Justice League Star Reveals Trayvon Martin Influence For Cyborg

By Richard Nebens Updated:
Cyborg from Justice League

The DC Extended Universe is currently enjoying its first new content in over ten months with the release of Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max. The franchise’s ninth full length film is garnering a great deal of attention after over a year’s worth of delays, and it will come as a precursor to 2021’s release of the Snyder Cut of Justice League.

This epic production has sparked conversations all summer among the DC fan base, for better and for worse, after it finally got the green light for a streaming debut. At the center of many of these talks has been Cyborg star Ray Fisher, who will reprise his role after a tumultuous experience in principal photography for the theatrical release with Joss Whedon.

On a more positive note, Fisher recently expanded on what some of his inspirations were in playing this character as they relate to his dialogue from screenwriter Chris Terrio.

NEWS

In a new interview on the Poindexter Lounge YouTube channel, Justice League star Ray Fisher revealed that Trayvon Martin served as an influence for some of Cyborg's character development and dialogue from writer Chris Terrio. Fisher speaks on how Cyborg is affected in the movie by the social injustices in his world, outside of living as half-man and half-machine:

Chris [Terrio], I know, was affected very intimately by Trayvon Martin. I know he’s affected very intimately by the social injustices that our world is seeing every single day. So when you see some of the context of Cyborg in Justice League, you’ll see in a very BvS sort of way that there are things sort of layered within the character that reflect and represent not just this young man who gets turned into a machine, part-machine, but also this black man in the context of the world at large, or the world on a greater scale.

Fisher's full interview can be seen in the video below:

 

WHAT THIS MEANS

Trayvon Martin's death in 2012 was a devastating blow relating to the social issues that permeate the real world to this day, and it makes sense that something like this would affect a young man like Victor Stone as he grows up with his own challenges through the course of Justice League.

With all the controversy that has surrounded Fisher throughout 2020 in his public battles with Warner Bros. and Joss Whedon, his portrayal of Cyborg will be one of the most intriguing parts of the Snyder Cut when it releases in a few months. Most notably, fans are looking to see how different his character is shown on screen with Zack Snyder and Chris Terrio moving his story in a new direction from how he was utilized in the 2017 theatrical release.

Fisher has been publicly supportive of Snyder's revival of Justice League, heaping nothing but praise upon the director's real vision for the movie. With double the amount of screen time as the original cut, Cyborg should have much more opportunity to evolve on screen into a full-fledged man and hero, and the excitement is building to see how he changes from his lone appearance in the DCEU's canon movies.

The Snyder Cut of Justice League will premiere on HBO Max in March 2021.

- About The Author: Richard Nebens
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.