DC’s high-tech hero Cyborg has climbed to pop-culture A-list status over the last several years, starring in feature films, TV shows, and video games. But in Justice League Odyssey #17, Victor Stone’s mind may be lost forever to the hellish machinations of Darkseid.

Sporting new possibly Sith-inspired armor, Cyborg is facing off against his old friend, the newly-upgraded Green Lantern Jessica Cruz. In the bone-chilling series Justice League Odyssey, Vic attempted to betray the tyrannical Darkseid’s mission to restore his full power, only to have the tables turned on him… when Darkseid transformed the cybernetic hero into a soulless, “pinging” automaton from the inside-out. Based off of DC’s January 2020 solicitations, complete with cover artwork, it would seem that Cyborg will still be playing for team Darkseid at the start of the new year.

The cover to Justice League: Odyssey #17 shows Vic with his arm-cannon at the ready, and sporting Apokoliptian armor that proves Darkseid is a fan of The Old Republic’s Darth Malgus. Take a look:

Taking place in a mosaic of lost worlds called the Ghost Sector, Odyssey reads like a DnD campaign set in the universe of Farscape. Cyborg and crew are on a mission to uncover ancient Apokoliptian relics in order to build a “space ark” to protect a solar system of galactic refugees from a universe-ending cataclysm. Every character has a role to play and a goal to achieve–Starfire wants to find her lost homeworld of Tamaran, Azrael stows away on the mission believing he’s following “the voice of God,” and Cruz is the reluctant space cop just along for the ride–but Vic is ultimately the team leader, guided by his conviction that it isn’t enough for the League to just save the world, but to also clean up their mess after all the punching is done. But with Cyborg (as well as Starfire and Azrael) now under Darkseid’s influence, it is up to Green Lantern Cruz to finish the mission and stop the reinvigorated New God.

While all may seem lost for both Cyborg and the Ghost Sector, by the end Justice League: Odyssey #13 Cruz is resurrected with her own set of New God powers thanks to Apokoliptian physics colliding with Green Lantern technology at the moment of her brutally painful death. And to be fair, this wouldn’t be the first time Cyborg has gone rogue. Throughout the years, the saga of Vic Stone has often revolved around the fear of him losing his humanity to his machine side. But through it all, Cyborg has proven time and again that heart trumps hardware. But should Vic remain an agent of Darkseid, at least he’ll look fearsome in his new high-tech armor.

  • JUSTICE LEAGUE ODYSSEY #17 (2019) Written by: Dan Abnett Art by: Will Conrad Cover by: Jose Ladronn Variant Cover Art by: Ken Lashley Green Lantern Jessica Cruz and the new JLO have their first encounter with their lost friend Cyborg. Will Victor Stone’s hidden messages be the clue to releasing him from Darkseid’s deadly grip—or is Vic gone forever? And how much is Jessica willing to risk to save her old friends?

Justice League Odyssey #17 will be available on January 15th, 2020.

More: DC Keeps Rewriting Cyborg’s Origin (But Can’t Give Him A Movie)