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The original Cybermen had to be upgraded from somewhere, and seeing that they share a human-like structure, were they humans? Or were they another species? Also, did the original Cybermen interact with Daleks?

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    The line between humans and humanoids is blurry in the DW universe.
    – Mr Lister
    Dec 11, 2016 at 19:56
  • You might find this helpful: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tenth_Planet Dec 11, 2016 at 20:54
  • This addresses their genesis; tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Cyberman
    – Valorum
    Dec 11, 2016 at 21:04
  • The origins of the Cybermen on Mondas are explored by fifth doctor in the Big Finish story "Spare Parts". I posted a question several years ago about some fan fiction I'd come across (probably on the internet) were the Cybermen and the Daleks were allies but it seems to have disappeared.
    – jim
    Sep 13 at 11:39

1 Answer 1

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The "original" Cybermen began as the humanoid inhabitants of Earth's sister planet Mondas. In the final 1st Doctor story, The Tenth Planet, we learn that the inhabitants of Mondas became Cybermen by gradually replaced their body parts with mechanical ones. These Cybermen are referred to in the fandom as Mondasian Cybermen.

In the the 10th Doctor episode The Rise of the Cybermen, we are introduced to a different breed of Cybermen that was created in an alternate universe by John Lumic, the head of Cybus Industries. These Cybermen appear to be created by directly "upgrading" human beings from that universe. These Cybermen are referred to in the fandom as the Cybus Cybermen. They can be distinguished from the Mondosian Cybermen by the "C" logo on their chests ("C" for Cybus). Thanks to DoctorWho22 for reminding me to mention the "C" logo.

As for interaction between Cybermen and Daleks, I don't believe there are any example of this until the revived series. We see the Cybermen fighting the Daleks in the 10th Doctor episode Doomsday. Cybermen and Daleks join forces to imprison the Doctor in the 11th Doctor Episode The Pandorica Opens. We also see Cybermen and Daleks in the final 11th Doctor episode The Time of the Doctor. Thanks to John Sensebe for reminding me to add this paragraph.

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  • You may want to add that we've never seen the Mondasian Cybermen interact with the Daleks on-screen. The closest we've come is in "The Pandorica Opens", where the Cybermen and Daleks (among others) join forces off-screen to prevent the Doctor from destroying the universe (though, as it turns out, he is not actually the cause). Dec 11, 2016 at 22:22
  • Actually you might want to edit this... The Cybermen that are in the Pandorica Opens have the C logo which means they are the Cybus Cybermen, they are the only Cybermen to sport this logo on their chest. Based on the Brilliant Book of 2012, The Mondas Cybermen don't return to the series until the episode "A Good Man Goes to War". Dec 16, 2016 at 21:03
  • If you need proof watch the video of Amy vs the Cybermen and compare the logo on that Cyberman's chest to the one of the Cybus Cybermen and you'll see that they are the same. And if you compare the logo on their chest to the A Good Man Goes to War Cybermen you shall see they are different. Dec 16, 2016 at 21:06
  • Thanks @DoctorWho22 I edited to answer to mention the identifying logo.
    – Blackwood
    Dec 16, 2016 at 21:25
  • I believe there's been no confirmation if we've EVER seen the "original" old series Cybermen in the new series, or if we've only seen incursions of Pete's World Cybermen. The only old-series Cybermen we've seen are the head in Van Staaten's hoard in Dalek, and the head Kate threw to the ground in Death in Heaven. All else are conjecture and assumption - I don't know if the Brilliant Book can be seen as definitive, even considering its source Jan 12, 2017 at 21:24

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