In 2011, DC Comics got its first big reboot in years, the New 52. It fundamentally changed a lot of the DC Universe, and one character that definitely benefited was Cyborg. The former Teen Titan was now a founding member of the Justice League and given a major power upgrade. For years, Cyborg had been a fan favorite, and seeing him in the Justice League was great for many of his long-time fans.
The move to the Justice League came with other changes, ones that altered the character in both subtle and obvious ways. While he would still have a lot of the same traits that fans had grown to love, this new Cyborg wasn't exactly the one that fans remembered.
10 He Got A New Look
For a guy named Cyborg, for a long time, the character didn't look very cybernetic. He had the requisite robotic arms and legs and some changes to his face, but other than that, he still looked like a regular human. The New 52 changed his origin, and that resulted in an entirely new look, one that definitely emphasized the cybernetic side of the character.
The Jim Lee design took the cybernetic elements of the character and played them up immensely. He looked more like a character named Cyborg should look, a chrome-plated bruiser ready to take the fight to the most dangerous foes of them all.
9 He Got An Earth-3 Doppelganger
Earth-3 is the Earth in the DC Multiverse where evil reigns supreme. In that universe, there is no Justice League but a Crime Syndicate, evil doppelgangers of the Justice League who control the Earth. For years, different iterations of the Crime Syndicate had bedeviled the League, with a new one striking the New 52 DC Earth and defeating the League.
Cyborg finally got his own dark doppelganger, the evil cyborg known as Grid, who used his powers to help cripple the League's technology and allow the Crime Syndicate to more efficiently take over the Earth, until villains led by Lex Luthor were able to defeat the evil Justice League.
8 He Finally Got Some Solo Book Spotlight
For years, Cyborg had been one of the most popular Teen Titans, but this popularity didn't really extend to getting his own book. Even though there was a time when the Teen Titans were one of the most popular books, Cyborg and other members always stayed with the team. This changed once he became a member of DC's greatest superteam.
While the book didn't last very long, it gave him a chance to stretch his legs as a solo superhero, something he had never done before, and allowed his fans to see how he fought evil without back-up, a welcome change for a character who had deserved some solo spotlight for years.
7 He Became A Movie Star
While the Teen Titans had always been a rather popular property, with two cartoons to their name, seeing any of the characters on the big screen seemed like a stretch. That changed after Cyborg became a member of the Justice League. While the DCEU has gotten a flack over the years, it did bring Cyborg to the big screen, first as a cameo in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and then in his full glory in Justice League.
Later, the Teen Titans would get their own big-screen debut with Teen Titans GO! To The Movies, marking three big-screen sojourns for the character.
6 His Time In The Teen Titans Disappeared
Cyborg made his name as part of the second iteration of the Teen Titans. This was the most beloved version of the group and starred in some amazing stories like The Judas Contract. There was a time when their book even beat the sales juggernaut that was Uncanny X-Men, no easy feat. Seeing as how the New 52 completely changed Cyborg's origin, though, something had to give, and it was his time as a Titan.
Cyborg would no longer be a member of the Teen Titans in the New 52, a change that would stay in effect even after during the Rebirth era. Recently, it's been hinted that he was a member of the team for a time, showing just how much the history of the DCU is always in flux.
5 He Became Inextricably Linked To The New Gods
The inciting incident of the New 52's DC Universe was Darkseid's invasion, which brought together the heroes of the Justice League and served as the catalyst that actually created Cyborg. Cyborg's body was bathed in Father Box energy, changing him completely and making him into what amount to a walking Mother Box, one of the greatest technological implements of the New Gods.
Beyond changing his powers, it also linked him to the New Gods, allowing him to use their technology. This included Boom Tubes that could transport the team anywhere, gain access to their information, and detect them and their technology easier, something that helped in stories like The Darkseid War.
4 His Origin Story Changed
In his original origin, football player Vic Stone got into a car accident, one that cost him his arms and legs and damaged his face. His father, a specialist in robotics, fashioned new limbs for him out of promethium and gave him weapon systems that would allow him to fight evil. He would join up with the second iteration of the Teen Titans, and a star was born.
Cyborg's new origin kept his time as a football player but changed his injury and how he gained his cybernetic abilities--he was trapped at STAR Labs with his scientist father and caught in an explosion of a Father Box when Darkseid's invasion started. His father used whatever tech he could find to allow his son to survive, and Cyborg was born.
3 His Powers Changed A Lot
In the past, Cyborg's powers were pretty much just super strength, durability, and the ability to craft one of his arms into a white noise cannon. While these abilities helped the Teen Titans out a lot, they wouldn't be that big of a deal on a team with the likes of Superman, the Flash, and Green Lantern. His new origin, though, expanded his power a lot.
Not only would he be able to change parts of his body into other weapons, his Father Box based abilities would allow him to link with any technology around him and teleport the team anywhere using Boom Tubes. These upgrades made him the League's tech specialist and an invaluable part of the team.
2 He Became A Justice League Founder
As the biggest team in the DC Universe, just being a member of the Justice League brings a lot of prestige to a hero. Being a founder of the team puts a hero on another level, rarefied air that only the greatest heroes move in. Cyborg was able to join that number, putting him on said whole other level.
Being a founding member of the Justice League changed everything for Cyborg. He became a hero that was afforded the greatest respect by everyone who he came into contact with in a way that he wasn't before. As a Teen Titan, he was a big fish in a medium-sized pond, but as a Leaguer, he was one of the biggest fish in the ocean.
1 He Got To Prove Himself Against The Biggest Threats In The DC Universe
As a Teen Titan, Cyborg often found himself helping out in the big battles, all-hands-on-deck moments when the DC Universe would come together to take down some threat that put the entirety of creation at stake. However, back then, he was just a face in the crowd, one of many soldiers in the fight.
During his time with the Justice League, he was suddenly on the frontlines of the biggest battles, using his new powers against foes that shook the Multiverse. He got to prove himself on the grandest stage of them all, becoming instrumental in the defense of the DC Universe against the biggest threats the heroes faced.