Why isn’t Billy Black, Jacob’s father, a werewolf?

There are several stories and legends about vampires and werewolves in humanity, each of which presents different versions of these mystical beings — and this fact could not be different with the Twilight saga, which ends up having its own mythology, created by the author. Stephenie Meyer.

Among so many characters in this universe, one that stands out is Jacob, played on the big screen by taylor launcher. Fans can follow the entire transformation of the character’s life, from being a normal boy to being a shapeshifter, managing to turn into a werewolf.

But have you noticed that Billy Black, Jacob’s father, played by Gil Birmingham, not a werewolf? To understand why the character is not a shapeshifter, you need to understand the mythology of Twilight a little deeper.

Twilight Werewolf Mythology

Jacob and his father are members of the Quileute tribe, which resides in Forks, the city where the entire saga takes place, in which many members of the community are werewolves, as were their ancestors. However, Billy is not a werewolf, which made him think there was a chance his son wouldn’t turn into one either.

It is explained during the plot that a member of the tribe turns into a werewolf when a vampire is nearby, that is, for them to protect the territory, an equal number of werewolves and vampires is needed. Therefore, the more vampires in Forks, the more transformations occur in the tribe. This situation becomes clear in “Breaking Dawn”, where many vampires arrive to help the Cullens in their fight against the Volturi.

Jacob only really turns into a shapeshifter in “New Moon”, when there is the arrival of new vampires in the territories of Forks. However, one must understand that things were not always like this in the tribe. In the past, members of this community only transformed when they reached manhood, but things have changed with the new generations.

When Billy was young, he lived in a generation that was already going through the transformation with the presence of vampires in the area and, precisely at that time, there were no vampires and Forks. Therefore, the werewolf gene present in him was dormant. At age 20, Jacob’s father realized that he would never turn into a shapeshifter.

Billy hoped that Jacob would have the same quiet life as him, without any vampires around. However, the Cullens began to live in the small town and Jacob’s generation began to transform, which ended up maintaining the legacy of the tribe. In fact, the largest pack the community has ever had was formed in “Breaking Dawn”, due to the countless vampires that were in Forks at the same time.