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In the new Doctor Who series the Cybermen come from an alternate universe and an alternate Earth. In the old series the Cybermen came from our universe. So what happened to them?

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The Cybermen were last seen in the Silver Nemesis serial (this one is quite famous, because it was the 25th - Silver - Anniversary of Doctor Who, and the 150th televised story, and episodes 2 and 3 were the first to premier outside of the UK, in New Zealand), featuring the 7th Doctor (and Ace).

The serial is centered around restoring a living statue (made of validium), which was a tool made by Omega and Rassilon as a defense for Gallifrey. In the serial

the statue wipes out the entire Cybermen fleet.

However, that's only the last time that we see the (Doctor Who universe) Cybermen in the Doctor's timeline in a televised episode - it's not the latest time that they have been seen.

The 8th Doctor encounters the Cybermen in 2006, when Cybermen try to invade Earth via a portal in the audio drama Human Resources. I believe this was the last time in the Doctor's timeline that he encountered the (Doctor Who universe) Cybermen.

The 6th Doctor comic The World Shapers reveals what finally happens to the Cybermen (some time after the 101st Century):

They become beings of pure thought/energy, and completely peace-loving - they indeed redeem all sentient life.

There are other stories that feature the Cybermen between Silver Nemesis and their eventual end, such as:

  • In 2006 (the same year as Human Resources!) Cybermen invade the South Pole of Earth (Iceberg).
  • CyberNomads fight the Vogan war (Revenge of the Cybermen).
  • The 6th Doctor encounters Cybermen in 2191 in Killing Ground.
  • In 2526 several planets fought against the Cybermen in the Cyber-Wars (Earthshock).
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  • Sorry - I'm not following your answer. I think the question is asking: Why are the Cybermen in our universe in the old series and in another universe in the new series. I've got a suspicion this is going to be addressed soon. Also - I don't think audio dramas and comics can be regarded as providing useful "history" - although I do believe they do give inspiration/insight into possible future developments.
    – Lekarz Kto
    Commented May 28, 2011 at 21:47
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    @Lekarz no the question asks what happened to the (Doctor Who universe) Cybermen. My answer explains that. The ones in the other universe are completely different, they aren't the originals transferred to a different universe. The audio dramas are generally considered canon in Doctor Who.
    – Tony Meyer
    Commented May 28, 2011 at 22:11
  • Ok - I think you need to provide evidence that the audio dramas are considered "canon". I can't imagine the general viewer understanding that there are audio stories that they are unaware of being part of the DW world.
    – Lekarz Kto
    Commented May 30, 2011 at 8:01
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    @Lakarz if you want to ask a question "are audio dramas considered canon in Doctor Who", that is a separate question, not something that belongs here.
    – Tony Meyer
    Commented May 30, 2011 at 20:21
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    @TonyMeyer We've seen Cybermen twice recently in current Who. They showed up at the start of A Good Man Goes To War. Then they were the villain in Closing Time.
    – user1027
    Commented Feb 16, 2012 at 16:12
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I consider the audios canon, and David Banks's Cybermen book goes some way to explain the cybermen.

With regard to:

More confusing is that nearly every time the Earth is attacked by Cybermen, it is the first time. We will have to blame that on time travel.

It's easily explained that they are all different factions of surviving Cybermen.
It seems likely the alternative Cybermen in the new series have melded with the Doctor Who universe ones. Plus rumour has it a redesign and return are on the cards next year.

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Planet Mondas was an alternate Earth. It even had the same continents as Earth, just upside down. The details of the pseudoscience explaining where Mondas is located changed from The Tenth Planet to Rise of the Cybermen, but that's no different to the modernized special effects.

More confusing is that nearly every time the Earth is attacked by cybermen, it is the first time. We will have to blame that on time travel.

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    It wasn't an alternate earth from a parallel reality though... In the original series Mondas was simply a twin planet of Earth that was dislodged from it's original part of our solar system due to the creation of the moon.
    – DoctorWho22
    Commented Dec 18, 2016 at 15:21
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The Original Cybermen from Mondas survived in our universe and made a return in the episode "A Good Man Goes to War". You can make the distinction between the Cybus Cybermen and the original Cybermen by the logo on their chest. It was also written in the Brilliant Book of 2012 that this was most likely the case.

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Cyberman

"According to comments made in The Brilliant Book 2012, the Cybermen of the Cyber Legions were the original Mondasian versions because, despite having the Cybus-style suits, they lacked the "C" logo on their chest. If so, the Cybus Industries Cybermen joined the Alliance and the Cybermen that have appeared since then (without the "C" logos) are the Mondasian models."

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