Few DC heroes were more radically altered by the New 52 relaunch than Cyborg. That has less to do with the alterations to his origin story and powers than the fact that Vic Stone was elevated from Teen Titan to founding member of the Justice League. It was a big promotion for a fan-favorite character. But even with the debut of his latest solo comic, DC has yet to prove that Cyborg is actually better off because of that promotion.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Cyborg Rebirth #1!
DC had several motivations for elevating Cyborg to A-List status, but above all Cyborg's promotion was an attempt to address the fact that there's not a lot of diversity in the Justice League's "Big Seven" lineup. Five white, American men, an Amazon and a Martian do not a diverse super-team make. But why specifically add Cyborg to the mix? Why choose Vic Stone rather than, say, John Stewart or Black Lightning or Vixen? All three of those characters have a strong connection to the Justice League that Cyborg lacked at the time. Given how much mainstream exposure and popularity John Stewart earned from his starring role in the Justice League cartoon, you could argue that DC should have made him a founding member anyway.
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Warning: this article contains spoilers for Cyborg Rebirth #1!
DC had several motivations for elevating Cyborg to A-List status, but above all Cyborg's promotion was an attempt to address the fact that there's not a lot of diversity in the Justice League's "Big Seven" lineup. Five white, American men, an Amazon and a Martian do not a diverse super-team make. But why specifically add Cyborg to the mix? Why choose Vic Stone rather than, say, John Stewart or Black Lightning or Vixen? All three of those characters have a strong connection to the Justice League that Cyborg lacked at the time. Given how much mainstream exposure and popularity John Stewart earned from his starring role in the Justice League cartoon, you could argue that DC should have made him a founding member anyway.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...