Mandrill possesses the chemically-based ability to attract and enslave most adult women to his will. Like many animals (including humans to a small extent). Mandrill continually emits pheromones (natural, airborne hormones secreted primarily through-sweat glands which communicate and stimulate behavior) of great potency and volume. Once the Mandrill's pheromone emissions, released into the atmosphere, reach the olfactory centers of a woman, her hormonal balance is altered, causing her to feel extreme physical attraction. The Mandrill's mutant pheromones are released at a rate of 2,000 parts per million, several thousand times that of a normal human. Consequently, any woman within range (about 250 feet downwind, or in the direct path of the emission) is severely affected. Within seconds of exposure to the Mandrill, most women become submissive and open to manipulation by Mandrill, as if hypnotized.

The mutagenically-altered structure of Mandrill's sex pheromones is practically addictive. Initial contact with Mandrill and subsequent reinforcement over a period of a few months is sufficient to keep most women in his power almost permanently. If, however, the woman is removed from his presence after the initial contact, she will go through a mild period of "withdrawal" and be free after a period of a few months.

Some women, notably Shanna the She-Devil and the Black Widow, have been able to resist Mandrill's power, by some unknown, natural means, perhaps solely through will power. Certain mild, electrical stimulation can also deaden the pheromone-affected nerve centers of the female brain. Most male endocrine systems are biologically unable to perceive the Mandrill's pheromone emissions.