The Manhunters are a

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, ...

race of extraterrestrial robots that appear in titles published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

Publication history

The broader history behind the alien robot species covered in this article was introduced in ''

Justice League of America The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

'' #140 (March 1977), in a story by

Steve Englehart Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett. Early li ...

and

Dick Dillin Richard Allen Dillin (December 17, 1928 – March 1, 1980)Richard Dillin
at the United States

Guardians of the Universe The Guardians of the Universe are a race of extraterrestrial superhero characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Green Lantern. They first appeared in ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 2) #1 (July 19 ...

to create an interstellar police force that could combat evil all over the cosmos. Their name and much of their code of behavior is modeled by the Guardians of the Universe on the Manhunters of Ma'aleca'andra (Mars) millions of years ago (This creates an apparent chronology problem, since the Manhunters were created many millions of years ago, while the Green Martian race were

retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...

ned as having come into existence from the Burning Martians only about 20,000 years ago.) For thousands of years, they serve the Guardians well. However, the Manhunters become obsessed with the act of "hunting" criminals. Their code, "''No man escapes the Manhunters''" (corrupted from the

original Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion t ...

"''No evil...''"), becomes more important to them than seeing justice done.

Exile

Eventually, the robots conspire to rebel against their masters, but the Guardians defeat and destroy most of them. Those that survived hide away on many planets, slowly rebuilding their forces and spreading their beliefs to others. Since then, the over-riding goal of the Manhunters has been to take revenge on the Guardians, as well as on their replacements, the

Green Lantern Corps Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic law enforcement organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residin ...

. The Manhunters infiltrate and liberate many planets disguised as living beings and create a "Cult of the Manhunters" that trains others to be their minions. On Mars, the people of that world start a group of Martian Manhunters based on the lessons of preserving justice taught unto them by the Manhunters and even erect a temple based on the appearance of their inspiration. On Earth, most of the Manhunters' agents are unaware that their masters are robots, or that their real purposes are not noble. Some of these agents became superheroes also known as Manhunters. They wear red-and-blue costumes patterned after the Manhunters themselves. The most famous of these is a big game hunter called Paul Kirk. He is active in the 1940s, and stars in his own series. The character is brought back in a modern version in the 70s, in which he was supposedly killed years before but was in truth placed in suspended animation by a secret conspiracy. He is

cloned Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical or virtually identical DNA, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. In the field of biotechnology, c ...

, and when he finally reawakes, he dedicates himself to battling those who had used him. He dies in the process, but some of his clones survived. The Manhunters are discovered by the

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

who seemingly defeats the Manhunter's leader, the Grandmaster. One of their human pawns, Mark Shaw, adopts a new identity as the costumed hero, the Privateer but is later discovered to be a criminal posing as a hero.

Millennium

Years later, it is revealed that the Manhunters not only still exist, but have infiltrated the lives of most superheroes with their agents. They even manage to infiltrate the

Olympian Gods upright=1.8, Fragment of a relief (1st century BC1st century AD) depicting the twelve Olympians carrying their attributes in procession; from left to right: Hestia (scepter), Hermes (winged cap and staff), Aphrodite (veiled), Ares (helmet and s ...

, one of their number posing as the goat god Pan, as shown during the ''Challenge of the Gods'' storyline. They reveal themselves when a Guardian and a member of the

Zamaron The Zamarons are a fictional extraterrestrial race published by DC Comics. They were first introduced in ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 2) #16 (October 1962), and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Fictional species biography The Zamarons were ...

s try to evolve some humans into becoming the next Guardians of the Universe, during what becomes known as the

Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...

crisis. On this occasion, there is a massive counterstrike operation by the heroes against the Manhunters, and it seems that the Grandmaster has finally been destroyed, along with their hidden home planet. Former Privateer Mark Shaw readopts his identity as Manhunter in the wake of the battle, seeking to redeem both the name and himself.

Post-Emerald Twilight

Kyle Rayner Kyle Rayner (), one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is depicted as being associated with the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of ...

encounters the Manhunters not long after

Hal Jordan Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and first appeared in '' ...

