It’s fair to say that Cyborg has had one of the most perplexing journeys in recent DC adaptations, but some fans think a perfect casting suggestion has been with us all along.
Cyborg’s elevation to the top tier of the DC pantheon has been more than patchy. Ray Fisher’s turn as Victor Stone was famously the most divisive part of 2017’s Justice League debacle. Zack Snyder’s Justice League reprieved the character in 2021 when it confirmed that he was always intended to be the movie’s central character.
Stone wasn’t saved for long, though — the last nail in the coffin of the Snyderverse came with James Gunn’s announcement of the DC Universe’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. His new approach to DC adaptations concentrates on more familiar DC big hitters Superman and Batman, with no mention of Cyborg. That was terrible news for fans of the armored hero, as it came after confirmation that Doom Patrol was ending with its fourth season. The HBO Max series had provided Cyborg, in the form of actor Jovian Wade, one of his safest homes among DC’s quirkiest heroes. Stone lives in the adorable form voiced by Khary Payton in Teen Titans Go! That 10-year stint has been impressive, but come on, DC, can you give a cyborg a chance?
It’s left the long-suffering hero bottom of the love stakes, but could the answer come from a character more famous for playing a villain over in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? One fan on Reddit pointed out the obvious, which is especially relevant given the reset movie scheduled to hit the DCU this summer.
That’s right, Michel B. Jordan has already voiced the League member in the Flashpoint Paradox animated adaptation that kicked off the DC Animated Movie Universe in 2013. Understandably, that sparked a debate on the fantastic voice casting that helped DC’s adaptations achieve greater consistency in animation than live action. As Flashpoint arrives in movie theaters in this summer, there would be a certain poetry to Jordan reclaiming the role.
After a sidestep playing Johnny Storm in Fox’s disastrous Fantastic Four, the MCU snapped Jordan up for superhero duties for a brilliant turn as Kilmonger in 2018’s Black Panther. Death wasn’t the end for his character, and a ghostly cameo in Wakanda Forever was a satisfactory handover to the next generation.
Despite Jordan’s masterful steering of the Creed franchise — helming and starring in the third installment due this year — this could be the ideal time for him to return to superheroics. Given the speculation on the age of Justice League members in the new-look DCU, which Gunn has had to fend off, Jordan’s age was raised as one block.
Perhaps the longest shadow is cast by another DC property attached to Jordan. A Multiversal Superman movie developed by J.J. Abrams and Ta-Nehisi Coates and potentially starring Jordan was first suggested a few years ago and is still considered to be in active development. Don’t forget that Jordan’s production company was set to adapt the Superman of Earth-2, Val-Zod, in a live-action HBO Max series.
While Jordan’s Creed III antagonist, Jonathan Majors, is set for a long run in the MCU as unlimited Kangs, Jordan has plenty more options to up his superhero count. As another user noted, all signs are that he would make a solid Green Lantern as John Stewart, a character who will be paramount to the upcoming HBO Max series, Lanterns.
Looks like Vic Stone still has a few fans to win over.