:''For the Cybermen of [[Pete's World]], see [[Cyberman (Pete's World)]]. See also [[Cyberman (disambiguation)]].''
:''For other meanings of Cyberman, see [[Cyberman (disambiguation)]].''
{{quote|You've no home planet, no influence; nothing! You're just a pathetic bunch of tin soldiers skulking about the galaxy in an ancient spaceship.|[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]]}}
{{Quote|You are inferior. Man will be reborn as Cyberman, but you will perish under maximum deletion.|Cyberman|Rise of the Cybermen}}
The '''Cybermen''' were a race of artificially modified [[near-Human]]s which originated on the [[planet]] [[Mondas]], [[Earth]]'s [[twin planet]].
The '''Cybus Cybermen''' originated in [[Pete's World|another universe]], where they were created by [[John Lumic]], the owner of [[Cybus Industries]]. They believed that all people must be "upgraded" to Cyber-form, removing their emotional and physical weakness.
==Characteristics==
==Characteristics==
===Physical characteristics===
[[Cyber-conversion]] involved painfully removing the [[brain]] of the subject and placing it within a suit of armour. Once complete, the newly developed Cyberman had a special implant placed within their brains, which prevented them from feeling their emotions or registering their past memories. However, if the implants were disrupted, then the Cybermen entered into a traumatic state as they were overloaded by the pain of the conversion, resulting in them dying in agony or their heads exploding from the overload of emotions. ([[DW]]: ''[[Rise of the Cybermen]]'') ([[DW]]: ''[[The Age of Steel]]'')
[[Image:649px-Newcyberman.jpg|thumb|200px|Two Cybermen ([[DW]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen]]'')]]
The Cybermen were [[cyborg|cybernetic]]ally augmented [[humanoid]]s. Though the Cybermen varied greatly in design through time, the various versions of the Cybermen had several things in common. Nearly all were silver in colour, though, for stealth purposes, a black variety also existed in the [[London sewers]] ([[DW]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen]]''). They also exhibited exposed circuitry and tubing which may contain hydraulic fluids for motion, covering a rubber or mylar-like outer skin. Cybermen frequently attempted to increase their numbers by [[cyber-conversion]].
The Cyber-suit, without a brain inserted, was a robot which apparently had sufficient processing capacity to pursue and attack a human target. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Age of Steel]]'')
:''It seems that the evolution of the Cybermen has not proceeded in a linear fashion or in the same way in the same places.''
Typically, Cybermen were led by a [[Cyber-Leader (Cybus)|Cyber Leader]] during conversion missions. If the Cyber Leader was terminated then the Cybermen downloaded the shared files and nominated a new Cyber Leader. ([[DW]]: ''[[Doomsday]]'')
The Cybermen which [[First Doctor|the Doctor]] met on [[Snowcap Base]] in [[1986]] had undergone a less radical conversion and still retained biological hands. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet]]'')
===Weapons and Technology===
Unlike the [[Mondasian Cybermen]], these Cybermen were created by taking the brain of [[human]]s and placing them in robotic bodies. These exo-structures were stauncher and more heavily built than Mondasian Cybermen, and the Cyberman weakness for [[gold]] was present in the early developement of the Cybermen, but eliminated.
Cybermen encountered on [[the Moon]]'s surface were entirely covered up in their metallic suits. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Moonbase]]'')
Originally, their only weapons were their electrified hands, ([[DW]]: ''[[Rise of the Cybermen]]'') but they later gained a small wrist-mounted energy weapon ([[DW]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts]]'' / ''[[Doomsday]]''). To prevent them from realizing what they were, the Cybermen were programmed with a computer chip that prevented them from having emotions or a sense of feeling. ([[DW]]: ''[[Rise of the Cybermen]]'')
:''It is presumed that inside the more advanced Cybermen, there still exist organic components and they are not completely cybernetic, but this has not been confirmed.''