's destruction of the Guardians and the Central Power Battery on Oa. The first of the androids encounters a still inexperienced Kyle Rayner and is almost able to defeat him using brute force until Kyle uses his wits to outsmart and destroy it (Green Lantern (vol. 3) #117). The next time, multiple Manhunters appear. They are all sentient individuals, upgraded by a passing alien ship with technology onboard that gives them a hive consciousness. They capture Kyle in an attempt to use his last remaining Green Lantern ring for their purposes. They fail and Kyle manages to escape (Green Lantern (vol. 3) #129-131).

Sector 3601

When the Manhunters are replaced by the Green Lantern Corps, they retreat to Biot, their homeworld in Sector 3601, an uncharted area of space incapable of sustaining organic life.

Hank Henshaw Henry "Hank" Henshaw is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and normally goes by the name Cyborg Superman. While originally featured primarily as an enemy of Superman, he has in recent years also been an enemy ...

, the Cyborg Superman, comes to Biot and becomes the Manhunters' new Grandmaster. He uses his mastery over machinery and

Kryptonian Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race within the DC Comics universe that originated on the planet Krypton. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero, Superman. The stories also use "Kryptonian" as an adjective to re ...

technology to upgrade the Manhunters with organic enhancements, resulting behavioral developments such as emotions. They seem to have rebuilt the first Central Power Battery originally destroyed by Hal Jordan (under the influence of

Parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to foreshortening, nearby objects ...

). Henshaw decides not to interfere in the reformation of the Green Lantern Corps after an encounter between a Manhunter and Green Lanterns

and

Guy Gardner Guy Gardner may refer to: * Guy Gardner (astronaut) (born 1948), United States Air Force officer and former astronaut * Guy Gardner (character) Guy Gardner, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic ...

Sinestro Corps

The Manhunters later resurface as part of the

Sinestro Corps The Sinestro Corps, occasionally known as the Yellow Lantern Corps, is a supervillainous analog to the Green Lantern Corps in the DC Universe. Their power is derived from the emotional electromagnetic spectrum of fear; the corps is led by the ...

. Some of them carry miniature yellow Power Batteries inside them which are used by the Sinestro Corps members to charge their yellow power rings while others still carry the green ones for taking powers from the Green Lanterns' rings.

Secret Origin

In the '' Green Lantern: Secret Origin'' storylines (which revises Hal Jordan's beginnings), it is revealed that the Manhunters suffered a programming glitch that caused them to wipe out all life in space sector 666, believing it to be evil. It is this event that gives rise to the Five Inversions, the only survivors of the massacre, who vow to make the Guardians pay for what their creations had done.

Blackest Night

During the events of ''

Blackest Night "Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. ''Blackest Nig ...

'', it is revealed that

Amanda Waller Amanda Blake Waller (née White), also known as "the Wall", is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Legends'' #1 in 1986 and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and ...

and

King Faraday King Faraday is a fictional secret agent featured in DC Comics. Faraday first appeared in ''Danger Trail'' #1 (July 1950), and was created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino. Faraday's last appearance in the 1950s was in ''World's Finest Com ...

have a deactivated Manhunter in their possession, having recovered it from the Belle Reve swamp after the ''Millennium'' event (which the Suicide Squad had a hand in stopping). Waller sends the Manhunter to Belle Reve in order to assist the

Secret Six The so-called Secret Six, or the Secret Committee of Six, were a group of men who secretly funded the 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry by abolitionist John Brown. Sometimes described as "wealthy," this was true of only two. The other four were in po ...

and the

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

in their battle with members of the

Black Lantern Corps The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of corporeal revenants (resembling intelligent zombies or jiangshi) appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. The group is composed of deceased fiction ...

. Waller ultimately uses a self-destruct mechanism to destroy the Manhunter, unleashing an explosion of Green Lantern energy that eradicates the Black Lanterns.

Brightest Day

It is eventually revealed that the programming glitch the Manhunters suffered is caused by Krona to prove to the other Guardians of the Universe that there are flaws in an emotionless police force.

The New 52

While running from the

Alpha Lanterns Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic law enforcement organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians of the Universe, Guardians, a ...

