In the Twilight saga, the vampires largely displayed a range of special abilities, but Caius Volturi seemed to show no powers at all – here’s why.
Although the third Volturi member Caius appears to have no powers in the Twilight saga’s movie adaptations, there is a solid canon explanation for this stranger plot hole. The Twilight movies essentially redefined what constitutes a vampire, with the bloodsuckers in the series surviving off animal blood and being able to walk around in broad daylight without any negative impacts on their health. As series star Robert Pattinson criticized, Twilight’s vampires didn’t do a lot of “vampire stuff,” although the heroes of the series made up for this shortcoming in other areas.
Specifically, Twilight’s vampires possessed individual skills akin to superpowers. Some vampires had super strength, others could read minds, and others could see the future. Despite all of these supernatural abilities, however, one of the most notable villains in the Twilight saga was seemingly powerless.
In a bizarre apparent Twilight saga plot hole, the Volturi villain Caius had no secret powers despite being one of the evil coven’s main members. Actor Jamie Campbell Bower’s villain didn’t have much to do in the Twilight movies as a result, beyond sitting around and looking menacing. While fellow Volturi member Marcus had an impressive ability, the trouble that this caused for Volturi leader Aro was the reason why the coven’s final member Caius was short on supernatural skills. Aro’s refusal to risk an insurrection led him to surround himself with weaker vampires, which justifies Caius’s lack of powers.
Aro’s Paranoia Meant Caius Couldn’t Have Powers
Marcus has the ability to sense relationships between people at a glance, and even this minor skill was enough to make the paranoid, power-mad Aro kill his own sister when he feared that Marcus would defect from the coven with her. As such, Caius would never have lasted as long as he did (despite being endlessly loyal to Aro) if he had any powers the coven leader could conceivably perceive as a threat. Aro’s powers in the Twilight movies consist of an ability to see every thought an individual has ever had via a touch, a powerful skill that makes him one of the most dangerous vampires in the franchise’s universe. However, even this was not enough to assuage his fears of being overthrown.
Tragically, Marcus never even intended to overthrow Aro, making Aro’s decision to kill his sister pointless. Similarly, the subservient Caius never turns on Aro or the cause of the Volturi during the Twilight saga, meaning there is no reason to think that that villain would have attempted a coup if he had powers. Instead, Caius is mostly defined by his vicious cruelty, an attribute that makes him arguably more dangerous than the technically more powerful Marcus. However, this is not enough to make Caius a meaningful threat to Aro, which is exactly why the Twilight villain chose him as a right-hand man.
