Warner Bros. announced late Thursday afternoon they have cast Ray Fisher (Fetch Clay, Make Man) as Victor Stone aka Cyborg for the upcoming 2016 release Batman v Superman. Anyone who’s not a comic book fan may asking “Who?” -if they’re not humming the Teen Titans theme song. Or, comic book fans and non-fans alike may ask “Why?”
First who: Cyborg, aka Victor Stone, is half human, half machine (if you couldn’t tell by the name). In recent comics, Stone has become an important character within the structure of the Justice League, often as a moral compass. What role he’ll truly play in the grand scheme of this sequel remains to be seen. One thing’s for certain: having a Broadway actor – Fisher, is famous for his turn as Muhammad Ali in the play Fetch Clay, Make Man – in your film can’t hurt. Generally those men and woman are strong actors who can understand the heart of their characters…something important for Victor Stone – ironic, as he is missing his heart.
As for why: we can only guess at this point. With Ben Affleck and a returning Henry Cavill set up as the titular members of the Justice League – plus Wonder Woman (to be portrayed by Gal Gadot), why would they further dilute an already crowded space.? Is DC trying to do too much too soon? Last year we fantasy drafted our own Justice League. Should we just call this the unofficial Justice League film? One has to wonder exactly how much time characters like Cyborg and Wonder Woman are going to get as we still have to build towards the epic showdown between the super-powered boy scout, and the Dark Knight.