The Cybermen also used [[infostamp]]s, allowing them to communicate information to other Cybermen. They were also able to steal other technology from the [[Dalek]]s while in the [[Void]], such as a [[Dimension Vault]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Next Doctor]]'')
The Snowcap Cybermen had a quavering voice which put certain inflection on certain syllables in a seemingly random, sing-song manner. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet]]'') Later Cybermen spoke in more of a monotone, emphasizing their lack of emotion. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Moonbase]]'' onwards)
[[Image:Damaged by gunfire.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Some Cybermen can be damaged (but not killed) by ordinary gunfire. ([[DW]]: ''[[Silver Nemesis]]'')]]
====Vulnerabilities====
Cybermen had a number of major weaknesses, of which the most notable was the element [[gold]]. Gold, having a non-corrosive nature, choked their respiratory systems, a property exploited by the [[glittergun]], a weapon used during the [[Cyber-Wars]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]'', ''[[Earthshock]]'', ''[[Silver Nemesis]]'') On occasion, the mere touch of gold seemed toxic to them, with gold coins or gold-tipped arrows able to destroy them. ([[DW]]: ''[[Silver Nemesis]]'') Gold also blocked their sensors and caused the [[cybermat]]s to malfunction. ([[DWN]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (novelisation)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]'')
Other weaknesses of the Cybermen included the combination of solvents known as [[Cocktail Polly]] ([[DW]]: ''[[The Moonbase]]'') and excessive levels of [[radiation]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet]]'')
Cybermen affected by the [[Cerebration Mentor]], an emotion enhancing device, went "mad". ([[DW]]: ''[[The Invasion]]'')
==Technology==
===Technology===
The Cybermen forces in [[2526]] employed the use of the Cyberlance, a powerful hand-held cutting weapon. They also made use of the Cyberscope, an observation device that allowed Cyber commanders to both view the battlefield remotely and access a computer database (containing, at least, information on their race's encounters with [[the Doctor]]). ([[DW]]: ''[[Earthshock]]'')
===Weapons (Short Range)===
Cybermen have possessed a variety of short range weapons, some in-built.
During their attack on Earth in [[1986]] they had large hand-held energy weapons. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet]]'')
On the [[Moon]] in [[2070]], Cybermen possessed the power to generate arcs of electricity from their hands which had the power to stun and disable. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Moonbase]]'')
In the [[21st century]], the Cybermen who attacked [[Space Station W3]] had death rays built into their chest units. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Wheel in Space]]'')
The Cybermen encountered by [[UNIT]] in the late 20th century had displayed these same built-in weapons as well as also carrying large rifles for medium distance combat. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Invasion]]'')
The Cybermen who attacked the [[Nerva Beacon]] had their weapons built into their helmets, activated with a touch of a hand. ([[DW]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]'')
Other appearances have shown them armed almost exclusively with hand-held [[cyber-gun]]s. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Invasion]]'' onwards)
[[Image:500px-Cybermenmoon.jpg|200px|thumb|Cybermen on the surface of [[the Moon]] (with cannon) ([[DW]]: ''[[The Moonbase]]'')]]
===Weapons (Other)===
In [[2070]], the Cybermen possessed a cannon which could operate in vacuum. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Moonbase]]'')
Cybermen in [[2526]] ([[DW]]: ''[[Earthshock]]'') and the Cybermen removed by [[Time Scoop]] to the [[Death Zone]] ([[DW]]: ''[[The Five Doctors]]'') had [[cyber-bomb]]s.
[[Neurotrope X]] has acted as a means to incapacitate Humans before making an overt move. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Moonbase]]''). On some occasions they have used a [[cybermat]] to spread the virus. ([[DW]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]'')
==Culture==
''"Cybermen do not subscribe to any theory of morality."''-Cyberleader
Cybermen made "survival" their central objective. Since they could not reproduce naturally, they needed to reproduce by other means, via [[cyber-conversion]]. At times they have tended to focus on converting the population of Earth, at other times with simply destroying it. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Tomb of the Cybermen]]'')
Cybermen tended toward covert activity, scheming from hiding and using Human or other agents ([[DW]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]'', ''[[Earthshock]]'', ''[[Attack of the Cybermen]]''), cybermats or [[android]]s ([[DW]]: ''[[Earthshock]]'') to act as their proxies until they appear.
===Individuality and emotion===
Throughout their history, Cybermen have, for the most part, lacked individuality or names.
Some Cybermen had individual names such as [[Krang]] ([[DW]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet]]'') or [[Kroton (Cyberman)|Kroton]]. ([[DWM]]: ''[[Throwback: The Soul of a Cyberman]]'')
:''In the script and cast listings for [[The Tenth Planet]] the individual Cybermen had names. They were [[Krail]], [[Talon]], [[Shav]], [[Krang]], [[Jarl]] and [[Gern]].'' ([[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia]]'')
Cybermen in positions of authority have included the ground level [[Cyber-Leader]], sometimes aided by a [[Cyber-Lieutenant]]. Immobile [[computer]]-like [[Cyber-Planner]]s have sometimes made decisions ([[DW]]: ''[[The Wheel in Space]]'', ''[[The Invasion]]''). The [[Cyber-Controller]]s, with an enlarged cranium, had, possibly, the position of highest possible authority. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Tomb of the Cybermen]]'', ''[[Attack of the Cybermen]]'')
:''Only one Cyber-Controller ever appeared at one time.''
==History==
==History==
===Origin of the Cybermen===
The Cybermen were created in a [[Pete's World|parallel universe]] by [[John Lumic]], a terminally ill and insane genius. To find a way to survive, he perfected a method to sustain the Human brain indefinitely in a cradle of chemicals, bonding the synaptic impulses to a metal exoskeleton. Lumic began to trick and abduct homeless people and convert them into Cybermen, and later assassinated the [[President of Great Britain|President]] of [[Great Britain]] after the President rejected his plans.
Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of [[Near-Human]]s originating on [[Earth]]'s former [[twin planet]], [[Mondas]], which was knocked out of solar orbit and drifted into deep [[space]]. The natives began to implant more and more [[cybernetic]] parts into their bodies. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet]]'', [[BFA]]: ''[[Spare Parts]]'')
Another account says that Mondas originated on the planet [[Marinus]] and that the Cybermen originated as a species called [[Voord]] that, through the use of [[Worldshaper]] devices manipulated time to speed up their [[evolution]]. In the "sped up" future they implanted themselves with more and more cybernetic parts. Also Marinus changed and became Mondas.([[DWM]]: ''[[The World Shapers]]'')
:''Possibly, Cybermen did evolve on the not very Earth-like Marinus, ventured into space and persuaded the Mondasians to also convert themselves into Cybermen. This theory, however, remains speculative and only an attempt to resolve the conflicting accounts.''
===The 20th Century and Early 21st Century===
Mondas acquired a drive propulsion system in place of the [[planet]]'s core to move the entire world. As the original Cybermen were limited in numbers and were continually being depleted, the Cybermen decided to invade [[Earth]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet]]'')
[[Seventh Doctor|The Doctor]] and [[Ace]] fought Cybermen in [[1940]] [[London]] ([[PDA]]: ''[[Illegal Alien]]'') The same team would fight them in [[1950s]] [[Nevada]]. ([[DWM]]: ''[[The Good Soldier]]'')
By [[1970]] or before, Cybermen had established a base on the dark side of [[the Moon]]. The [[Cyber-Planner]] had contacted the industrialist [[Tobias Vaughn]], the head of the [[International Electromatics]] corporation. The Cybermen had him install mind control circuits in electrical appliances manufactured by his company, paving the way for a ground invasion. They had also grafted cybernetic arms onto several of his workers. Vaughn had a [[Cyber-Planner]] installed in his office and communicated with it.
The plot was uncovered by the newly formed [[United Nations Intelligence Taskforce]] and by [[Second Doctor|the Doctor]] who assisted in beating off the invasion both on the ground and from the Cyberman base on the Moon. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Invasion]]'').
:''These Cybermen had evolved considerably from Mondasian form and from the Cybermen which would invade Earth in 1986. The exact date of this invasion remains unknown, though estimates range of its date range from [[1969]] to [[1979]]''
[[Image:Invasion.jpg|thumb|Cybermen prowl the [[sewer]]s of [[London]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Invasion]]'')]]
From the mid [[1970s]] to [[1985]], Cybermen lurked in the sewers below London, awaiting another invasion, which would come in [[1986]]. One Cyberman's head was taken and was stored in [[Henry van Statten]]'s [[the Vault|artefact collection]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'')
:''According to its label, it was recovered from the [[London]] sewers in [[1975]], though its design seems subtly anachronistic for its era and more typical of the designs seen in the post-Cyber Wars era.''
