Off My Mind: Why it's Time For Cyborg to Take the Spotlight

Shame Cyborg doesn’t have his own book yet. The guy has easily been one of the most important members of the team in every arc so far. He has total access to all the world’s intel, he’s incredibly powerful, and he’s basically the Justice League’s bus driver. The boom tube effect is a pretty cool power and a helluva dramatic entrance.

Vital in saving earth from the Darkseid invasion. Rescues the League from the depths of the sea. He's reached a place where he is being consistently portrayed along side his teammates, but the lack of a solo book is starting to hurt.

@cborg said:

@Avenging-X-Bolt: I was writing about how his confidence was shown in Teen Titans. I didn't mean he fought for leadership but that he fought Robins leadership. Robin was mostly the unquestioned leader that the rest followed almost blindly. But in an early episode Divide and Conquer, Cyborg has no problems getting in Robins face, making his opinion heard and blaming him, something the other titans rarely did.

To be fair, Robin rarely ever gave them reason to question him, except maybe the Red X. and Beast Boy was brave enough to try to check him for batteries..lol I know, im just being difficult

Robin even does something he rarely does and apologizes. Cyborg also confidently goes out alone and captures the villain that gave the whole team trouble. And despite it being a ploy by brother blood cyborg again disobeyed robins lead when ordered to return and chose to lead his own team, something no other titan does for the run of the show. This shows confidence in his own leadership abilities and his opinions as a hero

true.

@Avenging-X-Bolt: I was writing about how his confidence was shown in Teen Titans. I didn't mean he fought for leadership but that he fought Robins leadership. Robin was mostly the unquestioned leader that the rest followed almost blindly. But in an early episode Divide and Conquer, Cyborg has no problems getting in Robins face, making his opinion heard and blaming him, something the other titans rarely did. Robin even does something he rarely does and apologizes. Cyborg also confidently goes out alone and captures the villain that gave the whole team trouble. And despite it being a ploy by brother blood cyborg again disobeyed robins lead when ordered to return and chose to lead his own team, something no other titan does for the run of the show. This shows confidence in his own leadership abilities and his opinions as a hero

@Avenging-X-Bolt I'm still waiting for my new JLA issue to come, but that Baz/Arrow team is looking really interesting. I apologize for earlier inconsistencies; I hadn't actually realized that DC was making a differentiation between The Justice League and the JLA. So, my bad. However, Baz and Arrow. With Lemire's new take on GA, and the kind of waves Simon Baz has been making, I see a lot of potential for that team-up. I've done a fair bit of ranting on these boards about Green Arrow and his loss of cultural relevance. Baz is one of the more socially relevant characters in DC's line-up today, and maybe he'll pull Ollie back into the thick of things the way he was meant to be. I guess we'll see.

@Vitaeleous said:

@cborg: I like the way you think, sir. You could be on to something there. There's a second part to the Arthegall story that connects it more closely to comics, specifically to Iron Man, and that's the issue of control. Arthegall is accompanied by his iron man, but he doesn't necessarily control it. Sometimes, when Arthegall is unwilling to deal out strict justice and opts for a more humane route, the iron man steps in a does something drastic of its own accord. It is a partnership, but the iron man is still acting on his own steam. Tony Stark has, in the past, had similar issues with the control of his suit. So it'd be interesting to see, as you said, the excessive humanity of Flash balanced with Cyborg's struggles to retain that which he has left. We've already seen Cyborg's immediate and unwavering decision in a time of crisis to get a breathing upgrade; the guy doesn't hesitate to do what he knows has to happen. I think it's a solid and intriguing hypothesis. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the JLA.

i think Cy's going to get that with Shazam and the Atom. GA is being partnered with Simon Baz which makes me think that Hal and Barry will be back together before long.

