“Why rob us of some character development?”: James Gunn Needs to Do 1 Thing Zack Snyder Didn’t That’ll Give a Justice League Member Comic Accurate Introduction in DCU
- Ray Fisher was surprised with the revised version of Cyborg in 2017's Justice League after Joss Whedon took over.
- Ardent fans of DC Comics state Cyborg never worked in Justice League and it seemed like he was wasted.
- Fans request James Gunn to include Cyborg in Teen Titans.
Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, DC Comic superhero Cyborg, real name Victor Stone, first appeared in 1980’s insert preview in DC Comics Presents #26. The comic book character is originally known as a member of the Teen Titans but was established as a founding member of Justice League in DC’s 2011 reboot. Actor Ray Fisher portrayed the live-action version of the character in DCEU movies and was highly appreciated.
James Gunn and Peter Safran are now heading the DC Studios and working on launching the new rebooted franchise of movies and television series DC Universe. Fans have now expressed their one little request that could give Cyborg the recognition it deserves.
Screenwriter Chris Terrio shared Ray Fisher was involved in creating Victor Stone for Justice League
Actor Ray Fisher, who is known for his portrayal of Cyborg/Victor Stone, appeared in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which followed with him leading 2017’s Justice League. He reprised the role for 2021’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League. The actor portrayed the first Black superhero in the DC Extended Universe and was highly appreciated for his performance. In his interview with THR, the screenwriter shared,
Zack and I always considered Cyborg’s story to be the heart of the movie. He has the most pronounced character arc of any of the heroes, beginning from a place of despair and ending with a feeling that he is whole and that he is loved. With a White writer and White director, we both thought having the perspective of an actor of color was really important. And Ray is really good with story and character, so he became a partner in creating Victor.
However, after Zack Snyder left due to personal reasons and Joss Whedon stepped in, Fisher found himself in a position where he had to explain to the director the basic points that could be offensive to the Black community. Fisher was later given a revised script for the movie, which took away the majority of the part of his character’s story that he was inclined to portray on-screen. When he tried to talk to the director about the new version of Cyborg, the director reportedly said,
It feels like I’m taking notes right now, and I don’t like taking notes from anybody—not even Robert Downey Jr.
Joss Whedon wrote and directed 2012’s The Avengers. Ray Fisher was suggested to play Cyborg less like Frankenstein and more like the kindhearted Quasimodo. After going through a lot of reshoots and changes in the arc of the character, Fisher completed the filming, which eventually got a mixed response from the critics and the audience. However, the actor returned to play his character for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which restored Cyborg’s story that Fisher was initially drawn to and he was happy about that.
Fans request James Gunn and Peter Safran to include Cyborg in Teen Titans
According to reports by CBR, with DCU under James Gunn and Peter Safran shaping up to be more colorful, the upcoming Teen Titans movie is one of the most highly anticipated movies. The upcoming movie is going to have the superheroes star in their own movie for the first time, and that is going to result in putting out the distance between the DCU and DCEU.
Teen Titans is reportedly going to focus on the younger team, which will further cement the notion that DCU will take place in a world that has housed superheroes. Now, after a mess with Justice League, Cyborg remains one of the least memorable members of the Justice League because, according to ardent fans, he never really belonged in Justice League but was always meant to be on Teen Titans. CBR also reported that Cyborg didn’t work in Justice League and it felt like his character arc was wasted.
Industry insider Daniel Ritchman also shared that he loves Cyborg but he does not want him to be a part of Justice League but Teen Titans. But a user commented, why can’t he be on both, adding that he could be a Titan and a Justice Leaguer. Another user agreed by stating
Have him be on both teams! Why rob us of some character development?
Cyborg is an interesting character that Gunn & Safran can explore in their DCU, as not only his character has a lot of interesting stories to tell but fans are also eager to know more about him. However, the studios should not make the same mistakes as DCEU, character and showcasing him as a member of Teen Titans would be a massive improvement in finally giving justice to Cyborg. It has been known that Cyborg has a natural chemistry with Teen Titans characters including Beast Boy and Raven compared to Aquaman or Green Lantern.
It is something that ardent DC fans would like to see especially when they are very protective about the comic book characters. The fact that when in Justice League, the young superhero always feels that he has to earn his place among other superheroes compared to Teen Titans where he is presented as an equal. It makes a lot of sense for Cyborg to be a part of Teen Titans instead of JL. However, there has been no date mentioned for Teen Titans as of now.
Justice League is available to stream on HBO Max.
