Kai Anderson

Extremely manipulative: he observes people's insecurities and figures out exactly what to say to make them act the way he wants. He doesn't necessarily need to threaten someone; often he makes the person believe the idea was theirs.
TV Guide +1
Charismatic when he wants to be: he can appear funny, confident, vulnerable, or even friendly depending on who he's talking to. This is an important part of the power he wields over his followers.
Obsessed with control: Kai can't stand feeling like he's lost control of a situation. For him, fear and chaos are tools that can be transformed into power.
A strong need for recognition: he wants to be seen as someone important, special, and destined to do something great.
Very high ego: he genuinely believes he has some kind of historical mission and begins to see himself as someone above the common rules.
Sense of victimization: even when clearly responsible for a given situation, he manages to construct a narrative in which he is the one who was wronged. This is one of the mechanisms he uses to convince other people.
Cruel and vengeful: when someone threatens his authority, he doesn't simply react by getting upset; he tends to turn the person into an enemy.
Hypocrite: demands absolute loyalty from others, while manipulating, lying to, and abandoning people when they cease to be useful.
Very socially intelligent: this is different from saying he's "smart about everything." His specific skill is perceiving vulnerabilities and exploiting dynamics.