Despite occupying a significant role in the larger cosmic side of the DC Universe, the Green Lantern Corps have never really gotten to shine in live-action the same way characters like Batman and Superman have. John Stewart was a mainstay of the DC Animated Universe, appearing in shows like Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, but the character has thus far never appeared in the flesh on-screen; his predecessor, Hal Jordan, was the lead of 2011’s Green Lantern, a superhero movie that to this day ranks as one of the worst in the genre. Since then, the Emerald Knights have yet to return to theaters or television in live-action, save for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from an unnamed Lantern in both the 2017 theatrical version as well as Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League.However, that’s set to change with the debut of the upcoming TV show Lanterns, the fifth project from the burgeoning DC Universe franchise. After technically kicking off with 2025’s Superman, James Gunn’s newest attempt at an interconnected DC Comics cinematic universe has been rapidly expanding, and the series is just one of several planned to lay the groundwork for the rest of the universe’s first “chapter.” Alongside reintroducing John Stewart and Hal Jordan, Lanterns will presumably introduce other key aspects of the Green Lantern mythos like the Guardians of the Universe and the concept of the emotional light spectrum…as well as a classic Green Lantern villain that has yet to debut in live-action.The new trailer for Lanterns, which debuted during San Diego Comic-Con, teases far more of the show’s sci-fi to counterbalance the heavy True Detective vibes of the first teaser. There are several constructs, a cameo by Guy Gardener, a trip to what appears to be an interplanetary prison housing none other than the former Green Lantern Sinestro, but the trailer also hints at the show’s primary antagonists: the Manhunters, talked about in hushed whispers as a chameleonic threat. But just because the show doesn’t debut for another month doesn’t mean fans have to be in the dark about who the Manhunters are, because they have a long history with the Green Lantern Corps in the source material, and they’re also a little different than what the trailer presents.Who Are the Manhunters?The Manhunters, created by Steve Englehart and Dick Dillin, debuted in the pages of Justice League of America #140 back in 1977. A race of red-and-blue clad androids, they were manufactured by the Guardians of the Universe (blue-skinned immortal aliens who serve as the GLC’s overseers) as the predecessors to the Green Lantern Corps, their first attempt at creating an intergalactic peace-keeping force. However, as androids tend to do in popular fiction (especially ones created to enforce relative morality), the Manhunters went rogue due to their idea of justice growing more narrow as their sentience grew, which eventually led to their exile by the Guardians after a lengthy rebellion, with the Green Lanterns inevitably taking their place.The Manhunters became obsessed with the idea that keeping justice was secondary to punishment for anyone they deemed wicked. | DC ComicsThe trailer for Lanterns implies a major change in the operational nature of the Manhunters, with a line suggesting that they’re impersonating human beings in the small Nebraska town where Hal and John are investigating a murder. Traditionally the Manhunters’ appearances are defined by their red/blue color scheme, but it sounds as if the show is likening them to Marvel’s Skrulls or even DC’s own shapeshifting Martian Manhunter. Depending on the way this ability works in the show, though, it won’t necessarily be a creation of the series — a major 1988 DC crossover entitled “Millennium” involved the Manhunters infiltrating the personal lives of multiple superheroes using android decoys of their supporting cast, almost like a robotic Invasion of the Body Snatchers.The Manhunters are some of the GLC’s most formidable foes, and the 2008 Green Lantern storyline “Secret Origin” even reveals that an early programming glitch caused them to massacre all life in space sector 666, an event that inadvertently births the villain Atrocitus and leads to the creation of the rage-fueled Red Lanterns. While it’s unlikely that we’ll see that occur in Season 1 of the series, introducing the Manhunters early on leaves the doorway wide open for Atrocitus to debut and even the introduction of the other Lantern Corps in the emotional spectrum. There’s no way of knowing just what Lanterns has in store when it debuts next month, but what’s certain is that, if it’s successful, it’ll be ground zero for some Earth-shattering expansions of an already growing DC Universe.Lanterns debuts on HBO Max on August 16.