5. Gold Kills Cybermen... Apparently!
When the Cybermen first appeared they were faceless remnants of humanity, representing the victory of technology over man. They broke out of tombs and invaded Moonbases and there was precious little you could do to stop them. That all changed in 1975 when, in Revenge of the Cybermen, gold dust was used to clog up the metallic menace's chest units, suffocating them in a vaguely plausible way. Since then, the concept went seriously awry. Earthshock had an air stewardess grating the gold leaf of a maths achievement badge against the Cyber Leader's frontage. Not only would this have resulted in a tiny quantity going into the grate (giving the enemy a mere cough - if anything!), it also meant Tegan needed arms like a docker to gain purchase on the big silver bastard in the first place. Silver Nemesis then adopted a werewolf-style approach when it was revealed that the Cybermen were now allergic to the stuff. Gold arrows were shot through their hearts in the fashion of a silver bullet and, worst of all, Ace went on the offensive armed to the teeth with gold coins and... erm, a catapult. Seriously.
Steve Palace
Contributor
I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.
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Steve