| “ | No man escapes the Manhunters! | „ |
| ~ The Manhunters |
Manhunters are a race of evil robotic creatures from DC universe who were originally created to be enforcers of galactic law, but went rogue and are now a major threat to the security of the universe as a whole.
Characteristics
They come in many varieties, ranging from small humanoids to gigantic stellar-monstrosities. They have sufficient levels of technology to launch a full-scale assault on the Lanterns HQ, as well as many other worlds across the universe.
The goal of the Manhunters is to eliminate all freewill from the universe under an extreme philosophy that freewill is the cause of crime. They also frequently kill anyone who so much as protests against their actions under the assumption that they are criminals.
Manhunters are similar in many ways to the Sentinels of Marvel comics, but are driven by a fanatical program to enforce law (without justice) rather than xenophobia.
Roles
Millennium
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.
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
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 story lines, 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.
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.
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.
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. It as 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.