Cybermen in the future, having captured a [[time vessel]], knew that [[First Doctor|the Doctor]] would destroy Mondas, so planned, instead, to divert [[Halley's Comet]] towards Earth. ([[DW]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen]]'')
In [[December]] [[1986]], [[First Doctor|the Doctor]] met an advance force of Cybermen that landed near [[Snowcap Base]] in [[Antarctica]]. This advance force was to prepare for the return of Mondas to the [[Sol system]] and the draining of Earth's energy for the use of the Cybermen. Mondas absorbed too much energy and was destroyed, as were the Cybermen on Earth who depended on Mondas for power. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet]]'')
In [[November]] [[1988]] a fleet of Cyber warships was assembled to turn Earth into New Mondas now that their homeworld had been destroyed. A scouting party was sent to Earth in search of a statue made of [[validium]] called [[Nemesis]], a [[Time Lord]] weapon. ([[DW]]: ''[[Silver Nemesis]]'')
In [[2006]], Cybermen once more invaded the [[South Pole]] of Earth. ([[NA]]: ''[[Iceberg]]'')
===Later Cyber Empire era===
''The chronology of several of these events in relationship to each other remains unclear.''
In [[2070]], by which time Earth's weather was being controlled by the [[Gravitron]] installation on the [[Moon]], Cybermen planned to use the Gravitron to disrupt the planet's weather patterns and destroy all life on the planet. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Moonbase]]'')
In the middle to late [[21st century]], the [[Space Station W3]] was the site of a takeover by Cybermen on [[Earth]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Wheel in Space]]'')
[[Sixth Doctor|The Doctor]] encountered Cybermen in [[2191]] ([[MA]]: ''[[Killing Ground]]'')
In [[2526]] several planets would unite in war against the Cybermen in an event called the [[Cyber-Wars]]. A force of Cybermen tried to devastate Earth using a [[Cyberbomb]] and convert the survivors. Failing this, they hoped to crash the freighter into Earth and cause an ecological disaster. Although the attempt failed, the freighter was catapulted back in time to become the "[[meteor]]" that wiped out the [[dinosaur]]s. ([[DW]]: ''[[Earthshock]]'') One of the last acts of the Cybermen during this war was to blow up the planet [[Voga]] in order to stop the production of [[glittergun]]s. ([[DWN]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (novelisation)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]'') Following the [[Cyber-Wars]] the Cybermen had been reduced to scattered remnants groups around [[Mutter's Spiral|the galaxy]]. Several centuries later, one group returned to the [[Sol system]] in order to destroy [[Voga]], the "planet of gold". ([[DW]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]'')
[[Image:St--4d33.jpg|thumb|[[Cybermen]] and [[Cyber-Leader|their leader]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]'')]]
The Cybermen had all but passed into legend when an archaeological expedition to the planet [[Telos]] uncovered their Tombs. In the Tombs, they they waited, in [[cryogenic suspension]], ([[DW]]: ''[[The Tomb of the Cybermen]]'')
:''Though this does not help us in dating this event precisely, the last Cybermen appearance known to Humans had happened five centuries before this date. [[The Crystal of Cantus]] places it happening during or before the 26th Century.''
On Telos, the Cybermen plotted to change history and, as already noted, divert Halley's Comet to Earth in order to destroy it and to save Mondas. ([[DW]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen]]'')
:''As noted previously, these actions would have repercussions in the year 1985.''
===Final evolution===
Using the [[EarPod]]s he designed and sold, Lumic took mental control of the people of [[London]], marching thousands to be cyber-converted. After his life-support systems were damaged by his assistant [[Crane (Pete's World)|Mr. Crane]], Lumic was converted the into the Cyber-Controller. However, [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] and his companions, having accidentally landed on the parallel Earth, managed to foil his plans. They freed London from mental control and disabled the Cybermen's emotional inhibitors, causing them to go insane and in some cases explode. Lumic himself fell to his apparent death into the burning remains of his factory. A human resistance group, [[the Preachers]], then set about to clean up the remainder of Lumic's factories around the world. ([[DW]]: ''[[Rise of the Cybermen]]''/''[[The Age of Steel]]'')
By the [[101st Century]], the Cybermen had nearly died out. Several centuries before that, they choose a new name for their species and became pacifists. ([[PDA]]: ''[[Synthespians™]]'')
Later Cybermen would develop time travel, heading back in time to 21st Century Earth to convert it. They used rain that caused extreme emotions (sadness, fear, anger) in an attempt to convert the peoples of the world. ([[DWM]]: ''[[The Flood]]'')
:''At some point after this, the Cybermen upgraded themselves with ranged energy weapons.''
