Cyberman facts for kids
| Doctor Who race | |
|---|---|
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| Cybermen | |
| Type | Cyborgs |
| Affiliated with | Cyber Empire (original series) Cybus Industries (2006 series) |
| Home planet | Mondas/Telos (original series) Parallel Earth (new series) |
| First appearance | The Tenth Planet (1966) "Rise of the Cybermen" (2006/new series) |
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The Cybermen are a scary race of cyborgs from the British TV show Doctor Who. They are one of the Doctor's oldest and most dangerous enemies.
Cybermen were once normal people from Mondas, Earth's twin planet. To stay alive, they started replacing their body parts with metal. This made them cyborgs. Over time, they lost all their feelings and only thought logically. They also began turning other people into Cybermen.
Dr. Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis created the Cybermen in 1966. They first appeared in the episode The Tenth Planet. This was the last story for the First Doctor, played by William Hartnell. Since then, Cybermen have appeared many times in the show.
A different version of the Cybermen appeared in the 2006 series. They were from a parallel universe. These Cybermen showed up in stories like Rise of the Cybermen, The Age of Steel, Army Of Ghosts, and Doomsday. They even appeared in the spin-off show Torchwood. Later, new types of Cybermen, like the Cyber-Shades and Cyber-King, were introduced in "The Next Doctor" (2008).
Contents
What Do Cybermen Look Like?
Unlike the Daleks, another old enemy of the Doctor, Cybermen have changed their look many times. They are humanoid, meaning they look like humans. But they have replaced most of their body parts with metal. This makes them cyborgs, not robots.
In their first appearance, only their hands looked human. Later, their whole bodies were covered in metal suits. Sometimes their hands were claws, but they often changed back to five-finger hands. Since there are not many Cybermen, they often turn humans into new Cybermen.
It is believed that human parts are still inside their suits. In The Tenth Planet, a Cyberman said, "our brains are just like yours." But in later stories, their brains seemed to be replaced with electronics. Sometimes, you could even see a bit of a human face or brain through their helmets. However, in Revenge of the Cybermen, the Doctor called them "total machine creatures."
Do Cybermen Have Feelings?
Cybermen often say they have no emotions. But sometimes, they show feelings like anger or pride when fighting the Doctor. This was more clear in the 1980s episodes. Some early Cybermen even had names, like "Krang."
In "The Age of Steel," it was shown that they use special devices to stop feelings. If these devices were turned off, the converted Cybermen would go crazy. They would realize what they had become and die. The original Mondasian Cybermen might have also removed their emotions on purpose. This helped them convert others to keep their numbers up.
What Are Cybermen Weaknesses?
Cybermen have had different weaknesses over the years. Their biggest weakness is gold. This was first shown in Revenge of the Cybermen (1975). It was said that gold dust could choke their breathing systems. Later, gold coins or bullets with gold on them also hurt them. It was like how silver affects werewolves. However, the Cybermen in the new series do not have a weakness to gold.
How Their Look Changed
Most Cyberman costumes were silver. They were made from different materials like cloth, rubber suits, PVC, and even golf balls. They also wore silver-painted Doc Martens boots. A very old BBC Cyberman costume from the black and white TV era was recently found.
In the 1980s, they used silver-painted flight suits. Cybermen have always kept some common design features. The most famous are the "handle bars" on their heads, which helped with hearing. They also have round eyeholes and chest units. Some black Cybermen were briefly seen in Attack of the Cybermen.
The Cybermen returned in the 2006 series. These new Cybermen were designed to look tall and strong, like Art Deco style. They looked like shiny steel instead of silver. They also had the "Cybus Corporation" logo on their chests. The Cyber-Controller had glowing eyes and a clear forehead showing its brain.
How Cybermen Sound
Early Cybermen had a strange, singing voice. Their mouths would open fully when they talked, then shut when they stopped. This style changed after their first few appearances.
For the 2006 series, Nicholas Briggs provided the Cybermen voices. He also voiced the Daleks. His voice was changed using a special voice modulator. The new Cybermen have a blue light in their "mouths" that blinks when they speak.
Cybermats: Mini Cyber-Creatures
The Cybermen also use smaller, robotic creatures called "cybermats" to attack.
- In their first appearance in The Tomb of the Cybermen, they looked like big metal fish. They had segmented bodies and sensors on their heads. The Second Doctor called them a "form of metallic life."
- The second type of cybermat, seen in The Wheel in Space, was used for sabotage. They could listen to human brainwaves.
- The third type, from Revenge of the Cybermen, was much larger and looked like a snake. They could be controlled from far away and could inject poison into people.
Cybermats also appear in the game Blood of the Cybermen. These look like flat snakes. They can turn living things into "Cyber-Slaves" with their poison. These are part of a newer, third race of Cybermen. They are like Cyber Cats and Dogs.
Major Appearances
Television
- The Tenth Planet
- The Moonbase
- The Tomb of the Cybermen
- The Wheel in Space
- The Invasion
- Revenge of the Cybermen
- Earthshock
- The Five Doctors
- Attack of the Cybermen
- Silver Nemesis
- Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel
- Army of Ghosts / Doomsday
- The Next Doctor
- The Pandorica Opens
Stage Plays
- Doctor Who - The Ultimate Adventure — Wimbledon Theatre, London (1989)
- Doctor Who - Tomb Of The Cybermen — Oxford Brookes University, Oxford (1998)
Audio Plays
- The Blue Tooth
- Spare Parts
- The Gathering
- Real Time
- The Reaping
- The Ultimate Adventure
- The Harvest
- Kingdom of Silver & Keepsake
- Sword of Orion
- Human Resources
- The Girl Who Never Was
- Silver Lining
- The Crystal of Cantus
- Scorpius
- Fear
- Conversion
- Telos
Novels
- Iceberg by David Banks (Virgin New Adventures)
- Killing Ground by Steve Lyons (Virgin Missing Adventures)
- Illegal Alien by Mike Tucker and Robert Perry (BBC Past Doctor Adventures)
- Made of Steel by Terrance Dicks (Quick Reads Initiative)
Games
The Cybus Cybermen appear in two online games on the BBC website: Cyber Assault and Save Paris. These games show the war between the Cybermen and Preachers on the parallel Earth. The Adventure Games series has an episode called Blood of the Cybermen. This game features a third, new race of Cybermen.
Images for kids
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A "primitive" Mondasian Cyberman, on display at a Doctor Who exhibition
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The Cybermen as they emerge from the sewers onto the streets in their first invasion of Earth as seen in The Invasion.
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The 2006 redesign of the Cybermen
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Three Cybermen in their 2013 redesign
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The Cybermat, on display at the Doctor Who Experience.
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See also
In Spanish: Cyberman para niños
