Victor Stone: Cyborg Appreciation 2020

[Iconic]

Even the current brainwashed Justice League Odyssey Cyborg looks ridiculous. This big honking mess of metal is added on to him and yet they still show a partial face. Could we not figure it out without that tiny skin reveal? It simply makes no sense. Darkseid tells him he a robot acting like a human and yet gives him a form where a portion of his face still shows. Why?!?

Their low-effort attempts with Vic continue to show such flawed in-story reasoning.

Iron Man used to have armor that was drawn like muscle. Anyone have any plausible reason for going back to that? Since that was the way he started and all?

Superman originally didn’t fly. How about we turn back the clocks on that?

Why did Batman lose those classic purple gloves? Think of the merchandising opportunities for those today!

Evolution worked for those characters. We learned to adjust because they brought something to the character. They made a little more sense with the times. They became plausible. How about trying something new with Vic and allowing him to evolve past the 80’s?

[MadFacedKid]

Ironman actually started in a hunky golden suit.

His call back though that sticks with the character is his arc reactor though that’s his trademark. Cyborg’s is just less appealing to some of you guys.

Cyborg obviously isn’t gonna stay looking how he looks in Odyssey it’s probably for a arc or until the resolve all that Darkseid/New Gods stuff

I think they actually brought back the purple for Batman at the start of Rebirth it wasn’t glove though. They did Superman not being able to fly during DCYou lol Wonder Woman was carrying him around. There’s actually people on here that want that New52 Superman back and I think he appeared in Sideways.

I’d still argue it sends a bad message changing Vic in the way your demanding he be changed. But again it doesn’t hurt me in anyway. The Harleyquinn mention made a lot of sense. But I don’t think she’s as important in the way Vic might be important for some.

[9th.]

A big difference I see is that the Superman shield actually looks cool. I'm seeing people defending a design choice that even they admit is not that appealing looking. Also, the Superman shield is an emblem that can be put on t-shirts and whatnot. I think that half face would be considerably harder to market. Especially since...you know, it doesn't look that good.

That's fair, I like the face plate I don't really have a problem with it. With that said I wouldn't be against it if DC took it away. My problem lies with his body design and his skin to metal ratio. I think they can make it work they just need more skin like the DC You look.

Also I find it funny how Smallville's Cyborg design was heavily criticized but now it seems to be what everyone wants.

[Iconic]

I’d still argue it sends a bad message changing Vic in the way your demanding he be changed. But again it doesn’t hurt me in anyway. The Harleyquinn mention made a lot of sense. But I don’t think she’s as important in the way Vic might be important for some.

Harley is infinitely more important in this context. She went from a nothing side character to helming a solo comic, an animated series and now a live-action film. This is something many of us believe that a character with the abilities and potential of Cyborg could have easily had with DC attempting to raise his profile.

The connection with the New Gods has been ripe for exploring. Cyborg’s ability to morph amazing weapons and technology out of nowhere with the attitude he had in TTGo would’ve been quite awesome in an animated show. Not to mention a creative action figure line that had built in variety due to the interchangeability of the character. No need for dayglo-Batman or anti-Kryptonite armor Superman. Live-action? The possibilities...

[Customizer]

Harley is infinitely more important in this context. She went from a nothing side character to helming a solo comic, an animated series and now a live-action film. This is something many of us believe that a character with the abilities and potential of Cyborg could have easily had with DC attempting to raise his profile.

The connection with the New Gods has been ripe for exploring. Cyborg’s ability to morph amazing weapons and technology out of nowhere with the attitude he had in TTGo would’ve been quite awesome in an animated show. Not to mention a creative action figure line that had built in variety due to the interchangeability of the character. No need for dayglo-Batman or anti-Kryptonite armor Superman. Live-action? The possibilities...

It's potential like this that has made me gravitate towards Victor Stone more than other characters (including "black" characters). All of the ingredients for success are present even more so , IMO, than with other successful characters from "A list" to "C list".

I'm very curious....are the people posting in this thread willing to post images of the ideal Cyborg design they have in mind? I think having a visual would help clarify exactly what people would want to see. It's one thing to embrace or resist change. It's another to define the aesthetic path we'd like the character to stride.

[MadFacedKid]

Harley is infinitely more important in this context. She went from a nothing side character to helming a solo comic, an animated series and now a live-action film. This is something many of us believe that a character with the abilities and potential of Cyborg could have easily had with DC attempting to raise his profile.

