After 46 Years, One Classic Teen Titan Just Got the Wildest Upgrade

They’ve been around for decades, but one of the best Titans heroes just got an upgrade you won’t believe. The entire DC Universe is in a state of change. It just survived its latest brush with Darkseid, but only after a handful of heroes and villains competed in a tournament to gain the power needed to stop the despotic New God. Superman won in the end, but he shared the Alpha Energy he had accumulated with the rest of the contest’s participants. The heroes and villains were blessed with a vision, while others gained strange, new powers.

As DC Next Level began in earnest, the Titans did what they always did: fight their traditional villains and go through the drama they’ve been through a thousand times. But as New Titans #33 revealed, at some point, the team was kidnapped and placed in a false reality, where they were made to relive the same victories, betrayals, and heartaches over and over again. Thankfully, Nightwing was able to shatter the illusion. But there’s more to this reality than we thought, and it’s all because of one particular Titan’s latest upgrade.

Cyborg Has Split Into Two Selves: One Human, One Robot

In New Titans #34 by Tate Brombal, Sami Basri, Adriano Lucas, and Tom Napolitano, the Titans are still confused at the sudden arrival of Jon Kent, Batgirl, Wonder Girl, and Red Devil, the New Titans. The New Titans try to calm the Titans down and explain what’s going on, but the Titans are too angry over the sudden deaths of Arsenal, Donna, Raven, and Beast Boy. A huge fight breaks out between the two factions of Titans as Nightwing tries (and fails) to keep a lid on things.

During the conflict, Nightwing talks with Batgirl, who reveals that the coffee the team has been drinking made them believe in the simulation they were trapped in. As Dick demands answers, Victor Stone, without any of his cybernetic enhancements, enters the fray. This causes the entire fight to come to a grinding halt as the Cyborg that had been living in the fake reality suddenly reveals he’s all robot. After Jon temporarily disables the automaton, Victor explains that his big change happened shortly after the Omega Tournament.

Apparently, being inundated with Alpha Energy caused a reaction to the Mother Box tech in Cyborg’s body. It separated Victor from his cybernetic enhancements and made both halves whole. Victor is now back in his original body, while his tech is now walking, talking, and completely independent. Vic also notes that the energy made the robot Cyborg more powerful than ever, enough to create an entire world to keep his friends safe. And as long as he’s operating by himself, the robot Cyborg is going to keep the Titans contained by any means necessary.

What Cyborg’s New Upgrade Means for the DCU

This isn’t the first unexpected change to happen with Cyborg. Hell, it wasn’t that long ago that Vic was merged with his pal Beast Boy in Titans Academy (a plot point that was forgotten almost as quickly as it happened). And back during Forever Evil, a sentient virus named Grid took control of Vic’s cybernetic enhancements, stealing them to create a new body for itself. But this is the first time both halves of Cyborg, the man and the machine, have been fully independent beings. It’s a cool idea, but one that puts the Titans in serious danger.

Cyborg was already one of the world’s most powerful (if underrated) heroes, largely due to the Apokoliptian tech in his cybernetic systems. But that tech got a serious boost thanks to the Alpha Energy Superman passed on. Unfortunately, in separating from Vic, the tech doesn’t have the strong moral fiber or the ability to reason. Instead, it’s a slave to deep protocols hidden in the robot side’s code. It knows to keep the Titans safe, and with all the power at its disposal, the robot Cyborg is going to do whatever it must to see that goal through.

Thankfully, the human Vic doesn’t seem too worried, likely because he’s got the New Titans on his side. But it does make me wonder about where things go from here. Will human Cyborg retire? Find some way to reintegrate the tech into his body? Or will he try to find a way to get through to the robot Cyborg and make it so he doesn’t go overboard? This is a huge change for Cyborg, and I don’t know where New Titans is going to go with it, but I’m excited to see where this change takes Vic next.

What do you think about Cyborg’s new upgrade? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!

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