Theory:Timeline - Cybermen

This page lists appearances of the Cybermen in the order in which they experienced them. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories.

Origins
There are several conflicting origin stories for the Cybermen, including Mondasians converting themselves to deal with deteriorating planetary conditions (AUDIO: Spare Parts), ancient Cybermen predating the Mondasian Cybermen (COMIC: The Cybermen), and Mondas being another name for Marinus (COMIC: The World Shapers). These accounts seem impossible to reconcile. However, TV: World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls establish that Cybermen are subject to Parallel Evolution, explaining contradictory sources of their origins. For more information, consult Creation of the Cybermen.

Appearance

 * The original Cyberman of Mondas, which the Twelfth Doctor identifies on sight as a "Mondasian Cyberman" (TV: World Enough and Time) first appear in TV: The Tenth Planet (1966), set in 1986.
 * A second Cyberman look debuts in TV: The Moonbase (1967), set in 2070. They are later seen on Telos in The Tomb of the Cybermen.
 * A third Cyberman look debuts in TV: The Wheel in Space (1968), set in 2079.
 * A fourth Cyberman look debuts in TV: The Invasion (1969); set prior to The Tenth Planet, these Cybermen are led by a Cyber-Planner who recognises the Doctor from Planet 14.
 * A fifth Cyberman look debuts in TV: Revenge of the Cybermen (1975), where they are reeling from their defeat in "the Cyber-War".
 * A sixth Cyberman look, the last of the classic series, debuts in TV: Earthshock (1982); set in the year 2526, the Cybermen fail to stop a conference which will lead to a war they know that cannot win.
 * The first Cyberman look of the new series is introduced in TV: Rise of the Cybermen (2006) as a product of Cybus Industries from a parallel Earth. With the Cybus logo on their chest plate, such Cybermen appear to be a space-faring power, while making a reference to multiple universes, in TV: The Pandorica Opens; meanwhile, however, near-identical Cyberman appear in GAME: Blood of the Cybermen (2010), distinguished by an engraving of a Cyberman face in place of the Cybus plate.
 * TV: A Good Man Goes to War (2011) marks the on-screen debut of a "Cybus" variant that is a space-faring power within our universe, organised into Cyber Legions; the "Cybus" logo is absent, replaced by a generic chest plate rather than the engraving from Blood of the Cybermen.
 * The second Cyberman look of the new series is introduced in TV: Nightmare in Silver (2013) following the "Cyber-Wars" in the far future. They are associated with the Cyberiad.

Ancient Mondas

 * COMIC: The Dead Heart
 * COMIC: The Flesh Unbound
 * COMIC: The Black Sky
 * COMIC: The Hungry Sea
 * COMIC: The Dark Flame
 * COMIC: The Future Perfect

Later Mondas

 * COMIC: The Ugly Underneath
 * Mondas breaks from its orbit. At this time, the first modern Cybermen are created.


 * TV: World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls
 * A Mondasian colony ship becomes trapped in the orbit of a black hole, while the inhabitants are gradually cyber-converted. As a result of time dilation, the Cybermen rapidly evolve from the original patients to primitive "Mondasians", Cybus-style and ultimately Cyberiad-style Cybermen. Spending the last 491 years of his life aboard the ship, Nardole ensures that the remaining Mondasian colonists "sort" their conflict with the Cybermen. (PROSE: Twice Upon a Time)


 * AUDIO: Spare Parts
 * In a parallel event, Cybermen also arise on Mondas, a planet which at this stage only has a few thousand inhabitants.

Early invasions

 * 1873 - AUDIO: The Silver Turk
 * At this point, Mondas is 200 light years away from Earth. A Mondasian Cyberman scout sent to find Earth crash lands on the planet but fails to report its location.


 * 1954 - COMIC: The Good Soldier
 * The Seventh Doctor and Ace delay the Mondasian Cybermen's attack on Earth.


 * 1970 - COMIC: Cyber-Mole
 * The Second Doctor and his grandchildren thwart an attempt by the Mondasian Cybermen take over Earth using a Cyber-Mole.


 * COMIC: Test Flight
 * The Mondasian Cybermen attempt to hijack an American B-52 bomber but are defeated by the Second Doctor.


