Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-6192340-20140717002907/@comment-25214304-20140723040017

I Agree with Western Gen. While the idea certainly has its merits, given the Leader's resource base and possible motive, I doubt that he would survive a laser blast like that. However, the idea that this character could be someone from their past has gained considerable ground lately in the past 2 episodes, given "Control's" 1. Extensive knowledge of the Reds and Blues (Somehow, Felix already knew that Carolina and Epsilon were supposed to be attached to the group), and 2. connections with Project Freelancer (in "Long Time No See", Felix is revealed to have been sent to the wreckage to gather Project Freelancer Technology, and Locus is also revealed to have attained some of it - and the fact that he refers to aforementioned tech as "[his] Property")*.


 * From this, we can also assume that the recovered crate mentioned by Locus is also an instance of Freelancer Tech.

Before you say it's Carolina, it's also revealed in "Long Time No See" that Epsilon and Carolina were intercepting messages from Control to Locus, so we can interpret the Season 11 Finale as another case of this.

So who could it be? let us also review what we know about Control. He 1. Has a large resource pool, big enough to hire the Mercenary Team (and greedy Felix), as well as fund advanced weaponry (Such as the Binary Rifle), 2. Is ruthless enough to wipe out an entire planet, and 3. Has a very likely connection with the UNSC and Project Freelancer (see above for details).

Based on these criterion, we have 2 (maybe 3) possible candidates for the elusive 'Control'.

1. Malcom Hargrove, AKA "The Chairman"

Known as the Chairman of the UNSC Oversight Committee, the Chairman was first introduced during "Reconstruction", although he does not make a physical appearance until "Recreation". Given his high place within the UNSC, enough to send a Police Force after Project Freelancer, and past connections (Note that he was the one who leased Project Freelancer its tech), and the fact that his fate since Season 9-10 (or Revelation, chronologically), is unknown, he comes out as a very good candidate for Control.



Pros:

''- This isn't the first time he's tried to reclaim Freelancer Tech. He did the same thing in Recreation with the Epsilon Module, even willing to let two dangerous prisoners, Wash and the Meta, let loose to accomplish this goal.''

- Thanks to Wash, he even knows about the Reds and Blues that interfered with this, willing to send UNSC police after them.

- Control's reference of Freelancer Tech as "[his] Property" falls parallel to his correspondence in Season 10, when he refers to the tech lent to Project Freelancer as still property of the UNSC.

''- He has proven himself to be cunning, yet ruthless if need be, first seen in "Recreation". However, his darker side has also been hinted at in "Reconstruction" by the Director, although it is unknown how much of this was simply verbal jousting.''

Cons:

''- It is unknown why the Chairman wouldn't simply use the UNSC to reclaim this technology, although it could be for public appearance or simply selfish hoarding. He has proven himself to be willing to use shady individuals like Wash and the Meta before, and given the fact that the UNSC just decided to abandon a planet chock-ful of Alien goods, (perhaps even at his bidding) it's maybe not as far-fetched as it sounds.''

Personally, the Chairman is my top candidate for Control, but there's still more to cover.

2. "The Counselor"

The Counselor was the Director's qssistant back in the Project Freelancer Saga, and has considerable authority over Project Freelancer that would grant him many priviledges and resources. Additionally, his Fate since Reconstruction is unknown, which adds many points in his favor.

Pros:

''- His deep connections with Project Freelancer would grant him lots of knowledge on all the Simulation troopers, as well as Freelancer Agents and AIs. Hence, coupled with his logical and calculating nature, he would be in the best position to recognize the Blood Gulch Crew's general naivete as an asset.''

Cons:

''- While he has no regard for the law, shown in his complicity with the Director, he has shown genuine sympathy to the Freelancers in Seasons 9 and 10, and would not likely be ruthless enough to slaughter an entire planet. However, this could have easily changed since the death of the Director and since we last saw him in Reconstruction.''

''- His position was one of advice and subservient to the Director, so his resource base could also be questioned in this case. However, this again could have changed since Recontstruction.''

The last one is simply a safety net, and one that does make sense, but I know many fans, myself included, would simply hate it if this guy were to turn out as Control. However, based on our Criterion, we may have to consider him as a possible identity.

3? Dr. Leonard Church, AKA "The Director"

Given his influence, role, and intelligence, the Director would also be put up for consideration. But mark my word, there will be nothing but cons for this guy.

Straight to the Cons:

- There's only so many times you can have an antagonist reappear over and over. RvB has shown no comebacks for most antagonists, be it Wyoming or the Meta (not counting flashbacks), so I should expect the Director to be a good little character and stay dead. If he comes back, then Miles is really scraping the bottom of the bin for story, which I shouldn't expect given the epic plot twist in "Cloak and Daggers".

- Like it or not, there's not much more to tell about the Director. Given that he's isolated, severely depressed, and usually justifies his actions for the betterment of Humanity, his current personality does not suit Control all that well. Additionally, given how nicely Carolina's search for him ended, I don't think anyone would react positively if he were to suddenly spring back up as a loose end.

Let me know if there are any details I missed and should consider, or if you have other candidates.