Midnight Sun offered a glimpse into Alice’s side of the story. While chasing James, Alice had to actively use her abilities. The author showed how Alice’s abilities could be effective without being cheap, and it made for a chase sequence which felt different.
Alice easily has the coolest vampire superpower, but she’s also the most interesting as a character. She has a perky personality, and clear interests: she loves fashion, parties, and flashy cars, but she has a tendency to overdo it. The fact that she can be pushy, nosy, mischievous, and micro managing gives her something else other characters in the series lack: she has flaws.
Alice’s history has been explored more than that of other characters, but what of her future? If Alice and Jasper decide to go on an adventure of their own, there’s no telling what trouble they could find. Seeing Alice build a life with only Jasper by her side, and seeing her solve new problems using the unique gift she has, would make for a refreshing read.
Finally, having a first person account of what it’s like to be Alice Cullen, bombarded with constant flashes and warnings of doom, would be intriguing. Midnight Sun already showed how exhausting it would be to be a mind reader; when you can’t shut flashes of the future off, how does that feel? It’s possible Alice feels the urge to throw parties or fixate on fashion, because those are two ways she can force herself to live in the moment; regardless, Alice’s psychology is something readers would love to explore.
5) Benjamin
After Alice, Benjamin, objectively, probably has the most “cool” power out of any of the vampires. With his ability to manipulate the four elements, he’s essentially Twilight’s version of the Avatar. While Benjamin isn’t the type to flaunt his abilities in general, what might he accomplish when removed from Amun’s control?
The fact that Benjamin agreed to join Carlisle shows that Amun’s control of Benjamin has already slipped. Given independence, Benjamin could do anything he wants. However, with the removal of Amun’s control also comes the removal of Amun’s protection.
Amun is correct in thinking that, were the Volturi to discover Benjamin’s talents, Aro would come after him. Other vampires, too, could be threatened by Benjamin’s abilities. Many could attempt to kill him, simply because they see him as a danger. Even in the vampire world, Benjamin’s abilities could be seen as unnatural; he’s as close to a wizard as the series has gotten, making him unusual even among the undead.
A series could expand the world, and Benjamin’s character. For example, what are the limits to Benjamin’s powers? Can he save a city of humans from a tsunami? Can he cause a tsunami in order to eliminate a rival band of vampires? Can he break mountains? Can he trigger volcanoes? When one actually thinks about what Benjamin could do, he has the potential to be the most powerful vampire out there—as well as the most dangerous.
What makes Benjamin most deadly to other vampires is his ability to wield fire. If he’s able to fling fireballs at unsuspecting vampires, he could have the potential to kill them without involving himself in a hand to hand fight. If he discovered a den of vampires and caught them unaware, he could even wipe out whole covens.
If enough vampires come after Benjamin, and he’s forced to use his abilities openly, it won’t take long for word of his gifts to reach the Volturi. Anyone with the potential to cause so much damage is going to excite Aro, and the need to reign in such gifts, not only to detract attention but to avoid hurting others by accident, introduces immediate conflict to such a series. A story about a vampire wizard trying to escape capture from a corrupt vampire government, while also attempting to control his gifts, does not sound like a boring read.
Finally, a series starring Benjamin would also allow Tia’s character to be developed. As it is, her personality feels none-existent; readers would be given a chance to see why Benjamin fell in love with her, and the potential for his abilities to endanger her too would only raise the stakes.
6) The Children of the Moon
In passing, Bella learns that there are a group of people known as “the Children of the Moon.” If this isn’t a hint for a spin off series, I don’t know what is. It’s a blink and you’ll miss it moment, but for those who don’t remember the Children of the Moon are “real” werewolves. Technically speaking, Jacob and the rest of his pack are shapeshifters. The fact they turn into wolves, of all animals, is a coincidence, and they can change (mostly) willingly at any time of the day. The shapeshifters also retain their minds.
The Children of the Moon, conversely, exhibit symptoms more typical of your traditional werewolf: they turn during the full moon, they lose their minds, and they are vicious supernaturals in their own right. The Children of the Moon can hurt vampires while turned, as demonstrated by Caius’s close call with one.
Due to this bad run in, a fearful Caius had most of the Children of the Moon exterminated. Of course, it’s not stated he destroyed them all, which means there are likely a number of rebel bands in hiding from the Volturi.
Classic werewolves struggling to survive extinction at the hands of an oppressive vampire government—that sounds like the recipe for a bestselling series (or the plot of Underworld; take your pick).
A story following a werewolf as she struggles with not only controlling herself, but escaping the wrath of the Volturi, could be thrilling. With both her novella The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner and her Host series, Meyer has already demonstrated she can write stories on the grittier side. The story of a renegade werewolf avoiding certain extinction sounds like a refreshing change of tone and pace for Twilight’s world…and with Bree’s novella, not a tonal shift that’s entirely new to the franchise.
The introduction of the Children of the Moon, even in passing, raises another question: what else has Edward not told Bella? If “real werewolves” weren’t notable enough for Edward to think of mentioning them, could there be other supernaturals? Could there be ghosts, elves, or witches? Bella herself asks a similar question in New Moon, on discovering the werewolves: is there nothing sane or normal in the world? Could all the fairy tales be true?
It’s only musing on Bella’s part, and Edward doesn’t mention any other groups, but one can’t help feeling Meyer, whether intentionally or not, was planting the seeds for her universe to expand. Certainly the Children of the Moon should be explored, and their existence opens the series up to other supernaturals.
In Conclusion
Whatever one’s opinions of Twilight, it’s important to remember that Meyer has continued to write novels since. Although she’s written within the Twilight universe too, she’s also written entirely new stories. Meyer herself has said she enjoys world building, and she has indicated she would like a break from Twilight.
Many were disappointed in Life and Death, citing that passages were copy and pasted from the original Twilight novel, and the portions of Midnight Sun in which the same conversations were had from Edward’s perspective weren’t exactly new either. This means that The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is the only story in the universe which is wholly original (and even it, towards the end, has some overlap with Eclipse).
I personally enjoyed Bree’s story, as well as The Host. Meyer can happily shelve the story of Bella and Edward, but there’s no reason why she couldn’t return to the same universe and explore new protagonists.
Whether it be previously established fan favourites, new heroes, or the unusual lore Meyer has developed, the franchise has potential to go in new directions. Those sick of Bella could find plenty of other elements within the world to love, if Meyer was willing to explore them; the seeds are already planted, and there are loose ends to resolve.
Which of these spin offs would you most like to see? Are there any other spin off ideas you can think of? Let me know.