mental power
Mind Control
Also called Compulsion, Domination, Hypnosis
Mind control overrides another person's will. Fiction almost always limits it by duration, proximity or a stated exception, because a power that reliably converts opponents into allies ends any story it appears in.
How it works
Suggestion nudges. Targets rationalise the choice as their own, and the effect fades.
Command compels action directly. The classic limit is that it must be heard, which makes deafness a complete defence — the Purple Man's whole career turns on that hole.
Domination takes the person over entirely, and the good versions charge for it: concentration, proximity, or a limited number of targets.
Rewriting changes what someone wants rather than what they do, and is the version stories treat as a genuine violation rather than a tactic.
Almost every setting supplies one hard exception — an immune mind, a protective object, or a person who simply wants something more.
How it scales
- Suggestion
Nudges choices; the target rationalises them.
- Command
Compels an action. Usually must be perceived.
- Domination
Full takeover, at a cost to the controller.
- Rewriting
Changes desire rather than behaviour.
Who has mind control
Across 3 universes. This list crosses publishers — something no single wiki can do, because every franchise keeps its own separate database.
| Character | Universe | Franchise | Feats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Frost | Marvel | Marvel Comics | 1 |
| Professor X | Marvel | Marvel Comics | 3 |
| Purple Man | Marvel | Marvel Comics | 6 |
| Scarlet Witch | Marvel | Marvel Comics | 2 |
| Gorilla Grodd | DC | DC Comics | 3 |
| Mad Hatter | DC | DC Comics | 6 |
| Martian Manhunter | DC | DC Comics | 1 |
| Poison Ivy | DC | DC Comics | 1 |
| Makima | Anime & Manga | Chainsaw Man | 3 |
| Sosuke Aizen | Anime & Manga | Bleach | 2 |
The feat ledger
Every entry cites the work it comes from. Feat means it was shown in the work; Statement means a character or narrator said it. Nothing here is a fan estimate unless it is tagged Calc.
Poison Ivy — Controls people through pheromones rather than telepathy, which is a chemical attack and not a psychic one
Mad Hatter — Control is delivered by a device placed on the target, so it can be removed
Purple Man — Spoken commands are obeyed absolutely — and must be heard, which is the single hole in his power
Professor X — Can override a target's will directly, and is written as choosing not to except in extremity — the restraint is the characterisation
Emma Frost — Dominates minds outright, and unlike most telepaths is written as untroubled by doing so
Martian Manhunter — Capable of full mental domination, restrained by choice rather than by any stated limit
Professor X — Freezes a hostile crowd in place without harming them
Professor X — Shuts down an opponent's motor control mid-action
Scarlet Witch — Holds an entire town's residents under her will
Scarlet Witch — Turns opponents' own fears against them without touching them
Sosuke Aizen — Manipulates allies and enemies across a century-long plan
Sosuke Aizen — His defeat comes from a character who never saw the release, which is the stated counter
Mad Hatter — Mind-control devices concealed in hats and headwear
Mad Hatter — The technology is his own, so he has no innate power at all
Mad Hatter — Controls several people at once through separate devices
Mad Hatter — Removing the device ends the control immediately, the standing counter
Mad Hatter — His Alice fixation drives target selection rather than any strategy
Purple Man — Pheromones compel obedience from anyone who hears him speak
Purple Man — The effect wears off with distance and time, which is how victims escape
Purple Man — Commands a crowd simultaneously with a single instruction
Purple Man — Victims retain full memory of what he made them do, which is the horror of him
Purple Man — Strong enough will can resist him, established as a rare exception
Makima — Commands anyone she considers beneath her, which is stated as the condition
Makima — Controls a crowd simultaneously without speaking to them individually
Makima — Her control fails on anyone she regards as an equal, the one exception
Gorilla Grodd — Takes complete control of a human mind and directs the body
Gorilla Grodd — Controls a crowd simultaneously rather than one target
Gorilla Grodd — Transfers his own mind into another body to escape capture
Limits
- Command versions usually require the target to hear the order.
- Duration is the standard balance mechanism.
- Strong-willed, non-human or fractured minds are routinely immune.
- Most controllers cannot hold many targets at once.
Counters
- Psychic shielding, or simply not being able to hear.
- Attacking the controller's concentration.
- Targets with inhuman or multiple minds.
Questions
Why is deafness a defence against mind control?
Because many command-type powers are delivered by voice and require the target to perceive the order. It is the cleanest built-in limit on an ability that would otherwise end every confrontation on contact.
Last updated 2026-09-06 · machine-readable version