The Mondasian Cybermen are Coming Back to Doctor Who After 50 Years

Doctor Who is bringing back the (extremely old-school) Mondasian Cybermen for Peter Capaldi’s final run of episodes in Season 10.

Filming has started on the final two episodes of Doctor Who Season 10. Which, sadly, means that our time with Peter Capaldi’s Doctor is rapidly coming to a close. But before we say goodbye to Twelve, we’re going to get a seriously old-school adventure with Capaldi.  The original Cybermen are coming back!

The Cybermen have been the Doctor’s nemesis for decades. They have made regular appearances on Doctor Who since the series’ was rebooted in 2005. But these modern Cybermen are…well, they’re way nicer looking than the original versions. These present-day incarnations basically look like your average robot cyborg. Scary, yes, but not necessarily nightmare fuel.

But the original Cyberman didn’t exactly look like that. Back when Doctor Who first started, the series’ production budget was…less than great. The word “shoestring” comes to mind, if we’re honest. As a result, many of the show’s first monsters were pretty basic. Such was the case with the original Cybermen. They sported flexible, foil-covered suits with creepy cloth faces and rubbery hands. Who explained their humanoid appearance by claiming they came from the planet Mondas, a twin of Earth’s.

These Mondasian Cyberman first appeared in 1966, during First Doctor William Hartnell’s final story. Now, 50 years later, they’re coming back to help say goodbye to Twelfth Doctor Capaldi. Doctor Who is all about symmetry, y’all.

Get a look at them in this new image from the series’ official Twitter:

The BBC annoucement calls these Cybermen Capaldi’s “long time favorite foes“, which is actually a true story, and not some bit of PR fluff. Way back in 2014, Capaldi told Entertainment Weekly that he had two classic monsters on his bucket list for his time as the Doctor. And the 60s-era Cybermen were one of them. It’s a lovely parting gesture. Capaldi’s such a hard Whovian that it’s nice to see him get the chance to face his favorite classic monsters.

Next: Doctor Who Season 10 Premiere to Screen in Theaters

Doctor Who Season 10 begins April 15 on both BBC One and BBC America.