Cyborg is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980). Cyborg is best known as a member of the Teen Titans.

Fictional character biography

Victor Stone was the son of a pair of scientists who decided to use him as a test subject for various intelligence enhancement projects. However, Victor grew to resent this treatment and struck up a friendship with a young miscreant who led him into trouble with the law. This was the beginning of a struggle where Victor strove for his own life engaging in pursuits his parents disapproved of, such as athletics. In addition, Victor still kept bad company that led him into incidents such as when he was talked into participating in a street gang fight in which he was wounded. For the most part however, Victor still had a largely normal life under the circumstances where he also refused to follow his best friend's grandiose plans of racially motivated terrorism.

Victor's horrified reaction to his prosthetics.

To save his son, Victor's father outfitted him with experimental prosthetics of his own design. However, the equipment could not be worn inconspicuously, and thus Victor was horrified to see much of his body, including part of his face, replaced with sheer metallic limbs and implants. Although Victor wanted to die at this shock, he eventually adjusted enough through his resulting physical therapy to control his implants with suitable skill.

However, upon release from medical care, he found his life was seriously inconvenienced with the fearful reactions of the public at his implants; even his girlfriend rejected him. In addition, he was also disallowed participation in athletics not only for his implants, but also for his poor grades, which were further exacerbated by his long convalescence. However, when his old friend attempted to use Victor's troubles to manipulate him into attempting a terrorist attack on the United Nations, Victor found a new purpose as he equipped his weapons attachments and stopped his friend in a pitched battle on top of United Nations Headquarters.

Teen Titans

Victor joined the Teen Titans, initially for the benefit of a support group of kindred spirits and outsiders, and has remained with that group ever since. In addition, Victor found new friends who saw past his disfigurements to his own nobility, such as a group of children who were adjusting to their own prosthetics and idolized Victor with his fancy parts and exciting adventures as well as their beautiful teacher, Sarah Simms, who has often assisted him. Cyborg and Sarah have a deep relationship that is considered by some fans to be Cyborg's one true love, although writer Marv Wolfman insists it is a deep, caring friendship.

Another person who saw past the cybernetic shell was Dr. Sarah Charles, a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist who helped him to recuperate after having his cybernetic parts replaced. Cyborg and Dr. Charles dated for some time, and, along with Changeling, she kept trying to reach him when he was seemingly mindless following a plane crash.

Deaths and rebirths

Victor Stone - as Cyberion - is reunited with Sarah Charles.

Eventually, Cyberion returned to Earth. With Vic's consciousness dormant, but his desire for companionship controlling the Technis planet's actions, it began kidnapping former Titans members and plugging them into virtual reality scenarios, representing what he believed to be their "perfect worlds"; for example, Beast Boy was back with the Doom Patrol, Damage was spending time being congratulated by the Justice Society, and Nightwing was confronted by a Batman who actually smiled. Although the Titans were freed, there was a strong disagreement between them and the Justice League over what action to take; the League believed that there was nothing left of Victor to save, whereas the Titans were willing to try, culminating in a brief battle, where the Atom and Catwoman (who had followed the Justice League to investigate) sided with the League while the Flash fought with the Titans. While Vic was distracted trying to aid his friends, a Titans team consisting of Changeling and the original five Titans were sent by Raven to try making contact with Vic's human side, while Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Martian Manhunter, Power Girl, Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel moved the moon back to its proper place. Eventually, thanks primarily to Changeling's encouragement, and Omen and Raven holding Vic together long enough to come up with a plan, Vic's consciousness was restored, and "downloaded" into the Omegadrome, a morphing war-suit belonging to former Titan Minion. In the wake of this event the Titans reformed and Vic was part of the new group. However, he felt less human than ever before.

Shortly after this, Nightwing revealed he had cloned Vic's body, and by flowing the Omegadrome through the clone, Vic regained his human form, but still had the abilities of the Omegadrome. He often used the drone to recreate his original look in battle. With his newfound humanity, Vic took a leave of absence, moving first to L.A. with Beast Boy and then to Central City. While in Central City Vic was involved in one of the Thinker's schemes. The Thinker froze the Omegadrome's morphing powers and left him in his original cybernetic appearance.

Mentor

Vic mentored the new incarnation of the Teen Titans, consisting mainly of sidekicks, most of whom have taken over the identities of former members (i.e. Tim Drake, the third Robin, instead of Dick Grayson, the original Robin and Titans leader), as well as stalwarts such as Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy, where they have fought enemies such as Deathstroke, Brother Blood, Doctor Light, The Titans Tomorrow, and a brainwashed Superboy and Indigo during a team up with the Outsiders in the Insiders storyline. In the end, Cyborg was the only one capable of standing up to Dr. Light thanks to his solar shields.

Infinite Crisis and beyond

During Infinite Crisis, Cyborg joined Donna's New Cronus Team that went to investigate a hole in the universe that was found during the Rann-Thanagar War. He left Beast Boy in charge of the Titans while he was gone. They arrived at the re-set center of the universe and with the help of an assorted heroes aided in the defeat of Alexander Luthor, who was attempting to re-create the multiverse and build a perfect Earth from it.

According to the fifth issue of 52, Cyborg was fused together with Firestorm after returning to Earth. This was caused by the energy ripples caused by Alexander Luthor Jr. which altered the Zeta Ray Beams the heroes were going to use to return home.