@cborg said:

@Vitaeleous: While I agree with you that cyborgs character has a lot more to offer than token black character, i think in this incarnation in the JLA thats what hes been showcased as. Unlike Moywar I loved the teen titans episodes with cyborg. With cyborg, they showed the triumph of human spirit over machinery, almost a modern day john henry. He was a fun character that despite his insecurities about his humanity looked on the brightside and never let it affect his demeanor. He was also a confident hero fighting Robin for leadership, then starting his own team. Unfortunately none of this has been reflected in JLA.

The first arc was a combo of bringing the team together and cyborg origin.Because hes being created most of the time his interaction with the league boiled down to a couple panels in 5 and 6 after the "main" heros already are together. while he stopped the attack single handily he was more a weapon for the league than a teammate. In the next arc and since he practically acts as their laptop giving computer info but no leadership and not much of a factor to move the story forward. there is some interaction but the arguments, fights, and story revelations are reserved for the "main" teammates. After watching JLA: DOOM I had big expectations for cyborg as a leaguer. He was a big factor and in the climax the team leader. he went after wonder woman and stopped her, the team trusted him to fight the big bad Savage singlehandedly to save the day, then he guided them to stop disaster. But here hes told what to do, poses in the group shots, and hangs out in the watchtower. Calling him a weatherman is an overstatement. The difference between him and Stormwatches weatherman is that the weatherman was the undisputed leader. He monitored the world and direct which teammates went where and what they did, even over the objections of those involved. Johns has taken a great character and scraped away a lot of what made him great and turned him into Siri and a token teammate.

he never fought Robin for leadership. He was sent to aid in the establishment of another Titans team and was offered leadership as part of a scheme by Brother Blood iirc.

I kind of miss the dynamic MMH brought to the table... but I agree, it is time for people to see what Cyborg is made of on a grander scale. He is always underrated, which is something I attribute to how counter-intuitive his origins and allegiances are. Normally, you find cybernetic enhancements on the side of evil... after all it seems like the "easy way out" in order to equal the feats that most heroes face. Victor's character has always added a whole new dimension to the concept and now is high time for that said to really play out and show prominence.

Interesting

In Flashpoint he came off as well rounded. Well developed character. In Teen Titans he more than showed why he was vital to the Team and a great Leader for the team. So he's more than earned a chance to shine. But they haven't done anything with it yet. And I think he's a really great character. He could take the place as the heart of the team. Sacrificing his humanity to save the team shows what he was willing to do in the previous incarnations, and they have the chance to run it even further. Why? He seems to be younger than before, besides the earth tech he has different Alien techs inside him which can be even stranger.

I do agree though Cyborb needs an arch nemesis if he's going to come to the forefront. And it needs to be someone that pushes , brings back the science aspect. As well as show he can be a fighter when needed. So an Ivo/Amazo combo will force him to not only deal with his dad. But show what he is capable of.

I enjoyed Cyborg in the Thrones of Atlantis story arc! Losing one of his last remaining remnants of humanity to better the team and save his teammates! I especially enjoyed how he is the one to contact the "back-up" roster -- He's hoping he does more in the future. It does kind of suck he is no longer connected to the Titans or any of its members :(

@cborg: I like the way you think, sir. You could be on to something there. There's a second part to the Arthegall story that connects it more closely to comics, specifically to Iron Man, and that's the issue of control. Arthegall is accompanied by his iron man, but he doesn't necessarily control it. Sometimes, when Arthegall is unwilling to deal out strict justice and opts for a more humane route, the iron man steps in a does something drastic of its own accord. It is a partnership, but the iron man is still acting on his own steam. Tony Stark has, in the past, had similar issues with the control of his suit. So it'd be interesting to see, as you said, the excessive humanity of Flash balanced with Cyborg's struggles to retain that which he has left. We've already seen Cyborg's immediate and unwavering decision in a time of crisis to get a breathing upgrade; the guy doesn't hesitate to do what he knows has to happen. I think it's a solid and intriguing hypothesis. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the JLA.

