Cyborg is IMO, one of the best minority characters in comics. He doesn't suffer from the same pitfalls many other minority heroes suffer from.
 
Great things about Cyborg that make him not just a great minority character, but also a great character:

1. Cyborg doesn't have the word "Black" in his name like so many other Black superheroes. There are many great characters who have a stigma attached to them because their names are clearly based on their race. Black Lightning, Black Goliath, Black Samson, Black Hood II, Black Eagle, Black Racer, Black Spider, Blackwing, and The Black Musketeers. Seriously, do we really need the word "Black" in every Black hero's name. We can't tell that they're Black just by looking at them? Who in the list above, would anyone call their favorite hero? None of them. Even the super-cool Black Lightning is held back by his name. Cyborg doesn't have this problem.
 
2. Cyborg is not a sidekick or a legacy character. Another problem with many Black heroes is that they will always be in the shadow of a White counterpart because they came second and because they are unoriginal. These characters boost diversity, but don't be mistaken, that's all they are really for--to give white heroes a cool, hip Black friend. These characters won't ever be THE main character of their own movie or cartoon franchise. The Falcon is Captain America's sidekick. John Stewart is slipping back into becoming Hal Jordan's sidekick. War Machine is Iron Man's sidekick. Goliath was Hank Pym's sidekick. Lothar is Mandrake the Magician's sidekick. Cyborg is not--and never has been--anyone's sidekick. 
The problem with minority legacy character's like The Atom, James Rhodes, and Blue Beetle is that the fans of their predecessors will always push for the return of the first hero. Cyborg is the first of his kind, and he isn't trying to be anyone but himself.
 
3. Cyborg has history and name recognition. A huge problem with many minority heroes is that they are not easily marketable because people tend to only spend money on heroes with names they already recognize. No one read The Web or The Shield because they didn't have name recognition. People didn't want to spend $3.99 on heroes they know nothing about. Everyone knows who Cyborg is. He's a classic Teen Titan, and he was featured on the Teen Titans cartoon. While his miniseries wasn't a runaway success (for reasons I will address below), he is definitely a marketable property.
 
4. Cyborg has no criminal history. Iron Man is a m/billionaire. Thor is a doctor. Daredevil is a lawyer. Luke Cage was a jailbird. The Falcon was a street-hustler who had to be brainwashed to become a superhero. What kind of message does this send to our youth--black or otherwise? Cyborg has always been smart, athletic, and heroic. And he's never been to jail.
 
5. Cyborg doesn't have electric powers. There are already enough Black heroes with lightning powers, thank you. Storm, Black Lightning, Static, and Volt come to mind. Cyborg doesn't have the same old powers as everyone else.

Now, with all these things going for him, why is Cyborg not as popular or beloved as Green Arrow, Black Canary, Power Girl, Alan Scott, or Dick Grayson? Why don't you expect to see Cyborg on an Alex Ross cover?
 
What can be done to make Cyborg more popular and well-liked:
 
1. Give Cyborg a cooler costume and make his face look completely human. Probably the biggest reason Cyborg isn't more popular is his costume. Even his fans complain that it's too garrish and outdated. Why does he have a metallic wifebeater? Why are parts of his thighs and biceps exposed?
Another problem with his costume is that it's confusing. Can he take it off or is he just naked all the time? If Cyborg is ever to gain real success, he needs to get a cooler costume. One that looks like it can be taken off. One that doesn't look so 70s. One that doesn't expose awkward areas of his body. 
And here's the thing that may be holding him back the most--the half face. Yes, Cyborg is supposed to be the Teen Titan version of The Thing, but there are two problems with that. One, no one calls The Thing their favorite character. Yes, he's likable, and people may call him ONE of their favorites, but at the end of the day, he looks like a freak. And Two, Cyborg can have the recurring Thing-self-loathing storyline without looking like a freak. He's a cyborg now, which means he had to give up his life's passion--Sports. On top of that, even with a completely human face, he not completely human. He's a cyborg.
Cyborg's image issue draws attention to the fact that he's a Marvel character is the DC universe. People like DC heroes because they are ideal. We want to be them. We want to fly like Superman and be as intelligent as Batman. But who honestly wants to be Cyborg? No one. He looks weird.
 