Transcending into pure energy, the Cybermen would ultimately redeem the whole of sentient life and become the most peace loving species in the whole of creation.. ([[DWM]]: ''[[The World Shapers]]'')
Despite this, some of the Cybermen survived and were able to infiltrate [[Torchwood Institute]]. They found a crack in the universe, caused by the passage of the [[Void Ship]]. The Cybermen were able to travel from their dimension into ours, and infiltrated the planet in the disguise as the benign ghosts of deceased Humans. They established a base inside the [[Torchwood Tower]] at [[Canary Wharf]]. While there, they started making some new Cybermen, using purely Earth materials from our universe.
===[[Rassilon Era]]===
After two months (three years in parallel Earth time), the Cybermen suddenly appeared in their true form, occupying every landmass on the planet before breaking into houses and promising to upgrade all Humans, commanded by the new Cyber-Leader. Simultaneously, the [[Cult of Skaro]] had exited the Void Ship with the [[Genesis Ark]]. The Cult, led by [[Dalek Sec]] communicated with the Cybermen via [[Dalek Thay]] and declared war, or in Dalek Sec's words, "pest control".
*During the [[Dark Times]] on [[Gallifrey]], the Cybermen were excluded from the Death Zone games, possibly out of fear that they would pose a threat to the Time Lords should they escape. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Five Doctors]]'')
*[[Second Doctor|The Doctor]] projected an image of a Cybermen to the Time Lord tribunal as an example of the enemies he had fought to protect the innocent. ([[DW]]: ''[[The War Games]]'')
*[[Borusa]] transported a Cyberman squadron to the [[Death Zone]] to threaten and harass [[the Doctor]]'s various incarnations. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Five Doctors]]'')
===Minor appearances and references===
After a skirmish Humans versus Cybermen versus Daleks, the Cult travelled to the main room in Torchwood Tower Canary Wharf, elevated outside above the roof, and opened the Genesis Ark, releasing millions of Daleks who, under Sec's command, proceeded to "exterminate all life-forms below", killing Human and Cyberman alike. ([[DW]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts]]'' / ''[[Doomsday]]'') Towards the end of the Cybermen/Dalek battle, the Cyberman, desperate for more troops, begin directly converting people rather than transplanting their brains into Cybershells. One victim of this process was [[Lisa Hallett]], girlfriend of [[Ianto Jones]]. ([[TW]]: ''[[Cyberwoman]]'') Eventually, [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] and [[Rose Tyler]] opened the Void, sucking all the Daleks and Cybermen who had been in the Void back into it. ([[DW]]: ''[[Doomsday]]'')
* A Cyberman was among the life-forms exhibited in Vorg's [[Miniscope]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Carnival of Monsters]]'')
[[Image:Miniscope.jpg|thumb|200px|A Cyberman inside [[Vorg]]'s [[Miniscope]] ([[DW]]: ''[[Carnival of Monsters]]'')]]
==Mysteries and discrepancies==
However, this was not the last of the Cybermen. The Cybermen that were made on Earth, like Lisa Hallett, had never passed through the Void, therefore they were not sucked in. Ianto took Lisa away from the battle and hide her in the basement of [[Cardiff]]'s [[Torchwood Three]] facility, setting up a life-support system, planning to restore her humanity. He was unsuccessful, as she killed Dr. [[Tanizaki]], fought with Torchwood staff and eventually transplanted her brain into the body of a pizza delivery girl. ([[TW]]: ''[[Cyberwoman]]'')
*Several different accounts exist of the origins of the Cybermen which contradict each other in minor or in some cases, major, ways.
*The degree to which Cybermen do or do not retain emotions also differs.
*On [[Telos]], the Doctor seemed to have knowledge, if not foreknowledge of the Cyber-tombs. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Tomb of the Cybermen]]'') This might suggest that before he met [[Jamie McCrimmon|Jamie]], the Doctor had encountered the Cybercontroller before.
This same encounter May have been the same one where he met the Cyber-Director on [[Planet 14]].
