New History of the DC Universe Reveals Cyborg's Justice League Return and Teen Titans Legacy

After reconsidering one of the most confusing creative decisions from their New 52 line, DC has officially changed Cyborg’s status, restoring him as a founding member of the Justice League and reclassifying him as one of the original members of the New Teen Titans.

A being combining human and machine, embodying heroism, Victor “Cyborg” Stone made his debut in the 1980s.DC Comics Presents Volume 1 Issue 26, featured in the anthology series as part of writer Marv Wolfman and late artist George Pérez’s first New Teen Titans story.

Would you like to discover more unique entertainment content? Follow Bounding Into Comics on MSN.

Although their gathering in this issue was revealed to be a dream caused by Raven, the teenage team would officially unite in the first issue of their own series, New Titans Vol. 1 #1, with Cyborg being one of the seven original members.

Although his role as a founding Titan and later mentor to new members would continue for the next 30 years, Cyborg would be separated from this part of his identity due to Doctor Manhattan’s 2011 initiation of the New 52 timeline.

As confirmed in the work written by Geoff Johns, illustrated by Jim LeeJustice League Volume 3 Issue 1, rather than beginning his superhero career with Starfire, Raven, and other ‘second-generation’ heroes, Cyborg was officially recognized as having done so alongside Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and The Flash during the battle against Darkseid’s attack on Earth, after which they established the Justice League.

A particularly unsettling shift for fans to comprehend, especially regarding how much of the hero’s present fame and standing is significantly shaped by his leading role in the 2003Teen Titans animated series, Cyborg’s promotion was reportedly motivated by a wish to expand the Justice League’s team.

“He’s a character I truly view as the 21st-century, modern-day superhero,” Johns said.USA Todaybefore the official start of the New 52. “He embodies many of us in various ways. If we have a cell phone and are texting on it, we are a cyborg – that’s what a cyborg is, using technology as an extension of ourselves.”

Although DC had high expectations, Cyborg’s presence in the Triple-A league ended up being mostly just some media attention and a short period of collaboration with Zack Snyder’s film version of the team, with the years since seeing him mainly placed as the go-to person for metahumans.

And beyond just fan views, DC has also acknowledged the overall failure of this creative choice, as their recently-releasedNew Timeline of the DC UniverseVolume 1 #2 has redefined the retcon.

Written by Mark Waid and presented as Barry Allen’s current in-universe effort to document the DCU’s present post-Dark Knights Death Metal“Everything is Canon” history, the second volume in the handbook series delves into the events of the publisher’s Golden and Bronze ages, from Superman’s arrival on Earth to the aforementioned Scarlet Speedster’s death at the climax of…Crisis on Infinite Earths.

There, it is shown that although Cyborg still joins DC’s Big Six in their defense against Apokolips’ invading forces, he does not unite with them to create the Justice League.

Rather, the extent of his injuries during the battle necessitates that he be instantly put into a healing cryogenic suspension, during which he will remain until the formation of the New Teen Titans, aligning his current storyline with his initial origin.

The third volume of The New History of the DC Universe, which will cover the period betweenCrisis on Infinite Earths and the end of Flashpoint, is scheduled to be available on August 27th.

NEXT: DC ‘Action Comics’ Writer Mark Waid Dismisses ‘Superman’ Immigration Controversy: “It’s Only a Problem Now Due to the Hard Efforts of Conservative Media to Gain Attention for Themselves”

Would you like to discover more unique entertainment content? Follow Bounding Into Comics on MSN.

Related Headlines