2. Upgrade Cyborg's powers. Yes,there a plenty of minority heroes in DC with medium level powers and no powers such as Mr. Terrific and Vixen, but there a few Black heroes who seem like they could ever keep up with Green Lantern or Wonder Woman. Yes, there's Black Lightning and Icon, but the former will always be held back by his name and the latter will always be held back by his origin, personality, and costume.
Instead of making Cyborg an Iron Man level hero, make him a Magneto or Green Lantern level hero.
 

Making Cyborg more popular and well-liked seems to be the name of the game.  Lets take a look at some of these ideas:
 
 Give Cyborg a cooler costume and make his face look completely human or 
Upgrade Cyborg's powers 

Gallery

Green Arrow and Power Girl?   what completely random characters that you chose

" One of my favorite exchanges in the Teen Titans Tv series was as follows:
Starfire: Do you know what it means to be seen as different?
Cyborg: Of course I do.  I'm half robot."

make him a chesty white girl

" Give him a girlfriend:  Something Wolfman said regarding Sarah Simms: " At first I thought of it. And then decided there was nothing wrong with a good healthy friendship that is not based on a sexual background between them. I received a letter that sort of helped me change my mind, from a black leader who felt that we had seen a lot of interracial relationships, but we haven't seen that many good, solid black-black relationships to show that a black hero doesn't always go together with a white heroine and vice-versa. And that sort of got me thinking. That came very early in the relationship, that it made a lot more sense in terms of their needs to be very good friends. He has no girl friend who he is totally in love with in a sexual way at this time. He's just very good friends with her, And that in itself is a slightly different relationship."  Cyborg started dating a woman in Titans, just before Blackest Night started.  Allow me to present the position that Cyborg is already cool.  Sure, his fans (like me) aren't the rampant post-slathering supporters that Storm's fans are.  I'm of the firm belief that good characters don't necessarily need movies and tv shows, and that I enjoy reading them just as they are in the comics. "

Lol. I remember that. I thought they were going to go into a deep race relations monologue on a kids show. "

" Green Arrow and Power Girl?   what completely random characters that you chose "

" @MrMiracle77 said:

" One of my favorite exchanges in the Teen Titans Tv series was as follows:
Starfire: Do you know what it means to be seen as different?
Cyborg: Of course I do.  I'm half robot."

Lol. I remember that. I thought they were going to go into a deep race relations monologue on a kids show. "

" @Captain13: for him now that he's in his 20's probably, he should be looking at what powers he would like to obtain (presumably by looking at what the team needs most of of a teammate). With the way he is right now he could easily observe, research, breakdown and create any superpower he might want to replicate and add to his arsenal. He could be programmed like people are in the Matrix. 

this idea reminds me of the Centurions reruns from the 90s, when they got their upgrades
 
Edit:   this was the only short clip i could find, I think this is from a followup series 
 
 PS lol 1 guy turns into a sled 

" @Captain13: yea i used to watch that too. That would be cool. You would think that Cyborg would of had something like that from the moment he started upgrading. "

" this idea reminds me of the Centurions reruns from the 90s, when they got their upgrades
 
Edit:   this was the only short clip i could find, I think this is from a followup series 
 
 PS lol 1 guy turns into a sled 

"

BUMP

Hmm...I argee with all your statement and would like to see Cy get some more face time in DC comic. But I believe that another reason why he is over shadow so much is because he too simple and most fan would consider him as a relic instead of a member. Not a bad thing but in DC universe you can't be too simple and be popular. I hate to point out but Steel, his neice, Mr. Terrific,  and the new Toy Man, Cyborg superman, red torendo are used more because they relate thier experts in cybernetics or because of thier personilities. While Cy been around a long time, he never really expand from just being that a cyborg. When writers try then never find the right fan base and he get recycle. I like the idea of some of the upgrades thought and just wanted to throw my 2 cents into the mix. 
 