The connection with the New Gods has been ripe for exploring. Cyborg’s ability to morph amazing weapons and technology out of nowhere with the attitude he had in TTGo would’ve been quite awesome in an animated show. Not to mention a creative action figure line that had built in variety due to the interchangeability of the character. No need for dayglo-Batman or anti-Kryptonite armor Superman. Live-action? The possibilities...

A lot of characters have potential. It’s more about if the highers up have faith in a character or not. DC typically doesn’t put much faith outside Batman, Stuff in Batman’s lore and maybe The Trinity in general.

I’m surprised Hal got as much as he did tbh. Must of been Geoff Johns though push. Cause of his long successful run on Green Lantern. Gets a movie it doesn’t do well, but then gets two animated movies and a pretty long running cartoon lol.

That’s what Victor needs more then anything though. I think at this point you either put him back with the Titans or give him another solo but either way put someone who has the ability to pull in readers. He needs someone like Johns with that status.

I don’t think Harley’s the perfect character to bring up. I think Aquaman is at this point. Cause Harley is pushed alongside the Suicide Squad. Since the New52 Vic’s been more of a stand-alone character, I’d say but at the Hawkman, Martian Manhunter level.

[king81992]

Even the current brainwashed Justice League Odyssey Cyborg looks ridiculous. This big honking mess of metal is added on to him and yet they still show a partial face. Could we not figure it out without that tiny skin reveal? It simply makes no sense. Darkseid tells him he a robot acting like a human and yet gives him a form where a portion of his face still shows. Why?!?

Their low-effort attempts with Vic continue to show such flawed in-story reasoning.

Iron Man used to have armor that was drawn like muscle. Anyone have any plausible reason for going back to that? Since that was the way he started and all?

Superman originally didn’t fly. How about we turn back the clocks on that?

Why did Batman lose those classic purple gloves? Think of the merchandising opportunities for those today!

Evolution worked for those characters. We learned to adjust because they brought something to the character. They made a little more sense with the times. They became plausible. How about trying something new with Vic and allowing him to evolve past the 80’s?

I don't mind Cyborg's current look. I'm NOT saying that its good(its actually terrible) but he is brainwashed and brainwashed characters tend to look messed up compared to their usual selves.

[Iconic]

It's potential like this that has made me gravitate towards Victor Stone more than other characters (including "black" characters). All of the ingredients for success are present even more so , IMO, than with other successful characters from "A list" to "C list".

I'm very curious....are the people posting in this thread willing to post images of the ideal Cyborg design they have in mind? I think having a visual would help clarify exactly what people would want to see. It's one thing to embrace or resist change. It's another to define the aesthetic path we'd like the character to stride.

I agree. The thing that interested me the most with Cyborg isn’t what is currently being shown but the untapped potential of what he could so easily be.

The design for me is the Reis design from his first solo where the flesh nanomorphs to technology. He looks clothed in this design. Then instead of a faceplate we go with a blue-lit line that cuts across his face at the same outline. No red dot in the forehead. The eye can still go red though if it looks cool. But that’s only when he’s Cyborg. When he’s Vic, he’s just Vic. I want to see a transformation when it’s time for heroics.

And allow him to be somebody. He’s a public hero. Have him run a company of some sort. How is what he is not being exploited for storytelling? How does he not have a measure of fame simply because of him being a singularity?

This is why I love the potential of Cyborg but absolutely hate the poor creativity and lack of care of him from the DC comic division. Their main original, non-legacy, high-powered black hero and it’s continually just a failure to launch. I want this character to achieve more than what they’ve allowed.

It’s sad that it’s the case but had DC put in the effort to make Cyborg cool (or allowed the Walker and Reis revamp to take) they likely wouldn’t have had the GL problem. Jordan would be the face without much backlash while many POC fans would have felt like they finally had a thoroughly positive POC hero to enjoy in the Justice League books and not a character that questions if he’s human among the nearly perfect white heroes he fights alongside. It matters.

[MadFacedKid]

It's potential like this that has made me gravitate towards Victor Stone more than other characters (including "black" characters). All of the ingredients for success are present even more so , IMO, than with other successful characters from "A list" to "C list".

I'm very curious....are the people posting in this thread willing to post images of the ideal Cyborg design they have in mind? I think having a visual would help clarify exactly what people would want to see. It's one thing to embrace or resist change. It's another to define the aesthetic path we'd like the character to stride.

I feel like that’s what gravitates me to most characters. I can’t speak for others but I’m others are like that too. I consistently follow Aquaman and Captain Marvel and I find lots to complain, lots Id love to change, and stuff I’d want to expand and build upon that’s already there in the mythos for those characters. It’s weird but what attracts me most to those characters is potential that I see for them and it’s why I generally follow their adventures.