 * 1976 (projection) - PROSE: No Future


 * TV: The Invasion
 * Subject to UNIT dating but roughly between c.1969 and c.1979. The Cybermen, led by a Cyber-Planner who recognises the Second Doctor and Jamie McCrimmon from Planet 14, invade Earth but are destroyed by UNIT


 * AUDIO: The Isos Network
 * Shortly following The Invasion, a Cyber-Controller, identical to the one later seen in The Tomb of the Cybermen, leads the Cybermen in a second attempt to invade Earth, from Isos II, but they are destroyed by the Second Doctor and his companions.


 * AUDIO: The Blue Tooth
 * During the former's exile on Earth, the Third Doctor and Liz Shaw encounter a ship of Cybermen.


 * 1984 - AUDIO: The Reaping
 * The Sixth Doctor briefly meets a Cyberman on Mondas


 * 1986 - TV: The Tenth Planet
 * Mondas returns to the solar system. The Mondasian Cybermen launch a failed invasion of Earth which ends with the destruction of Mondas. The encounter with the First Doctor is recalled in Earthshock.


 * COMIC: The Coming of the Cybermen
 * The Second Doctor and his grandchildren thwart a plot by the Mondasian Cybermen to destroy Earth with a bomb. The Cybermen mistake the Doctor for an Earthling.

Lying low

 * 1988 - TV: Silver Nemesis


 * 1992 - AUDIO: Hour of the Cybermen
 * Dated to 1992 by Warlock's Cross.


 * 1993 (alternate timeline) - COMIC: Time & Time Again


 * 2000 - PROSE: Vrs


 * 2006 - AUDIO: Human Resources
 * The survivors of The Tenth Planet have settled on Lonsis, however they are depicted as the Cybermen from The Invasion. They have never heard of Telos and know only of the Doctor from their meeting in The Tenth Planet


 * 2006, November - PROSE: Iceberg
 * The survivors of The Invasion plan a second invasion.


 * 4 May 2010 - GAME: Blood of the Cybermen
 * A ship of Cybermen, identical to Pete's World but with an engraved Cyber face in place of the Cybus brand, had been caught in a time storm and crashed in the Arctic ten thousand years prior. Converting a human expedition into Cyberslaves, they are destroyed following a confrontation with the Eleventh Doctor.


 * 2011 - TV: Closing Time
 * The Eleventh Doctor finds a Cyber Legion ship has crashed on Earth "centuries ago". Intending to convert Earth, the surviving Cybermen only manage to upgrade several humans before they are destroyed.


 * 2012 - GAME: The Eternity Clock
 * The Ninth Cyber Legion invade London but are destroyed by the Eleventh Doctor. This event is possibly the same as the later mentioned Cybermen invasion of 2012.


 * 2013 - COMIC: The Doctor and the Nurse
 * Cybus-style Cybermen surround the Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS at Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff.


 * 2014 - TV: Dark Water/Death in Heaven
 * The Twelfth Doctor finds an army of Nightmare in Silver Cybermen created by, who intends to upgrade the Earth. However, converted Danny Pink leads the Cybermen in destroying themselves; soon after, the converted Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart seemingly kills Missy before leaving to parts unknown.


 * c. 2015 - TV: Face the Raven
 * A single Nightmare in Silver Cyberman, possibly Lethbridge-Stewart, is a resident of the Trap Street, London.


 * 2021 - AUDIO: The Harvest

Continued conquests

 * 2070 - TV: The Moonbase
 * The Second Doctor thwarts a plot by Cybermen, identical to those later seen on Telos, to use the Graviton to destroy all life on Earth from the Moon. At this point, humans believe the Cybermen to have died out years ago.


 * COMIC: Flower Power
 * The Second Doctor and his grandchildren fight the Mondasian Cybermen who, led by a Cyber-Controller, have established a Cyber-City on an unidentified planet. These Cybermen fail to recognise the Second Doctor and his companions.


 * COMIC: The Cyber Empire
 * The Mondasian Cyber-Empire is it is height. The Cybermen capture thousands of Earthmen to build a Cyber-City in honour of the Cyber-Controller. The Second Doctor and his grandchildren topple the city and enable the humans to return home.


 * COMIC: Masquerade
 * The Second Doctor, accompanied by his grandchildren, infiltrates the Mondasian Cybermen, based at a Cyber Out-post on an unidentified planet.