After being severely damaged during the events of Infinite Crisis, Cyborg was rebuilt over time in thanks to Tower caretakers Wendy and Marvin. He awoke a year later to find a wholly different Teen Titans being led by Robin, the only member from the team he formed prior to going into space. He is still a member of the team, but feels that Kid Devil and Ravager are hardly worthy Titans, and thus is attempting to find a way to re-form "the real Titans".

After the team along with the Doom Patrol defeated the Brotherhood of Evil, Cyborg asked Beast Boy to rejoin the Titans, but Gar refused saying that his skills were needed with the Patrol. After returning to Titans Tower, Cyborg began reviewing the security tapes during the last year, in which it appears that he was looked to by all the Titans of the past year for a shoulder to lean on, despite being in a coma-like state.

It appears that although Cyborg has returned to the team, the role of leader is now in the hands of Robin. He does however retain the position of statesman amongst the team and occasionally plays second-in-command.

In Justice League of America (vol. 2), #3, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman agree that Cyborg should be offered membership in the new Justice League. However, following a battle against Amazo, Green Lantern and Black Canary take over the formation of the JLA, and Cyborg is not amongst the roster.

In the Teen Titans East one-shot, Cyborg gathered together a new team of Titans. During a training exercise, the group was attacked by Trigon, and Cyborg was blasted by a giant energy beam. He was last seen in a crater, with only his head and torso remaining.

Titans

Cyborg is set to be a main character in the upcoming comic book Titans which focuses on a new team of Titans coming from the old veteran Titans Cyborg, Nightwing, Troia, Flash (Wally West), Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and Red Arrow. The story takes place immediately after the events of the Titans East one shot. In the aftermath of Trigon's assault, Cyborg has been placed into a special hoverchair while he recuperates. Cyborg's body is completely repaired in Titans #5.

Cyborg - 2008 Miniseries

In an unspecified time during the main Teen Titans comics, a man with enhancements similar to Cyborg's own attacks Sara Simms on her wedding day with Deashaun, a young scientist. Cyborg rushes to the save, discovering how Deshaun, connected to Project M, has sold the technology used to turn Victor Stone in Cyborg for military uses, and Ron Evers, once Victor best friend turned terrorist, was the enhanced man, searching vengeance for the soldiers used as test subject. After Cyborg manages to calm down his friend, and upon he discovers the truth, Mr. Orr, revealed as the mastermind behind Project M cyborg researches, brings to clean up his Stone-derived best test subjects: the current Equus, an armored form of the Wildebeest and a cyberized man sporting enhancements even more powerful than Stone current ones, called Cyborg 2.0. He reveals to be none other than the Titans Tomorrow Cyborg 2.0, snatched from his proper timeline and cayoled by Orr into fighting his younger self for the possession of their shared technology, and Orr's permission to use it in the battlefield. Soon Cyborg is forced to fight simultaneously against the Phantom Limbs, an elite force of soldiers crippled in the Middle East and restored by his tech, and the Cyborg Revenge Squad, a broader formation composed by the Fearsome Five, Magenta, Girder, the Thinker and Cyborgirl.

Powers and Abilities

Cyborg possesses cybernetic enhancements that provide superhuman strength, speed, endurance and durability. Cyborg can also interface with computers. Built into his body-armor were an infrared eye, computer generator, sound amplifier, and special programming adapters that allowed him to interface with other body extensions.

Cyborg in time has tinkered with his body, enhancing his fuction at levels beyond the abilities meant by his father. A feature that sets him apart from the mass production version built by Project M is a self-repair system, able to flawlessly repair the mechanical part of his body, no matter how worn out they are, and even improve the health of the still biological ones to an unknown degree.

In other media

Television

Super Friends

Cyborg appeared in The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (the final incarnation of Super Friends) from 1985 to 1986.^[1] He was voiced by Ernie Hudson. Cyborg's origin was changed to the more simplified story of him being injured in an automobile accident as opposed to being attacked by an extraterrestrial creature. And he is not a Titan. He becomes fast friends with fellow teammate Firestorm. His team affiliation is Justice League under Superman.

Justice League pilot promo

When Justice League was pitched to the Kids' WB network, the lineup originally included three young members as proteges for the League. The members would have been Robin, Impulse, and an original character described as a "teenage female version of Cyborg"(Cyborgirl). The promo is viewable on the fourth disc of the Justice League Season 1 boxset.

Teen Titans (animated series)

Cyborg in the episode "Nevermore" on the show Teen Titans animated series.

Cyborg is the Titans' chief technician and gadgeteer. He is responsible for the construction of the Titan Tower's electronic and security systems and the team's main vehicles, the T-Car and the T-Ship. His most dominant personality faults featured in the series are his gluttony and that he can be a bit too vain about his work, as seen in "Deep Six", "Car Trouble" and "Wavelength"; for this reason he has a special dislike for those who abuse his devices irresponsibly, especially Gizmo and Brother Blood. On occasion, Cyborg acts as the team's second-in-command, but he tends to butt heads with Robin on rather trivial matters.

In the Titans Tomorrow storyline a future version of Victor Stone is shown having similar plating as the animated Cyborg.^[2]

Smallville

Lee Thompson Young as Victor Stone in Smallville.

External sources

• DCDP: Cyborg (Victor Stone) - DC Database Project
• ''Titans Tower'' biography
• Cyborg's description on the animated series

References