The character Cyborg, aka Victor “Vic” Stone, first appeared on Smalltown in season 5 of the 10 seasons of the series. Part man, part machine, Cyborg was created as a character in 1990 in DC Comics presents issue #26 (by Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez). Cyborg has been portrayed by many different actors in media over the years. He has appeared in both live-action and animated versions of DC Comics adaptations. When he was added to the cast of Smallville, Rising star Lee Thompson Young brought his own talents to the character.

Young had first shown his acting skills as the protagonist of a television show on Disney Channel before appearing on Smalltown. He also left his brief but memorable mark on the film scene in the early 2000s. In a recent episode of Talk Ville: a podcast to review, actors Tom Welling (Clark Kent) and Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) discuss working with Young during his time on Smallville.

Lee Thompson Young’s main role was in Disney Channel’s The Famous Jett Jackson

Young discovered his love for theater at a young age. A passion that his parents supported. Originally from South Carolina, his acting career is rooted in his representation by Martin Luther King when he was ten years old in a play called A night of stars and dreams. He moved to New York in 1996 and auditioned for Disney Channel the following year. He won the title role of the series The famous Jett Jackson (1998-2001) following an impressive audition. In the series, he plays a young actor who stars in a series within the series called Silverstone.

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THE Jett Jackson The TV series eerily paralleled Young’s life, even though he was cast after the series was conceived. The show centered on the character Jett Jackson who moves production of his main television show from Los Angeles to his hometown, a fictional town in North Carolina. This move allows him to live with his father, the town sheriff. Silverstone, the character Jett plays in the series, is a high-tech spy whose on-screen life often intersects with Jett’s off-screen life. Being a show aimed at young people, difficult topics like eating disorders and racial prejudice were often discussed on the program. The series ended after three good seasons and Young was nominated for numerous Young Artist Awards.

When the series ended in 2001, the Disney Channel Original Movies were at their peak. Naturally, Young starred in Jett Jackson: the movie (2001). The film is in some ways a version of Mark Twain’s film. The prince and the pauper. By a sci-fi twist, the real-life Jett swaps places with the action spy fantasy world of Silverstone. The film has an audience score of 47% on Rotten Tomatoes, with some of the most positive reviews. declaring“Once you suspend your disbelief in how the film sets up the journey, you’ll launch into the lead role played by Lee Thompson. The film really…accomplishes a very humbling and endearing farewell for the character. ” Even though the film is typical Disney Channel, viewers dispute that Young’s performance is a key reason to watch it.

Young would also star in other Disney Channel Original Movies during his tenure as a Disney child star. He played Sam Sterling in Johnny Tsunami (1999). However, by the time a sequel was released in 2007, Johnny Kapahala: back on boardYoung had moved on to other projects and did not return. He lent his voice to the Disney cartoon The proud family also in a brief role in 2004. The same year, he starred in his first theatrically released film, Friday Night Lights. Based on a book about a real-life high school football team and its rocky road to a state championship, it was considered one of the best high school movies when it was released.

Lee Thompson Young played the role of Cyborg in Smallville

As Smalltown Entering its fifth season, audiences were seeing more and more characters from the DC Universe appear in the series. Young made his first appearance as Cyborg in Season 5, Episode 15, “Cyborg“. In the episode, Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) hits Victor with her car and watches as he walks away from the accident unscathed. This leads him to call Clark Kent (Tom Welling) to investigate, after which Clark befriends Victor and discovers his origin stories and a reluctant technological hybrid. Cyborg would return in seasons 6, 9 and 10 (in an appearance) of Smallville. He would eventually join The Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman and others as a character in the show’s all-new Justice League – although that specific name for the group was never used.

In Rosenbaum’s most recent episode Smalltown Rewatching the podcast, he and Welling reflected on their working relationship with Young. Both had nothing but good things to say about their interactions with the actor. Rosenbaum declared his own notice First of all, “Not only was Lee Thompson Young great to work with, I did a scene with him and loved my time with him…he was a truly great actor talented and such a good person… there’s something about him that appealed to me.” The showrunners probably felt the same way since Young kept returning to the series season after season. time spent by Young Jett Jackson. Yet, Welling said, “he was so calm and collected that it seemed…I even felt Clark admiring him.”

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Young’s last and final appearance was in season 9 of Smallville. Although his character appeared for a brief time in a season 10 episode among other important DC heroes, they were not portrayed by the regular cast and their faces were not shown. In the last episode of season 9, HiZod has unleashed his army on Earth, and he and Clark fight for the salvation of the world. Cyborg and other members of the future Justice League are called in as reinforcements. At this point in the series, creators Al Gough and Miles Millar had left – so it’s really a testament to Young’s abilities that he returned. This episode was also the final appearance of Phil Morris as Martian Manhunter.

Lee Thompson Young’s Cyborg is one of the best versions of the character

Young’s version of Cyborg was presented differently from previous iterations and even those that have followed since. In the comics and most media, Cyborg is visually distinguished by the clear mechanical elements incorporated into his person. CC describe him as struggling “to preserve his humanity with each new upgrade”. Whether due to budgetary constraints or because of a creative choice of direction, Young as Cyborg seems relatively normal in his outward appearance. Its robotic components lie just beneath the surface of its still very human shell. It almost adds another element of vulnerability to his character – and fewer obstacles for an actor when playing Victor.

A number of actors have taken on the role of the titular DC character since its inception in 1980. Oddly enough, the actor who has potentially portrayed Cyborg for the longest period is voice actor Khary Payton. He had lent his talent to the character through different iterations of Teen Titans over the years, including in the LEGO films – an honor he shares with Bumper Robinson. On the HBO Max series Doom Patrol, Cyborg is played by English actor Joivan Wade. And in that of director Zack Snyder Justice League, American actor Ray Fisher plays Cyborg. It remains to be seen who will next take on the live-action role in James Gunn’s reboot of the DC Cinematic Universe.

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Young sadly passed away in 2013 at the age of 29. Behind him, he left a body of work that left its mark on many young spectators from the end of the 1990s to the beginning of the 2000s. And like Smalltown fans grow up and revisit the series, it’s possible that he will once again be remembered for his memorable performance as DC’s tragic hero. As those who worked with him remember him as a professional and dedicated actor, his performance as Cyborg reflected his natural abilities and cemented his place in DC history forever.

Growing up in the small town of Smallville, Kansas, Clark Kent harbors a secret. Sent to Earth from the planet Krypton as a baby, he possesses superhuman abilities that he must keep hidden. Under the guidance of his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark learns to control his powers and use them for good. As he faces the challenges of high school, friendships, and first love, he also faces threats from meteor-infected individuals and otherworldly villains. Along the way, Clark encounters familiar characters from the Superman mythos, like Lex Luthor and Lana Lang, while struggling with his true identity and his destiny to become the iconic superhero, Superman.

Release date

October 16, 2001

Cast

Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, Erica Durance, Sam Jones III, John Glover

Seasons

10

Studio

Warner Bros. Television