[Johnny]

It’s sad that it’s the case but had DC put in the effort to make Cyborg cool (or allowed the Walker and Reis revamp to take) they likely wouldn’t have had the GL problem. Jordan would be the face without much backlash while many POC fans would have felt like they finally had a thoroughly positive POC hero to enjoy in the Justice League books and not a character that questions if he’s human among the nearly perfect white heroes he fights alongside. It matters.

Without much backlash? GL fans were just as divided when Hal was dead as they are now. There will always be fan backlash in a franchise like that, which has nothing to do with race and everything to do with people thinking their faves are being shafted for the sake of others. That will sadly never change regardless of who the current top star is supposed to be and DC only has themselves to blame for it due to the way they've structured that franchise over the years to have one guy riding shotgun and everyone else being a support player. If Cyborg was 8 different people that existed simultaneously, it would've had the same problems.

[skyvolt2000]

I don’t think Harley’s the perfect character to bring up. I think Aquaman is at this point. Cause Harley is pushed alongside the Suicide Squad. Since the New52 Vic’s been more of a stand-alone character, I’d say but at the Hawkman, Martian Manhunter level.

Aquaman had fans who don't read comics. They were READY for that movie.

Here is the difference between Cyborg and others. SOMEBODY is willing to try with others. That is why you keep seeing a Spirit, Red Sonia, Vampirella, Turok and Moon Knight books.

Even though most of these folks don't sell-they KEEP getting shots.

Cyborg does not.

[Vampire Savior]

Aquaman had fans who don't read comics. They were READY for that movie.

Here is the difference between Cyborg and others. SOMEBODY is willing to try with others. That is why you keep seeing a Spirit, Red Sonia, Vampirella, Turok and Moon Knight books.

Even though most of these folks don't sell-they KEEP getting shots.

Cyborg does not.

I don't think that's true. Cyborg's first series didn't sell well and DC turned right around and gave him another solo series. That didn't sell well, and they made him the leader of a Justice League team. Cyborg also regularly keeps appearing in adaptations for films, shows, and cartoons, and video games. Cyborg gets plenty of shots.

[MadFacedKid]

I don't think that's true. Cyborg's first series didn't sell well and DC turned right around and gave him another solo series. That didn't sell well, and they made him the leader of a Justice League team. Cyborg also regularly keeps appearing in adaptations for films, shows, and cartoons, and video games. Cyborg gets plenty of shots.

I’ll second this.

Aquaman also had an uphill battle he had to fight he’s well known but before the movies it wasn’t a good thing for the character. Cyborg is well known as well, and has a lot of fans because a lot of the stuff he’s appeared in. Heck he probably appears in more stuff then those character you listed.

TV as far as I remember he’s been in Smallville, Doom Patrol currently
Movies he was put on Justice League, briefly appeared in Batman vs Superman
Games. There could be a whole lot I don’t know about here. I’m pretty sure any DC main stable game Aquaman is in, so is Cyborg
Cyborg definitely gets a lot of opportunities. Definitely more then a lot of characters

I’m pretty sure media wise currently he might have more going on then Green Lantern

[Robotman]

It's potential like this that has made me gravitate towards Victor Stone more than other characters (including "black" characters). All of the ingredients for success are present even more so , IMO, than with other successful characters from "A list" to "C list".

I'm very curious....are the people posting in this thread willing to post images of the ideal Cyborg design they have in mind? I think having a visual would help clarify exactly what people would want to see. It's one thing to embrace or resist change. It's another to define the aesthetic path we'd like the character to stride.

Same here. I became a fan of Vic because of the potential. Never experienced that before with a character. Sadly the potential has been squandered up to this point.

As far as an ideal look, we’ve already seen it.

[Customizer]

So i ask again....

I'm very curious....are the people posting in this thread willing to post images of the ideal Cyborg design they have in mind? I think having a visual would help clarify exactly what people would want to see. It's one thing to embrace or resist change. It's another to define the aesthetic path we'd like the character to stride.

Thanks for your reply Robotman. While it is fair to say every fictional character has potential i think some have more inherent potential than others within the DC or Marvel universe. For example... Squirrel Girl and her baseline power set don't strike me as having as much story potential within the Big 2 universes as , say, Dazzler or...Jean Grey. Squirrel Girl may arguably be more popular than both. On the surface Doctor Doom has more potential than , say, Plastic Man. Cyborg has base line qualities and attributes that should put him in A list territory (or , at worst, upper B list).



I wonder how many other people agree with Robotman and view that Cyborg design as being ideal? I'd love to keep track of this among his "fans" as lots of words are tossed around but less definitive images.