Ideas: 
Update his appearance to that or higher to his cartoon counterpart. Or here something crazy upgrade is model like Wildcat Spartan or Iron man type.  
Let him specialize in on area of cybernetics where nobody can touch.- like in the cartoon he was the only expert in his techs and nobody could copy it right. 
Make the big dogs of DC go to him more often with cybernetic problems too. Or upgrade him to nano technology instead of cybernetic 
 
Upgrade: 
- A New look and more personality. 
- A more humaniod look -like a spartan idea or something.  
- I like the technopathy and metal assumilating idea because then he would have a area of specialities. 
 
Well that just my 2 cents though. I like Cyborg and just would like him to get the respect he deserve.    
 

green arrow is popular? 
 
that aside, i think they should update his character and explore some themes like in dues ex (the game) where the people are on the verge of switching from mechanical to nano implants. that should bring him back towards a more human nature while still exploring the 'is he really a human' aspect of him.

As for the costume I like the costume from the tv show. It is a lot more fun to look at than a plain white jumpsuit.

Also it looks like he's going to have a major role in Flashpoint.

First off, great article (as an African American man) I think you made some very good points and great observations.
Secondly, I just wanted to make some comments on your ideas for improving cyborg as a character.

1. Give him at least Aquaman level (100 ton) strength, but preferably make him as strong as Wonder Woman.
I definitely agree, or at least in the ball park of 100 tons. I think sometimes people are afraid of making a hero too strong but honestly I think it is just a good opportunity for a hero to take on bigger, badder, and more powerful foes. If a hero has trouble taking down C list villains no one is ever going to be interested in seeing them get their own series.
2. Replace his Sonic Cannon with an energy based cannon. In video games and cartoons it already looks like energy anyway. 
Or give him a cannon with multiple effects (sonic, energy, etc.)
Agreed, but I say go big or go home! I think its time he moved on from the old sonic cannon and moved up to shape changing weapons. In the days after Batman's OMACs, Jaime's new usage of the Scarab, and when Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman have a meeting room in a pocket dimension it's not like he can't find the tech for it. And besides, honestly who's going to say "no" to seeing Cy sport some BFGs?? 
 

 
3. Give him technopathy--the control of machines. Cyborg should be like a good version of Sky-net. (Forget this. Oracle still needs a job)
Definitely agree, I feel technopathy is such a cool and underused power. I also feel like it plays in well with the concept of his inner struggle ("am I more man or machine") because if you could control all of your own tech (PC, laptop, MAC, ipod, TV, cellphone, etc.) with your thoughts or better yet kiss all of it goodbye, wouldn't you wonder the same thing?
4. Boost his invulnerability to Aquaman levels, and allow him to regerate by using the metal around him.
I agree with boosting his invulnerablity also. Do I want him to go toe-to-toe with Supes? Of course not but I still feel like it would play into the inner struggle that I discussed before that has become an integral part of his character. And I think it's a cool idea to be able to melt down and integrate metal in his surroundings to repair himself, but the problem with that is since his cybernetic parts are supposed to be made of  molybdenum steel (at least his bones are) I can see there being issues of compromising the integrity of his cybernetic parts by combining them with weaker metals.
5. Allow him to assimilate the machinery around him like War Machine used to be able to do.
Going along with what I said with #4 still a cool idea, but maybe instead of assimilating the machinery, being able to scan it and replicate its capabilities to some degree (but with reasonable limitation, not as far being able to scan a power ring and then go join the corps)
6. And maybe give him some "liquid metal" features like the T-1000 or T-X. (Forget this. It's a little much.)
 I think its actually a great idea. I feel like it fits right in with the shape changing weapons and replicating technology. And if you aren't familiar with the character the engineer (Angela Spica) from The Authority, it makes for a really cool character.

And as far as the full face goes, at first I was a little hesitant to agree because I feel like that plays into the half-man-half-machine concept, but I do agree with the fact that people want to read comic book heroes that they want to be, and frankly no one wants half of a head. So I think in order to boost his popularity I think it would be a smart move, or at least make the metallic part seem more human in color, like shiny skin almost.