, John Stewart and

find dozens of deactivated Manhunters in the Guardian's Ring Foundry. They re-energize the robots using the Foundry essence in order to fend off the Alphas. However, during the fight, the Manhunters are accidentally fused in a massive bio-mechanic monster. It has since been revealed that the Manhunters were created to apprehend the First Lantern during a time the Maltusians were still trying to harness the Emerald Light of Willpower in the Emotional Spectrum which they eventually would use as a source of energy to fuel their efforts to police the cosmos.

Chant

The Manhunters have had a mixture of oaths over the years: "''No evil escapes the Manhunters!''", "''Death to the Green Lantern Corps!''", and "''No man escapes the Manhunters!''"

Highmaster

The Highmaster is the supreme Manhunter which appeared on Orinda in ''Justice League International'' #10. He resembles a gigantic yellow manhunter and was destroyed by

and

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

Technology

*Manhunter technology has been used in the creation of the OMAC drones. The Kryptonian technology was incorporated into the Manhunters by Hank Henshaw on Biot, which enabled them to use the Central Power Battery on Oa as a power source for the Manhunters. *Originally the Manhunters used special energy pistols which were charged by the green lanterns which they carried.

Other versions

Injustice: Gods Among Us

A Manhunter makes a cameo appearance in '' Injustice: Gods Among Uss prequel comic. In a flashback in chapter seven of Year Two,

Sinestro Thaal Sinestro () (or simply Sinestro) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, particularly those featuring Green Lantern. Sinestro is a former Green Lantern Corps member who was dishonorably discharged for abu ...

is attacked by a Manhunter, though he easily dispatches it before bringing its body before the

Star Trek/Green Lantern

In the sequel to '' Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War'', a year after the Green Lanterns and their various allies arrived in the new ''Star Trek'' timeline,

Saint Walker Saint Walker is a character appearing in American comic books and other associated media published by DC Comics. He is an alien member of the galactic Blue Lantern Corps, an organization dedicated to spreading peace and harmony throughout the univ ...

discovers a Manhunter crashed on a distant moon, with the age of the impact damage suggesting that this Manhunter is native to the ''Trek'' universe rather than coming from the Lanterns' reality.

Earth One

Hundreds of years prior to the events depicted in '' Green Lantern: Earth One'', the Manhunters wiped out the majority of the Green Lantern Corps and captured the Central Power Battery, which was assumed destroyed. In a reverse of most versions of their origin story, the Manhunters were created by the Guardians of Oa to replace the Corps, who they felt had become too independent. The Manhunters however turned on the Guardians, killing all but a single survivor who fled to an alternate dimension. The Manhunters carved out an empire in the space previously patrolled by the Green Lanterns, centred on Oa.

, an asteroid miner who had stumbled onto a Power Ring was captured and taken to Oa, which the Manhunters had converted into a mine. Jordan was able to find the Central Battery and summon the remaining Ring bearers to Oa. By creating a controlled feedback loop between the Central Battery and their Rings, the Lanterns were able to destroy the majority of the Manhunters, although the surviving Manhunters still pose a significant threat.''Green Lantern: Earth One'' vol. 1

In other media

Television

* The Manhunters appear in the ''

'' episode "In Blackest Night" voiced by

James Remar William James Remar (born December 31, 1953) is an American actor. He has played numerous roles over a 40 year career, most notably Ajax in '' The Warriors'' (1979), Albert Ganz in ''48 Hrs.'' (1982), Dutch Schultz in '' The Cotton Club'' (1984 ...

. Like their comic counterparts, they predate the Green Lantern Corps. According to the Guardians, "they couldn't understand the subtle gradations between good and evil" and as such, they are reprogrammed for performing other tasks such as hunting and guarding. After this demotion, the Manhunters secretly plot their revenge against the Guardians.

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

John Stewart is later brought to trial on the planet Ajuris 5 for accidentally destroying Ajuris 4. Unknown to everyone else, the planet's destruction was faked by the Manhunters with the help of

Kanjar Ro Kanjar Ro is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Publication history He first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #3 (February 1961) in a story entitled "The Slave Ship of Space" and was created by Gardner Fox an ...

