The Hunters (Heroes Uprising)

Name: Hunters
Scientific Name: N/A
Origin: Center of the Universe
Home World: Nomads

Morphology:
The Hunters have no defining morphology. According to Nonoriri's databases, they were original the ships themselves before absorbing and incorporating powerful beings and forming them into their armies. As a result, the Hunters are usually composed of various species throughout the galaxy.

Culture:
The Hunters are beings created by the Will of the Universe to protect itself from a fatal event known only as the Power Nemesis, the point at which powers, for example those possessed by the metahumans of Earth, reach such a state that they consume the cosmos. Earth 616 is especially susceptible due to the gathering of great strength within the dimension.
The Hunters function as a hivemind operated by the Will of the Universe itself, who has taken the physical form of the being known only as the Leader. He possesses complete control over all Hunter soldiers. However, when not exerting this influence, the individual Hunters display their own emotions and willpower, and as such their culture varies as wildly as the races that compose the species.

Abilities:
All Hunters are enhanced with superhuman strength, speed and durability. Beyond that, they maintain whatever abilities they had before assimilation. They are also implanted with the knowledge of the Hunter's mission and added to the hivemind, which allows them to communicate across any point in the cosmos. But perhaps their most powerful ability is the fact that when one kills a Hunter, two more are replicated from that same being, essentially meaning that the more one kills, the more numbers they produce.
Weaknesses:
If one were to kill or take over the Leader's power, one would have control over the Hunters. Furthermore, despite being a hivemind, they maintain conscious thought, and can rebel if sufficiently strong willed. Also, if one immobilizes them rather than kills them, they will not be able to replicate endlessly.

Technology:
Travel: The Hunters possess hyperspace travel and warp technology, and their ships can reach planetary sizes, and are almost biological in nature. They also possess ground assault ships with powerful beam weaponry

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
(A Hunter Command Ship)

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
(Hunter Assault Ship)

Weapons: The Hunters have vastly powerful arsenals created by themselves and gathered from other worlds. Their weapons are powerful enough to easily destroy planets should they want, and it ranges from simple projectiles to energy based ones, to even cosmic energy harnessing weaponry.

Others: They possessed technology to assimilate and force others into the hivemind, often keeping them within tubes on special created rooms while they are added into them. Often this process can cause personality changes in the subject. This was seen with the splinter cell Hunters BRS-22 and BGS-22, who after being assimilated, both suffered great changes.

History:
The Hunters are the Universe's very force, their "immune system" born and commanded by the Will of the Universe itself. They were brought into being to stop the Power Nemesis, the overload of power, and keep Universal Balance. For billions of years they roamed and destroyed entire civilizations.
Their greatest foes were the Celestials, powerful beings that were jump starting evolution and causing the creation of powerful beings within various alien races, bringing the Universe closer to the Power Nemesis. It is unknown why the Celestials opposed the Hunters, or if this was even their original goal.. During the war, the the Will manifested into physical form, who became the Leader of the Hunters. Despite their best efforts, the Celestials proved a match for the Immune System, and were left to their devices, the Will of the Universe choosing instead to destroy what they would build.

Some time before their assault on Earth, the Hunters exterminated a race of vastly intelligent aliens who they believed could attain to much power through technology if left alone. The top scientists of the race created the degeneracy engine and an android with it in hopes it would one day defeat the Hunters. This android became Nono, who after creating a group called the Buster Corps engaged in guerrilla warfare with the Hunters on various points of the Universe.

Upon discovering Earth, one of the Celestial experiments, the Hunters launched what was known as the First Hunter War. they decimated the superhero community, and wiped out many of their extraterrestrial allies, and formed massive memory wiping, all in their mission to prevent the Power Nemesis.

Also, during this time, a lone hunter commander split from the hivemind and created a planet somewhere in the Andromeda galaxy where a splinter cell hivemind started forming.

However, the Earth forces once again rose to power, the superhero community rebuilding as the Hunters did not have the power to eliminate humanity's propensity for developing powers, which was built into their DNA by the Celestials. After once again amassing their army, they launch the Second Hunter War, intense on burning the entire planet to prevent it rising again. Knowing they could not withstand the endless waves of the Hunters, the heroes sent their strongest fighters, the mutant Milo, Kano son of Thor, the magi Namini and Amber, the Phoenix host Sandra to fight the leader directly. Joined by the android Nono, they defeat him using the Ultimate Nullifier. However, it is discovered that Milo's powers has replicated the Leader's, essentially making Milo the new Will of the Universe in physical form, and assuring the Hunters can not die unless Milo dies.

Ventro thus imprisoned the Hunters in the Negative Zone, but they were later released thanks to the influence of the Void. They went out of control and attacked everyone without regards for orders because of Milo's state during those times, and even went to war with Galactus, causing a retaliatory strike on planet Earth that proved nearly fatal. However, due to this same erratic behavior, a lone Hunter, Bernard, was able to aid the heroes during Dark Reign.

The appeared again when Milo lost is body to Kevin, and this time, they took on an active role as Milo's enforcers, in his goal towards unity. They also launched a Third Hunter War under the command of Zulan, but were pushed back once again.

Meanwhile, the splinter cell developed his own plan to attack Earth in order to assimilate it and its heroes. They kidnapped several members, and hacked and took vital information from the SXM database. However, thanks in part to a rogue unit within the cell, the heroes escaped.

They have not been seen again since Milo's death by Mother's Hands, and their status is unknown