| Manhunters | |
|---|---|
.png) The Manhunters as depicted inHistory of the DC Universe #1 (January 1987). Art byGeorge Pérez. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Justice League of America #140 (March1977) |
| Created by | Steve Englehart (writer),Dick Dillin (artist) |
| Characteristics | |
| Place of origin | Biot, Orinda |
TheManhunters are afictional race of extraterrestrial robots that appear in titles published byDC Comics.
The broader history behind the alien robot species covered in this article was introduced inJustice League of America #140 (March 1977), in a story bySteve Englehart andDick Dillin.
The Manhunters are the first attempt of theGuardians of the Universe to create an interstellarpolice 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 theManhunters of Ma'aleca'andra (Mars) millions of years ago. For thousands of years, they serve the Guardians well. However, as the Manhunters become more intelligent and self-aware, they begin to resent the limitations placed upon them by the Guardians; in their eyes, justice is less important than the hunting and punishment of those they deem wicked.[1]
Eventually, the robots conspire to rebel against their masters, but the Guardians do defeat and destroy most of them. Those who survived hide away on many planets, slowly rebuilding their forces and spreading their beliefs to others. Since then, the overriding goal of the Manhunters has been to take revenge on the Guardians, as well as on their replacements, theGreen Lantern Corps.
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 superheroesalso known as Manhunters. They wear red-and-blue costumes patterned after the Manhunters themselves. The most famous of these is a big game hunter calledPaul 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 iscloned, 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 theJustice League 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.
InThe World of Smallville miniseries, the Manhunters tracked Superman before and after he arrived on Earth.
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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 theOlympian Gods, one of their number posing as the goat godPan, as shown during theChallenge of the Gods storyline. They reveal themselves when a Guardian and a member of theZamarons try to evolve some humans into becoming the next Guardians of the Universe, during what becomes known as theMillennium 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.[2]
Kyle Rayner encounters the Manhunters not long afterHal Jordan's destruction of the Guardians and the Central Power Battery onOa. 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).
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, the Cyborg Superman, comes to Biot and becomes the Manhunters' new Grandmaster. He uses his mastery over machinery andKryptonian 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 ofParallax). Henshaw decides not to interfere in the reformation of the Green Lantern Corps after an encounter between a Manhunter and Green LanternsHal Jordan andGuy Gardner.
The Manhunters later resurface as part of theSinestro Corps. 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.
In theGreen 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 theFive Inversions, the only survivors of the massacre, who vow to make the Guardians pay for what their creations had done.[3]
During the events ofBlackest Night, it is revealed thatAmanda Waller andKing Faraday have a deactivated Manhunter in their possession, having recovered it from theBelle Reve swamp after theMillennium event (which the Suicide Squad had a hand in stopping). Waller sends the Manhunter to Belle Reve to assist theSecret Six and theSuicide Squad in their battle with members of theBlack Lantern Corps. Waller uses a self-destruct mechanism to destroy the Manhunter, unleashing an explosion of Green Lantern energy that eradicates the Black Lanterns.[4]
It is revealed that the programming glitch the Manhunters suffered was caused byKrona to prove to the other Guardians of the Universe that there are flaws in an emotionless police force.[5]
DuringThe New 52, while running from theAlpha Lanterns,John Stewart and Guy Gardner find dozens of deactivated Manhunters in the Guardian's Ring Foundry. They re-energize the robots using the Foundry essence to fend off the Alphas. However, during the fight, the Manhunters are accidentally fused into a massive bio-mechanic monster.[6] 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.
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!"
TheHighmaster is the supreme Manhunter which appeared on Orinda inJustice League International #10.[7] He resembles a gigantic yellow manhunter and was destroyed byHal Jordan andSuperman.[8]
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