, as part of their plan to overthrow the Oans and take the Corps' power source. Their gambit draws five Guardians and several Green Lanterns away from Oa, leaving the planet's defenses weakened enough to allow the Manhunters to attack. The Justice League clears John's name and helps the Corps defeat the Manhunters in Oa. However, the lead Manhunter manages to absorb the power of the Central Battery, which makes him become a giant energy being. Reciting the Green Lantern oath, John absorbs the battery's power, and by extension the Manhunter, into his ring. He then expels the evil of the Manhunter and restores the Central Battery. This is based on the comics story "No Man Escapes The Manhunters", from ''Justice League of America'' #140-141 (1977). * The Manhunters appear in the '' Green Lantern: The Animated Series'', voiced by

Josh Keaton Joshua Luis Wiener (born February 8, 1979), known by his stage name Josh Keaton, is an American voice actor. He is known for his roles as Takashi 'Shiro' Shirogane in '' Voltron: Legendary Defender'', Spider-Man in various media in addition to ...

. They are seen as illustrations in the episode "Reckoning", in walls of glass that detail the history of the Red Lantern Corps, and are noted to have slaughtered

Atrocitus Atrocitus (Atros) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Atrocitus is an enemy to the Guardians of the Universe and Sinestro, their former Green Lantern. He is the leader of the Red Lantern Corps. Publication ...

' race, leading to his transformation into the first Red Lantern. In the episode "Regime Change",

presents this information to the Guardians, initially believing it to be a lie. However the Guardians shamefully reveal they were indeed responsible for the creation of the Manhunters, and that the machines had massacred a number of innocent planets due to their inability to interact with emotional beings. The second half of the first season shows the Manhunters are being rebuilt to act as the

Anti-Monitor The Anti-Monitor is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He served as the main antagonist of the 1985 DC Comics miniseries ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' and later appears as an enemy to the Green Lantern Corps ...

's foot soldiers. According to both the Guardians and the Manhunters themselves, the cause for the destruction was the Manhunters viewing all emotion as the source of evil and thus seeking to exterminate it.

Film

* The Manhunters are mentioned at the end of '' Green Lantern: Emerald Knights''. When the Green Lantern Corps are out to build a new planet, Hal Jordan mentions to Arisia Rrab about how he took on an army of Manhunters, and his only backup was a squirrel.

Video games

* The Manhunters appear in ''

DC Universe Online ''DC Universe Online'' (''DCUO'') is a free-to-play action combat massively multiplayer online game set in the fictional universe of DC Comics. Developed by Dimensional Ink Games and co-published by Daybreak Game Company and WB Games, the game w ...

'', voiced by David Jennison. They assist the Sinestro Corps with their fight against the Green Lanterns. Some broken Manhunters were rebuilt into remote fear generators to boost the power of the Sinestro Corps' power rings. * The Manhunters were the main antagonists in '' Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters'', which was set in the same continuity as the Green Lantern live-action film, voiced by

Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore (; ) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk and Beast (comics), Beast in various Marvel media and Solomon Grundy ( ...

. They ally with

Amon Sur Amon Sur is an alien supervillain in the DC Universe. He is the son of the Green Lantern Abin Sur and nephew of the villain/antihero Sinestro by marriage with Sur's sister Arin. Publication history Amon Sur first appeared in ''Green Arrow'' (vol ...

- who resents that his father's ring went to a primitive like Hal Jordan rather than himself - in an attempt to acquire the yellow fear energy that the Guardians have acquired in the distant past and use it as a power source for themselves. * While not making an actual appearance, the Manhunters are mentioned in '' Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham''. During a mission on

Ysmault The Red Lantern Corps is a supervillain and sometimes anti-heroes, anti-heroic organization appearing in DC Comics. Their power is derived from the emotional spectrum relating to rage. Publication history They debuted in ''Green Lantern'' (vol ...

, Hal Jordan,

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

, Robin and Solomon Grundy stumble upon a shielded door that Jordan suggests must have belonged to the Manhunters in the past, while briefly explaining their origin to Robin.

Miscellaneous

Manhunters are featured in the ''

Smallville Season 11 ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar/Gough ...

'' digital comic based on the

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

References

External links

DCU Guide: The Manhunters

{{Suicide Squad Characters created by Dick Dillin Characters created by Steve Englehart Comics characters introduced in 1977 DC Comics alien species DC Comics robots DC Comics supervillains Fictional artificial intelligences Green Lantern characters