Cerberus

Cerberus
Apearance(s):	Manhunt
Name:	Cerberus
Also Known As:	C.U. Boys
Type:	Private Army Mercenaries
Known Members:	Cerberus Leader
Front(s):	Starkweather’s Estate
Weapons:	Assault Rifle Shotgun Shotgun + Light Sniper Rifle Heavy Handgun Fists (cutscene) Nightstick (cutscene) Taser (cutscene) Flashlight (cutscene) Pipe (cut)
Vehicle(s):	Securicar
Allies:	Lionel Starkweather White Rabbit Smileys Valiant Video Enterprises
Enemies:	James Earl Cash Piggsy SWAT
Voiced by:	Brian Maillard Julian Fletcher Michael Mulheren Hadley Tomicki John Zurhellen Navid Khonsari Paul Pinto

"We're all waiting for you. Come on you freak, make a move!"

-Cerberus soldier

The Cerberus are the final group of Hunters appearing in Manhunt. They are a highly organized and effective mercenary force who work for Lionel Starkweather and are his personal bodyguards.

Description

The Cerberus are a private army hired by Starkweather mainly to protect him and his Estate. They also help in the production of his snuff films by setting up cameras, blocking off streets, and transporting James Earl Cash from location to location. They later mercilessly hunt for Cash in Starkweather's Estate once he survives in the Darkwoods Penitentiary (where the snuff film is supposed to end) and breaks free.

As befitting their presence late in the game outside of cutscenes, the Cerberus are professionally trained and efficient killers that rarely travel alone. These Hunters appear to be from military or high-ranking police backgrounds, as they have a great knowledge of combat tactics, training, and phrases. They can be heard communicating in code and discussing military tactics in their fight against Cash. Some Cerberus members are also former NSA agents (as explained in the instruction manual), and the experience that those individuals bring to the table is a testament to their overall high levels of professionalism or skill. The Cerberus are the final and most dangerous group of enemies for Cash to face off in the game, rivaling the S.W.A.T..

The Cerberus are armed to the teeth with Heavy Handguns, Shotguns, Assault Rifles, and occasionally Sniper Rifles. It's unknown whether the Cerberus depicted in-game are exclusively Starkweather's private army, or whether they are part of a larger organization serving multiple illicit clients.

Members

Cerberus Leader

Appearance

The Cerberus dress in all-black combat uniforms, with full body armor, ballistic helmets, and tactical gas masks equipped. They also carry what appears to be smoke or flash grenades on their gear, although these are never used in game. Surprisingly, despite wearing gas masks, they are not provided with night vision goggles, a disadvantage that Cash easily exploits. This may imply that the design of their outfits is mostly for intimidation purposes rather than to give them a practical, tactical advantage. Their leader wears the same uniform as the common members, but, he himself does not wear their signature gasmask, but rather a helmet and what is either an eyepiece or eyepatch, to distinguish from the others.

History

The Cerberus first appear once Cash has killed off all of the Hoods and made it past the Carcer City Library, where they ambush him. Cash is startled as they quickly beat him down and throw him in the back of their Securicar. They drop Cash off at Denton's Junkyard to fight the Skinz. After the Skinz gang has been defeated, the Cerberus captures Cash again and takes him to Carcer City Zoo to battle the Wardogs. After Cash has escaped the Zoo, the Cerberus drop him to the Carcer City Mall to collect a video tape and camera. Once Cash has killed all the Innocentz at the Carcer Chem Factory, he tries to run but is captured once again. He is then dragged back to Darkwoods Penitentiary to face the Smileys.

Starkweather had intended for Cash to be slayed by the Smileys at the end of the Darkwoods Penitentiary to finish his snuff film. However, Cash manages to kill them all and heads for the exit, where the Cerberus are now guarding. Cash kills the Cerberus guards, as well as the White Rabbit. A group of Cerberus reinforcements then arrive, but are also soon killed by Cash. The Cerberus temporally lost Cash, but they later track down and find him at the Stockyard Train Yard, where he is about to be captured and killed by the S.W.A.T.. The Cerberus suddenly kills the S.W.A.T. police by surprise, subdue Cash for the final time with a taser and take him to Starkweather's Estate.

Despite Starkweather's orders to keep Cash alive (before changing his mind), they are preparing to execute him, but are interrupted by Piggsy, who recently broke free from the mansion's attic. They investigate the disturbance and are subsequently killed by the deranged Chainsaw-wielding man, allowing Cash to escape and engage a final showdown. They then patrol the mansion's outskirts and garden in search of both Piggsy and Cash. Many Cerberus guards are killed by the two deadly killers. Once Cash has reached the interior of the mansion, they shut down the power to the elevators to prevent him or Piggsy from reaching Starkweather. Cash later turns the power back on, kills more Cerberus and even the Cerberus Leader, to obtain the keys to the elevator. Once Cash has reached the office after fighting and ultimately defeating Piggsy, the last remaining Cerberus units are there protecting Starkweather. They are also soon killed by Cash, wiping out the mercenary group for good, just before Cash at last finishes the job on Starkweather himself.

