Cyber-Controller

A Cyber-Controller directed lesser-ranking Cybermen and Cyber-Leaders from the Cyber-Tombs and, later from Cyber-Control.

Early history
In 2006, the Seventh Doctor met the Cyber-Controller in its original form as the Cyber-Planner. (PROSE: Iceberg)

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

Centuries later, though at an earlier stage in his personal time, the Second Doctor and his companions found the Cyber-Controller in the Cyber-Tombs. It immediately took charge of the Cybermen. Toberman, a partially cyber-converted human attacked the Controller just before the Doctor sealed off the Cyber-Tombs, freezing the Cybermen once more. (TV: The Tomb of the Cybermen) Later on returning to Telos, though the Sixth Doctor believed the Controller had died, he met the Cyber-Controller again. A blast from a cyber-gun fired by the Doctor himself (presumably) killed him. (TV: Attack of the Cybermen)

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

Alternative timeline
On 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)


 * Since this timeline was negated, we must speculate that the Cyber-Controller's plan never came to fruition.

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 list the Controller slightly differently, as the Cyberman Controller.
 * Whether or not the title of Cyber-Controller belongs to a unique individual or more than one (sequentially or at the same time) remains unclear.