With Batman vs. Superman still dominating the blogosphere despite a far-off 2015 release date, Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment can successfully claim to have wrestled the media spotlight away from their competitor, Marvel Studios. With the studio steadily building towards a much-demanded Justice League movie, more news is emerging almost weekly about potential additions to the DC Cinematic Universe.
Today, the news continues to trickle out as the Man of Steel Blu-Ray hit store shelves recently, and one bonus clip featuring star Henry Cavill has got a lot of comic-book fans particularly excited by making reference to fan-favorite hero Cyborg.
In the clip, Cavill, who played Superman earlier this year in Zack Snyder’s massively successful reboot, responds to a question about easter eggs sprinkled throughout Man of Steel. For those of you without access to YouTube, we’ve also included the transcript from the clip below:
On the extras on the Blu-ray, we’re going to get the opportunity to see Zack’s references to other aspects of the DC Universe. There’s one obvious one which is now particularly obvious because of our next installment, which is involving Batman as well. We see Bruce Wayne Enterprises on the satellite in space. We also see some references to LexCorp. I actually have no further knowledge of this next story, but there’s a good chance Lex is going to be introduced soon or at some stage. What really intrigued me was Dr. Emil Hamilton’s connection to S.T.A.R. Labs. Cyborg I think would make a wonderful character and an incredible bridge between both superhumans and humanity in a different way to Batman. So I don’t know where he’s going to come in or if he’s going to come in, but that’s one I’m particularly excited about. Other references I’m not too sure on, but we’ll see where those lead. Those with keen eyes will see them.
In the original comics, Cyborg (aka Victor Stone) was a complex, tormented character – which seems like a perfect fit given DC’s newly grounded, gritty approach to superheroes. Stone was originally a high-school student gifted with a near-genius IQ after serving as a test subject for his scientist parents. When visiting S.T.A.R. Labs to visit his parents, Stone was severely mutilated during a horrific accident involving an inter-dimensional portal. Desperate to save his son’s life, Stone’s father outfitted him with experimental prosthetics. Initially disgusted with his disfigured appearance, Stone eventually became a hero and fought crime as Cyborg.
This origin story was mostly maintained during The New 52 relaunch, though robotic nanites were incorporated into Cyborg’s make-up. Perhaps more importantly, Cyborg served as one of the founding members of the Justice League in the New 52 universe. If DC is really serious about bringing a Justice League movie to theaters soon, Cyborg seems like a no-brainer.
I have to agree with Cavill that Cyborg would certainly serve as a suitable “bridge between both superhumans and humanity,” bringing the DC Cinematic Universe back down to Earth after the mega-scaled, fantastical battles in Man of Steel and (surely) Batman vs. Superman. The introduction of Cyborg would also allow for the introduction of villains like Darkseid and the Parademons, crucial players in the comics. Though the cosmic aspect of the DC Universe has not yet been explored on the big screen, Marvel is already gearing up to explore its more far-out characters in next year’s Guardians of the Galaxy, so that same kind of branching out can’t be too far down the road for DC.
Would you want a Cyborg stand-alone movie, or should the character be reserved as a supporting player for upcoming films (à la Hawkeye in The Avengers)? Sound off in the comments section.