@Vitaeleous: That's an interesting idea, kinda like an Calibretto from Battle Chasers, or the Iron Giant, or Alphonse Elric from Full Metal, or hell even Chewie. The only prob is he'd need a partner, an Arthegall to properly wield/direct cyborgs power. The traditional league partnerships bats/supes(big 2), wonder woman/aquaman(royalty), flash/green lantern(brave and bold tpb). Considering the lack of use and a recent heart to heart with cyborg, Flash could play this role. With green lanterns eventual partnership with arrow, you can tear flash/lantern apart.They can create an new cyborg/flash partnership like the world's fines(supes+bats)t or the hard traveling heroes(green arrow/lantern). They could be the techno/science partners. The science of flash (flash fact) could complement the science of cyborgs new existence. Flashs excessive humanity could balance cyborgs tenuous grasp on his. DC doesn't have a scientist brain trust like marvel has with Reed/Stark/Pym...etc. This could be an interesting dynamic with them as the second wave scientific analysis of problems after bats first wave investigative fact gathering.

@cborg: I like what you said about him being more a weapon than a teammate. I've been reading through Jason "Doctor Comics" Tondro's book Superheroes of the Round Table, exploring the influence of Arthurian lit on modern comics. He cites one old tale where a knight named Arthegall is accompanied by and enchanted iron figure, and "Iron Man", if you will. Arthegall is the Knight of Justice; that's his mission, to make sure Justice has its day, but he himself doesn't have the power to make it happen. His Iron Man is his enabler, the power that lets him carry out that mission, and as such the Iron Man and Arthegall come to be seen as a single force. So consider the idea of Cyborg as the power that enables the JLA to do what they're trying to do. Maybe he comes across as more of a weapon than a teammate, but without him they'd be pretty ineffectual. It's role we aren't used to seeing in super teams, but it has roots in historical literature and shouldn't just be disregarded.

If he's in the big leagues now, (pun fully intended) he should do something to prove he's graduated from "Teen Titans" to "Justice League".

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MM> Cyborg. I can't take him seriously in the Justice League.

@Beast_in_the_Shadows: Well if you've read Red Hood and the Outlaws #1, then you would know that Dick, Roy, and Kory have fought alongside people named "Garth," "Dustin," "Vic," "Lilith," and "Gar." I am pretty sure that Garth is now excluded if he is still a kid like it sounds in Aquaman. Nobody knows who Dustin is yet. Vic can only be Cyborg. I'm not too keen on Gar and Lilith's history because I haven't been keeping up on Ravagers but I think there is a chance that they could have gotten their memories wiped by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. after being with the old gang. Also, I never said anything about Raven. I already know she, Donna, and Wally were excluded from the group. And we all know they weren't the Teen Titans but that doesn't necessarily mean they didn't hang out. I actually have a theory they could have been called the "Titans." And that Tim just decided to call his team the "Teen Titans" because they're younger than Dick's team. It's still possible right now.

@TheMess1428 said:

I like to think that Cyborg used to hang out with Dick, Kory, Roy, and Gar back in the day but after they disbanded, he grew to become depressed so he just hangs out on the Watchtower 24/7. Because as we all know, the Justice League is not nearly the same as the Titans.

I highly doubt that is the case at all. I wish I could say that some form of the NTT fit in the New 52, but it really doesn't look like that's the case. Raven is just making her entrances on the whole scene, having never met any of the other heroes until now. Likewise, all of Gar's past has been completely wiped out as N.O.W.H.E.R.E. gave him his powers just recently so he has had no time doing any super heroing before.

So, Vic certainly hasn't had any past with those too. There is a possibility that there was some time he was around the likes of Nightwing, Red Arrow and Starfire, but the new edit to the Teen Titans number one made it clear that there was no TT before this current team. Also, if they were willing to completely wipe out Vic's relationship with his one time best friend, I highly doubt they would worry about maintaining all the other friendships if it doesn't fit their current plot set-up

I love Cyborg, he is one of my favorite characters out there and he certainly deserves some focus among the biggest and best in DC. However, that isn't why they erased his history with the Titans and put him on the JLA. They did it because Johns grew up watching the Super Powers Team version of the Super Friends and Cyborg was a member there along side all the other current leaguers.

