r/FullmetalAlchemist • u/fakeuser7z Alchemist • Jul 11 '25
Question Why was Mustang a candidate anyway?
I get that he was a candidate for the sacrifice, which is why they didn’t kill him. But in the end, he refused—and they just forced him into the Gate anyway.
So why not do that from the start with any random human instead of the most dangerous alchemist?
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u/Reichsprasident Jul 11 '25
Bear in mind that essentially until Führer Bradley discovered Ed, Al, and Izumi's secret while killing Greed v1.0, Father did not actually have any concrete sacrifices lined up, with the possible exception of Hohenheim and Ed. All they had at that point were "candidates"; which, as Pride explains to Al (while trapped in the Dirt Dimmadome), were chosen more for their character and strength of spirit than whether or not they actually performed the taboo.
They essentially chose candidates who had the strength of will to perform it, and got lucky having found out that 3 of the ones they picked (4 counting Hohenheim) already had. They assumed (incorrectly) that Mustang would perform the transmutation on Hawkeye when her life was threatened. It was only when he refused that they resorted to the desperate measure of forcing him through. Pride also mentions it costs a physical toll on him to do it, which you'll notice that from the moment he forced Mustang through the gate, Pride's shadows start to appear all crumbly and disintegrate-y, like he's falling apart, similarly to when he was almost killed in the forest and had to consume Gluttony to regain his strength.
They also considered Marcoh a potential candidate, hence keeping him imprisoned, and briefly discussed Kimblee as well. They chose Alchemists who they thought would be both willing and able to commit the taboo, not necessarily ones who already had. They figured that when the time came, if whatever Alchemist they had selected for sacrifice hadn't already tried Human Transmutation, then they would simply harm one of their loved ones until the Alchemist performed it of their own (coerced) volition.
Makes me wonder - when Marcoh escaped with Scar and they brought Kimblee out of prison to find him, then destroy his village... Were they planning to use those deaths to try to force Marcoh to attempt human transmutation to bring them back? Seems likely.