 * COMIC: Eskimo Joe
 * The Second Doctor fights the Mondasian Cybermen on an unidentified planet with Joe. These Cybermen have a Cyber-Empire and recognise the Doctor.


 * 2079 - TV: The Wheel in Space
 * The encounter with the Second Doctor is recalled in Earthshock.


 * AUDIO: Legend of the Cybermen
 * The Cybermen launch a second attack on the Wheel, but are pulled into the Land of Fiction.


 * 2114 - PROSE: Status Update
 * Cyberiad Cybermen launch a failed invasion of the human colony world of Tiestus.


 * COMIC: The Time Museum
 * The Second Doctor and his grandchildren elude the Mondasian Cybermen in a Time Museum with exhibits up to 2150.


 * COMIC: The Champion
 * The Second Doctor, accompanied by his grandchildren, engages a Mondasian Cyberman in an arena operated by a race who capture time travellers.


 * PROSE: The Janus Conjunction
 * Occurs some time during the second half of the 22nd century.


 * 2191 - PROSE: Killing Ground


 * 2267 - COMIC: Assimilation²
 * Cybermen, resembling those from Revenge of the Cybermen, make an incursion into the Federation universe but are thwarted by the Fourth Doctor.


 * 2284 - AUDIO: The Tyrants of Logic


 * COMIC: Dreadnought
 * Dated 23rd century


 * 2368 - COMIC: Assimilation²
 * Cybus-style Cybermen attempt to combine the Doctor's universe with the Federation universe. Their plot to convert both universes is thwarted by the Eleventh Doctor.


 * COMIC: Junkyard Demon


 * COMIC: Junkyard Demon II
 * The Brotherhood of Logicians are active.


 * 25th/26th century - TV: The Tomb of the Cybermen
 * The Cybermen have been assumed extinct for five centuries.


 * circa 25th/26th century - TV: Attack of the Cybermen (Telos scenes)
 * Telos has explicitly been destroyed by the audio Telos so Attack cannot occur after Earthshock.

The Orion War

 * 2503 - AUDIO: Sword of Orion


 * AUDIO: Kingdom of Silver
 * Occurs light years from the Orion war front lines


 * AUDIO: Scorpius


 * AUDIO: Fear


 * AUDIO: Conversion


 * AUDIO: Telos


 * AUDIO: Outsiders


 * AUDIO: Terror


 * AUDIO: Machines


 * AUDIO: Extinction


 * 2526 - TV: Earthshock
 * Thanks to the Fifth Doctor, the Cybermen fail to stop a conference on Earth which they predict will unite powers against them in a war they will not be able to win. The Cyber-Leader recalls the Doctor's involvement in the events of The Tenth Planet, The Wheel in Space and Revenge of the Cybermen, despite the later story taking place in the future; he is unfamiliar with the Fifth Doctor, only recognising him through the presence of the TARDIS.


 * AUDIO: Silver Lining


 * AUDIO: The Crystal of Cantus


 * 26XX - AUDIO: Return to Telos

The Great Cyber War

 * AUDIO: Last of the Cybermen
 * Set during the last days of the Great Cyber War, and ten year later.


 * TV: Revenge of the Cybermen
 * Following their defeat in the Cyber-War, the Cybermen are believed by some to have died out. Their attempt to destroy Voga is thwarted by the Fourth Doctor

Final wars

 * PROSE: Illegal Alien
 * The Cybermen from the 30th century visit 1940.


 * 3286 - WC: Real Time/AUDIO: Real Time*


 * 52nd century, some time after 5145 - A Good Man Goes to War
 * The Twelfth Cyber Legion is destroyed by the Eleventh Doctor and Rory Williams.


 * c. 6th millennium - TV: The Time of the Doctor
 * The Cybermen, identical to those seen in Nightmare in Silver, participate in the Siege of Trenzalore.


 * 54th century - COMIC: The Bidding War.
 * As recalled by the Ninth Doctor, the Cyber-Empire annexed Malleon in either the 5300s or the 5310s.
 * Again to the best of the Doctor's knowledge, he is in the year 5324 or 5325 as he witnesses the Cybermen ravage Nomicae.


