Long before the Green Lantern Corps fought the evil robotic menaces that would become known as Manhunters, there was another person who used the name, Paul Kirk II. Created by Ed Moore, Kirk appeared for a short time in Adventure Comics as a private investigator. Shortly afterwards, Kirk was replaced by a different Manhunter in Adventure Comics, this time a superhero in a blue and red costume.

At the same time, Quality Comics created its own superhero character named Manhunter. Patrolman Dan Richards took on the mask to clear his brother's name. When most of Quality's characters were sold to National Comics in the late '50s, the two Manhunters faced off over who got to keep the title after they both joined the All-Star Squadron. They eventually went their separate ways with Kirk staying with the team and Richards joining the Freedom Fighters.

It wasn't until 1977's Justice League of America #140, written by Steve Englehart and illustrated by Dick Dillin & Frank McLaughlin, that readers began to see the link between Manhunter and the Manhunters who once served the Guardians of the Universe. The Manhunters formed a Manhunter Cult on Earth (similar to the tradition on Mars that inspired Martian Manhunter), a cult that's had lasting impressions on the different people who have worn the Manhunter mantle throughout the years.

Paul Kirk II

Paul Kirk II fights a group of thugs as Manhunter

The first Manhunter to have the distinctive red and blue costume, Paul Kirk II was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Though this Manhunter was originally called Rick Nelson, an unnamed editor renamed him Paul Kirk and the name stuck.

Once a big game hunter, Kirk donned the costume to hunt the most dangerous game of all and avenge his friend who was killed by a supervillain. Kirk returned years later as a backup feature in Detective Comics, written by Archie Goodwin and illustrated by Walt Simonson. Most of these adventures involved Kirk fighting clones of himself made by the mysterious Council. Kirk eventually died in an explosion that destroyed the Council's headquarters, and the last remaining clone, Kirk DePaul, would later adopt the mantle and become a member of the superhero team the Power Company.

Related: The Brilliant Complexity of Goodwin and Simonson’s Manhunter

Chase Lawler

Chase Lawler protects his brother as Manhunter

Created by Steven Grant and Vince Giarrano, musician Chase Lawler became a more supernatural styled Manhunter. After summoning the mystical Wild Huntsman in order to save his girlfriend, Lawler was transformed, giving him superhuman speed, strength, stamina and regeneration along with the ability to control gusts of wind. These abilities make him the only Manhunter to truly have superpowers instead of relying on training and technology.

In truth, the evil Dumas injected him with Manhunter nanites that modified Lawler's genetics and gave him visions of the Wild Huntsman. Lawler featured in the 1994 Manhunter series, and had an important appearance in the 2004 Manhunter series as well. Unfortunately that appearance was also his last after Dumas kidnapped Lawler and slit his throat.

Kate Spencer

Manhunter kate spencer

Gotham City District Attorney Kate Spencer spent her young adult years hunting her man in the courtroom rather than on the streets. The creation of Marc Andreyko and Jesús Saíz, Spencer retired from the masked life to focus on her career and her relationship with her son, Ramsey Robinson. She defended Oliver Queen and Wonder Woman in different murder trails before returning to her old life of masked justice.

Spencer is from a long line of superpowered individuals, the granddaughter of Iron Munro and Phantom Lady, a legacy which has manifested in her son developing superpowers despite not having any of her own. While Spencer was once a member of the Birds of Prey, she is mostly known for being the lead character of the 2004 Manhunter series as well as having played a large part in 2019's Event Leviathan. Spencer was last seen being being caught up to speed by Damian Wayne in Leviathan Dawn #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev.

Related: How Event Leviathan Will Affect DC’s Heroes Going Forward

After Event Leviathan there are two people who still use the Manhunter name, Kate Spencer and Mark Shaw. It was Spencer's connection to the Manhunter legacy and Mark Shaw which led to her capture at the hands of the Bat-Family, after Shaw was revealed to be the masked leader of Leviathan. This is not the first time Shaw has been a villain having fought the Justice League as Star-Tsar and holding the identity of Dumas, killer of former Manhunters Dan Richards, Chase Lawler and Kirk DePaul.

While Spencer's story was expected to continue on in 2020, that series has since been cancelled leaving the fate of the current Manhunter in flux. Shaw's next appearance was supposed to be in Bendis and Maleev's new mini-series Event Leviathan: Checkmate but that series has also been postponed indefinitely.

There have been hints over the years that Kate Spencer's son Ramsey will eventually take on the role and we can only hope that there's a bright future for the Manhunter name after the fallout of Mark Shaw's identity being revealed. It's likely that Shaw's Leviathan identity will be around for a while to come, as he is all too familiar with the mantra "No Man Escapes the Manhunters."

KEEP READING: Leviathan's Identity Reveal is Nothing Compared to What's Next, Says Bendis