Cerberus

HUNTERS
Cerberus
Fronts	Starkweather's Estate in the Wapona Hills
Leader(s)	Cerberus Leader
Type	Private military and security company
Affiliations	Valiant Video Enterprises Lionel Starkweather
Weapon(s)	Assault Rifle Flashlight (cutscene) Heavy Handgun Light Handgun (according to manual, cutscene) Nightstick (cutscene) Shotgun Shotgun + Light Smoke Grenade (cosmetic) Sniper Rifle Sub-Machine Gun (cutscene) Taser (cutscene)
Vehicle(s)	Securicar
Businesses	Security services Contract killing
Known members	Cerberus Control Eagle Seven
Game information
Appearance(s)	Manhunt
Voiced by	Delta - Julian Fletcher Michael Mulheren Hadley Tomicki Bravo 2 - Omega - Brian Maillard Radio Operator - Cerberus Guards - Hadley Tomicki, John Zurhellen, Navid Khonsari, and Paul Pinto
Motion Capture	Jon Bernthal

“Little fox, little fox! The hounds have come to play!”

―The Cerberus on who's the real danger

The Cerberus (also known as C.U.) are the final group of hunters the player encounters in Manhunt, though they make a cameo in the ending of Kill The Rabbit.

Background

The Cerberus are a private military and security company contracted by Lionel Starkweather as his personal bodyguards and organizers for his snuff films. Not much is known about the group as a whole since the Cerberus are secretive about it, but they are known to be the most dangerous group of hunters that Cash faces, possessing numerous advantages that other hunters lack over Cash: professionalism, powerful guns, surveillance, and most important of all, knowledge on who Cash is and what he does best.

Members

Some of the Cerberus mercenaries, including their very own leader, were former clandestine officers of the National Security Agency. Because of this background, one of their members claims to have expertise in anti-kidnapping and counter espionage. The rank of sergeant exists within the Cerberus.

Notable Hunters

Portrait	Hunter's name	Summary of background
	Leader	The unnamed Cerberus Leader is an ex-NSA clandestine officer. He is one of the two lieutenants of Lionel Starkweather assisting him in organizing his latest snuff films, the other lieutenant being Ramirez whom he regards as inferior. Besides Ramirez, the Leader has absolutely no respect for anyone in the snuff film ring: regarding his subordinates as inferior because he thinks they're unprofessional, planning to murder Starkweather, and last but not least, wanting to wipe Cash from the face of the earth.
	Delta	A merc of the Cerberus who apparently sounds younger than the other mercs. He feels edgy during the manhunt and he's easily stressed by its chaotic and dangerous situations, as shown by the raised and mildly panicked voice he has during them.
	Bravo 2	Mostly chill and cool under pressure are traits that distinguish this Cerberus mercenary. He takes the entire manhunt with great caution, such as the info given to him by Starkweather about Cash (which he feels skeptical about) and Cash himself whom he's acknowledging as a threat to be reckoned with.
	Omega	This Cerberus merc has the most disdain and hatred for Cash than the other units, often accusing him of being a pedophile and mocking him for his insanity, even exaggerating him as a stereotypical raving schizo.

Other Characters

Portrait	Character's name	Summary of background
	Control	Likely a tactical operations center for the Cerberus, much like CCPD SWAT's Control. They are only mentioned twice by a certain Cerberus unit who gives them sitreps and asks them for backup.
	Eagle	A minor member of the Cerberus who looks out for Cash by scanning the skyline for him.
	Seven	A hunter mentioned only once in radio chatter by Delta who may call him for help.
	Radio Guy	A superior mercenary officer who might be a unit in the Cerberus' TOC. He is the voice behind the radio who is often talked to by the Cerberus, possessing similar duties and powers to SWAT's Control: receiving sitreps, commanding all units on the field, and having info about the manhunt that he may disclose to units who need it.