*Prologues in various Doctor Who novels regarding the Cybermen make no mention of Mondas. Instead, the novels state that the Cybermen originated on Telos when a race of humans perfected the art of cybernetics as a means to gain immortality. The Cybermen were the result: immortal, but at the cost of losing their humanity.
==See Also==
After the battle, two boys, [[Harry]] and [[Sam]], were working on a model train set when they found stuff from Harry's dad's previous job. Inside the box was a Cyberman, in all his individual pieces. Not knowing what it was, Sam decided to put it back together so it could watch them play. Eventually, it awoke, threatening to upgrade both Harry and Sam. It forced Sam to help build a "Cyber-Conversion Unit" using the other leftover electronics from the Torchwood Tower in the box. They destroyed the Cyberman by pushing it into the finished machine, frying its circuits. ([[DWF]]: ''[[Going Off the Rails]]'')
*[[Gallery of Cybermen#Mondasian Cybermen|Cybermen Gallery]]
*[[Cybershades]]
==Behind the Scenes==
Due to the Daleks' damaging the barriers between realities ([[DW]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]''), the Cybermen were able to escape the Void, assisted by technology stolen from the Void-trapped Daleks. Landing in [[1851]] London, they made an alliance with the human Miss [[Mercy Hartigan|Hartigan]], created a minion race known as [[Cybershade]]s, and began construction of a dreadnought robot called the [[CyberKing]] with which they planned to conquer the Earth. They were stopped and destroyed, with the CyberKing being sent to be disintegrated in the Time Vortex. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Next Doctor]]'')
*As of 2008, the original Cybermen have yet to appear in the revived TV series. The new series has acknowledged them on screen once in the form of the head of a Cyberman, which is examined with fondness by the [[Ninth Doctor]] in ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]''. [[Jack Harkness]] also mentions the Cybermen of his universe in ''[[Cyberwoman]]'', which does not, however, feature them. The Daleks also acknowledge that the alternate-Earth Cybermen they encounter in ''[[Doomsday]]'' are not the ones they are familiar with. The online ''[[Captain Jack's Monster Files]]'' feature has Jack refer to the Cybermen and speaks as if he was present during the Cyber-Wars.
You are inferior. Man will be reborn as Cyberman, but you will perish under maximum deletion.Cyberman [Rise of the Cybermen [src]]
The Cybus Cybermen originated in another universe, where they were created by John Lumic, the owner of Cybus Industries. They believed that all people must be "upgraded" to Cyber-form, removing their emotional and physical weakness.
Characteristics
Cyber-conversion involved painfully removing the brain of the subject and placing it within a suit of armour. Once complete, the newly developed Cyberman had a special implant placed within their brains, which prevented them from feeling their emotions or registering their past memories. However, if the implants were disrupted, then the Cybermen entered into a traumatic state as they were overloaded by the pain of the conversion, resulting in them dying in agony or their heads exploding from the overload of emotions. (DW: Rise of the Cybermen) (DW: The Age of Steel)
The Cyber-suit, without a brain inserted, was a robot which apparently had sufficient processing capacity to pursue and attack a human target. (DW: The Age of Steel)
Typically, Cybermen were led by a Cyber Leader during conversion missions. If the Cyber Leader was terminated then the Cybermen downloaded the shared files and nominated a new Cyber Leader. (DW: Doomsday)
Weapons and Technology
Unlike the Mondasian Cybermen, these Cybermen were created by taking the brain of humans and placing them in robotic bodies. These exo-structures were stauncher and more heavily built than Mondasian Cybermen, and the Cyberman weakness for gold was present in the early developement of the Cybermen, but eliminated.
Originally, their only weapons were their electrified hands, (DW: Rise of the Cybermen) but they later gained a small wrist-mounted energy weapon (DW: Army of Ghosts / Doomsday). To prevent them from realizing what they were, the Cybermen were programmed with a computer chip that prevented them from having emotions or a sense of feeling. (DW: Rise of the Cybermen)
The Cybermen also used infostamps, allowing them to communicate information to other Cybermen. They were also able to steal other technology from the Daleks while in the Void, such as a Dimension Vault. (DW: The Next Doctor)
History
The Cybermen were created in a parallel universe by John Lumic, a terminally ill and insane genius. To find a way to survive, he perfected a method to sustain the Human brain indefinitely in a cradle of chemicals, bonding the synaptic impulses to a metal exoskeleton. Lumic began to trick and abduct homeless people and convert them into Cybermen, and later assassinated the President of Great Britain after the President rejected his plans.