Once again, great thread :)

Putting him on the Justice League with Aquaman, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and the Flash sure seems like a step in the right direction.  Sad to see Martian Manhunter get shunted off, but I think the addition Cyborg makes for a better Big Seven.

I agree with Sir Duke, his addition to the soon to be rebooted JLA should do a lot for him. Not just the higher profile gig but with Johns writing it... it should do wonders. I mean he took Booster Gold and made him into a significant character in the DCU

cyborg 's a cool character i'll check out justice league tpb just to see how his character will develop

LOL 
This thread has become incredibly ironic. OP must have given Geoff Johns some ideas.

bump

Make him less human like MM

@Rumble Man said:

Make him less human like MM

Robocop!

@Superdork: I was thinking more on the lines of

If you want to replace someone you have to be better (cyborg still weaker than MM)

I agree with everything the OP said about Cyborg, except the part about making Cyborg's face look completely human. If you do that you might as well change his name to "Android".

wow this thread is ironic. Also we aren't setting the bar that high are we? I think overtime Cyborg has the potential to really rise in popularity.

He's got a distinct origin, Wolfman and Perez did a great job flushing out and establishing his character. He's a very modern hero for the digital age, being a technopath not to mention he's like a combination of Megaman an dMaster Chief in terms of combat.

I don't think you need to change Cyborg at all, just give him a chance. Give him his own title with seriously talented creators or a Green Arrow-style TV show and the fans will come. People still talk about his appearance in the latter seasons of Smallville for Pete's sake.

Yes, he could stand to be less mechanized, but I do think it's important to know at a glance what he's been through. But his visible mechanics should be cool despite their tragic necessity, like Cyclops' glasses.

@fodigg said:

I don't think you need to change Cyborg at all, just give him a chance. Give him his own title with seriously talented creators or a Green Arrow-style TV show and the fans will come. People still talk about his appearance in the latter seasons of Smallville for Pete's sake.

Yes, he could stand to be less mechanized, but I do think it's important to know at a glance what he's been through. But his visible mechanics should be cool despite their tragic necessity, like Cyclops' glasses.

well seeing as this thread was posted over 2 years ago, Cyborg has actually changed quite a bit in that time frame

Well DC pretty much ruined Green Arrow and Power Girl already so... Mission accomplished?

Well at least Arrow's got his tv show right?

@SUNMAN said:

@fodigg said:

I don't think you need to change Cyborg at all, just give him a chance. Give him his own title with seriously talented creators or a Green Arrow-style TV show and the fans will come. People still talk about his appearance in the latter seasons of Smallville for Pete's sake.

Yes, he could stand to be less mechanized, but I do think it's important to know at a glance what he's been through. But his visible mechanics should be cool despite their tragic necessity, like Cyclops' glasses.

well seeing as this thread was posted over 2 years ago, Cyborg has actually changed quite a bit in that time frame

Well, the discussion is still ongoing considering how often new Cyborg threads are made. It's actually good to see someone use the forum search button and necro something other than making another one.

bump

Strength should be a step bellow Wonder Woman, durability without shields should be Aquaman level, with shields it should be Green Lantern Level. He should have decent fighting speed, but not as fast as a speed blitzing superman, or Wonder Woman defending attacks. His blaster should be on par with Superman's heatvision, except for crazy feats. He should also learn to use his teleporters like Nightcrawler.

@drgnx said:

Strength should be a step bellow Wonder Woman, durability without shields should be Aquaman level, with shields it should be Green Lantern Level. He should have decent fighting speed, but not as fast as a speed blitzing superman, or Wonder Woman defending attacks. His blaster should be on par with Superman's heatvision, except for crazy feats. He should also learn to use his teleporters like Nightcrawler.

How would in any way add to his popularity?

Shove him down the readers' throats.

Oh wait, that hasn't worked.

Updated power set.

