Vampires are a pinnacle of the sci-fi and fantasy genres, and there was no period of time that proved that more than the 2010s when the Twilight Saga was taking the world by storm. Whether you love or hate the movies, and their subsequent novel counterparts, there’s no denying the cultural impact the Twilight Saga had on pop culture during the height of their success. From 2008 to 2012, Twilight, and the Cullen family, was all anyone could talk about. Everyone was picking sides, were you Team Edward (Robert Pattinson) or Team Jacob (Taylor Lautner)? Or maybe you were just there to see the vampires in action and see all of the cool powers they possess, which is also a totally valid reason.
As much as people like to rag on Twilight for being bad, there is no right or wrong way to write a vampire, and author Stephenie Meyer put a lot of thought and care into the backstories and powers of the Cullens and their vampire peers. But there is one Cullen who is without any special powers of their own in either the books or the movies, and that’s none other than the Cullen matriarch Esme Cullen (Elizabeth Reaser).
Is Esme the Only Cullen Without a Power in ‘Twilight’?
Every vampire in Twilight has a baseline set of powers, the typical vampire powers you’d expect, such as super speed, super-human strength, enhanced senses, and immortality. But Stephenie Meyer took these basic abilities a step further with some of her vampires and gave some abilities that were unique to them and only them, but not everyone got these unique powers, and she explains why in the books.
In the books, it is explained to Bella (Kristen Stewart) that if one had a gift of any kind in their human life, that gift may transfer over into their vampire life and show itself as a power. For example, Edward explains that he was always good at reading people when he was human, hence why he can now read people’s minds as a vampire. Alice (Ashley Greene) often had predictions of the future when she was human. However, they weren’t always certain and often manifested as a feeling rather than a proper vision. When she’s turned into a vampire, she became fully able to predict the future, complete with visions. Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) was always very charismatic and persuasive as a human, hence why his power as a vampire allows him to manipulate the emotions of those around him however he wants. Bella also gets a specialized power when she is turned, and gets the power to shield, as she had always been shown to be fiercely protective of those she loved.
Notably, Carlisle (Peter Facinelli), Emmett (Kellan Lutz), Rosalie (Nikki Reed), and Esme are all without any specific specialized powers. However, Carlisle is known for his self-control, allowing him to become a doctor, be around human blood, and survive on a strict animal blood-only diet. Emmett is regarded as the strongest of the Cullen clan, indicating that there could be more to his strength. Beauty is considered a worthy trait in the vampire world, and Rosalie is referred to as “the most beautiful person in the world” on more than one occasion. But Esme is never really shown to have any sort of specialized personality trait that could be perceived as a power of her own.
Esme Has the Power of Love in ‘Twilight’
Even in the books, Esme is without a distinct power of her own. That is, unless you ask Edward. In the books, Edward tells Bella that “Esme has a strong ability to love passionately.” This may feel a bit like a passive line, and just a way for Edward to describe Esme until you remember that she doesn’t have any other powers of her own, and then it takes on a bit of a double meaning. If you think about it, Esme is a champ for managing to keep a household full of vampires together. No less a household full of grown-up vampires who are all dating one another, and one who decides to bring a human into their lives and immediately put a huge target on their backs.
Also, we know from the books that in her human life, Esme wanted nothing more than to be a mother, and when her infant son passed away from illness, she tried to take her own life, which led to her ending up in the hospital where she was turned into a vampire by Carlisle. It’s very possible that this tragedy in her human life, and the love she felt for her son in the short time he was with her, manifested itself as a greater power of sorts in her vampire life, and allowed her to be the super vampire mom we all know her to be. It may not be a power in the technical sense, but who else could run the Cullen household and bring everyone together (including the wolves) with such finesse?
The Twilight Saga is currently available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the U.S.
