Eavaeh Tiernan

For years pop culture has been divided by one question: which team are you team Edward or team Stefan? But as the glitter settles on the Twilight Saga and blood continues to spill in Mystic Falls, a more important argument arises. While Twilight may have been the pioneer of the young adult/ teenage supernatural craze, The Vampire Diaries (TVD) didn’t just follow in its footsteps it ran circles around it proving its superiority in every way.

 Let’s be honest Bella swan’s personality often felt just as cold as her vampire boyfriend. Her entire existence revolved around her boyfriend and being protected by strong boys. 

However Elena Gilbert was a force to be reckoned with, never waiting on anyone, not even a man, to save her friends. She faced grief, made impossible moral choices and wasn’t afraid to slap a salvator when they stepped out of line. Watching eleana evolve from a grieving teen to a fierce survivor was more rewarding than watching Bella wait for a man.

In twilight, the “big bad” Volturi mostly just stood around in a red robe doing nothing but looking annoyed. While TVD gave the Mikaelsons the originals. 

Characters like Klaus and Katherine Pierce weren’t just cardboard cut out evil characters, they were charismatic, deeply flawed and terrifying. They had backstories that spanned thousands of years, making the stakes feel old and earned.

In the world of twilight, the worst thing that happens to the main character is a breakup or a paper cut, while in mystic falls, no one is safe. The show had the guts to kill off major characters, turning a teen drama into a high stakes horror show. With 74 deaths in the first season alone, TVD understood that for a vampire story to work, there has to be a bite.

While Twilight provided an example of sparkly vampires and werewolves who change into giant shape shifting dogs, TVD built a sprawling complex story. From the introduction of witches and doppelgangers to the “other side” and sirens the world felt already lived in and unpredictable. The rules were very clear: Vampires burn in the sun (unless they have enchanted jewelry), they can compel humans and that they are always monsters first, boyfriends second.

In twilight, The Cullens and The Pack always felt like background noise compared to the Edward-Bella-Jacob triangle. In TVD, the supporting characters were the heartbeat of the whole show. 

The audience watched Caroline Forbes go from a shallow cheerleader to a vampire leader in two seasons and Bonnie Bennett sacrificed everything just to protect her family and town. Their character development was just as compelling to watch as Bella, Edward and Jacob’s love triangle.

Twilight will always be special in everyone’s dark hearts. But for fans who just crave to stick their teeth into a more complex storyline, genuine scares, and characters who have actual good development, The Vampire Diaries is the clear winner. It didn’t just give the gloomy teenage love story like Bella and Edward, it gave a world worth fighting for.