 * COMIC: The Flood
 * Highly advanced Cybermen, still unable to convert non-humans, travel back in time to 2005, where they attempt to convert Earth. They are destroyed by the Eighth Doctor.


 * COMIC: Kane's Story
 * In the 82nd century, the Cyber-Empire is led by the Cyber-Emperor. It is "demolished" during the Skeletoid invasion of Mutter's Spiral.

The Last Cybermen

 * TV: The Haunting of Villa Diodati
 * Following the Cyber-War, the Cyber-Empire is in ruins. (TV: Fugitive of the Judoon) The lone Cyberman, resembling a Cyberiad Cyberman, pursues and ultimately reclaims the Cyberium from Earth in 1816 before returning to the future with the Thirteenth Doctor and Team TARDIS in pursuit.


 * TV: Ascension of the Cybermen
 * In the immediate aftermath of the Cyber-Wars, both humanity and the Cybermen have been nearly wiped out. As surviving humans attempt to flee from the Cybermen, the lone Cyberman returns to this time with the Cyberium and, joined by Cyber Legion models, discovers a Cyber-Army of "warrior class" troops.


 * TV: The Timeless Children
 * Summoning the Cybermen to Gallifrey, the Master kills the lone Cyberman in order to access the Cyberium. Creating the CyberMasters from the bodies of the dead Time Lords, the Master and his Cyber-Army are apparently destroyed by Ko Sharmus with a Death particle.


 * TV: Nightmare in Silver
 * The Cyber-Wars, which appear to be different to the one with Voga, were 1,000 years ago when the Tiberian spiral galaxy was destroyed. Both Cybus and Cyber Legion suits are seen as relics of the war. A new army of Cyberiad Cybermen appear at Hedgewick's World of Wonders but are destroyed, with the exception of a single Cybermite. The Eleventh Doctor's Gallifreyan physiology barely resists cyber-conversion.


 * AUDIO: The Reaping
 * The Cyberleader is one of the last Cybermen.


 * AUDIO: The Gathering
 * The cyber-technology from The Reaping is used to enhance human medical technology.


 * End of the universe - COMIC: Supremacy of the Cybermen
 * Banished from Gallifrey by the Twelfth Doctor, Rassilon joins forces with the Cybermen. Conquering Gallifrey, the Cybermen attack various points in history in a bid to convert all of time and space. Ultimately, the Cybermen betray Rassilon, who works with the Doctor to regenerate the universe, reverting all the damage they had caused.

Pete's World

 * 2007 (Pete's World) - TV: Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel
 * The Tenth Doctor discovers the Cybermen in a parallel Earth, created by Cybus Industries CEO John Lumic. Converted into Cyber-Controller, Lumic intends to upgrade all of humanity but is killed when London's Cybus factory is destroyed. However, other factories existed across the world.


 * GAME: Save Paris
 * The Preachers neutralise the Cybus factory in Paris.


 * GAME: Cyber Assault
 * A war is raged across Earth between the Preachers and the Cybermen. Ultimately, the Preachers win and the Cybermen are sealed in their factories.


 * 2010 (Pete's World)/2007 (N-Space) - TV: Army of Ghosts/Doomsday
 * Over a period of three years, approximately 5 million Cybermen travel through the void to N-Space, resulting in the Battle of Canary Wharf. These Cybermen are eventually sucked back into the Void by the Tenth Doctor.


 * TV: The Next Doctor
 * A group of Cybermen escape from the Void and end up in London in the 1850s, where they are destroyed by the Tenth Doctor.


 * 2007 (N-Space) - TV: Cyberwoman
 * Lisa Hallett, who was partially converted into a Cyberman at Canary Wharf, is found and killed at Torchwood Three.


 * 2008 (N-Space) - PROSE: Made of Steel
 * Less than half a dozen Cybermen from Canary Wharf attempt to build up the Cyber race but are defeated by the Tenth Doctor.


 * COMIC: The Power of the Cybermen/Drones of Doom/Enemy Mine/Time of the Cybermen
 * A new army of Cybus Cybermen are constructed by a thief who stole information from the Torchwood Archive. Turning on and converting the thief, the new Cybermen invade Centuria but are defeated by the Tenth Doctor. However, potential survivors remain.

Third universe

 * 2010s - AUDIO: Code Silver/Master of Worlds
 * Cybermen of a third universe attempt to conquer N-Space only to be destroyed by.

