History of the Manhunters

Manhunters, the Androids

Who are/were The Manhunters?

Yes, that title was painful. Unfortunately, it’s a complicated enough history at this point that it’s about right. After much pondering, I decided I’m going to try and do this in the chronological history within the DC Universe, with a few nods to the “real” word as needed.

Untold ages ago, life evolved on the planet Maltus, and became some of the first intelligent life in the universe. These beings became incredibly advanced, making fantastic advances in the sciences. Unfortunately, one of their own, a man called Krona, disregarded one of their directives, and tried to witness the creation of the Universe. In doing so, he unleashed a terrible chain reaction through out history, in one version causing the Crisis on Infinite Earths, in another unleashing great evil, and in others injecting massive amount of entropy into the universe early, shortening the time it would last by eons. The Matlans felt responsible for Krona’s actions, and emigrated to a planet called Oa, at the center of the Universe. They wanted to prevent any other such great catastrophes, and began calling themselves the Guardians of the Universe. Their first attempt at an inter-stellar police force was the android Manhunters. The Manhunters were successful for a time, but subverted their programming, becoming a force for destruction.

The Guardians stopped them eventually, and the Manhunters went into hiding, some cultivating undercover contacts on various worlds, most of them retreating to space sector 3601, which can not support organic life, ideal for the mechanical army. The Manhunters now had two priorities- destroying the Guardians that turned on them, and the group the Guardians had replaced them with- the newly created Green Lantern Corps. They would plot and plan for centuries to these ends.

On Earth, the name Manhunter began being used by two different heroes at roughly the same time, in the early 1940′s. Dan Richards adopted the heroic guise of Manhunter initially to clear the name of his girlfriend’s brother, who had been framed for a serious crime. Richards cleared him, but decided to keep on operating as Manhunter. His sidekick was a dog called Thor, later revealed to be a robotic sentinel of the Oan Manhunters.

Manhunter Dan Richards and Thor

At roughly the same time, Paul Kirk adopted the name Manhunter, wearing a costume that very closely resembled the android Manhunters. He became a “mystery man” as the first costumed heroes were known, when his friend, police inspector Donovan was killed. The two Manhunters met and clashed over the name, but came to no agreement. Daniels joined the Freedom Fighters, and both Manhunters went on to join the war time All Star Squadron, as did every mystery man by order of President Roosevelt. At one time, Kirk helped inspire a young woman who became the costumed adventuress Huntress, in turn joining the All Star Squadron and later becoming a villain. Whether this is still in continuity or not is uncertain. Ironically, she later married a villain called Sportsmaster, who will turn up again in a bit.

The reason for the two similarly named characters is simple enough- they started at two different companies. Richards’ Manhunter appeared in Quality Comics, while Kirk was a DC character from the start. When Quality failed, DC bought the characters, including the Freedom Fighters and Manhunter.

Manhunter Paul Kirk in his later, and cooler, costume

Years later, it was revealed that Kirk died in Africa, but his non-powered heroics caught the attention of a villainous group called the Council. They cloned Kirk, trying to create an army of highly skilled agents. Kirk’s morals won out, and he turned against them, killing off most of his clones and eventually dying while destroying the Council’s base. Apparently, Kirk’s personality came through in the clones. The Council went underground after being nearly destroyed, and instead of basing their clone army (years before George Lucas thank you) on a hero, used as a template the villain called Sportsmaster (told you he’d be back).