I love alot of DC's characters, but they haven't done right by all my favorites recently. For me the New 52 has let me down and even if Cyborg becomes a big name and gets the recognition he deserves, it's soured that he had to lose his time with the team that made him great and kept him human.

@Black_Claw said:

@Captain13 said:

@Manute117: Plenty to choose from:

Gallery

Or the writers could invent some.

Don't forget about Ron Evers! I think Brother Blood would be cool as well, because now he's free to be a cyborg villain since the original titans apparently never existed.

Whoops! I don't know how I did!

@Vitaeleous: While I agree with you that cyborgs character has a lot more to offer than token black character, i think in this incarnation in the JLA thats what hes been showcased as. Unlike Moywar I loved the teen titans episodes with cyborg. With cyborg, they showed the triumph of human spirit over machinery, almost a modern day john henry. He was a fun character that despite his insecurities about his humanity looked on the brightside and never let it affect his demeanor. He was also a confident hero fighting Robin for leadership, then starting his own team. Unfortunately none of this has been reflected in JLA.

The first arc was a combo of bringing the team together and cyborg origin.Because hes being created most of the time his interaction with the league boiled down to a couple panels in 5 and 6 after the "main" heros already are together. while he stopped the attack single handily he was more a weapon for the league than a teammate. In the next arc and since he practically acts as their laptop giving computer info but no leadership and not much of a factor to move the story forward. there is some interaction but the arguments, fights, and story revelations are reserved for the "main" teammates. After watching JLA: DOOM I had big expectations for cyborg as a leaguer. He was a big factor and in the climax the team leader. he went after wonder woman and stopped her, the team trusted him to fight the big bad Savage singlehandedly to save the day, then he guided them to stop disaster. But here hes told what to do, poses in the group shots, and hangs out in the watchtower. Calling him a weatherman is an overstatement. The difference between him and Stormwatches weatherman is that the weatherman was the undisputed leader. He monitored the world and direct which teammates went where and what they did, even over the objections of those involved. Johns has taken a great character and scraped away a lot of what made him great and turned him into Siri and a token teammate.

How is that boring? As modern readers in a society that's practically fused with our technology, that's an incredibly relevant theme, and has been for a long time. Yeah, it may come across as overdone, but let's approach that as a challenge instead of a cliche. This is a chance for DC to show that they still give a crap about the social relevance of comics. What can they show through this character that we haven't seen yet? It's worth following, I think, to find out if they've got it in them.

@Vitaeleous said:

@moywar700: And I would disagree with that. I thought the character has a lot more to offer than simply being the token black guy on the team. As it's been said, he's the weatherman. He's a strategic control centre for the team, and he's an interesting commentary on heroism vs. humanity. How much can an effective hero be human? How much of that flesh can he retain and still get the job done? He's got a huge challenge ahead of him in matching up with heroes who are Aliens and Amazons and Intergalactic Police. He's a dude with a lot of metal grafted into him; so, where does that leave him?

And as for being DC's most successful black character, I would take into account John Stewart before you go making assumptions. John's been through a lot with the Corps in the past 40 years, and deserves a little credit for it.

You reminded me of how boring Cyborg in TAS Teen Titans.Whenever he was a central character,most of the time,his theme was that he's more man than machine.

@moywar700: And I would disagree with that. I thought the character has a lot more to offer than simply being the token black guy on the team. As it's been said, he's the weatherman. He's a strategic control centre for the team, and he's an interesting commentary on heroism vs. humanity. How much can an effective hero be human? How much of that flesh can he retain and still get the job done? He's got a huge challenge ahead of him in matching up with heroes who are Aliens and Amazons and Intergalactic Police. He's a dude with a lot of metal grafted into him; so, where does that leave him?

