Cyber-Controller

A Cyber-Controller was a Cyberman who commanded lesser-ranking Cybermen, such as drones and Cyber-Leaders.

Hierarchy
Standing at the very top of the rigid Cyberman hierarchy, the Controller oversaw Senior Leaders who commanded Major Phalanxes including Leaders, Junior Leaders and the Cyber-Army. (PROSE: Attack of the Cybermen)

One Cyber-Controller was held by some accounts to be the singular, ultimate mastermind of the Cybermen; (PROSE: The Powers Behind the Throne) it directed its underlings from the Cyber-Tombs and, later from Cyber-Control. (TV: The Tomb of the Cybermen, Attack of the Cybermen) However, in other accounts, the Doctor was shown to encounter different individual Cyber-Controllers. (COMIC: The Cyber Empire, AUDIO: The Isos Network)

Mondas
A Cyber-Controller ruled the Mondasian Cyber-Empire. Unlike other Controllers, it appeared identical to its subordinates. However, it notably wore a cloak. (COMIC: Flower Power, The Cyber Empire)

20th century
Around the 1970s, a Cyber-Controller remarkably similar to the one on Telos was activated on Isos II to lead the counter-invasion of Earth after the first one was repelled. (AUDIO: The Isos Network, TV: The Invasion)

In 1986, a Mondasian Cyber-Controller was based on Mondas while subordinate Cyber-Leaders led an invasion of Earth. One Cyber-Leader, Gern, declared himself Controller of Earth. Ultimately, however, the invasion ended in defeat as Mondas was destroyed. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet, TV: The Tenth Planet)

21st century
In 2006, the Seventh Doctor met the Cyber-Controller in its original form as the Cyber Co-ordinator. (PROSE: Iceberg)

In 2011, a group of Cybermen almost converted Craig Owens into a Cyber-Controller, but his "love" for his son overloaded their emotional inhibitors and caused them to explode, saving Craig from the complete process. (TV: Closing Time)

In the late 21st century, a Cyber-Controller led an attack on Space Station W3. Zoe Heriot brought the Cybermen into the Land of Fiction. The Cyber-Controller realised the potential of converting fictional characters and led an invasion of the Land of Fiction until Grendel's mother ripped its limbs off and the Lady of the Lake beheaded it. (AUDIO: Legend of the Cybermen)

Federation universe
A Cyber-Controller led the Cybermen in an incursion into a parallel universe, altering history to combine that universe with N-Space. In the 24th century, they encountered a species similar to their own called the Borg and they entered a temporary alliance, the Cybermen modifying themselves with Borg technology before betraying them. With the support of the Eleventh Doctor, the crew of the Starfleet vessel USS Enterprise-D formed an uneasy alliance with the Borg and stormed the Cyber-Controller's ship. The Cyber-Controller was overcome and the Borg set all of the Cyberships to self-destruct through the Cyber-web that linked them together. (COMIC: Assimilation²)

Telos
In the 25th century, the Second Doctor and his companions Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield found the Cyber-Controller in the Cyber-Tombs, and it immediately took charge of the Cybermen. It told the archaeological party they would become the first of a new race of Cybermen.

Using a Cyber-gun, Eric Klieg tried to hold the controller hostage when it was low on power, but he was unsuccessful.

Toberman, a partially cyber-converted human attacked the Controller after it killed Kaftan after she had fired on it with her gun, just before the Doctor sealed off the Cyber-Tombs, freezing the Cybermen once more. (TV: The Tomb of the Cybermen) On returning to Telos, the Sixth Doctor met the Cyber-Controller again, this time in a more advanced body. A blast from a cyber-gun fired by the Doctor killed him. (TV: Attack of the Cybermen)

Cyber Wars
During the Cyber-Wars a Super Controller, which the Sixth Doctor described as "bloated," directed Cyber-forces from Telos before attempting to install Zoe as the new Controller since her mind was already compartmentalised. (AUDIO: Last of the Cybermen)

Far future
In the 82nd century, the Cybermen were instead led by a Cyber-Emperor. (COMIC: Kane's Story, Frobisher's Story)

In the far future, a Cyber-Controller took the Cybermen back in time to the early 21st century to convert all the humans on Earth. It was killed by the Eighth Doctor, who used the time vortex to turn it into dust. (COMIC: The Flood)

Undated events
A Cyber-Controller attended Bonjaxx's birthday party at Maruthea. (COMIC: Party Animals)

At an unknown point in time, a Cyber-Controller on New Mondas was inspecting some converted Cybermen, along with the Cyber-Leader. Unfortunately, the recently converted Cybermen were tampered with by the Daleks and self-destructed, destroying Cyber-Command. (COMIC: Cyber Crisis)

Alternative timelines
In the alternate timeline of the "Cyberverse", the planet Chronos in the year 3286, the Sixth Doctor encountered a version of his companion, Evelyn Smythe, who had become the Cyber-Controller long before. This Controller planned to convert the Doctor himself into the next Cyber-Controller. This Cyber-Controller had come into existence when, Evelyn, infected by a techno-virus created by her own future self, had landed on 1927 Earth. The techno-virus had allowed the cyber-conversion of the humans who survived the virus. The Cyber-Controller herself infected Evelyn, her former self. Reece Goddard, a Cyberman from this timeline who resembled a human, killed this Cyber-Controller. Neither the Doctor or Evelyn realised the connection between her and this Controller. (AUDIO: Real Time, WC: Real Time)

In an alternate timeline where Rassilon and the Cybermen conquered all of time and space, a Cyber-Controller, whose existence was unknown to Rassilon, secretly manipulated the Time Lord into believing that he had full control of the Cybermen during the Gallifreyan Cyber Fleet's invasion of the Capitol, before revealing itself to the Twelfth Doctor in the Eye of Harmony's chamber shortly after he and Rassilon were trapped in looms designed to extract regenerative energy. This Cyber-Controller revealed to the Doctor its plans to accelerate the death of N-Space and rebirth it as "the Age of the Cyberiad", a universe under complete Cyber-control from its very beginning. Ultimately it was destroyed when the Doctor and Rassilon used the regenerative energy stored in the Eye of Harmony to restore the universe to its state before Rassilon encountered the Cybermen; the sheer power of the regenerative energy incinerated the Cyber-Controller. (COMIC: Supremacy of the Cybermen)

Appearance
Taller than the others, the Controller found in the Cyber-tombs on Telos had an enlarged, dome-shaped semi-transparent brain case lit from the inside. He also lacked the Cyberman chest unit and the Cyberman head handles, and his head was grey instead of silver. The Cyber-Controller had such authority that, upon awakening, the other Cybermen appeared to salute him. (TV: The Tomb of the Cybermen) Later, when he co-ordinated actions from Telos, the Controller had changed physically, now having changed to resemble the other Cybermen of that era. He had a chest unit, but still lacked the Cyberman head handles. He also now had a metal, though still enlarged, brain case. (TV: Attack of the Cybermen)

Behind the scenes

 * The credits list in The Tomb of the Cybermen lists the Controller slightly differently, as the "Cyberman Controller".