Mark Shaw, my personal favorite Manhunter

The name was unused for a time, and then we come to a character who is one of my personal favorites and also one of DC’s most abused characters (boy, can I pick ‘em). Mark Fletcher Shaw was a lawyer who grew disgusted with how easily criminals manipulated the system. His uncle learned of his feelings and inducted him into an ancient cult, posing as crime fighters, called the Manhunters. This was an outgrowth of the Oan Manhunter androids under deep cover. Shaw realized he had picked the wrong side when this team of Manhunters ended up in conflict with the Justice League. Mark killed the Manhunter leader, who was revealed to be one of the original androids. Shaw adopted the heroic identity of the Privateer, but for reasons never wholly made clear, was also operating as a villain called the Star Tsar. Red Tornado figured out what was happening and Shaw was exposed and sent to prison. He was released by a special deal with that murky government agency called the Suicide Squad, who needed his experience to battle the Manhunters during the Millennium event. Reprising his role as the Privateer, he worked with the Squad and earned his freedom. Later, he embarked on his own adventures under the name Manhunter, using some tech he kept from the group to fashion a special mask and baton. When Amanda Waller, head of the Suicide Squad at one time, formed a team of lesser known heroes called the Shadow Fighters, she recruited Shaw. The team fought Eclipso in the country of Parador and was butchered, slain to the last. Later, in one of their worst retcons ever, DC decided the “Manhunter” who died was pretending to be Shaw, who was working undercover elsewhere as a government agent, and that his link to the Manhunter cult was fake, his belief in it a product of government brainwashing. How his imaginary background allowed his “replacement” to teleport the Manhunter baton away as he died, and it appeared in the mountain retreat Shaw had discovered protected by the creature called Shan, is not explained.

Manhunter Chase Lawler, hands down ugliest costume

During the event called Zero Hour, many new versions of old characters were created. Musician Chase Lawler was possessed by a spirit much like the mythical Celtic being of Herne the Hunter. He was compelled by the spirit to “hunt the lonely” (wow, like being single can’t suck enough on its own?) and tried to direct the compulsion to targeting villains, with some limited success. He grew less active as time passed and his title was cancelled.

One of Paul Kirk’s clones survived and named himself Kirk DePaul. He became a successful mercenary, and eventually joined the Power Company, a group of supers for hire. His mercenary attitude often annoyed some of his more altruistic team mates. He wore a version of Paul Kirk’s later costume.

Manhunter Kirk DePaul of the Power Company

Kate Spenser was another lawyer who grew disgusted with the criminal element. Finally she raided the police evidence locker and cobbled together a costume made of things that really shouldn’t have been there. Her body suit is from the alien organization called the Darkstars, her gloves are the Azreal Batman gauntlets, and she wields Mark Shaw’s power staff. None of these things should have been in police custody, even less so in Los Angeles. She took the name Manhunter and operated as a somewhat more hard edged hero, killing some of the earlier foes she met like Monocle and Copperhead. Early in her career, she came across a strange serial killer case. All the earlier surviving heroes who had used the name Manhunter were being hunted down and killed. Eventually the killer was the revealed

to be the ret-conned Mark Shaw, now believing himself to be the killer Dumas. Kate helped him overcome his programming, and he shared some of her adventures for a time. Later, Shaw was supposedly abducted by the

Order of St. Dumas to become the new Azreal, but this plot seems to have been forgotten. Kate later learned she is the grand daughter of World War II heroes Iron Munro and Phantom Lady I. While she has not inherited any powers from Iron, her son Ramsey has. Kate joined Oracle’s “Birds of Prey” for a time. Eventually, she relocated to Gotham City and became the District Attorney there.

The still extant Manhunters are the original androids, who still pop up as villains, usually fighting the Green Lanterns; Mark Shaw in his retconned role as government agent/dupe/guinea pig, and Kate Spenser, Gotham’s DA appearing as I write this as the back up in Detective Comics. In at least one future set story, it was implied that Kate’s son Ramsey will become a new Manhunter in the future. Ramsey has been given a dog by his great grandfather, Iron Munro, and the dog has been revealed as a robot. Whether this is for Ramsey’s protection, to keep an eye on him, a government plot, a Manhunter plot, or any combination thereof, has not yet been revealed.

Also, despite the name similarity, J’Onn J’Onzz, the Martian Manhunter, has nothing to do with any of this.