And as for being DC's most successful black character, I would take into account John Stewart before you go making assumptions. John's been through a lot with the Corps in the past 40 years, and deserves a little credit for it.

How can anybody support this?Cyborg was never a Teen Titans member,that **** up his characterization.Not only this,he does absolutely nothing.What I mean is he doesn't have a life and stay inside the watchtower.Everybody in the JL has a life outside of crime fighting but not Cyborg.

Let's face it,the only reason why he's in there it's because he's black.He's the most successful black character in DC but he got screwed over by losing his Teen Titan history.

Cyborg rocks.

It very well could be that Cyborg isn't doing much in JL because of the fact that he doesn't have his own solo title. Can't really attest to that with certainty but it is an intriguing thought. Personally for me though I think this is just the calm before the storm of Cyborg's rise to greater things...namely with the Trinity War coming up. I just have a feeling he's going to have a big part coming...

Cyborg was never a founder of the Teen Titans, nor was he an original member.

I'm glad he's finally getting his shine. He's sacrificing what's left of his humanity to help the team and coming through in a major way. He's the true "weatherman" for this team, staying behind to strategize and lead when necessary.

Cyborg still feel young to me, definitely not on the same level as the others. But his tech brings some different dynamics to the team. But I will always be a MM fan.

@The_Roman said:

He did do something...Justice League 14, he used a sonic gun thing to keep a mind controlled Superman down.

lol Cyborg is only good for deus ex machina

I'm interested to see how far DC goes with the H+ theme inherent in this character. Maybe that's just too academic of me, but nonetheless...curious.

@Captain13 said:

@Manute117: Plenty to choose from:

Gallery

Or the writers could invent some.

Don't forget about Ron Evers! I think Brother Blood would be cool as well, because now he's free to be a cyborg villain since the original titans apparently never existed.

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@Manute117: Plenty to choose from:

Gallery

Or the writers could invent some.

he needs a good foe

The only reason why you wrote this article is because we have a sorta black president, and currently the trendy TV commercialized sitcom persona is the half black half white sophisticated cliche.

I agree. I mean every other member of the Justice League has their own book except so I was expecting him to have the spotlight first.

I like all of the Cyborg love

He's been pushed in 2 the spotlight so the JL movie can have him in it. No other reason really :/

I'm all for a Cyborg and Shazam! ongoing series but I want them to have the best creative team, not the ones just available. Johns, Snyder, and Lemire have their hands full. I don't know if Azzarello or Hurwitz or any other top or mid-level writers have any good ideas for them. You don't want them to end up like Mr.Terrific, Static, Hawkman, Green Arrow, Grifter, etc.

Needs battle armor that makes him like Master Chief or a Starcraft Marine.

He should have been center stage from the start.

I'm really glad he's in the JLA nowadays. It's cool to see his role in the DCU increase more and more. I wish I had cool cyborg powers. Just sayin. ;/

I'm proud of em he deserves his own series and I'm rooting for him to last longer than others

I find it odd that he's the only member of the JL without his own ongoing series, whereas Superman and Batman each have multiple titles dedicated to them.

cyborg is awesome !  i hope they keep him apart of the league.

Cyborg is great in the new 52. I love what he brings top the team and I really like the relationship between him and Batman. I hope they include him in any movie plans because it would add alot I think.

@DarthShap: MM had his chance to be part of the JL in the n52, but instead he attacked them. Idk much of pre-n53 other than Batman. But I like how they set up the n52. I havent had a problem with it. None of my favorite characters was changed in a bad way. And I wasn't a Cyborg fan, until the new 52, and really I started to like him a lot more in Thrones of Atlantis.

The only problem I sort of have, is Batman doesnt do very much in JL. Sure he saved Superman in the early issues. But other than that hes just some gadget guy that tells them what to do. Sure it is a little realistic and what not. So its not a big problem.