Cybermen were a type of cybernetically augmented humanoid. They varied greatly in design, with different offshoot factions throughout time and space. However, the two major groups, from which all other known versions derived, were the Mondasian Cybermen, which originated on the planet Mondas — Earth's twin planet in the Doctor's universe — and the Cybermen created by Cybus Industries, which originated on Earth in an alternate universe.
- This article is an overview of the concept of the Cyberman. You may be looking for more specific versions, including those from Mondas and those from Pete's World
Despite the different origin and other differences, there were a number of similarities between both groups of Cybermen, and there were groups that shared the characteristics of both. For the most part, they both lacked individuality or names. Cybermen no longer possessed emotions and viewed them as a weakness. They frequently attempted to physically and mentally re-engineer humans and other humanoids into Cybermen, via a process called "cyber-conversion" or "upgrade".
Cybermen from Mondas
- Main article: Cyberman (Mondas)
These Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of Near-Humans who originated on Earth's former twin planet, Mondas. Mondas drifted into the outer solar system and to survive, the natives of that world adapted by turning themselves into cyborgs. (DW: The Tenth Planet) Eventually, all of the Mondasians underwent forced cyber-conversion. (BFA: Spare Parts). Many of them left Mondas and eventually developed into separate groups without connection with one another.
Nearly all were silver in colour, with the exception of a a black variety which 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. The CyberMondasians which the Doctor met on Snowcap Base in 1986 had undergone a less radical conversion and still retained biological hands; it is possible these Cybermen were prototypes. (DW: The Tenth Planet) All other Cybermen were entirely covered up in their metallic suits. (DW: The Moonbase onwards)
These 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. (DW: Revenge of the Cybermen). 20th century guns barely phased Cybermen, though explosives and bazooka shells were capable of taking them down. (DW: The Invasion, Silver Nemesis) UNIT would develop gold-tipped rounds for Cybermen. (DW: Battlefield) In later centuries, the Cybermen would take hits from laser guns and energy weapons: at close range, this could destroy them. (DW: Earthshock)
At some point, the Cybermen of the Doctor's universe upgraded their exo-structure until it had great commonality with that of the Pete's World Cybermen. Rory Williams was the first of the Doctor's companions to have met this type of Mondasian Cyberman. (DW: A Good Man Goes to War) These Cybermen were visually distinct from the ones that Rose Tyler had met with the Tenth Doctor in Pete's World, and those that Amy Pond had met with the Elevnth Doctor in the Arctic. Their midriffs weren't armoured, their codpieces were much smaller, and their chestpieces bore no logos. These Cybermen also possessed what appeared to be the same type of spaceships the Second Doctor had once encountered in orbit of Earth. ([[DW: The Invasion) Furthermore, they controlled the ship through an interface similar to that used by Mondasian Cybermen the Fifth Doctor once encountered in orbit of Earth. (DW: Earthshock)
Cybermen designed by John Lumic
- Main article: Cybermen (Pete's World)
This type of Cyberman originated in another universe, where they were created by John Lumic, the owner of Cybus Industries. His Cybermen believed that all people must be "upgraded" to cyber-form so that information is never lost and that the humans' physical and emotional weaknesses are abolished.
Cyber-conversion usually 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 them, which prevented them from feeling their emotions. However, if the implants were disrupted, then the Cybermen entered into a traumatic state as they were overloaded by the pain of the conversion. This inevitably caused an agonising death from the overload of emotions. (DW: Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel).
The cyber-suit was constructed from bulletproof steel. These exo-structures appeared thicker and heavier than that of the Cybermen of Mondas — though a comparison of the actual efficacy of the two body types was never performed. A chest plate with the Cybus Industries logo housed a "heart of steel", the function of which is unclear, and the emotional inhibitor chip. The brain was contained within the head. Artificially grown nervous tissue was threaded throughout the body so the Cyberman responded like a fully biological organism. (DW: The Age of Steel) Without a brain inserted, the cyber-suit was a robot. Even when disembodied, the various parts of the suit — arm, head and torso — had sufficient processing capacity to pursue and attack a human target. (DW: The Pandorica Opens)
These alternate Cybermen showed no vulnerability to gold.
Cybermen found in the Arctic
.jpg)
While no contact between the two major groups of Cybermen was known to have occurred, there existed some Cybermen that shared characteristics of both. While they greatly resembled the Cybus-made Cybermen, and were said to be brains in metal shells like the Cybus creations, they had certain characteristics common to the Cybermen of Mondas. For instance, they used Cybermats, they knew that the Eleventh Doctor was a Time Lord, and they had advanced spacefaring capabilities. Moreover, the fact that the Doctor himself said they had conquered a plural number of "races" suggested they weren't Cybus-made, since the alternate universe's Cybermen had only dealt with humans. (VG: Blood of the Cybermen)
This unnamed group of Cybermen was buried under the ice in the Arctic Circle and had been for tens of thousands of years after being hit by a temporal storm. An excavation began to awaken the army, commanded by a Cyber-Lord, releasing Cybermats which in turn created Cyberslaves. The Eleventh Doctor arrived on May 4th 2010 and stopped their awakening. He blew up their base and put them back into stasis. (VG: Blood of the Cybermen) The Doctor acquired a chest plate from one of these Cybermen and kept it in the TARDIS drawing room. (VG: TARDIS)