Mission Appearances:

• As Hunters: Kill the Rabbit, Border Patrol, Key Personnel, Deliverance.
• In cutscenes: Road to Ruin, White Trash, Fuelled by Hate, Grounds for Assault, Strapped for Cash, Graveyard Shift, Mouth of Madness, Trained to Kill, Border Patrol, Key Personnel

Gallery

The Cerberus Leader

Several Cerberus members and the Leader (at the back)

The Cerberus ambushing Cash in the ending cutscene of Road to Ruin.

Piggsy being reluctantly fed human remains by the Cerberus

Cerberus official artwork (notice the beta models are also holding cut weapons)

A Cerberus member killed by Piggsy

Cerberus capturing Cash

The Securicar used by the Cerberus

Two Cerberus taking orders from the leader

A Cerberus graffiti, as seen in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Cash being tasered by the Cerberus' leader

Cerberus dragging Cash back to the Darkwoods Penitentiary

Cerberus about to execute Cash

Cash sneaking up behind a Cerberus member holding a Sniper Rifle

Cash versus Cerberus

A Cerberus member being executed by Cash with a Chainsaw (Violent).

Starkweather ordering the final few Cerberus members to kill Cash before he enters his office

The unlockable Cerberus gas mask, as seen in Grand Theft Auto: Online

Trivia

• The Cerberus' name comes from the multi-headed dog of the same name from Greek mythology. The massive hound of Hades is the dog that guards the gates of the Underworld, which bears similarities to the group protecting Starkweather and his mansion.
• The gasmasks worn by Cerberus soldiers bares a resemblance to the real-life S10 CBRN respirators worn by British SAS units, particularly around the time Manhunt takes place (2003). Red goggle inserts were a real optional attachment for S10 respirators, and are cited to be resistant to bright flashes and improve low-light visibility; an obvious advantage in Carcer City. However, it should be noted that the mouthpiece on the Cerberus' model extends out much further.
• Graffiti of a Cerberus guard can be found in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas inside any accessible bar around the state, as an Easter Egg. It is a mirrored image of their official artwork seen in Manhunt.
• The Cerberus soldiers have a similar model to those of the GIGN soldiers encountered in one of the missions in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The only differences are the heads, the Cerberus having a gas mask and the Frenchmen wearing a normal helmet. Though the skins of either are differently colored, they both have the same components (backpack, kneepad on the right knee and combat vest). Interestingly, the S.W.A.T. reused the same models from the mentioned GIGN soldiers. GIGN themselves, in Vice City, use beta models of its S.W.A.T. members from the same game.
• They seem to be heavily inspired by the Kerberos paramilitary unit seen in the 1999 anime movie Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade. Both units wear red goggled gas masks, carry heavy weaponry, are heavily armored, and even their names are similar, Cerberus and Kerberos are two names for the three headed dog that guards the gates to Hades. They also strongly resemble H.U.N.K. from Resident Evil 2.
• The vehicle the Cerberus used to transport Cash to various locations throughout Carcer City is the Securicar, which is reused from Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City, with some changes.
• The 2011 film Hobo with a Shotgun has a faction known as the Plague, which resembles the beta Cerberus models from concept art.
• The Cerberus have the most levels dedicated to them out of all the Hunters in Manhunt, due to them appearing in four levels, while the rest have only two or three.
• Besides the S.W.A.T, they are only the Hunters in Manhunt that do not use any melee weapons, although in cutscenes, they are seen using Nightsticks.
• Their red armbands resemble the Nazi Party armbands, but with a skull in place of a Hakenkreuz swastika.
• A total of 89 Cerberus appear in Manhunt. Cash kills 83 of them in the four scenes where they appear as Hunters, Piggsy kills 5 of them, and one of them will die instantly at the start of Border Patrol (due to the opening cutscene).
• The Cerberus may either be an individual private army only serving Starkweather, or could be a widespread private service used by other illicit clients. The latter is supported by the fact that graffiti depicting a Cerberus operative can be found in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. This also implies that the Cerberus may have existed as early as 1992. Ironically, in Grand Theft Auto V, its three protagonists would face a ruthless private army called Merryweather Security who is serving Devin Weston, similar to the Cerberus and Starkweather, respectively.
• Jon Bernthal, best known for his role as Shane on The Walking Dead, and Frank Castle in The Punisher, served as the character mold for the Cerberus.
• The gas mask worn by the Cerberus has been made into a purchasable cosmetic in Grand Theft Auto: Online, among other Manhunt characters. Interestingly, this mask gives a stark red hue if worn in first person view.