It’s Doctor Who Day and the BBC decided to celebrate by dropping the first teaser trailer for the upcoming twelfth season of the sci-fi institution. Understandably, fans are going crazy over it on social media, with one scene, in particular, getting a lot of attention. Yes, I’m talking about the moment when the Thirteenth Doctor wears a suit. Wait, no, the moment in question is the reveal that the Cybermen will return, and that they’ll be getting a bit of an upgrade when they do.
At the 0:34 mark, we get two brief shots which confirm the Time Lord’s old enemies will be back in season 12 with a new look. The first sees one of the metal men emerging from what looks to be the smoke of an explosion. Due to the unfocused nature of the shot, it’s hard to make out the details of the costume. Thankfully, the following clip gives us a much clearer look at the Cyberman’s helmet.
Check the relevant screenshots out in the gallery below:
As you can see, there’s a more makeshift feel to this Cybermen design. Fans had previously labelled the most recent Cybermen as Iron Man-like due to their sleekness. Well, this guy is more like Mark 1 Iron Man as he appears to be rusting and looks to be more cobbled together. Interestingly, this recalls the design of the Dalek seen in this year’s special “Resolution.” That episode saw the creature construct itself a new casing when stranded on Earth. Could a similar situation explain why this Cyberman appears this way?
It’s also worth noting that these shots are preceded by the Doctor looking solemn in the TARDIS, with Jodie Whittaker’s voiceover revealing that “something” is coming for her. Is she speaking about the Cybermen? Are they stalking the Doctor across time and space? Will this be an ongoing plot point? We’ll find out when Doctor Who season 12 launches on New Year’s Day, before continuing on Saturdays after that.