Manhunters

This article is about the race of robots in DC Comics. For other uses, see Manhunters (disambiguation).
Manhunters

Manhunters with the Guardians of the Universe as seen in Secret Origins vol. 2 #22
(January 1988), artist Howard Simpson
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Justice League of America #140 (March 1977)
Created by Steve Englehart (writer) and Dick Dillin (artist)
Characteristics
Place of origin Biot, Orinda

The Manhunters are a fictional race of extraterrestrial robots that appear in titles published by DC Comics.

Publication history

The broader history behind the alien robot species covered in this article was introduced in Justice League of America #140 (March 1977), in a story by Steve Englehart and Dick Dillin.

Fictional character biography

Interstellar police

The Manhunters were the first attempt of the Guardians of the Universe to create an interstellar police force that would combat evil all over the cosmos. Their name and much of their code of behavior was 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 retconned as having come into existence from the Burning Martians only about 20,000 years ago). For thousands of years, they served the Guardians well. However, the Manhunters became obsessed with the act of "hunting" criminals. Their code, "No man escapes the Manhunters" (corrupted from the original), became more important to them than seeing justice done.[1]

Exile

Eventually, the robots conspired to rebel against their masters, but the Guardians defeated and destroyed most of them. Those that survived hid 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.

The Manhunters infiltrated and liberated many planets disguised as living beings and created a "Cult of the Manhunters" that trained others to be their minions. On Mars, the people of that world started a group of Martian Manhunters based on the lessons of preserving justice taught unto them by the Manhunters and even erected a temple based on the appearance of their inspiration. On Earth, most of the Manhunters' agents were unaware that their masters were robots, or that their real purposes were not noble. Some of these agents became superheroes also known as Manhunters. They wore red-and-blue costumes patterned after the Manhunters themselves. The most famous of these was a big game hunter called Paul Kirk. He was active in the 1940s, and starred in his own comic book. The character was 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 was cloned, and when he finally reawoke, he dedicated himself to battle those who had used him, eventually dying in the process. However, some of his clones survived.

The Manhunters were discovered by the Justice League who seemingly defeated the Manhunter's leader, the Grandmaster. One of their human pawns, Mark Shaw, adopted a new identity as the costumed hero, the Privateer. However, he was later discovered to be a criminal posing as a hero.

Millennium

A Grandmaster from Millennium #1.

Years later, it was revealed that the Manhunters not only still existed, but had infiltrated the lives of most superheroes with their agents. They even managed to infiltrate the Olympian Gods, one of their number posing as the goat god Pan, as shown during the Challenge of the Gods storyline. They revealed themselves when a Guardian and a member of the Zamarons tried to evolve some humans into becoming the next Guardians of the Universe, during what became known as the Millennium crisis. On this occasion, there was a massive counterstrike operation by the heroes against the Manhunters, and it seemed that the Grandmaster had finally been destroyed, along with their hidden home planet. Former Privateer Mark Shaw readopted his identity as Manhunter in the wake of the battle, seeking to redeem both the name and himself.[2]

Post-Emerald Twilight

Kyle Rayner encountered the Manhunters not long after Hal Jordan's destruction of the Guardians and the Central Power Battery on Oa. The first of which encountered a still inexperienced Kyle Rayner and was almost able to defeat him using brute force until Kyle used his wits to outsmart and decapitate it(Green Lantern Vol. 3 #117). The next time, multiple Manhunters appeared. They were all sentient, individuals, and captured Kyle in an attempt to use his last remaining Green Lantern ring for their purposes. They failed and Kyle managed to escape(Green Lantern Vol. 3 #129-131).

Sector 3601

Green Lantern #12 (July 2006). Manhunter technology. Art by Ivan Reis.

When the Manhunters were replaced by the Green Lantern Corps, they retreated to Biot, their homeworld in Sector 3601, an uncharted area of space incapable of sustaining organic life. Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman, came to Biot and became the Manhunters' new Grandmaster. He used his mastery over machinery and Kryptonian technology to upgrade the Manhunters with organic enhancements. They seem to have rebuilt the first Central Power Battery originally destroyed by Hal Jordan (under the influence of Parallax). Henshaw decided not to interfere in the reformation of the Green Lantern Corps after an encounter between a Manhunter and Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner.

Sinestro Corps

The Manhunters have recently resurfaced as part of the Sinestro Corps. They carry miniature yellow Power Batteries inside them which are used by the Sinestro Corps members to charge their yellow power rings.

Secret Origin

In Green Lantern: Secret Origin storylines, this revision of 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 was this event that gave rise to the Five Inversions, the only survivors of the massacre, who vowed to make the Guardians pay for what their creations had done.[3]

Blackest Night

During the events of Blackest Night, it is revealed that Amanda Waller and King Faraday 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 and the Suicide Squad in their battle with members of the Black Lantern Corps. Waller ultimately uses a self-destruct mechanism to destroy the Manhunter, unleashing an explosion of Green Lantern energy that eradicates the Black Lanterns.[4]

Brightest Day

It was eventually revealed that the programming glitch the Manhunters suffered was caused by Krona to prove to the other Guardians of the Universe that there are flaws in an emotionless police force.[5]

The New 52

While running from the Alpha 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 in order to fend off the Alphas. However, during the fight, the Manhunters are accidentally fused in a massive bio-mechanic monster.[6]

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

The Highmaster is the supreme Manhunter which appeared on Orinda in Justice League International #10.[7] He resembles a gigantic yellow manhunter and was destroyed by Hal Jordan and Superman.[8]

Technology

Other Versions

Injustice: Gods Among Us

In other media

Television

Film

Video games

References

  1. The DC Comics Encyclopedia. Dorling Kindersley Limited. 2004. p. 195. ISBN 0-7566-0592-X.
  2. Secret Origins issue #22, 1988 (Millennium tie-in focusing on the Manhunters' post-Crisis on Infinite Earths retconned history)
  3. Green Lantern (vol. 4) #33 (2008)
  4. Secret Six (vol. 3) #18 (2010)
  5. Green Lantern #63
  6. Green Lantern Corps V3 #11
  7. Giffen, Keith, J. M. DeMatteis (w), Maguire, Kevin (p), Gordon, Al (i). "Soul of the Machine" Justice League International 10 (February, 1988), DC Comics
  8. Byrne, John (w), Byrne, John (p), Kesel, Karl (i). "Last Stand!" Superman v2, 14 (February, 1988), DC Comics
  9. "The Unofficial The Manhunters Biography". Glcorps.dcuguide.com. Retrieved 2010-09-30.

External links

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