Elsewhere

 * TV: The Five Doctors
 * A squad of Cybermen, identical to those seen in Earthshock, are placed in the Death Zone by Borusa.


 * PROSE: Warmonger
 * The Cybermen are part of the Alliance led by the Supreme Controller, actually the Fifth Doctor, in the war against Morbius. They deem the battle "excellent".


 * COMIC: Throwback: The Soul of a Cyberman
 * COMIC: Deathworld
 * COMIC: Black Legacy
 * COMIC: Exodus/Revelation!/Genesis!


 * AUDIO: The Ultimate Adventure
 * The Cybermen work with the Daleks in an attempt to invade 1980s Earth, however it is unclear as to whether time travel is involved with their invasion. The Daleks claim to have invaded Earth in the past.


 * AUDIO: The Girl Who Never Was
 * Cybermen that sound like those from The Tenth Planet but have the appearance of those from The Invasion.
 * The Doctor encounters a Cybermen timesquad which had been dispatched into "the future" before making an emergency exit from the vortex into 500,002. Their distress signal was unanswered, so they then plan to cyberconvert 1942 Earth and bring restart the cyber race in 500,002. The remnants of the squad move between 20th century and the 5001st century every time there is a storm, until 2008. Their origin time is unknown.


 * GAME: Dalek Supremacy
 * Cybus-style Cybermen attempt to capture Dalek weapons bases but are wiped out by the New Dalek Paradigm.


 * COMIC: The Prodigal Returns
 * The Cybermen rule Mondas.


 * PROSE: Ghost in the Machine
 * PROSE: The Scruffy Piper
 * Set during the early years of the Third Cyberwar.

Pete's World

 * PROSE: Going Off the Rails

aHistory Timeline
This timeline is from the third edition of aHistory. Most of the dates given here are speculative.
 * Birth of the Cybermen: COMIC: The Dead Heart, The Flesh Unbound, The Black Sky, The Hungry Sea, The Dark Flame, The Future Perfect
 * Birth of the Cybermen: TV: The Keys of Marinus
 * Birth of the Cybermen: COMIC: The Ugly Underneath
 * Birth of the Cybermen: COMIC: The World Shapers
 * Birth of the Cybermen: AUDIO: Spare Parts
 * 1873: AUDIO: The Silver Turk
 * 1954: COMIC: The Good Soldier
 * UNIT Year 1: TV: The Invasion
 * UNIT Year 3: AUDIO: The Blue Tooth
 * 1984: AUDIO: The Reaping
 * 1985: TV: Attack of the Cybermen
 * 1986: TV: The Tenth Planet
 * 1988: TV: Silver Nemesis
 * 2005: COMIC: The Flood
 * 2006: AUDIO: Human Resources
 * 2006: AUDIO: The Gathering
 * 2006: PROSE: Iceberg
 * 2008: AUDIO: The Girl Who Never Was
 * 2012: TV: Closing Time
 * 2021: AUDIO: The Harvest
 * 2068: TV: The Wheel in Space
 * 2070: TV: The Moonbase
 * 2109: AUDIO: Legend of the Cybermen
 * 2191: PROSE: Killing Ground
 * 2296: COMIC: Dreadnought
 * 2485: COMIC: Junkyard Demon
 * 2485: COMIC: Junkyard Demon II
 * 2486: TV: The Tomb of the Cybermen
 * 2495: TV: Attack of the Cybermen
 * 2502: COMIC: Throwback: The Soul of a Cyberman
 * 2503: AUDIO: Sword of Orion
 * 2505: AUDIO: Kingdom of Silver
 * 2514: AUDIO: Keepsake
 * 2515: AUDIO: Scorpius / Fear / Conversion / Telos
 * 2516: AUDIO: Outsiders / Terror / Machines / Extinction
 * 2526: TV: Earthshock
 * 2604: AUDIO: Silver Lining
 * 2606: AUDIO: The Crystal of Cantus
 * 2875: TV: Revenge of the Cybermen
 * 3286: WC: Real Time
 * 3980: COMIC: Deathworld
 * 4635: COMIC: Kane's Story
 * River Song: TV: A Good Man Goes to War
 * 500,000: AUDIO: The Girl Who Never Was