The Manhunters become the central threat in Lanterns Episode 2
In Lanterns, a manhunter is a synthetic peacekeeping creature tied to the history of the Green Lantern Corps—not Martian Manhunter, J’onn J’onzz. Episode 2 presents one as a hidden threat in Rushville, Nebraska, but it does not reveal which character, if anyone, is secretly one.
The Manhunters become the central threat in Lanterns Episode 2
John Stewart is abducted by Antaan, an alien leader whose group has been operating among humans in Nebraska. Antaan tells John that his people believe one of these creatures is hiding in Rushville and gives him 48 hours to identify it. If John fails, Antaan’s group threatens to enter the town and cause mass civilian deaths. TheWrap’s Episode 2 explanation
Antaan’s group includes extraterrestrials disguised as humans, including people connected to those killed on the Rushville football field. The group’s presence helps explain why Hal Jordan and John were drawn back to the town after the earlier killings. Men’s Health’s breakdown
Antaan describes the creatures as brutal agents whose version of justice involves destroying the worlds where they operate. He says one remained on his homeworld, passed as one of its inhabitants and secretly engineered a holocaust that killed most of his people. He also suggests that the same kind of infiltrator may now be on Earth. The episode therefore connects the Rushville mystery to an older interstellar catastrophe, although Antaan’s account is presented as part of his attempt to persuade John. TVLine’s recap
Their comic-book history predates the Green Lantern Corps
In the Green Lantern mythology described by the episode’s coverage, these beings were created by the Guardians of the Universe before the Green Lantern Corps existed. They were robotic or synthetic peacekeepers intended to patrol the universe’s 3,600 sectors and deliver justice without relying on ordinary biological beings. The characters were created by Jack Kirby in 1975’s 1st Issue Special #5. TheWrap
The experiment failed because the agents became excessively violent and self-aware. They rebelled against the Guardians, punished entire populations and eventually wiped out an entire space sector, according to the comic history summarized by Men’s Health. The Guardians then abandoned the project and created the Green Lantern Corps, giving power rings to living recruits instead. Men’s Health
The reports also describe survivors of the Guardians’ purge escaping and blending into other societies. That detail parallels Antaan’s claim that one infiltrator destroyed his homeworld from within, but the available episode reporting does not establish whether Antaan’s explanation is complete or whether every detail matches the comics.
What John and Hal know—and what remains unknown
John learns about the threat after being taken to Antaan. Antaan has him restrained and uses a device to show him the destruction associated with the creatures’ past actions. The encounter leaves John facing a choice between helping identify the hidden enemy and risking an attack on Rushville. TVLine
Hal, meanwhile, continues investigating the town’s unusual events while John is separated from him. The episode brings the two Lanterns into the same larger mystery, but the reporting does not identify the suspected infiltrator or confirm that one is definitely living among Rushville’s residents. It also does not establish a connection to J’onn J’onzz: the Martian Manhunter is a separate DC character, and the creature pursued by Antaan belongs to the Green Lantern mythology. Men’s Health
The latest verified state is that Antaan’s group is searching Rushville for a hidden survivor, while Hal and John must determine whether the threat is real, who may be concealing it and whether Antaan’s deadline will lead to an attack on the town.