1. Strength should be a step bellow Wonder Woman
2. Durability without shields should be Aquaman level, with shields it should be Green Lantern Level
3. He should have decent fighting speed, but not as fast as a speed blitzing superman, or Wonder Woman defending attacks
4. His blaster should be on par with Superman's heatvision, except for crazy feats
5. He should also learn to use his teleporters like Nightcrawler
6. Give him limited timeshift like Cable had in the old x-men fighting games

@AtPhantom said:

@drgnx said:

Strength should be a step bellow Wonder Woman, durability without shields should be Aquaman level, with shields it should be Green Lantern Level. He should have decent fighting speed, but not as fast as a speed blitzing superman, or Wonder Woman defending attacks. His blaster should be on par with Superman's heatvision, except for crazy feats. He should also learn to use his teleporters like Nightcrawler.

How would in any way add to his popularity?

The OP believes that enhancing his power-set would help increase his popularity; I'd assume it because it would make more useful in battle and therefore more acceptable to readers. I'm giving this the benefit of the doubt; using this premise, I'd think the best way to do so would be to enhance some stats, but have the focus be on him utilizing his unique abilities rather than ripping off trademark stats of his other team members.

@drgnx said:

Updated power set.

1. Strength should be a step bellow Wonder Woman
2. Durability without shields should be Aquaman level, with shields it should be Green Lantern Level
3. He should have decent fighting speed, but not as fast as a speed blitzing superman, or Wonder Woman defending attacks
4. His blaster should be on par with Superman's heatvision, except for crazy feats
5. He should also learn to use his teleporters like Nightcrawler
6. Give him limited timeshift like Cable had in the old x-men fighting games

@AtPhantom said:

@drgnx said:

Strength should be a step bellow Wonder Woman, durability without shields should be Aquaman level, with shields it should be Green Lantern Level. He should have decent fighting speed, but not as fast as a speed blitzing superman, or Wonder Woman defending attacks. His blaster should be on par with Superman's heatvision, except for crazy feats. He should also learn to use his teleporters like Nightcrawler.

How would in any way add to his popularity?

The OP believes that enhancing his power-set would help increase his popularity; I'd assume it because it would make more useful in battle and therefore more acceptable to readers. I'm giving this the benefit of the doubt; using this premise, I'd think the best way to do so would be to enhance some stats, but have the focus be on him utilizing his unique abilities rather than ripping off trademark stats of his other team members.

Well he's got Promethian armor and going by the proximity mind he took in Justice League #16and the electric shock he took in Superboy Annual #1 I think his durability is pretty good. We know he's bullet proof and unlike Aquaman machine gun fire won't draw blood on his robotic parts.

From the Perez days Cyborg always had a little superhuman speed and agility. He was an athlete after all and his enhancements should only enhance his athleticism.

-I'm not sure how strong his blasters are I actually made a thread about it a while ago. His sonic Cannon seems really strong though, might be his most powerful weapon

-You want to give him timeshift on top of the boom tubes?

Personally I think his powers are great where they are only thing I'd probably throw in is a grappling hook or extendable hand or something as he has had in the past.

I think as long as he is written competently Cyborgs popularity will rise with more exposure. Its important to remember he is human. Thats one of the most important aspects. I worry Geoff Johns is getting a little too carried away with all the Cybernetics. Hopefully other writers will reinforce that he is human.

Lastly I think DC needs to give us some more info on what he does outside of the Justice League or if he is simply on Watch Tower duty the majority of the time.

Well they've addressed one of my complaints with Cyvborg in the New 52 with the recent issues of JL. I like Jim Lee's art don't get me wrong but I always thought he drew Cyborg a tad bit too bulky. With Reis and Prado's work he looks better at least from my perspective. Also the fact that we finally got a bit more exposure to Cyborg in this New 52. I guess that's what I want to see from Cyborg now. Simple exposure because so far I like how Johns is handling him.

@SUNMAN said:

-You want to give him timeshift on top of the boom tubes?

Timeshift allowed Cable to attack an opponent from different angles 2-3 places at a time, kind of like Naruto using shadow clones, except they disappear after each attack. It was actually Cable teleporting short distances in time, overlapping with different (temporal) versions of himself, the 2 abilities worked hand in hand. It could be over the top, I just loved the concept, throw in holographic copies, and you could mess an opponent up big time.