Using the EarPods he designed and sold, Lumic took mental control of the people of London, marching thousands to be cyber-converted. After his life-support systems were damaged by his assistant Mr. Crane, Lumic was converted the into the Cyber-Controller. However, the Doctor and his companions, having accidentally landed on the parallel Earth, managed to foil his plans. They freed London from mental control and disabled the Cybermen's emotional inhibitors, causing them to go insane and in some cases explode. Lumic himself fell to his apparent death into the burning remains of his factory. A human resistance group, the Preachers, then set about to clean up the remainder of Lumic's factories around the world. (DW: Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel)
At some point after this, the Cybermen upgraded themselves with ranged energy weapons.
Despite this, some of the Cybermen survived and were able to infiltrate Torchwood Institute. They found a crack in the universe, caused by the passage of the Void Ship. The Cybermen were able to travel from their dimension into ours, and infiltrated the planet in the disguise as the benign ghosts of deceased Humans. They established a base inside the Torchwood Tower at Canary Wharf. While there, they started making some new Cybermen, using purely Earth materials from our universe.
After two months (three years in parallel Earth time), the Cybermen suddenly appeared in their true form, occupying every landmass on the planet before breaking into houses and promising to upgrade all Humans, commanded by the new Cyber-Leader. Simultaneously, the Cult of Skaro had exited the Void Ship with the Genesis Ark. The Cult, led by Dalek Sec communicated with the Cybermen via Dalek Thay and declared war, or in Dalek Sec's words, "pest control".
After a skirmish Humans versus Cybermen versus Daleks, the Cult travelled to the main room in Torchwood Tower Canary Wharf, elevated outside above the roof, and opened the Genesis Ark, releasing millions of Daleks who, under Sec's command, proceeded to "exterminate all life-forms below", killing Human and Cyberman alike. (DW: Army of Ghosts / Doomsday) Towards the end of the Cybermen/Dalek battle, the Cyberman, desperate for more troops, begin directly converting people rather than transplanting their brains into Cybershells. One victim of this process was Lisa Hallett, girlfriend of Ianto Jones. (TW: Cyberwoman) Eventually, the Doctor and Rose Tyler opened the Void, sucking all the Daleks and Cybermen who had been in the Void back into it. (DW: Doomsday)
However, this was not the last of the Cybermen. The Cybermen that were made on Earth, like Lisa Hallett, had never passed through the Void, therefore they were not sucked in. Ianto took Lisa away from the battle and hide her in the basement of Cardiff's Torchwood Three facility, setting up a life-support system, planning to restore her humanity. He was unsuccessful, as she killed Dr. Tanizaki, fought with Torchwood staff and eventually transplanted her brain into the body of a pizza delivery girl. (TW: Cyberwoman)
After the battle, two boys, Harry and Sam, were working on a model train set when they found stuff from Harry's dad's previous job. Inside the box was a Cyberman, in all his individual pieces. Not knowing what it was, Sam decided to put it back together so it could watch them play. Eventually, it awoke, threatening to upgrade both Harry and Sam. It forced Sam to help build a "Cyber-Conversion Unit" using the other leftover electronics from the Torchwood Tower in the box. They destroyed the Cyberman by pushing it into the finished machine, frying its circuits. (DWF: Going Off the Rails)
Due to the Daleks' damaging the barriers between realities (DW: The Stolen Earth), the Cybermen were able to escape the Void, assisted by technology stolen from the Void-trapped Daleks. Landing in 1851 London, they made an alliance with the human Miss Hartigan, created a minion race known as Cybershades, and began construction of a dreadnought robot called the CyberKing with which they planned to conquer the Earth. They were stopped and destroyed, with the CyberKing being sent to be disintegrated in the Time Vortex. (DW: The Next Doctor)
For the purposes of this list, a "Cyberman story" is one in which one living, authentic Cyberman plays a part within the confines of the story, outside of flashbacks to previous stories and cliffhangers that lead into the following story. For this reason, stories such as Dalek are absent due to only featuring deceased Cybermen on display. Stories like Carnival of Monsters, A Good Man Goes to War and The Vanquishers are also not included due to the Cybermen's appearance being of little consequence to the plot of the story.