Apparel

Image	File name	Description
	Cer_B1A	The Cerberus merc's uniform consists of a black jacket with integrated elbow pads and a blue sweater underneath, plus he has a red armband with a white circle on it containing a black skull on his left sleeve and an arm holster with three attached pouches on his right sleeve. His black pants have two side pockets, two butt pockets, a knee pad on his right leg and an integrated pouch near his right calf. On his head, he wears a black hood, a black rubber gas mask with one filter and red tinted lenses, and what seems to be a hi-tech radio headphone. He also wears a pair of black gloves and boots. His gear and armor includes a padded riot vest with a strap over it that holds four small pouches and ends in some pad where his smoke grenade and an unknown grenade is attached to. The vest has two pouches on its lower left and two belts near his waist. The top one carries five shotgun shells and four small pouches at the front, while the bottom one has two pouches at the front, an empty pistol holster on his right hip, and what appears a tubelike object (possibly a baton) at the back. The belt on his waist bears two pouches on his left hip, one long and one stout. He also has a backpack with two small pouches on its left.
	Cer_B1B	The Cerberus merc's uniform consists of a black jacket with integrated elbow pads and a black sweater underneath, plus he has a black armband with grey borders and a yellow insignia on it and an empty arm holster on his right sleeve. His black camo pants have a single knee pad on his right leg and an integrated pouch on his right calf. Covering his head is a black hood, a black rubber gas mask with one filter and red tinted lenses, and what seems to be a hi-tech radio headphone. He also wears a pair of black gloves and boots. His gear and armor includes a padded riot vest with a strap over it that ends in some pad where his grenades are attached to. The vest has two pouches on his lower left, a pouch on his right flank, and he has two belts near his waist. The top one carries five shotgun shells, while the bottom one has two pouches at the front right, an empty pistol holster on his right hip, and what appears a tubelike object (possibly a baton) at the back. The belt on his waist bears two pouches on his left hip, one long and one short. He also has a backpack with two small pouches on its left.
	Cer_B1C	The Cerberus merc's uniform consists of a black jacket with integrated elbow pads and a black sweater underneath, plus he has a black armband with yellow borders and insignia on it and an empty arm holster on his right sleeve. His black pants have pockets, a single knee pad on his right leg, and an integrated pouch on his right calf. Covering his head is a black hood, a black rubber gas mask with one filter and red tinted lenses, and what seems to be a hi-tech radio headphone. He also wears a pair of black gloves and boots. His gear and armor includes a ballistic vest with a strap over it carrying five shotgun shells. The strap ends in some pad where his smoke grenade and an unknown grenade is attached to. The vest has two pouches on its lower left, a pouch on his right flank and two belts near his waist. The top one carries three shotgun shells and three grenades at the front. The bottom one two pouches at the front right, an empty pistol holster on his right hip, and what seems to be a tubelike object (possibly a baton) at the back. The belt on his waist bears two pouches on his left hip, one long and one short. He also has a backpack with two small pouches on its left.

Relationships

With Valiant Video

The Cerberus were hired by Lionel Starkweather. Not only do they act as his personal defense force, but they are also organizers for his snuff films. In his final production, they were tasked with transporting his leading star, James Earl Cash, between hunting grounds. Their protection also extends to anyone the Director wants alive such as the White Rabbit when he was hunted down by Cash in the botched filming of Kill the Rabbit. Overall, they are subordinates to Starkweather, anything they do is his orders.

Despite being his personal henchmen, there are strong tensions between the Cerberus and Starkweather which started once Cash escaped from the latter's control. Towards Starkweather, the Cerberus may be heard complaining about his incompetence in keeping Cash under control. The Cerberus' leader suspects that Starkweather's failure to control a proficient mass murderer and leaving him to his Cerberus guard (possibly to be murdered as well) were a set up, which implies a mutual betrayal. On the other hand, the Cerberus have disobeyed their client to kill Cash for themselves as a result of their frustration with his persistent survival. Their Leader goes beyond disobedience when he plans to kill Starkweather and crucify his remains by himself.

Because of an unforeseen extension in their working hours when they were tasked with dealing with Cash who escaped from the Director's control (messing up his own plans to leave him for dead in Darkwoods with the Smileys), they were given a bonus of an unknown amount by their client.

Just like the group itself, the Cerberus' illicit operations with Valiant Video are kept secret. They operate at night for this reason.

They are responsible for feeding Piggsy, a task they find both disgusting because of Piggsy himself and gratifying because of his humiliation.

With Cash and the manhunt

The Cerberus' information on their target Cash comes from Starkweather, but few members like Bravo 2 doubt what they were told. The same member still feels disquieted about the manhunt even with this info, thinking that they're all missing some important info about the mission.

Besides being a murdering psychopath, they all hate Cash for the trouble he made them go through with his survival throughout the manhunt. Because of this, they plan to display his remains as a trophy, like impaling his severed head on the spikes around Starkweather's mansion or stringing him up after they've bagged his corpse.

