The DCEU was dark, but the introductory scene for Cyborg was absolutely wild, with a brief but traumatic cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The DCEU had more than its fair share of issues. Despite a promising start in 2013 with Man of Steel, it wasn’t long until the entire universe began to fall to pieces. And one of the core issues was how abruptly and rapidly the universe tried to introduce a team of heroes without any real context.

In fact, in the second movie of the entire DCEU, the film featured a gratuitous cameo sequence that left all the action of the film behind to essentially set up trailers for upcoming hero movies. Bruce Wayne makes contact with Wonder Woman, and sends over files that he procured from Lex Luthor which reveal a first glimpse of the Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, and presumably Wonder Woman herself, though her clip is not shown. But the scene where Cyborg is introduced is nothing short of horrifying.

Cyborg DCEU introduction Explained

Cyborg’s Debut In The DCEU Was Dark

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was clearly on a ᴅᴇᴀᴅline to establish the heroes of the Justice League, who would star in their own movie which would be released the following year in 2017. But since only Superman had gotten a solo story, and the sequel was a film that pits Batman and Superman at odds, they needed to act quickly to establish the other heroes ahead of time. While Gal Gadot had a movie coming out ahead of the ill-fated Justice League, the other heroes, Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg would all have their debut in the crossover movie. Unless BvS included a cutscene to introduce each.

For the Flash and Aquaman, their scenes indicate the powers they have, and establish them as powerful beings. But Cyborg’s introduction sees the young man, who is only a torso, an arm, and a head at this point, tied down to a table, and being experimented on by his father in an effort to save his life. But the experimentation appears painful and cruel, considering there is barely any life left in Victor Stone. Then, when the Mother Box powers up to save his life, Victor cries out in agony, clearly revealing that none of this is a pleasant or easy process.

9 Years Later, The DCEU’s Cyborg Debut Seems Even More Wild

Things Went Downhill For Cyborg And The DCEU At Large

Now, seeing how far the DCEU fell in the short years following this introduction, it’s even more upsetting to know that this was one of only three times the character would appear. The next was in Justice League, and then finally in Zack Snyder’s cut of the film, which was released in 2021. But the contrast between the other heroes, and this character, who is, in several different ways, a victim, is horrifying.

Not only was the character mishandled, but with the drama that came up around how Ray Fisher was treated on set, it’s devastating to see the story that was being set up, and the lack of context it received. By all accounts, this could have been one of the most compelling stories in the DCEU, but without anything to make the characters stand out, and give them a greater presence in the films, this intense scene feels like it was a waste, and Cyborg’s suffering was for nothing.

Upcoming DC Movie Releases

• 
  
  

  
  

  Superman

  Release Date

  
  July 11, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  
  

  
  

  Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

  Release Date

  
  June 26, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  
  

  
  

  The Batman Part II

  Release Date

  
  October 1, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse