Trying to create a coherent timeline for the Cybermen is not an easy task. Due to the time traveling nature of the Doctor Who program,inconsistencies appear in the timeline that cannot be easily explained away. For example, the events of "The Invasion" take place in the early 1970's. Yet in 1986, the date given for "The Tenth Planet", humanity seems to have no knowledge of the Cybermen and the earlier attack. The changes in costumes over the years also add to the problems. To continue with my previous example, how is it that "The Invasion" Cybermen seem much advanced that the Cybermen seen in 1986, who still have organic hands? To compensate for these issues, some tweeking has been done in places to try and smooth things out. Where this has occurred, I have added a note to the section.

The initial basis for my timeline is the work of Doug Scott, who maintains the excellent Doctor Who Chronology. Doug only uses the television shows, but I have decided to include the audio dramas as well.

The dinosaurs are wiped out when an 26th Century space freighter commandeered by the Cybermen accidentally travels back in time and crashes into the Earth. Earthshock

Earth's twin planet of Mondas, where a humanoid population has evolved, is ejected from our solar system.

The Doctor defeats Lady Peinforte for control of the powerful Nemesis statue. The statue was built out of the living metal Validium, created on Gallifrey for planetary defense. The Doctor disables this awesome weapon by removing the bow and arrow from the statue and then launching the figure into space. Its orbit will bring it close to Earth every 25 years, finally impacting on the planet on November 23, 1988. The Doctor sets his watch for this date. Lady Peinforte and her assistant Richard Maynarde use mystical powers to project themselves to this future time in hopes of reclaiming the statue. Silver Nemesis

As the Nemesis statue passes near Earth, the statue's bow is stolen from Windsor Castle. Silver Nemesis

The Doctor unknowing delivers a cyber-virus to Earth from 3286. The virus allows the Cybermen to seize Earth and cyber-convert all of the surviving humans into "skin drones", which appear human on the outside but have Cybermen "guts". Some of the converted humans form an underground resistance to combat the Cybermen. However, the Cybermen in this timeline will use the Doctor's time travel knowledge to dominate the galaxy. Real Time

Doctor Goddard, a member of the "skin drone" resistance, uses a Cybermen Chronosphere to transport himself to 3286. He is carrying a reverse engineered version of the cyber-virus, with which he hopes to destroy the 33rd Century Cybermen and reset the timeline. Real Time

The surviving Mondasian population, living in an underground city, are on the verge of extinction. The totalitarian Central Committee drafts members of the population to secretly undergo Cyber-conversion and work on the frozen surface of Mondas, building a propulsion system for the planet. With the help of the Doctor, the Mondasian people defeat the Central Committee, and begin piloting the planet back to habitable space. However, the victory is short lived, as the Cyber-converted Mondasians seize control and convert the rest of the population by force. Spare Parts

Note: No date was given for this story, but the appearance of the Mondasian city is said to resemble that of 1950's Earth, so I will place it here.

During their travels back to the Sol System, the Cybermen discover the world of Telos. A section of the population is left behind to subjugate the native Cryon species and establish a colony.

A Group of Cybermen attempt to take control of the Earth using mind control technology hidden in common electrical goods. The are defeated by the Doctor and the newly formed U.N.I.T. under command of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. The Invasion

Note: The Cybermen seen in this story are more advanced than the Cybermen that appear with Mondas in 1986. As such, one must assume that these Cybermen are from a future time and therefore possess at least some form of time travel. A likely origin time would be sometime in the 22nd Century, after the attack on the Wheel, but before the events of "Sword of Orion".

The Time Lord Borusa uses the Time Scoop to kidnap the first five incarnations of the Doctor and deposit them into the Death Zone on Gallifrey. Among the creatures also brought there as combatants are a squad of Cybermen from some time in 26th Century. The Five Doctors

Using a captured timeship, 26th Century Cybermen from Telos attempt to create a world wide catastrophe on Earth by crashing Haley's Comet into the planet. Their hope is that Earth will be unable to defeat their ancestors in 1986, resulting in the survival of the Cybermen's original homeworld of Mondas. The Doctor will travel from this time to 2530 in order to defeat their plans. Attack of the Cybermen

The Cybermen homeworld of Mondas returns to our solar system. A squad of Cybermen land at Earth's Snowcap Base in Antarctica and begin plans to syphon off Earth's energy to Mondas, leaving Earth a dead world. Through the intervention of the Doctor, Mondas is overloaded with energy, resulting in its destruction. The Tenth Planet

Note: The people of 1986 Earth seem to have no knowledge of the Cybermen invasion in 1971. U.N.I.T. also goes unmentioned in this story, though we know they must have existed in this time frame. The only explanation I can think of to rectify this inconsistency would be that the mind control devices used by the Cybermen in 1971 damaged the memories of the people exposed to them. The majority of Earth's population would be unaware of the attack, and in order to prevent mass panic the event would be hushed up and all evidence classified. Due to the sensitive nature of its work, U.N.I.T. would also have to remain a secret organization. Even ordinary soldiers, such as Snowcap Base's General Cusler, would be unaware of what happened and who was involved.

The Nemesis Statue crash lands on Earth. The Doctor, Lady Peinforte, Neo-Nazis, and scouts from a Cybermen fleet entering our solar system battle for control of the statue. The Cybermen believe they are victorious after capturing the statue, but in reality they have been tricked by the Doctor. When the Nemesis statue reaches the Cyberfleet, it detonates and the fleet is destroyed. Silver Nemesis

Note: The Cybermen depicted here have the same characteristics of Cybermen known to be from 26th Century Telos. Therefore, the Cyberfleet must be from the future and possess time travel capability.

On an alternative universive Earth, John Lumic, head of Cybus Industries, develops a new race of Cybermen, also know as "Version 2.0 Humans". They nearly seize control of that Earth, but are defeated by the Doctor and a local resistance movement. Nearly wiped out, these Cybermen are able to cross the Void into our universe when Torchwood attempts to open a Dalek Void ship. They are forced back to their own universe by the Doctor and the alternative Earth's version of Torchwood. Rise of the Cybermen, The Age of Steel, Army of Ghosts, Doomsday

Earth's weather is controlled with the Graviton device, which is located in a base on the Moon. The Cybermen attack the base in hopes of using the Graviton to destroy the Earth. However, with the intervention of the Doctor, the Cybermen are defeated. The Moonbase

The Cybermen of the Telos colony, reduced in numbers and strength, entomb themselves in hibernation chambers underneath the surface of the planet. They will bide their time until once again the Cybermen's numbers can be rebuilt. Other Cybermen forces will continue to prowl the galaxy.

Note: Though no date was given in the program for when the Cybermen of Telos entombed themselves, it must have been sometime between the events of "The Moonbase" and "The Wheel in Space". The reason for this is that the hibernating Cybermen are the same model type that attacked the Moonbase, a model that is more primitive than the ones that attacked the Wheel.

An international space station, nicknamed "The Wheel", directs space traffic for Earth. A group of Cybermen attempt to take over the station and use it as a staging point for an invasion of the planet. The Doctor and the station's crew defeat the Cybermen's plans. The Wheel in Space

After the failed attack on "The Wheel", very little of the Cyberfleet survives, and what remains is scattered throughout space. One group of Cybermen will use captured time travel technology and attempt to invade 1971 Earth. The Cybermen who remain in the 22nd Century will roam the far corners of the Galaxy, capturing humanoids for Cyber-conversion and doing their best to remain undiscovered.

Note: These events are not depicted in any stories. However, it is the best explanation I can think of that can account for Cybermen seen in "The Invasion" and "Sword of Orion". The Mark IV Cybermen seen in 1971 are more advanced than those that attacked the Wheel, but by the 25th Century, the Cybermen have not been seen for hundreds of years.

Android slaves revolt against their human masters, demanding equal rights. War begins, and after eight years of fighting, both sides are at a stalemate in the Orion System. The space scrap ship Vanguard attempts to salvage a derelict alien star destroyer found in the Garazone System, in hopes of selling the technology to Orion War combatants. In reality, the destroyer is a Cybermen factory ship, damaged in an ion storm while looking for humanoids to Cyber-convert and transport to Telos. The Doctor arrives on the scene and is only able to survive this encounter with the Cybermen when the ion storm once again passes through the system. Sword of Orion

Note: "Sword of Orion" causes a big headache in the Cybermen timeline. The Doctor states that the Cybermen are still entombed on Telos at the time of the story. However, he also states that the Cyber War was fought in the distant past. The Earth lead war against the Cybermen happens after the Cybermen have left their tombs, so the Doctor's two comments are in conflict. The only way around this would be if the "Cyber War" statement doesn't pertain to the 26th Century conflict, but to the battles of the late 21st and early 22nd Centuries.

An Earth archeological expedition arrives on Telos to determine the fate of the Cybermen, who have not been seen for centuries. The activities of the archeologists awaken the Cybermen, who have been hibernating in their tombs until they were once again strong enough to take on the rest of the galaxy. With the help of the Doctor, the archeologists believe they have successfully sealed away the Cybermen for all time. However, the Cybermen survive to continue plotting their return to power. The Tomb of the Cybermen

Note: Another inconsistency problem here. According to Parry in this story, the Cybermen haven't been seen for 500 years. So if that is the case, this story would take place sometime in the late 26th or 27th Century, as the moonbase incident happened in 21st Century and the Wheel attack took place sometime after (exact date unknown). However, the Doctor arrives on a fully functioning Telos in 2530, and the Cybermen at that time are much more advanced than the ones seen here. Therefore, the 500 years statement cannot be made to fit, and we must assume Parry was playing a little fast and loose with his numbers. Doug Scott placed the story in this timeframe, and I would have to agree with his decision.

Earth is hosting an interplanetary summit in hopes of forming an alliance against the growing threat of the Cybermen. The Cybermen gain wind of this and attempt to crash a warp capable space freighter into the planet, which would result in a catastrophic explosion. The Doctor intervenes and the freighter is sent hurdling back in time 65 million years, resulting in the extinction of the dinosaurs and the death of the Doctor's companion Adric. Earthshock

A squad of Cybermen are abducted by the Time Scoop and sent to the Death Zone on Gallifrey. The Five Doctors

War breaks out between the Earth lead alliance and the Cybermen. Gold from the "Planet of Gold",Voga, is used by the alliance to develop "glittergun" weapons. The war does not go well for the Cybermen, though they manage to blow apart the planet Voga. A small number of Vogans survive on a planetary fragment blown out into deep space, living undetected until the 29th Century. Revenge of the Cybermen

The Cybermen are losing the war with the alliance. Using a captured timeship, the Cybermen decide to travel back through time to 1985 Earth in order to prevent the destruction of Mondas in 1986. The Doctor arrives from 1986 and destroys the Cybermen colony on Telos. Attack of the Cybermen

A surviving Cyberfleet is sent back in time to 1988 in order to capture the Nemesis statue.

Note: Once again, another event not depicted in the stories. However, the Cybermen seen in "Silver Nemesis" are obviously just a later version of the Cybermen seen in "Earthshock" and "Attack".

The Doctor arrives on the space station Nerva, where a plague is being spread by Cybermats. A group of Cybermen have have been lured here by the remaining Vogans, who hope to avenge the destruction of their homeworld by the Cybermen in the 26th Century. The Cybermen are destroyed with the help of the Doctor. Revenge of the Cybermen

Note: Another problem in the timeline here due to costumes. The Cybermen depicted here seem less advanced than the Cybermen of the 26th Century. Therefor I am going to assume these Cybermen are not a product of the 26th Century, but are an older model that has been wandering the galaxy for quite some time, perhaps from the 25th Century.

The Doctor joins a group of archeologists on the planet Chronos, the derelict world of a race that also had the power of time travel. However, a group of the now nearly extinct Cybermen is also present, hoping to use the the Chronosian technology to restore their greatness. The Doctor defeats the Cybermen, but now unknowingly is carrying a virus created by the Cybermen from the material brought by the time traveler Goddard. The Doctor will travel back to 1927 and accidentally expose Earth to the cyber-virus. Real Time

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