As one of the organizers of the Director's snuff film, the Cerberus are the only group of hunters who have prior knowledge on Cash, unlike the other gangs, who are only aware of some of the following about him when they see it for themselves or are under assumptions and incomplete info about him in the case of the police:

• It makes sense the Cerberus know damn well that he's a stone-cold killer and a serious threat, seeing how they've seen his performance after each scene.
• Possibly derived from Starkweather, the Cerberus have information on Cash being a mentally ill person, shedding light on his mysterious background.
  • Cash actually being mentally ill and not a victim of name-calling may be supported by his incarceration in Darkwoods Penitentiary, the “turf” of the Smileys.
  • Furthermore, the Journalist's rant about the corrupt mental health system in Carcer City releasing people like Cash and perhaps the Smileys supports this.
• They know he's a former death row inmate. Unused dialogue from their leader implies he knows his dead family and how they motivate him to be dangerous.
• Lastly, the Cerberus know pretty well that he is very evasive. They also know that hiding in the shadows and stealthy kills are his MO.

History

Events of Manhunt

A Securicar pulls up near the padlocked gates at the end of the scene Road to Ruin. Four masked men step out of their vehicle, including one of them who stands out with his helmet and mask combo. Cash runs past the gate he opened and runs through the alley behind it until he is stopped by the same man with a helmet who points his handgun towards him. Two men hiding from Cash spring out to swing their batons at Cash's knees and back to knock him to the floor, allowing the rest of them to beat him down. They are stopped by their leader who orders them to capture him, and the four mercs carry the beaten Cash to the van.

Cash is sent to take out some White Trash when the Securicar arrives at an alley leading to the Dentons' City Junkyard. He is literally dropped from their van by the same men who beat him earlier before they shut the van and speed off, leaving Cash to take on the Skinz. Completing the shooting by murdering the bigots who are Fuelled By Hate, he leaves the junkyard through a gate, but he takes a more careful pace out of the junkyard. However, he is spooked by the masked men creeping up on him with guns and sticks, oblivious to the masked man behind him who chokes him unconscious and takes him to the van with his associates.

Meanwhile in a dark attic, two masked men slowly approach a mysterious figure making oinking noises. One of them pushes the other to give “him” his food without hesitating. As they approach the figure, the naggy one remarks on the figure's stench and tells his cohort to get it over with so that they can escape the foul smell. They approach the figure, which is revealed to a naked man with what seems to be a pig's head for a mask, who moves towards them as they get close, causing them to reel back. One of them finally drops the food on the floor for the pig man to eat, causing them to laugh at the act of degrading someone into an animal.

The van from earlier takes him to the Carcer City Zoo, where Cash will be facing the Wardogs in Grounds for Assault. Like before, he is dropped off the van at the gates of the zoo, leaving him to murder the gung-ho poachers and stolen valors who are Strapped for Cash. The shooting for both films are finished and he exits the zoo through an emergency exit where he peacefully surrenders to the masked men who take him to the van with restraints. One of them gets off the van to see Cash and makes an annoyed remark about his persistent survival before they leave.

Once Cash finishes shooting with the Innocentz in a Graveyard Shift in an abandoned chemical factory, the Securicar parked outside the factory's loading bay suddenly starts and crashes through the gates, blocking Cash's path to the checkpoint and forcing him to stop. Two masked men armed with Light Handguns come out and point their pistols at him before forcing him into the van at gunpoint.

Two masked men with nightsticks arrive at a ward in Darkwoods Penitentiary carrying Cash's tired body and following another masked man with a flashlight. The man with the torch orders them to drop Cash at the spot he is talking about, before taking the sack off of his head and leaving him in the Mouth of Madness with the Smileys. Cash does not see the men again until he plans to Kill the Rabbit after escaping the death scene the Director meant for him. They attempt to protect the White Rabbit and prevent Cash from escaping, but they fail both tasks as the White Rabbit is killed for his prison gate key which Cash uses to escape his former prison.

Cash doesn't meet the Cerberus again until he is ambushed and surrounded by a SWAT team Trained to Kill their fugitive for murdering police officers. Before they could even execute him as revenge, they are all shot down by the Cerberus who surround Cash. Their leader with the helmet and mask combo shows up and he walks up to Cash before tasing him. The Cerberus catch his body and carry it away to bring him back to Starkweather. The leader follows behind them, but he spots a camera on the ground recording him before destroying it with a stomp.

