Carlisle Cullen

Bella: "How can you do this? Even Alice and Esme..." Carlisle: "Years and years of practice. I barely notice anything anymore... What I love most is when my enhanced abilities allow me to save someone who would otherwise have been lost. It's nice to know that, thanks to what I can do, some people's lives are better because I exist. Even my sense of smell is a useful diagnostic tool sometimes." — Carlisle and Bella.[source] Carlisle came up with his own theory about why certain vampire abilities were enhanced; that they brought something from their previous human life into their new vampire existence. Carlisle was also immortal, and had spent centuries honing his medical talents, becoming an excellent doctor. Unlike most vampires, after 300 years of practice he was no longer tempted by the scent of human blood, and was able to use this to aid him in the workplace, thus turning the "curse" to his advantage. He also believed that the strongest ability of all vampires was enhanced during his transformation. What he carried into his next life was his unparalleled compassion for humans and vampires,[5] which was what led him to redirect his diet to animal blood in the first place. He also used his sense of smell to locate injured people who might have a chance of being saved.

Despite his naturally gentle personality and excellent control over his instincts, he was also very well-suited in combat as were his adopted children and wife, as he easily defeated the newborns in Eclipse.

Carlisle's most notable personality trait is his compassion, which is what drove him to practice his diet of animal blood and use his abilities to help people in need instead of killing them. Stephenie Meyer has said that his "self-control compassion-motivation is actually so incredible that it almost crosses the line into superpower."

His loneliness in the years before he changed Edward and his love for his "children" also indicate that, like Esme, he is highly motivated by his family. Carlisle is also very patient and nonjudgmental. He has a passion for art collecting, reading, and studying medicine. He is also very curious about the unknown, such as the genetic makeup of the Quileute tribe.

His peaceful nature has allowed him to make many friends, ranging from fellow vampires to humans and even werewolves, over the centuries. For a time, he was willing to tolerate life among the Volturi, despite the stark contrast between their great compassion and Aro's callous disregard for human life—as shown, for example, when Aro dumped a profusely bleeding human body outside the library where Carlisle was studying for no other reason than to test Carlisle's restraint.

In the book The Second Life of Bree Tanner, Bree explained that she trusted him to accept her surrender, knowing, for some reason, that when he claimed he didn't want to fight, but only wanted to protect his family, he was telling the truth.

Then a doctor walked around the corner, and my mouth dropped open. He was young, he was blond... and he was more handsome than any movie star I'd ever seen. He was pale, though, and tired-looking, with dark circles under his eyes. From Charlie's description, this had to be Edward's father. "Bella seeing Carlisle for the first time."

Carlisle is described as resembling a model. He has neck-length blond hair, is 6'2", with a well-toned body, soft eyes, and was 23 years old when he was switched. He is described as resembling a movie star, and Charlie (Bella's father) said that many nurses couldn't concentrate on their jobs with him around. But as soon as Carlisle married Esme, Charlie said that admiration was quickly silenced at the hospital. Carlisle is slight but muscular and has a slight English accent from his youth, but can speak with a flawless American accent. It is also stated in Breaking Dawn that he resembles a "younger, more handsome brother" of Zeus. His original eye color was blue before he was turned into a vampire.

Carlisle found new life in this fact and over the course of two centuries was able to perfect his ability to resist the bloodlust brought on by the scent of human blood. During these two centuries, Carlisle studied at night, becoming a "night patron of the arts." As a result of his meticulous study, Carlisle was able to become a brilliant physician. One of the first vampires he met after his transformation was Alistair, who completely avoided company, but because Carlisle had been alone for centuries, he had managed to make Alistair somewhat responsive before they parted on odd terms. Carlisle was studying in Italy when he stumbled upon the Volturi, the dominant vampire coven that was led by three vampires named Aro, Marcus, and Gaius. They were far more polite and refined than those who lived in the sewers of London, but they still lived on human blood. While they tried to convert Carlisle to his natural food source, their attempts were unsuccessful. After living with the Volturi for two decades, Carlisle moved to the New World, where he became a doctor and used his skills to help people.

In 1911, Carlisle worked as a physician in Columbus. Because the local doctor was away, he was assigned to treat Esme Anne Platt's broken leg after she fell from a tree. They felt a strong attraction to each other, even though their encounter was brief. Although he had found ways to use his skills for good, he had not found what he was looking for: a companion who shared his philosophy and value of human life. His loneliness increased in later years, and over time, he began to consider creating a companion of his own; but the thought of cursing someone else with the same life made him reject this option.

Carlisle was born in London, in the 1640s, he believes. Time wasn't marked with the precision it is today, for ordinary people anyway. Edward about Carlisle.

Carlisle Cullen was the son of an Anglican minister. He was born sometime in 1640 in London, during a time of political and religious unrest. His mother died in childbirth. Carlisle's father and other ministers led hunts for werewolves, witches, and vampires, claiming they were trying to rid the world of evil and sin. Many times, however, these groups ended up killing innocent citizens. As his father aged, Carlisle took charge of the raids. He was less skilled at killing than his father, but he was smart enough to track down a real coven of vampires dwelling in London's sewers. Carlisle led the hunt after them, and in the ensuing chaos, he was attacked and left bleeding in the street by a vampire. Knowing what his father was going to do, Carlisle hid in a potato-filled cellar for his painful transformation, emerging three days later as a vampire. Carlisle was repulsed and horrified by what had happened to him, and tried various ways to kill himself, including starvation, drowning, and jumping off cliffs. Eventually, he became so desperate for blood that while hiding in a cave in a forest, he attacked and fed on a passing herd of deer. He discovered he could survive on animal blood, and he considered this far more humane than drinking the blood of a human, killing them in the process.