The New Guy

The New Guy is the 14th episode of the first season of Green Lantern: The Animated Series. It aired on September 29, 2012.

Overview
Hal finds out that a new Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, has been named his replacement on Earth. Hal and Guy get along like gas and fire, which doesn’t help in their battle against an entirely new threat — autonomous killing machines known as "Manhunters."

Synopsis
Deep in space, a crack breaks open on the walls of the dark cosmos. A giant robot he materializes in from the crack approaches the scorched remains of the planet Biot. Once he arrives, the planetary defense confronts him, though the meager defenses are completely ineffectual against him. He emits a pulse that revives the deactivated Manhunters, the Guardians’ first attempt at creating a universal police force.

Hal Jordan returns to Earth and visits Carol Ferris, where he tells her the good news of their victory against the Red Lanterns’ invasion. She expresses her confidence that that he would succeed, but not whether or not he’d survive. Hal tells Carol that he can now start working again, but Carol has had to move on, having hired a replacement for him at Ferris Aircraft. Carol explains to him that he was gone for months and that everyone thought he was dead. They are interrupted by a news report about an emergency downtown. Hal tells Carol that they can continue their discussion over dinner, then takes off.

A crane on top of a skyscraper is collapsing. Hal rescues a construction worker, but the crane collapses and falls toward him. He creates a create hand with his Power ring, but another emerald energy beam catches it first. Another Green Lantern arrives and restores the crane and welds it back into place while the crowd below cheers. A news reporter, Vinessa Swelter, approaches him and identifies him as “the ginger Green Lantern”, Guy Gardner, and dismisses Hal as “some other Green Lantern.” Hal tries to defend himself, but Guy shoves him aside and gives the reporter his number. Hal tells Guy that he did good work, but Guy writes him off as a fan until he sees Hal's power ring. Hal muses that Guy must have been a “temp” to replace him while he was in deep space battling the Red Lanterns. However, Guy explains that he is, in fact, Hal’s replacement.

Elsewhere, the Anti-Monitor’s energy pulse reaches Earth. In a frozen tundra, an archaeologist named Noam Chilton, is examining a peculiar artifact when he is confronted and killed by robotic Manhunters.

The two Green Lantern eats hot wings together. Hal laments being fired twice in one day. Guy tells him having a relationship is his problem. He then encourages Hal to tell the Guardians off. Hal contacts Appa Ali Apsa, who treats him as rudely as usual, but when Appa sees Guy he warmly greets him and even invites him to taste some delicacies with he and the fellow Guardians later. Appa tells Hal that he has important business to attend to and cuts the communication. Gardner tells Hal that he must go. Hal still wanting to sort out who is in charge of Sector 2814, gets into a "Power ring fight" with Guy. The two lanterns sling construct after construct at one another, as their battle takes themall over the rooftops of the city, into outer space, and into a deset.

They pause the battle when they spot a news report of Vinessa reporting from the glacier in California where the Manhunters attacked Professor Chilton. Guy speeds off with Hal close behind. When arriving at in the glaciers, Guy calls Hal his sidekick and tells him to wait outside while he enters the strange cave to investigate. Hal ignores this and comes inside the cave with him. Hal and Guy shove each other in the cave until Guy sets off a bobby trap that almost kills Hal. Guy pills him out of the way just in time and Hal begrudgingly says “Thanks.” They keep searching until they find Chilton’s body.

Hal finds strange markings written on the floors of the cave and deciphers them with his ring. The marking translate to “No man escapes the Manhunters.” Hal explains to Guy that the Manhunters were the Guardians’ first attempt at a police force for the universe, but they went rogue and determined that criminal element included any life force with emotion. This new way of thinking, drove them to destroy the entire planet of Ryut, home of Atrocitus, who then went on to create the Red Lantern Corps to seek vengeance on the Manhunters’ creators.

The three Manhunter mysteriously awaken and attack the two Lanterns. Guy, once more, tries to demonstrate his true heroic nature, pushes Hal out the way from the shower a lasers. He engages the robots and defeats one while the other two attempt to attack Hal, who holds them back with a energy barrier construct. Guy tells him he may want to go on offense, when the Manhunter he thought he defeated recovers and blasts him.

