Characters With Mind Control Powers

Summary

• Hiraks the Mindbender used his mind-bending abilities to control enemies until he met his demise.
• Balder from Bayonetta brainwashed victims until Jeanne broke free of his control.
• Geralt of Rivia possesses the Axii sign to control minds in critical situations.

The ability to control minds would be a gold mine for anyone to have, and although we can only imagine what that’d be like in real life, several video game characters possess such a power. Unfortunately, most of the characters in this list use this gift to their advantage, and to the detriment of others.

From a hostile alien life form to a heavy, amorphous fog that terrorises others using the faces of loved ones, these literal masterminds have made their mark upon the worlds they inhabit.

8

Hiraks The Mindbender

Destiny 2: Forsaken

Hiraks is one of the antagonists of the Forsaken DLC and is known for his ability to ‘mindbend’ and control others. Not long after falling into the Hellmouth, Hiraks became an Ascendant Eliksini and was powerful enough to carve his own throne world in the Ascendant Realm.

He used his mind-bending abilities to sow chaos wherever he went, taking over the Hives of his enemies and even Prince Uldren’s Crows. Hiraks was momentarily captured and imprisoned in the Prison of Elders before he was freed by Uldren Sov. He was not able to enjoy his freedom for very long, however, as the Guardian overpowered and killed him before he could flee to his throne world.

7

Balder

Bayonetta

Balder, otherwise known as the Masked Lumen Sage, is the main villain of the first Bayonetta game. He is Bayonetta’s father, whose sanity is stolen from him after being corrupted and possessed by Loptr.

He became proficient in brainwashing his victims, which he does to Jeanne by using his magical powers to mentally reprogram her to do his bidding. His efforts to mind control Jeanne seem to pay off, successfully using her to lure Bayonetta in his bid to resurrect Jubileus. However, Jeanne was able to break free of his control and foil his plans by rescuing Bayonetta.

6

Geralt Of Rivia

The Witcher Series

Monster-hunting extraordinaire and main protagonist of The Witcher series, Geralt of Rivia, is a man of many talents. Not only is he one of the best in his craft, but the Butcher of Blaviken also possesses a selection of magical signs in his arsenal.

The Axii Sign allows him to control and manipulate the minds of others, but the effect is not permanent. The spell is a nifty one to have, helping turn enemies against their own or making others more amenable to Geralt’s questions. It’s usually one to use to avert violent confrontations, but it could incite conflict if used in front of others.

5

Miraak

Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

The main antagonist of the Dragonborn DLC, Miraak was the first ever Dragonborn to exist in Nirn. All Dragonborns are tasked with the monumental mission of stopping Alduin, but Miraak had other plans. Due to ambition and greed, he cut a deal with the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora and became his champion.

Not long after becoming his champion, Hermaeus Mora taught Miraak the Bend Will Shout, which grants him the power to make animals, humans and dragons subservient to him. After becoming trapped in Mora’s realm of Apocrypha, Miraak begins to hatch an escape plan and betray his overlord, using the All-Maker Stones to begin taking control of the people of Solstheim.

4

The Thorian

Mass Effect

In the first Mass Effect, the Thorian is one of the major enemies Commander Shepard has to defeat in their pursuit of Saren. The Thorian had been present on the island of Feros for thousands of years before it was settled by colonists from ExoGeni Corporation.

A hostile, sentient plant, the Thorian woke up from its years-long hibernation and began infecting the colonists by releasing spores that turned them into thralls. By the time Shepard arrived, the entire planet’s inhabitants were in its grip, forced to attack Shepard and their team to stop them from killing the Thorian.

3

The Dark Presence

Alan Wake

The main antagonist in the Alan Wake series, the Dark Presence is an amorphous, sentient entity that plagues the small town of Bright Falls. The Dark Presence is tied to Cauldron Lake and seeks to escape its confines to spread havoc in the world beyond.

Since it has no defined physical body of its own, the Dark Presence possesses the bodies of both living and non-living beings in order to interact with the world. It specifically targets artists in its mission to leave Cauldron Lake, aware that the power of the lake turns what’s written in a novel into reality. The Dark Presence can also subtly control its victims, causing them to do what it wants without realising.

2

The Hiss

Control

The Hiss is the main antagonist of 2019’s Control and bears similarities to the Alan Wake series’ the Dark Presence, though this isn’t surprising since both games were developed by Remedy Entertainment and take place in a shared universe. However, unlike the Dark Presence, the Hiss’ true nature and goal remain unknown.

The Hiss can infect and invade both humans and non-living objects and seem to attack all organic life. When the Hiss possesses a person, it could use them to attack others, physically disfiguring them into mindless abominations and even granting them powers.

1

Sovereign

Mass Effect

Mind control is one of the themes that run through the Mass Effect series and Sovereign is the overarching antagonist of the first game. The actions of characters like Saren Arterius and Matriarch Benezia lay at the feet of Sovereign, controlling its targets through indoctrination.

Sovereign is a member of the living, sentient machine race known as the Reapers, hell-bent on purging the universe of all organic life. Massively powerful, Sovereign inserts cybernetics into its victims, which it can use to control them even after death.