Titans' Cyborg Gets Horrifying New Origin Tying Him into Superman Lore
WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for BATMAN: GOTHAM BY GASLIGHT - THE KRYPTONIAN AGE #5!
TRIGGER WARNING: Body Horror, Non-Consensual Body Modification
Cyborg receives a horrifying new origin that now officially ties him to Superman lore as the fan-favorite Titan is introduced in the sequel to the classic Elseworlds story Batman: Gotham By Gaslight. Along with this new connection to the Man of Steel, what makes this reimagining of Victor Stone even more intriguing is that it could signal the beginning of his villain era, presenting the character in an entirely unprecedented light.
The contrast with Cyborg’s original origin is stark: instead of a grieving father saving his son out of love, this version presents a madman using Victor for his own twisted purposes.
Cyborg was first introduced into the Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age series in issue #4–by Andy Diggle, Leandro Fernández, and Matt Hollingsworth. In this issue, fans learn that this Victorian-era-inspired world has reimagined the Titan as a brilliant patent clerk whose research on the integral quantization of electron energies catches the attention of Lex Luthor.
Seeing potential in Victor’s intellect, Luthor offers him a position as his assistant. However, when Victor witnesses Luthor experimenting on a man in issue #5, he quickly condemns the villain and rejects the offer, promising to alert the authorities. Little does Victor know, these are the last words he'll say fully human.
Origin: How Did Victor Stone Become Cyborg in Mainstream Continuity?
Cyborg’s First Appeared in DC Comics Presents #26 (1980)
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Before diving into how Victor becomes Cyborg in Gotham by Gaslight, it’s important to first understand his mainstream continuity origin to truly appreciate this 19th-century reimagining. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, Victor Stone made his first appearance in DC Comics Presents #26 (1980). Like many DC characters, Victor’s origin has evolved over time, but the core of his story remains consistent. Victor was a talented, aspiring football player and the son of Silas Stone, a scientist at S.T.A.R. Labs focused on advancing human technology.
After a tragic accident left Victor severely injured, with most of his body destroyed, Silas used cutting-edge technology to transform his son into a part-human, part-machine cyborg. This included the use of nanotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), advanced robotics, and New Gods’ Mother Box technology. At first, Victor was horrified by what his father had done. Angry and confused by his new reality, he lashed out at Silas, telling him he hated him and questioning why the "old man" hadn’t just let him die. However, Victor eventually came to terms with his new body, setting him on the path to becoming the hero fans know today.
Batman: Gotham By Gaslight–The Kryptonian Age Gives Cyborg’s Origin Story a Horrific Reimagining
Superman’s Lex Luthor Is Responsible For Viktor Stone’s Accident and Cyborg Transformation
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Victor’s mainstream continuity origin was already horrifying, with the body horror he endured upon waking to find most of his body gone and replaced with technology. However, Gotham by Gaslight makes this dark story even darker. After rejecting Luthor’s offer to be his lab assistant and expressing his disgust and intent to report him to the police, Victor drives off, unaware that Luthor had anticipated this response and rigged his car with explosives. Using a remote detonator, Luthor blows up Victor's vehicle, nearly killing him.
After spending several weeks in a coma, Victor awakens to the horrifying realization that most of his limbs are gone, and he is now in Luthor’s personal care. Luthor explains that having had Victor declared dead, he is now nothing more than "raw material" for the villain’s experiments. This unsettling scenario evokes a Misery-esque horror, intensifying the disturbing nature of Victor's new reality. The contrast with Cyborg’s original origin is stark: instead of a grieving father saving his son out of love, this version presents a madman using Victor for his own twisted purposes.
Will Gotham By Gaslight’s Cyborg Turn to Heroism or Villainy?
Lex Luthor’s Influence on Cyborg Could Launch Viktor Stone’s Villain Era
With Cyborg’s origin now directly tied to Lex Luthor, it will be interesting to see how this affects Victor’s path to becoming a hero. This change in origin could very well push him toward villainy. There are two key reasons why this might happen: first, Victor is essentially at Luthor’s mercy, so the villain’s influence could sway him to follow Luthor’s agenda. Second, Victor might seek revenge against Luthor, leading him down a darker, misguided path. However, it's also possible that Cyborg’s strong moral compass, as hinted in the narrative, will remain intact, steering him to eventually join this Earth’s heroes.
Related Flash's Powers Become Twisted Nightmare Fuel in Total Rewrite of His Origin "Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age" has introduced a dark reinvention of the original Flash, turning his gift of speed into a curse.
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age #5 is available now from DC Comics!
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