History Main / CyberneticsEatYourSoul

* Biggest of all was Hank Henshaw, AKA Cyborg {{Superman}}. He was a mildly sociopathic astronaut/scientist who got crashed and became one with his spaceship wreckage (I forget why) and eventually found himself in a clique with the [[CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Anti-Monitor]] and [[InfiniteCrisis Superboy Prime]], both of whom had every intention of destroying everything that existed.
** Actually, he was part of a pastiche of the FantasticFour GoneHorriblyWrong, and he turned into an energy being/ghost that could possess machinery after his body decayed away. It wasn't until he was rejected by his wife and wandered around space for a while that he became a hard core villain. So, this is more a case of [[IncrediblyLamePun his soul eating cybernetics]].

** It's worse than that. Van Damme was able to overcome his programming and have a normal life. The villain didn't but he was pretty screwed up to begin with. Now, [[SoBadItsGood ''Redux'']] features JCvD's friend being converted to a soldier and allowing herself be blown up because, as she tells him, it's "too late for her" even though a living, breathing proof that no it isn't stands [[WallBanger right in front of her]].
*** Plus they didn't turn evil because of the cybernetics, they turned evil because the AI that's controlling them turned evil-ish (well he didn't want them to kill him).

**** And don't forget: killing gave him sexual pleasure. This was [[CompleteMonster HARD-WIRED IN]]. THe military-industrial complex of "GlobalFrequency" pretty much CrossesTheLineTwice. CrapsackWorld, anyone?
**** They don't use them as soldiers, they use them as ''[[LaserGuidedTykebomb non-nuclear WMDs]]''. Drop 'em on your target, and they kill pretty much ''everything''.

-->-- '''Dr Mordin Solus''', on the Collectors, ''MassEffect2''

* ''{{Bioshock}}'' has a more squishy version. Plasmids eat your soul. Said plasmids (genetical enginered bio upgrades) drove people insane or/and were used to mind control them.

* While not quite full-on cybernetics, the general consensus is that [[Linux Linux]] eats your soul. From the inside out.

* While not quite full-on cybernetics, the general consensus is that [[Linux]] eats your soul. From the inside out.

* While not quite full-on cybernetics, the general consensus is that [[Linux]] eats your soul. From the inside out.

* Similarly, ''{{Exalted}}'' also mostly averts this trope with the Alchemical Exalted, with only the most inhuman enhancements for Alchemicals (death tentacles, massive brain modification, spider legs) causing any degree of humanity loss. Even then, a low-humanity Alchemical isn't crazy, just cold and detached.
** Alchemicals get the justified version of the trope with Voidtech, Charms which draw on the metaphysical disease that's killing their god-world. An Alchemical who goes too far, accumulates too much Void-taint, soon descends into murderous psychopathy. There are also ways for Creation's Exalted to implant Voidtech, letting them join the fun.
** There's another justified version -- Clarity. As an Alchemical's Essence rises, they run the risk of becoming more mechanical in mind as well as body, bordering on StrawVulcan behavior.

* Completely averted and subverted in ''{{Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers}}''. Niko's Series 5 implant enhances her PsychicPowers, to the point where the {{Nakama}} of the Rangers can ''channel their implants' power through her'' for impressive effects. Zachary Foxx has had more than half his body replaced by cyberware, but it hasn't stopped several magic-based enemies from finding him SupernaturallyDeliciousAndNutritious.

->''"No minds, replaced by tech. No digestive tract, replaced by tech. No souls, replaced by tech!"''

** Played straight with the Collectors [[spoiler:and Saren]], though, but considering [[EldritchAbomination who designed them]], the soul-eating may well have been intentional in this case:

** Played straight with the Collectors [[spoiler:and Saren]], though:

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/800px-DeathofTonPhanan_5597.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: He can't come back, Face. Not all of him is here anymore.]]

-->-- '''Dr Mordin Solus''', on the Collectors, ''Mass effect 2''

** Cochlear Implants do, however, often lead to horrifying <em>social</em> consequences if a deaf person involve in Deaf culture gets one. Users are often ostracized at best.

* Averted with the Therians, of {{AT-43}}, dispite being the BigBad of the settling they are not very warlike or evil (in fact, they have long ago, forgot how to fight relaying on [[IKnowMortalKombat MMORPGS for tactics]]). They just don't seem to get why the other races keep shooting up them for tring to blow up there solor systems in order to make dyson spheres in order to save the universe form dying of old age in 25 billion years. So its more like Cybernetics makes you a CloudCuckooLander. Minus the Warroir guild who are ''massive'' LeeroyJenkins.

* ''{{Rifts}}'' treats this as a psychosomatic matter instead of a literal truth. Any loss of humanity is due to the individual 'Borg's feelings and reactions, and how they are usually ''perceived''' by the society around them, rather than an inherent drawback to cybernetics or bionics. This varies between regions and nations around the planet, largely influenced by the prevelence of cybernetics there. In North America, cyborgs are considered normal, if uncommon in places, and only spurned by mages and psychics because they interfere with the ability to use magic/psionics (there are exeptions). In Germany and Japan, cyborgs make up a sizable chunk of the nations'armed forces and are considered selfless heroes who have made sacrifices to serve thier country. Russia has a unique environment where giant, bionic soldiers make up almost the entirety of the front-line troops for each of the factions fighting to gain control of the region. To be a cyborg in Russia is a mark of prestige and each faction has a signiture style of cyborg, each considered Elite soldiers and revered as heroes.

**Made especially apparent by the robots in Robo Assyl where not only have they been taught by Ping to be human, bbut also to lie cheat and gamble along with their own religion.