Daleks Vs. Cyberman: How Do They Differ? 

Doctor Who has a cult following worldwide as he’s an extraterrestrial being that takes the form of a human who fights enemies wanting to destroy humanity. Among these villains, the two fan favorites are Daleks and Cyberman.

So, in this Daleks vs. Cyberman guide, we’ll discuss how the villains are different from each other.

Now, Daleks are ferocious extraterrestrial beings who are mutants focused on destroying people of a different race as they believe Daleks to be of a superior race. On the other hand, Cyberman is cyborgs who want to change any human by surgically changing them into being like them.

To find who is more dangerous and persistent among the legendary foes of Doctor Who, keep on reading!

Differences Between Daleks And Cyberman 

These two villain races have many strengths and weaknesses that set them apart and make them more ferocious. First, let’s look at the significant differences between these foes.

1. Origins of the Daleks and Cyberman 

To distinguish between these two evil forces, we must know their histories. Let’s dive in and learn the origin stories of Daleks and Cyberman.

Daleks 

The Daleks’ ancestors belonged to the planet Skaro. They were teachers and philosophers, and their arch enemy Thals were at war with them. So, to preserve the Daleks, their lead scientist Davros started mutating their ancestors, called Kaleds, to create a superior race that could destroy their enemies, the Thals.

These mutated Kaled, known as Daleks, had a metal casing that looked like a tank, and they just had one emotion driving them- hatred. This emotion of hate drove Daleks only to consider their race as superior and any other race as impure. Hence, they sought to exterminate any race that was not Daleks.

The Daleks were first created to kill the Thals, but instead, they took on a bigger mission and even killed their own creator. They are the most threatening of all villains, and even the Doctor had time-traveled to stop their inception.

Daleks were so bent on purity that they even killed Daleks, who merged with another human that tainted their origin. The Daleks were based on the Nazis, and the similarity and extremism they share can easily be seen in the story.

Cyberman

Cyberman’s race came from a planet that was the twin of the Earth. Their ancestors were Mondasians, and they first lived in Mondas and later in Telos. Their conversion was voluntary as they tried to survive their harsh conditions. Their disabled human beings willingly underwent limb replacements to survive.

They slowly started to convert every limb and other parts of their body except their brain, which they considered sacred. The Cyberman continued to convert their young until they could not reproduce after an upgrade and sought out other races to transform.

They were emotionless and could be so as they used a neurological inhibitor to destroy their emotions. That was an advantage to them as then they could not feel pain and could repair themselves. Their metal exteriors were armor to help them bear harsh environments and weapons.

2. Strengths of Daleks and Cyberman 

For these villains to cause havoc large enough for Doctor Who to intervene, they must have strengths. Let’s take a look at the strengths of these two foes.

Daleks

Equipped with Deadly Weapons

Daleks are mutated Kaleds intended to be a superior race to fight off Thals. To be invincible and indestructible, they are equipped with armors and technologies that can cause significant destruction.

Unfortunately, Davos was not just a scientist but highly adept at making deadly weapons that could easily wipe out an entire race. He used his skills to create a race that was only motivated by hatred and equipped with fatal technologies to protect themselves and kill Thals.

Can Make Other Equipment Other Then Weapons 

Daleks are very intelligent, too, as they can produce their technologies when required. Daleks’ higher-ranking officials are even capable of time travel. They have successfully made time travel machines and spaceships.

Furthermore, they used spaceships to travel from one place to another and invade other planets to kill their inferior races.

Can Manipulate Other Humanoids with Nanogens 

Driven by their disgust of any other race different from Daleks, they manipulate other races by using nanogens to transform human beings into another form. These converted humans carried small tasks that the Daleks felt too superior to conduct.

Although Daleks have metal casings that cover their exterior, they can possess human bodies and take complete control of them.

Cyberman

Armor Bodice 

Cyberman are driven by their motive of surviving at any and all costs, which makes them very adaptable but no less evil as they are devoid of any emotions.

They are humans that have a metal exterior to sustain any significant injuries caused by difficult conditions or weapons. Additionally, their metal exteriors are excellent at preserving their life by protecting them from any viral, bacterial, or other forms of diseases.

Furthermore, the metal casings slow down their aging as well. Even if they lose limbs when attacked, they can attach limbs as they have resilience against pain. They can build and attach any limbs without batting an eye as they cannot feel any pain due to the neurological inhibitors.

Ability to Adapt 

They are not strict in the sense of considering themselves superior and killing off innocent races. Instead, they can adapt and covert any race to become one of them. This adaptability is a central plus point as this ensures their inability to become extinct.

Furthermore, as they do not shy away from collaborating and mixing with other races, they can convert these races and possess their technologies and have new technologies and knowledge that can be useful for them to survive in any harsh environment.

The adaptability and flexibility they inherit as a survival mechanism are why they have changed their appearance so many times in their lifespan over the show.

3. Weakness of Daleks and Cyberman 

Strength and weakness go together. Let’s look at the limitations of the Daleks and Cyberman.

Daleks

Risk of Extinction 

Since Daleks are bent on the objective of being the single most dominating race on any planet and refuse to mix with other human races, they have little chance of increasing their numbers. They have technologies that can do this, but they disagree with each other and lose their harmony when deciding which technology to use.

In order to increase their numbers, if they mix with other races, that distract them from their goal of having just one race, it gives rise to moral conflict amongst them.

It threatens and challenges the only goal they have set themselves; moreover, if they find out that there are other mixtures of Daleks, they consider them impure and hunt to kill them.

The motive of Eliminating all Non-Dalek Beings 

At last, they have one goal: to ensure the total dominance and existence of Daleks and are intolerant to other forms of humanoids. So, when they achieve their goal, they won’t have any other goal to strive for.

Their arrogance and in-built hatred have rendered them hopeless and have only set themselves for failure. The Daleks have technology as their strength as it can destroy a large number of people.

Thus, making just one Dalek so powerful that only a few are needed to cause mass destruction. However, their singular mindset will prove to be their biggest and deadliest weakness.

Cyberman

Lack of Weapon Innovation 

Cyberman may seem like the lesser of two evils. Still, their emotionless and mechanical outlook on life and reluctance to consider emotions when converting one humanoid to Cyberman makes them equally as dangerous.

They merge with different humanoid races and adapt their technologies to win wars. This lack of weapon innovation is their major weakness.

Flexibility to Change 

Their drive to survive, hence adapt, has become a sore spot for them as their in-built trait has been used against them to manipulate them.

The Daleks and Doctor were aware of the weakness of Cyberman and did not shy away from using their weakness against them to have the upper hand over them. One generation of Cyberman was vulnerable to gold, and any gold used against them could be deadly for their lives. This weakness was also used against them by Doctor.

Cyberman were the most vulnerable when they were in their weakest form in the backdrop of their evolution. At one point in their earlier evolution, they were vulnerable to just house cleaning products, but other forms were stronger and tougher.

Final Verdict

In this guide of Daleks vs. Cyberman, we are sure about one thing, which is that these two famous foes that the Doctor had multiple interactions with are equally ferocious and dangerous.

However, they have different origin stories and strengths and weaknesses. Daleks have the power of advanced technology to make deadly weapons.

Still, their singular goal of exterminating any and all races that aren’t Daleks will pose a significant threat to their existence as they will deteriorate in numbers as they start nearing their goal if they ever do.

On the other hand, the biggest strength of Cyberman is their ability to adapt. This is often manipulated against them to threaten their existence but their flexibility to evolve is a strength that will ensure that they do not cease to exist any time soon.

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