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Nobody Remembers The DC Video Game That Introduced Lanterns’ Villains
Polygon revisits the largely forgotten 2011 tie-in game Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters after HBO’s Lanterns introduced the same villains as a major threat. The article argues that, although the game was an unremarkable action title, it recognised that the Manhunters suit stories about succession, replacement and inheritance—ideas now central to Lanterns.
Released a week before the Ryan Reynolds film, the PS3 and Xbox 360 game was developed by Double Helix and cast players as Hal Jordan following Abin Sur’s funeral and a Manhunter assault on Oa. The plot centres on Amon Sur’s resentment at not succeeding his father, his attempt to expose a hidden yellow power source, and Hal’s eventual victory; the article notes that its Manhunters were mostly repetitive enemies rather than the more unsettling shapeshifters portrayed in Lanterns.
In short
- A forgotten 2011 game used Manhunters before HBO’s Lanterns.
- Its succession-focused plot now seems unexpectedly fitting.
- The article considers it forgettable, but mildly prescient.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Even commercially failed works merit critical reassessment if they demonstrate genuine thematic insight. The game grasped that Manhunters suit narratives about succession and inheritance—ideas now proving central to HBO's acclaimed Lanterns. Recognising earlier explorations of these themes, however imperfectly executed, enriches our understanding of how character concepts develop and resonate across media, and failed experiments possess intellectual value independent of their market performance.
The case against
A commercially and critically unsuccessful video game merits limited critical attention, regardless of whether a later adaptation succeeds with similar themes. The game's poor execution—repetitive enemies and unremarkable gameplay—fundamentally undermined its thematic potential. Reviving discussion of forgotten failures diverts scarce critical resources from works that succeeded both artistically and commercially, and the HBO show's superior treatment of these themes makes the game's earlier contributions feel redundant rather than pioneering.
Explained simply
The Green Lantern Corps is an interstellar organisation whose members use powerful rings to protect the universe. Hal Jordan is one of its best-known members; Abin Sur was the predecessor whose death led to Hal receiving a ring.
The Manhunters are robots created long ago to serve as space police, before they turned against their creators and were replaced by the Green Lantern Corps. Amon Sur, Abin Sur’s son, resents that Hal inherited his father’s role, and becomes involved in a plot to challenge the Corps.
The 2011 game Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters was released alongside a film starring Ryan Reynolds. Its story drew on family legacy and who gets to take another person’s place, themes that also help explain the Manhunters’ role in the later television series Lanterns.