A Collider opinion piece argues that Charlie Swan, Bella's father in the Twilight saga, is the franchise's best character despite having no supernatural powers or romantic drama. The piece contends that while the films are built around the heightened, all-consuming emotions of Bella, Edward and Jacob, Charlie's quieter, more grounded presence offers a refreshing contrast that has aged better than the saga's central love triangle.

The article credits actor Billy Burke for playing Charlie as an awkward but well-meaning father figure rather than a comic stereotype, noting his understated humour and authentically stilted father-daughter conversations. It also highlights Charlie as the only genuinely adult character in the series, pointing to his handling of Bella's depression in New Moon, where he cannot fix her heartbreak but instead gives her space and ultimately decides she should leave Forks for her own wellbeing, unlike Bella's more flighty mother or the eternally teenage Cullens.