Manhunters (comics)
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The Manhunters are a fictional 'race' of robot warriors that exists within the universe of DC Comics. They are humanoid in form and usually red and blue in color, although they are also masters of disguise.
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[edit] Character history
[edit] 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 galaxy. Their name and much of their code of behavior was modelled by the Guardians of the Universe on Oa. 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", became more important to them than seeing justice done.
[edit] 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 Grandmaster Manhunter, and 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.
[edit] 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 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. In this occasion, there was a massive counterstrike operation by the heroes against the Manhunters, and it seemed that the Manhunter Highmaster had finally been destroyed, along with their hidden home planet. Former Privateer Mark Shaw re-adopted his identity as Manhunter in the wake of the battle, seeking to redeem both the name and himself.
[edit] 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 Manhunter Grand Master. 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 of a Manhunter and Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
[edit] Chant
The Manhunters usually chant the phrase, "No Man Escapes the Manhunters" which is heard on the Justice League cartoon series as well. This could be in reference to their cult-like perception as being invincible. Coincidentally, under-neath their masks are a chalky white skin, and their secret earth base of operations was in Louisiana, a state with historic roots of voodoo, during the Millennium series.
Manhunters have had a mixture of oaths over the years
- "No Evil Escapes the Manhunters!"
- "Death to the Green Lantern Corps!"
- "No Man Escapes the Manhunters!"
[edit] Technology
Manhunter technology has been used in the creation of the OMAC drones. Recently, this "kryptonian" technology was incorporated by Cyborg Superman on Biot which was also able to use the Green Lantern ring as a power battery.
[edit] Other media
The Manhunters have appeared shown in a Justice League episode called "In Blackest Night", where they were voiced by James Remar. The Manhunters bring Green Lantern John Stewart to trial for accidentally destroying the planet Ajuris 4. It is later revealed that the planet's destruction was faked with the help of Kanjar Ro as part of the Manhunters' plan to overthrow the Oans. This was based on the comics story No Man Escapes The Manhunters, which appeared in Justice League of America #140-141 (1977).
