The next entry in the James Gunn-spearheaded DCU will introduce fans to new villains who will surpass Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor as the franchise's most evil antagonist. For years, Lex Luthor has been regarded as a notorious villain in DC, whether in movies, TV shows, or comics. While James Gunn's DCU is still relatively new, it has already established Lex Luthor as the most dangerous villain in the franchise. Lex appeared in Superman, had a cameo in Peacemaker Season 2, and will show up as one of the central characters in Man of Tomorrow, the Superman sequel.
Once Lanterns is released on HBO Max on August 16, there will be a new sheriff in town who is far more ruthless and dangerous than Lex has been in any of his DCU appearances. In the official trailer for Lanterns, which is being produced and supervised by James Gunn and his DC Studios regime, it was confirmed that the series will feature villains known as Manhunters, who are the most dangerous individuals in the entire universe. Specifically, at the 1:17 mark, Paul Ben-Victor's Antaan states that Manhunters, which are ancient alien robots, are "the most dangerous beings to ever exist:"
"Manhunters are the most dangerous beings to ever exist in the galaxy. They can take the form of any species."
Notably, as Antaan says this, the trailer includes a shot of someone standing in front of a woman on the street. In an instant, they morph into a completely different being. This obviously depicts a Manhunter and proves that they can shapeshift into a human.
Therefore, the audience and the characters in the show would have no idea who is a Manhunter. As John Stewart states in the trailer, they "could be anyone," adding mystery and constant danger to the series.
It is also worth mentioning that, in the trailer, John asks Hal Jordan about the Manhunters. This occurs around the 1:11 mark, and after John's question, Hal looks as though he just learned something he shouldn't know, asking John, "Where'd you hear that word?"
This line indicates that the Manhunters have been a long-standing threat in the DCU and pose a great threat not only to the Green Lantern Corps but to everyone.
Lex Luthor is still an incredibly dangerous villain. He is extremely intelligent, has endless resources, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. After all, he was ready to destroy Metropolis and potentially even the entire United States to get what he wanted in James Gunn's Superman.
However, the Manhunters are even worse in this quixkly-expanding DCU. No one knows where they are or what they are doing, and there could be an endless number of them. The fact that the Green Lanterns are even afraid of them says a lot.
It seems as though the Manhunters could be the main villains of Lanterns, which would make sense given the history between the Lanterns and the Manhunters in the comics. Hal Jordan and John Stewart will need to have their heads on swivels at all times because, as mentioned, anyone they interact with could be a Manhunter.
Who Are the Manhunters in DC Lore
Manhunters have been around for quite a long time in DC Comics. Specifically, they were introduced in 1977 as alien robots meant to protect different worlds across the 3,600 sectors of the universe. This means that they predate the Green Lantern Corps, which was created by the Guardians of the Universe. Like the Green Lantern Corps, the Manhunters were also created by the Guardians of the Universe, but things went terribly wrong.
Essentially, the Guardians of the Universe wanted to create a police force of autonomous beings who felt no emotion, in hopes of making them more effective. In a sense, they did their job better than the Guardians hoped. The Manhunters' primary programming instructed them to eliminate evil. The Manhunters deduced that evil arose from emotional responses. Since every organic being elicited emotions, the Manhunters began attacking all living beings.
This led to an event known as the Massacre of Sector 666, where almost every being in that entire sector was killed. Obviously, the Guardians of the Universe understood that the Manhunters were dangerous, so most of the Manhunters were destroyed. However, some survived and went into hiding, spending time rebuilding their numbers and recruiting other machines to their cause.
After that, they remained rivals of the Guardians of the Universe and of the Green Lantern Corps.
It seems as though Lanterns and James Gunn's wider DCU as a whole will honor the comics and showcase the ongoing battle among the Manhunters, the Green Lanterns, and the Guardians of the Universe.
It is unclear if the Manhunters will be behind the murders on Earth in Lanterns, but it seems most likely. Hal Jordan and John Stewart will need to stop the Manhunters in order to save Earth. However, it is also worth noting that, in the comics, the Manhunters become a part of the Sinestro Corps. Sinestro has already been confirmed to have a role in Lanterns, so the show could feature the Manhunters joining Sinestro's cause, making them even more dangerous.
