The Cyclors were a race who originated from a higher dimension. (COMIC: Pull to Open) The War Doctor considered them "dimensional nomads" who were "functionally omnipotent".
The Cyclors arrived on the Overcast's plane of reality because of the Overcast's collective subconscious which created a psychic tether between them. They fed on the bond they had with the Overcast like parasites. (COMIC: The Organ Grinder) The Cyclors raised the Overcast from savages to being a peaceful race. For twelve hundred years the Overcast prospered due to their help. (COMIC: The Then and the Now) During the Last Great Time War, the Cyclors annihilated the spiral arm of a galaxy. The Daleks were the first to recruit them, and the War Doctor was sent to deal with them. (COMIC: Pull to Open) The War Doctor meddled with time, turning the Cyclors into the Malignant, who wiped out over fifty generations of the Overcast. (COMIC: The Then and the Now)