Quote Originally Posted by M84 View Post
The most recent update shows that controlling them isn't that easy -- they are deliberately holding back as much as possible while trying to warn their would-be victims of what's happening.

It's also an easy way for Mookie to establish that King DJ is a threat despite him never really doing much on-panel. It's not that the other Archmages are wimps -- DJ is just that powerful. Which still begs the question why he doesn't just kill Dominic personally. Unless this is one of those irritating villain schemes that require the hero to be alive.

OhlordwhyamidefendingMookiewriting...
No no, I got it.

DJ Callan is using a Batman Gambit to get the Archmagi out of the way.
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What we know so far:
- DJ Callan can mind control the Archmagi
- This Mind Control is weaksauce
- Archmagi are LG in the most self-sacrificing fashion

So what does he do? He gives each Archmage the orders "kill some innocents" knowing that his mind control will not be sufficient to do the job. However, this puts the LG Archmagi in a situation where they have just enough control to arrange their suicides but not enough to stop from killing innocents. So, predictably, each of them decides to suicide rather than kill innocents, removing them from the picture when DJ Callan goes to enact his Real Plan.

He doesn't use the Mind Control to keep the Archmagi at bay while killing Dominic because it will take all his control to out-Seer Dominic and he doesn't want to have a bunch of wild cards hanging around while he does it. Also, he can't mind control Miranda because he hasn't spent as much time with her as he has with the Alien Mages -- he implanted these mind control hooks over years. He has some other Sinister Plan for Miranda that likely involves her "power fluctuations" in some fashion.

Manta Mage was sent to kill Rillian with similar instructions. DJ Callan did not anticipate that the First Necromancer wouldn't actually try to fight Manta Mage so the Suicide Protocol never was activated.

Of course, this ignores Mookie's inability to plan things out in advance, and his comically bad sense of drama. But it could work.