The Cerberus arrive at a garage in Starkweather's Estate in the midst of it being surrounded by Carcer City News' press teams. They bring Cash out of the van and point their guns at him, before one of them expresses his plan to kill Cash against Starkweather's orders. He then tells one of them to shoot the camera, cutting off the video feed of the garage. Meanwhile, Piggsy has escaped his prison in the mansion's attic and he is prowling in the gardens. His chainsaw and his distinct pig noises are heard by the Cerberus who leave Cash alone to investigate the noise. However, they are slaughtered by Piggsy, giving Cash an opportunity to intrude the mansion.

Cash finds that the Cerberus are doing Border Patrol outside of the mansion. They have received new orders to kill both Cash and Piggsy on sight. With that in his mind, Cash plows through and evades the Cerberus patrols before making his way to the side entrance of the mansion's cellar. Cash opens the cellar door to the mansion, but he quickly retreats when he spots the Cerberus Leader and a security camera behind him. He eavesdrops on his plan to keep the elevator key and turn off the elevator motor to prevent both Cash and Piggsy from reaching Starkweather. Cash exploits this information to kill the Key Personnel for his keys and restore the motor power, allowing him to reach the floor where Starkweather is through an elevator instead of the spiral stairs blocked by a fence.

Things don't go to plan when Cash almost meets his Deliverance from an ambush by Piggsy who attempts to saw the elevator doors open. Thinking quickly, Cash reaches for the elevator's hatch and climbs through it, but he drops his Cerberus-issue assault rifle and leaves it. He climbs the elevator shaft and finds himself in the highest floor of the mansion, which contains derelict halls and rooms. Here, he evades Piggsy and hunts him down with two shards and a spike to hurt him, before finishing him off by baiting him twice to the loose floor grating where he cuts his hands off to make him fall to his death. He then deals with the last Cerberus squad sent by Starkweather to kill Cash before forcing his way into the Director's control room where he murders him with Piggsy's chainsaw.

Some time after the murders in Starkweather's estate, the police arrive at the scene and find the bodies of the Cerberus, Piggsy, and Starkweather, exposing the snuff ring.

Scenes of Appearance

Among all of the hunter groups in Manhunt, the Cerberus have the most appearances when counting cutscenes.

Manhunt

• Road to Ruin (Outro cutscene only)
• White Trash (Intro cutscene only)
• Fuelled By Hate (Outro cutscene only)
• Grounds for Assault (Intro cutscene only)
• Strapped for Cash (Outro cutscene only)
• Graveyard Shift (Outro cutscene only)
• Mouth of Madness (Intro cutscene only)
• Kill the Rabbit
• Trained to Kill (Outro cutscene only)
• Border Patrol
• Key Personnel
• Deliverance

Gallery

Can't have shit in Carcer.

The Cerberus Securicar.

Bonus

Concept art of Cerberus mercenary

Trivia

• The Cerberus are named after the three-headed dog of Hades in Greek mythology who guards the gates of the underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. They were likely named as such because they protect the criminal underworld in the form of Starkweather's snuff movie ring, as well as the recurring dog theme found throughout the Manhunt series.
  • They share this dog-themed naming thing with hunter groups like the Wardogs, the Watchdogs, and the Bloodhounds.
• The Wardogs and the Cerberus are the only hunter groups in Manhunt who have their own leaders, instead of just being affiliated with The Director. The former has their leader Ramirez while the latter has an unnamed leader. Them being the only two hunter groups in Manhunt with leaders (besides the obvious CCPD) signifies how these two are organized groups, compared to the rest of the ragtag gangs of Carcer. Both leaders also have injuries on their left eye.
  • Similarities aside, their military backgrounds create a juxtaposition between the two hunter groups. The Wardogs have at least questionable military backgrounds, while the Cerberus are the real deal.
• The Cerberus with their all-black clothing and red tinted lenses on their gas masks look similar to the Kerberos wearing their “Protect Gear” armor from the film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. They also look similar to USS agent HUNK from the Resident Evil video game series.
• A Cerberus graffiti can be found in all bars in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The graffiti was ripped straight from the concept art in Manhunt’s bonus features.
• Cerberus' masks can be worn in Grand Theft Auto Online by buying them from Vespucci Movie Masks. The only difference is that the mask features a helmet instead of a hood, plus the mask looks far bigger and unfitting than the original.
• The bodies of Cer_B1A and Cer_B1B are reused from the GIGN of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, albeit with enhancements and differences.
• Their armbands are a reference to the swastika armbands some members of the Nazi Germany wore, specifically Joseph Goebbels.