What Are Manhunters and Why Are They Important on ‘Lanterns’?

Green Lanterns face many intergalactic threats in the comic books. It’s their job. They’re space cops who are chosen to do the job because they can overcome great fear. But who decides that they are worthy, and what are they basing that on? Beyond that, who gets to decide that they can protect the universe to begin with? Space is a big place. Who was allowed to carve it up into sectors, and can they even be trusted? Seeds of these questions were planted in this week’s episode of Lanterns, which brought Manhunters into the conversation.

**Actual and potential SPOILERS ahead**

This week, we saw John Stewart sent on a mission that crossed state lines. He had to take a plane (which presumably let him take a bird on with him), but also get back in time to make good on a 48-hour warning. But also, he wasn’t gone that long? Though he was gone long enough for Hal to recover fully from a gunshot wound while in a hospital. Best not to think about it too hard. While Stewart was on the mission (to recover Hal’s lanter/power battery), the Manhunters entered the chat.

Stewart was kidnapped by Antaan, the leader of the aliens who were killed in Rushville to kick off the series. He explains to Stewart that a Manhunter is hiding in Rushville, and that it and its kind are responsible for death and destruction across the universe, including massacring most of Antaan’s race. He insists that Stewart identify the hidden Manhunter within 48 hours and contact him, or he will destroy the town. Pretty bad! But what stood out to me most? That Antaan claims the origins of the Manhunters are unknown.

This is where we get into potential spoilers.

In the comic books, the Green Lanterns are created by the Guardians of the Universe. That seems to be the case here as well, albeit with the Guardians maybe having a human-looking representative in the form of Laura Linney in the show. And who among us wouldn’t want Laura Linney to be our rep? The Guardians are usually short and blue, and we may still see that at some point, but I understand wanting to put a different foot forward, especially if the Guardians are keeping secrets.

The biggest secret they likely have up their sleeve right now? That they created the Manhunters. These synthetic beings were the Guardians’ first attempt at creating a universal police force. However, putting a bunch of emotionless machines in charge of justice went poorly, and the Manhunters killed a lot of people/aliens across the galaxy. Eventually, the Guardians destroyed many of the Manhunters and created the Green Lanterns, but plenty of the robots remain, waiting to cause trouble.

The origins of the Manhunters could also give us potential insight into Antaan. While he doesn’t share a name with anyone from the comics (yet), he and his story share striking similarities to those of Atrocitus, an intergalactic terrorist and founder of the Red Lanterns (who are fueled by rage). Atrocitus’ home sector was massacred by the Manhunters, leaving him and several others to swear revenge on them, but the villain later uses the blood of his allies to create the Red Lantern and harness the power of anger.

While getting into the Red Lanterns may be a lot in a TV show, and it has massive repercussions for the DCU, I do think the show is called Lanterns instead of Green Lanterns for a reason. We could easily see other powers of the emotional spectrum harnessed before the season’s end, especially with Sinestro finally being introduced. Not only is the villain and founder of the Yellow Lanterns (who harness fear) a main cast member, but creators on the show have noted that they took inspiration for him from The Silence of the Lambs and, well, Hannibal doesn’t stay locked up in that story, does he?

It’s revealed in this newest episode that Sinestro is in prison for attempting to stage a coup against the Guardians, so he obviously doesn’t trust them. Hal Jordan also travels to him for information about the Manhunters. Does he know the Guardians’ dirty little secret? Is that what caused him to turn? And if so, will Hal feel the same way? So far, the show has painted him as cynical, but loyal to the Guardians. That could all change if he finds out that they’re hiding a genocidal being that they created on his home planet.

That also raises potential questions about Rushville. Could it have been made by the Guardians as a place to hide their secrets? This week, while Hal was in the hospital, we saw that it was empty, with most of its machines barely used. Additionally, Hal discovered that William Macon, the cowboy with his own militia, has advanced technology for identifying aliens. What if he got that tech from the Guardians as a way to keep intruders from discovering what he’s hiding? And given his rampant distrust of alien invaders and his taking his defense into his own hands, he could be easily swayed by the plight of the Manhunters, or even the Guardians themselves.

There’s a non-zero chance that Macon is also an alien, as are most, if not all, of the people in Rushville. But, for now, I think I lean more toward the idea that the Guardians are taking advantage of a bunch of racist, xenophobic Americans as a means to hide their awful past (and maybe they are just good at avoiding the hospital). I’d even wager that, when the dust settles, the Guardians end up being responsible for Jordan’s death in 2026 (if that’s what really happened) because he tried to reveal their misdeeds to the galaxy. So, when we see Stewart in Man of Tomorrow, it could be after the Green Lanterns and the Guardians have lost the galaxy’s trust.

The biggest question I have now is: how much of this will lie dormant in the decade between 2016 and 2026? The mysteries all feel pretty immediate in the show, but we know that something has to be saved for later. But how much? The show could, if it wants to, spend ten or more seasons telling stories about John, Hal, Guy, and the other thousands of Lanterns. Sinestro could summon his Corps and start a war. Antaan/Atrocitus could find that his trail of revenge led him to Black Hand and an important prophecy. Nekron could rise! And all of that could happen before Superman even debuted.

There’s a lot of potential, not just for the show, but for the universe it exists in, and I think that excites me the most. This show could have massive repercussions for the DCU, and we’ve possibly already seen some of it play out. For instance, Guy Gardner, the Green Lantern we meet in Superman, seemingly works for Maxwell Lord instead of the Guardians of the Universe. Could that be because they were exposed and removed in the years since? Will Hal or John pull a Sinestro and start their own coup? We’ll have to wait and see, but the mystery of the Manhunters brings a lot of potential.