Editing Cyberman (section)

==== Classic series (1963–1996) ====
[[File:Doctor Who Experience series 10 (35604690953).jpg|thumb|left|A "primitive" Mondasian Cyberman, on display at a Doctor Who exhibition]]
The Cybermen first appear in the serial ''[[The Tenth Planet]]'' in 1966, set in 1986. This story explains how, millions of years ago, Earth had a twin planet known as Mondas that was knocked out of solar orbit and [[rogue planet|drifted into deep space]]. The Mondasians, already far in advance of Earth's technology and fearful for their race's survival,<ref>Parkin, Lance & Pearson, Lars (2012). ''A History: An Unauthorised History of the Doctor Who Universe (3rd Edition)'', p. 48. Mad Norwegian Press, Des Moines. {{ISBN|978-193523411-1}}.</ref> replaced most of their bodies with cybernetic parts. Having eventually removed all emotion from their brains (to maintain their sanity), the natives installed a drive propulsion system to pilot the planet itself through space. As the original race was limited in numbers and were continually being depleted, the Mondasians – now Cybermen – became a race of conquerors who reproduced by forcibly changing other organic beings into Cybermen. The [[First Doctor]] ([[William Hartnell]]) opposes these Cybermen when they attempt to drain the Earth's energy to make way for Mondas' return to the [[Solar System]]; in this encounter, Mondas absorbs too much energy from Earth, destroying it and all Cybermen on Earth. The adventure takes its physical toll on the Doctor, forcing him to [[regeneration (Doctor Who)|regenerate]] for the first time, becoming the [[Second Doctor]] ([[Patrick Troughton]]).

The Cybermen next appeared later in the same television season in ''[[The Moonbase]]'' (1967) opposite the Second Doctor. In 2070, the Cybermen attempt to remotely destroy the Earth by affecting its weather patterns with a device called the Gravitron. However, the Gravitron is used against them, hurling them into space. In the following season, ''[[The Tomb of the Cybermen]]'' saw a 25th Century human expedition discover sarcophagi containing hibernating Cybermen on the planet Telos, where the creatures arise and attack. This episode introduced the cybermats, small mechanical scouts used by the Cybermen, as well as the Cyber Controller. In ''[[The Wheel in Space]]'' (1968), the Doctor and his crew face off against the Cybermen on a marooned Earth space station in the 21st century. This episode introduces the Cyber-Planner, an immobile unit which directs the Cybermen. The Cybermen plan to take over the space station, after which their fleet will invade Earth. The Doctor uses an x-ray laser to destroy the Cybermen. In the next season, ''[[The Invasion (Doctor Who)|The Invasion]]'' has the Doctor and his companions visit late 20th century England, where he discovers an army of Cybermen are hidden on Earth and working with magnate Tobias Vaughn ([[Kevin Stoney]]) to invade Earth. Their invasion is defeated by the Doctor and the military support of the newly formed [[UNIT|United Nations Intelligence Taskforce]].

The Cybermen did not face the [[Third Doctor]] ([[Jon Pertwee]]) during his era, but one is shown as part of an exhibit in ''[[Carnival of Monsters]]'' (1973). The Third Doctor would however face Cybermen in the 20th anniversary special "[[The Five Doctors]]" (1983).

The [[Fourth Doctor]] ([[Tom Baker]]) is next to encounter a group of Cybermen in ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]'' (1975). These Cybermen are depicted as the wandering remnants of a fallen empire, ravaged by the so-called Cyber-Wars against victorious humanity, which had exploited the Cybermen's weakness to gold. These Cybermen attempt to restore the glory of their race by destroying the gold-rich asteroid Voga.

Cybermen were not seen again until ''[[Earthshock]]'' (1982), in which the [[Fifth Doctor]] ([[Peter Davison]]) encounters Cybermen in Earth in the year 2526. The Cybermen plan to destroy the planet with a large bomb while alien dignitaries visit Earth to discuss the ongoing Cyber-Wars. After the Doctor foils this plan, they decide to crash their freighter into the planet to achieve the same result. The freighter is hurled back in time, however, and the Doctor's companion, boy genius [[Adric]] ([[Matthew Waterhouse]]), is trapped on board as the freighter crashes into prehistoric Earth, killing Adric and triggering the [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event|K-T extinction event]]. The Cybermen appear once more in the Fifth Doctor's era, alongside the four previous Doctors, in "[[The Five Doctors]]" (1983), when they are transported to the Doctor's home planet of [[Gallifrey]] by the [[Time Lord]] President [[Borusa]] ([[Philip Latham]]).

''[[Attack of the Cybermen]]'' (1985) is set after ''Tomb''. The Cybermen attempt to use a time machine to avert the destruction of Mondas by causing [[Halley's Comet]] to crash into the Earth. Their plan fails and, due to the intervention of the [[Sixth Doctor]] ([[Colin Baker]]), they also lose their adopted homeworld of Telos to its original inhabitants, the Cryons.

The Cybermen appeared for a final time in the classic series in ''[[Silver Nemesis]]'' (1988), in which a fleet of Cybermen warships assemble to convert Earth into a new Mondas. A Cybermen scouting party is sent to Earth in search of the legendary Nemesis statue, a Time Lord artefact of immense power, made of the "living metal" validium{{Typo help inline|reason=If spelling is correct, please put word in "not a typo" template|date=February 2024}}. The intervention of the [[Seventh Doctor]] ([[Sylvester McCoy]]) and his companion [[Ace (Doctor Who)|Ace]] ([[Sophie Aldred]]), however, ensures that the Nemesis destroys the entire cyber-fleet instead.

Between the series' cancellation and subsequent revival, the Cybermen make one brief appearance, in the 1993 [[Children in Need]] special ''[[Dimensions in Time]]'', as one of several enemies used by evil Time Lady [[Rani (Doctor Who)|the Rani]] ([[Kate O'Mara]]) to hunt the Doctor.