For fans of the Twilight saga, the question of who was better for Bella is still a big deal. Fans had many strong opinions about this love triangle when the books and movies were coming out, and these relationships still cause a lot of discussions today.
There are reasons why Bella would have been good with both of them, but there are also many times where these boys showed they were awful boyfriends. While technically, Bella never dated Jacob, they did have a romantic relationship.
Edward: He tried to scare Bella
When Bella and Edward first meet, Edward is trying to stay away from Bella because her blood is so enticing to him. When she figures out that he’s a vampire, he tries to scare her while they are in the woods. He might be trying to really get the point home that he’s a dangerous supernatural creature, but the fact that he intimidates her physically is disconcerting.
Jacob: Because of the tent scene in Eclipse
Jacob might start out as a sweetheart who is a good friend to Bella, but this doesn’t last very long. He becomes more of a jerk as time goes on, and he feels entitled to Bella. One scene that’s often overlooked is when he has to warm Bella up in the tent in Eclipse. He purposefully thinks of explicit fantasies of him and Bella to make Edward mad, and this was disrespectful to Bella, too.
Edward: Because he made decisions for Bella
Edward might have more life experience than Bella because he’s a decades-old vampire, but this doesn’t mean he can make decisions for her. He decides that he and his entire family must leave her for her own safety, but he basically treats her like a child who can’t choose what’s best for herself. It was troubling that he made these decisions for her instead of with her.
Jacob: He didn’t accept that Bella didn’t choose him
While there are moments when it seems like Bella and Jacob would be good together, the fact is that Bella chooses Edward. Whether Jacob agrees with this choice or not doesn’t really matter; it’s not his choice to make.
Jacob resents her for this and continually tries to change her mind. He acts moody, rude, and manipulative, and this just isn’t acceptable.
Edward: Because he wasn’t supportive of Bella’s choice to carry the pregnancy
When Bella gets pregnant, everyone is shocked because no one thought that something like that could happen. It becomes clear that the pregnancy is putting Bella’s health and life at risk, but it’s still her decision if she wants to continue the pregnancy or not. While Edward is understandably upset, he isn’t very supportive of this choice.
Jacob: He almost got Edward killed
At the end of New Moon, Edward calls Bella’s house in order to confirm if she’s alive or not. Jacob answers the phone and gives short answers about a funeral (that’s not Bella’s). It was not his place to do this and, because of this, Edward thinks Bella is dead and seeks to end his own life. It was a very manipulative move on Jacob’s part.
Edward: He stalked Bella
Edward has superhuman strength and speed, and he also happens to not need to sleep. So, while it might have been really easy for him to keep tabs on Bella, it wasn’t okay for him to do so.
The books might present these behaviors as romantic. He ends up saving her from creepy men in Port Angeles, but this stalking behavior wouldn’t be admirable in real life.
Jacob: He assaulted Bella by forcing her to kiss him
While Edward does some controlling things and has moments where he’s not a good boyfriend, Jacob is probably worse overall because of this one scene. This scene is really rough, and it’s upsetting that the character isn’t called out for this more by fans. Jacob kisses Bella after she tells him no; he then continues to kiss her as she tries to push him away. It’s a violent scene that also reads as assault.
Edward: He kept Bella from going places in her truck
Luckily, Edward always respects Bella and her choice to kiss or not kiss him, but this doesn’t mean he doesn’t show abusive behaviors in other ways. He tries to control where Bella goes and who she sees. He even goes so far as to take out a part of her truck so that she can’t go to see Jacob. This is also a form of manipulation and abuse.
Jacob: Because he was going to kill Bella’s baby, and then dated her
Jacob really gets one of the worst arcs in the entire series. First, he plans to kill Bella’s baby after she is born because he believes she will be a danger to humans. Then, he imprints on Renesmee and is in a romantic relationship with her within seven years since, for some reason, Renesmee reaches adulthood extremely quickly. It’s all messed up, and imprinting is way too problematic.