(Adventures of Superman #436(fb)) - <30 years ago> The Manhunters on Krypton learned from observing Jor-El that the planet was doomed. They saw a birthing matrix containing Jor-El's son Kal-El being sent to Earth and tried to accept it. The acquisition of the last Kryptonian would tip the balance between the Manhunters conflict with the Guardians, but the Guardians sent the Green Lantern Corps to battle the Manhunters. The Manhunters prevailed, but didn't get the matrix. A Manhunter agent tracked the matrix to Smallville and killed the local doctor Whitney and took his place in the community. He delivered every baby in Smallville and implanted them with microscopic inducers so they could one day be activated as Manhunter sleeper agents.

(Adventures of Superman #436) - Whitney activated the Manhunter sleepers in Smallville. Superman came to Smallville after Manhunter Lana Lang tried to expose his secret identity and the Manhunters captured him. Superman broke free, and Whitney self-destructed rather than let Superman apprehend him.

(Flash II #140) - A Manhunter sleeper agent attacked the JLA Watchtower, but was defeated when Jesse Quick reprogrammed him.

(Green Lantern IV #1-3) - The government program Hangar 44 recovered Manhunter 1988.2814, destroyed by Batman in the Louisiana bayou, and reverse-engineered it to build the engine for their X-2020 jet. After years off-line the Manhunter reactivated and sent out a distress signal. Soldiers delivered a cargo containing Manhunter 1988 to Edwards Air Force base. It revived and ran amok but came up against Green Lantern Hal Jordan. The Grandmaster sent a new model Manhunter to Earth, and after attempting to destroy the damaged unit because it was obsolete it turned its attention to Lantern, proclaiming that the Manhunters were taking over Space Sector 2814. The Manhunter turned his attention to Lantern, deeming him obsolete as well because he believed Hal Jordan to be dead. The power battery in the Manhunter’s skull drained Lantern’s ring, but before he could deliver the coup de grace the damaged Manhunter flew off and Hal’s attacker pursued. Hal couldn’t fly after them, and feared the nuke-like explosion that would go off when a Manhunter self-destructed, so he commandeered a jet. The old Manhunter was critically damaged in the heart of Coast City, and the new Manhunter attacked Lantern, getting close enough for him to recharge his ring using the Manhunter’s power battery, disabling the robot. Lantern took the old Manhunter into space, saving Coast City from another Armageddon. The Manhunter admitted  that its program couldn’t conceive of what would happen after self-destruction, and it admitted feeling fear before blowing up. On Biot the new Manhunters reported to Grandmaster that the Green Lantern Corps were attempting to reform, and he said he’d let them, because they needed the power rings back on-line, and then no man would escape the Manhunters.

(Green Lantern IV #6) - The Manhunter sent after Green Lantern had his remains kept under lock and key in Hangar 44.

(Green Lantern IV #11-13) - Tomar-Tu escaped the Manhunters and piloted a ship towards Earth, crash-landing at Edwards Air Force base. The Corps ministered to his injuries, and Hal hoped that the other Lanterns he seemingly killed were still alive. He still felt tremendous guilt over his actions under the influence of Parallax. Hal and Guy traveled to Biot, and found the other Lanterns Hal thought he’d killed being jailed by the Manhunters. Cyborg presented himself and warned Hal that he was only trying to bring order to the universe. Life entailed betrayal and pain, but by exterminating all life he could restore order. Cyborg and the Manhunters took down Guy, and used him as yet another Lantern to be incorporated into the Highmaster units. He tried to use nanotech Willhunters to subdue Hal, but Hal fought them off and revived the Lanterns he thought he’d killed. He convinced them he was on their side, and they learned of the presence of more Corps members taken by the Manhunters for information and a connection to the Central Power Battery, including Arisia. Cyborg unleashed his Highmasters on the Lanterns, killing Kreon in the battle, and as the Lost Lanterns fought back Hal concentrated on freeing Arisia. Hal and Arisia took over a Highmaster unit and used it to destroy Biot and the Manhunters, although Hal was positive the Cyborg could have survived.

(Green Lantern IV #16, 17) - Amon Sur broke into Hangar 44 to steal the ship his father Abin Sur had crash landed-on Earth in. A Manhunter and a number of other prisoners watched on as Amon gunned down the air force guards. Amon stole the Manhunter’s head and used it in a confrontation against hal Jordan to drain his power ring, but Hal still managed to defeat his enemy.

(Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Superman-Prime #1 (fb)) - With the rebirth of the multiverse following the Infinite Crisis, the Anti-Monitor was reborn as well, reconstructed by the Manhunters at the order of Sinestro.

(Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special #1) - Sinestro inducted the Manhunters into his Sinestro Corps and had them rebuild his newest recruit and their former leader, the Cyborg Superman.

(Green Lantern IV #21) - A Manhunter accompanied Sinestro Corps soldier Karu-Sil as she traveled the space sectors and picked off Green Lanterns one by one.

(Green Lantern IV #22, 23) - Cyborg-Superman had a number of his Manhunters complete the completion of Warworld so that the Anti-Monitor could claim his new home. On Qward Kyle / Parallax battered Hal, promising him he’d feel the same fear his father fealt before he died. The Manhunters and the Sinestro Corps joined the battle, threatening to overwhelm Hal. Parallax told him the GLC despised him and had abandoned him, but just then the Lost Lanterns appeared, with Ke’Haan telling Parallax that although they hated Hal they’d never abandon a fellow Lantern. Parallax killed Jack T. Chance, and Hal and the remaining Lost Lanterns retreated to Qward’s underground catacombs. The Manhunters and the Sinestro Corps failed in keeping Ion imprisoned, the willpower entity was freed by Hal Jordan and the Lost Lanterns and returned to Oa. Cyborg and the Manhunters announced to Sinestro that Warworld was ready, and waiting to attack the Sinestro Corps next target….Earth.

(Green Lantern Corps II #15, 16) - The Manhunters were aboard the sentient planet Ranx when the planet and the Corps attacked Mogo, knowing the GLC would not long survive without Mogo to direct power rings to worthy recipients and to mentally train new recruits. Ranx ripped a hole in Mogo’s surface and sent in the Children of the White Lobe, the Sinestro Corps latest allies, so they could explode and destroy the power ring at Mogo’s core. The GLC disabled the Children, and the Manhunters fail to prevent corpsman Sodam Yat from destroying Ranx’ brain and exploding the sentient planet.

(Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Cyborg-Superman #1) - Warworld approached Earth, and Sinestro laid out his plan of disabling the JlofA to Cyborg-Superman, and tried to get a rise out of him by mentioning the possibility of an encounter with Superman. Cyborg just mused that he was long past taunts, or wanting revenge, and he looked forward to pursuing his agenda of the end of all life and betraying Sinestro. The Manhunters attacked the JlofA satellite while Cyborg hooked into its defense system and made it inoperative, and Warworld entered Earth’s orbit.

(Green Lantern IV #24) - Sinestro communicated with Hal via his power ring as the Sinestro Corps invaded Earth. He intended to conquer the planet, making it a symbol of the Sinestro Corp’s power and their ability to control any planet. He intended to makes saves of the Earthlings, and execute anyone who did not submit. The Manhunters and their fellow Sinestro Corps soldiers wrecked havoc on Earth, but were staved off by the GLC and an army of Earth’s heroes.

(Green Lantern IV #25) - Manhunters and the Sinestro Corps continued to wage war on Earth while Hal and Kyle went to Coast City to protect it from Sinestro, and Hal issued a radio broadcast asking the residents to flee. Not a soul left, everyone had faith Hal would save them from Sinestro. Sinestro and a number of his soldiers engaged Hal and Kyle, and Sinestro told them he’d already won the war. His actions made the Guardians rewrite the Book of Oa, and nowe that the GLC could use lethal force they would be feared. Sinestro always wanted the GLC to be a more totalitarian police force to bring order to the universe, and he’d succeeded. Sinestro and Hal’s rings were both drained of power when they used inactive Manhunter power batteries against each other, and they squared off in hand-to-hand combat. Hal won, and told Sinestro he was under arrest. In NYC the Anti-Monitor tapped into Earth’s energy and prepared to unleash an anti-matter wave to consume Earth. The GLC ruptured the heart of Anti-Monitor’s Warworld, the Sinestro Corps central power battery, and created a shield around Warworld and the Monitor. The ensuing blast nearly destroyed the Anti-Monitor, and he was finished off by Superman-Prime, who betrayed him for having destroyed his home, Earth-Prime. The Manhunters were deactivated with the destruction of Warworld, and Cyborg-Superman’s remains were blasted into space. With the Anti-Monitor destroyed, Sinestro vanquished, and having no way of recharging their rings the Sinestro Corps fled Earth to lick their wounds. Manhunters found Cyborg’s remains in deep-space, and requiring a Grandmaster, they reactivated him. Cyborg shed a tear when he realized he was still alive.

Manhunters had a cameo in Green Lantern III #144.

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