No mind control at all? I've got an idea which I think is pretty neat, but incorporates mind control pretty centrally.
Basically, a rich and successful business tycoon decides it's time to produce the perfect heir to his empire. Just one, no sibling infighting please, and let's throw in a little gene modification to make sure his son has all the traits necessary to be just as successful, if not more so, than he is: Good looks, charisma, smarts, business savvy, the whole shebang. Everything is all carefully prepared, but at the last minute, an associate of his comes up with a sample of Martian DNA from somewhere, somehow. Throwing in a little telepathic potential along with other potential benefits can't hurt right? The tycoon is torn in his decision, but with the in vitro fertilization process taking place the next day, he ends up deciding to mix it in. The result is implanted into the healthiest surrogate mother money can buy, and the man can't wait until he gets a chance to introduce his heir to the grand world of wheeling and dealing.
Except things don't go exactly according to plan, as his daughter is born. But that's okay, he's got nothing against girls, he can adjust. But as he raises his little princess, he can't help but noticing a few strange things: Her appearance seems to change from time to time, and she seems to notice things that others don't. Sometimes, he seems to be missing small portions of his memory - a few hours here and there where he has no idea what he did, but his doctor has no idea what's happening, so he shrugs it off. Eventually, as she gets older, he sets her up with a small company of her own, and begins to pass on to her all of his skills. He finds that she's a quick learner, and in no time, her company is expanding rapidly - far faster than he could have ever imagined. Rumors start to spread that she somehow easily infiltrates rival organizations or that mystically beguiles people into giving her whatever she wants, and people begin to disappear - among them, business owners who were said to have refused to be taken over, but there's nary any proof to be found. In the blink of an eye, her company has eclipsed her father's in influence (although not yet in size nor revenue), and it seems that everything is going perfectly for her.
But one day, she sets her eyes on a company, which unbeknownst to her, has a superhero or two employed (in their alternate identities, of course). As she goes about in her usual way to take it over, she is discovered, caught, and locked away, for life. Her illusion of infallibility now stripped away, all she yearns for now is her freedom from the miserable life that is her prison cell. Now that the Suicide Squad is being formed, this is her chance.
(Lots of plot hook potential too, if that's important. Her father's newly minted successor, the original shady character who supplied the DNA, former rivals who still hold a grudge, etc.)