The pair hold off the Manhunters, struggling to do so. Hal spies another booby trap button and hits it, dropping a spiked ceiling on the two Manhunters attacking him. He saves Gardner from a Manhunter trying to burst though his construct shield. Hal tells Guy to follow him and the two flee down the halls of the cave. All three Manhunters recover and pursue them. Hal activates another trap, though it does little good in stopping the Manhunters. Finally, Hal causes a cave in that seems to contain them. Hal contacts Salaak and informs him about the Manhunters. Salaak is sceptical about this report but, like Appa, gets excited when he sees Guy, so Hal cuts off their communication. Vinessa arrives to interview the two Lanterns on what went on inside the cave and Hal seals Guy in a giant Mason jar, then takes credit for stopping the Manhunters. Suddenly, the robots burst free from their temporary containment. They scan the humans and detect emotions and attack them.

Hal tells Vinessa to escape, then he and Guy battle the Manhunters once more. From a the news helicopter, Vinessa films the battle in hopes it will land her an anchor position. One of the Manhunters violently attacks her chopper. Hal pries it loose and once again orders her to leave.

The Manhunters detect a new target and break away from the battle and swoop toward a nearby town. Hal traps one of them and Guy blasts it. In order to stop the Manhunters, Guy suggest that they work together and use a double attack move to destroy the Manhunters. The two work together and finally defeat the Manhunters.

The two fist bump each other at the victory, then Guy wraps Hal in a bear hug all the while Vinessa is still filming. After the battle, Hal gets a call from Carol, who is upset about yet another missed dinner date. She breaks up with him, because she doesn't want to interfere with his Green Lantern duties and sit around waiting and hoping he will find the time to devote to her. Guy offers some condolences and tells Hal about how he knows what he is doing through. Guy states that Hal has people who care about him. He then goes too far and asks for Carol’s number, causing Hal to punch him in the face.

Hal is then summoned by Salaak to report to Oa, where the Guardians reveal that he is being relieved of his duties as Green Lantern of Sector 2814. Hal angrily almost quits, before The Guardians elaborate that he has been promoted to Honor Guard and will now patrol all of Guardian Space.

Cast
For full credits click here.

Appearing in "The New Guy"
Heroes: Villains: ​Other characters: ​Locations: ​Items:
 * Hal Jordan
 * Guy Gardner (first appearance)
 * Anti-Monitor (first appearance)
 * Manhunters (first full appearance)
 * Red Lantern Corps (mentioned only)
 * Carol Ferris
 * Green Lantern Corps
 * Salaak (hologram)
 * ​Guardians of the Universe
 * Appa Ali Apsa
 * Vinessa Swelter (first appearance)
 * Professor Noam Chilton  (first appearance) (death)
 * Biot Drones (first appearance)
 * Biot  (first appearance)
 * Earth
 * Coast City
 * Oa
 * Forgotten Zone  (mentioned only)
 * Green Lantern Power Ring
 * Green Lantern Power Battery

Quotes

 * Hal Jordan: Do I look like a fan?


 * Hal Jordan: What are you waiting for? Afraid of the dark?
 * Guy Gardner: Hey, it's my little sidekick. Stay outside if I need you, at never o'clock!


 * Hal Jordan: Finally! I can never get a fist bump out there.
 * Guy Gardner: I know, right? Thousands of species in the Corps and we're the only ones who fist bump.


 * Hal Jordan: Luckily, the real Green Lantern of Earth managed to squelch a major threat with some minor assistance from my sidekick here - Carrot Top.

Series continuity

 * Hal Jordan returns to Earth after rescueing the Guardians from Atrocitus in "Homecoming".

Trivia

 * This episode is the first one that in such, none of the usual supporting characters appear.
 * McDuffie's Bar is named after the late DC comic book writer, Dwayne McDuffie.
 * When Hal knocks Guy out with one punch, it is a reference to the popular meme "One Punch".
 * During this time, Razer must have left to go to Odym.
 * Hal tells Guy "Carrot Top"; Scott Thompson, aka Carrot Top, is a red-haired comedian.

Ratings
"The New Guy" garnered an average of 1.551 million viewers.