Valeyard: Doctor Who’s Greatest Villain

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Summary

  • Mrs. Flood’s mysterious identity and potential as a big bad villain in Doctor Who Series 15 has fans buzzing.
  • Speculation points to Mrs. Flood possibly being a notable Time Lady like Susan, introducing family conflict.
  • The Valeyard, a darker Doctor from the classic series, could bring direction and purpose to future Doctor Who plots.

As excitement for Doctor Who Series 15 ramps up, fans have been speculating fervently about whom, or what, Mrs. Flood is. This oddball character has made multiple appearances throughout Ncuti Gatwa’s run and rumors have suggested that she is lined up to be the next big bad. But after Flood’s mystery is resolved, there is an even more interesting villain yet to be unexplored in the modern Doctor Who canon.

Current showrunner Russell T. Davies is known for taking antagonists from the Classic Series and using them to give the Doctor a show-stopping final few episodes in each series finale. Davies started this trend back in 2005, first with the Dalek Emperor. Then he brought back the Cybermen, the Master, Davros (creator of the Daleks), Rassilon, and more recently, the Toymaker in the 60th Anniversary Specials. In fact, for Series 14, Davies ran with the notion that the Toymaker was part of a larger Pantheon of Discord, gods of chaos and mischief that Gatwa’s Doctor continued to face down. All ending in a confrontation with the head of the Pantheon and Classic Series villain, Sutekh, the god of death. A roster of misbehaving gods initially sounded very intriguing, but after Sutekh’s defeat, the whole overarching plotline was closed off. Now, the only potential candidate for a season finale showdown is Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson).

A Screen Rant thread started a discussion explaining that Mrs. Flood’s appearances so far have typically only occurred on present-day Earth. She was Ruby Sunday’s next-door neighbor in Series 14, but had a number of strange moments. On many occasions, Mrs. Flood spoke directly to the Doctor Who audience in an unusual series of fourth wall breaks, revealing to its viewers that she had “great plans“. More recently, in a Doctor Who Series 15 teaser, Mrs. Flood is seen attending a concert in the upcoming episode “The Interstellar Song Contest”, confirming that her movements aren’t limited to Earth. So, if Mrs. Flood can move in space to follow the TARDIS, it is possible that she can also move in time. With this key piece of information, and knowing Davies’ writing trends, fans have been guessing as to who this mysterious figure could be.

So far, current guesses have narrowed the field of candidates down to several notable Time Ladies: the Rani, Romana, or even the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan. Susan seems like an appropriate guess, and it would make for an extraordinary twist villain. Mrs. Flood remarked the TARDIS in the 2023 Christmas Special “Police Box, haven’t seen one on the streets of London for years.” So, Mrs. Flood was at least around during the 60’s, meaning she would have been in London when the 1st Doctor, William Hartnell, lived near Coal Hill School with his granddaughter.

The show name-dropped Susan again in “The Devil’s Chord”. The episode took place in the ’60s and as the Doctor looked out over London, they reminisced that their family was currently in the city somewhere. Davies has leaned into Gatwa’s Doctor being an orphaned Time Lord. So, bringing such an important part of their familial history back would capture an element that’s been missing from 15’s run so far: the villain usually acts as a foil for the Doctor’s own inner demons. Tennant’s return and eventual bi-generation as the 14th Doctor, separated the characters’ past traumas from Gatwa’s 15th incarnation. This new family dilemma would go a long way in re-establishing a major conflict for them to face.

What Comes Next After The Flood?

This new era of Doctor Who has been missing something; an overarching narrative to cohesively tie all the widely different tones and styles of all its episodes together. So far, Modern-Who has had the Time War, the mysterious crack in space and time, Master’s reformation as Missy, and even the controversial and widely criticized Timeless Child arc. The Pantheon of Discord would have been an intriguing break from Doctor Who’s typically complicated timey-wimey narratives, and a dip into something more fantastical. Unfortunately, this roster of malevolent gods barely survived one series. Now, audiences are slightly perplexed as to what this current version of the show is even about. Narratives are usually defined by their antagonists, and since Mrs. Flood’s purpose is yet to be revealed; the Time Lord’s adventures throughout the universe feel a bit aimless.

If Mrs. Flood is only going to last for Series 15, where should Doctor Who venture off to next? Luckily, there is one Classic Series villain that has yet to be used in the modern era, and they present a personal conflict even greater than Susan’s potential return. The Valeyard is an enemy that first appeared in the 6th Doctor’s short series “The Trial of a Time Lord”. The Doctor is put on trial by the High Council of Gallifrey for breaking several of the laws, and The Valeyard acts as the Doctor’s prosecutor. However, they are later revealed to be a much older, darker incarnation of the Doctor. The Master explains that the High Council made:

“A deal with the Valeyard. Or, as I’ve always known him, the Doctor, to adjust the evidence. In return for which, he was promised the remainder of the Doctor’s regenerations.”

The Valeyard has expended all of the Doctor’s future lives. It wouldn’t be illogical for this incarnation to return and make a second attempt to transfer the Doctor’s remaining regenerations. Thematically, it would also be a perfect foil for this current version of the Doctor. The Doctor, post-14, is a relatively hopeful, baggage-free portrayal. Isn’t there something awful and slightly brilliant about this young, optimistic Doctor, facing off against a tired, cynical future version of themselves. One that is completely without hope, megalomaniacal, and sadistic enough to perform self-mutilation?

The Valeyard Offers Doctor Who Endless Possibilities

This dark mirror would show 15, or whoever assumes that mantle of the 16th Doctor, that no matter what, the universe will eventually wear them down. The Valeyard, in the audio story “Every Dark Thought,” clarified that they could “not be averted, only postponed.” There is a certain chilling ominosity in that. The Doctor, after all they’ve fought and struggled for, must at some point confront their darker half. A version of themselves that has lifetimes of experience over the current incarnation, all of it twisted towards an unethical purpose.

This inevitability means that the Valeyard could appear as Doctor Who’s final, great antagonist at any point in the future. The Master mentioned in “The Trial of a Time Lord” that “the Valeyard is an amalgamation of the darker sides of your nature, somewhere between your twelfth and final incarnation.” Well, since then, the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor has come and gone. The Doctor’s numbering system has subsequently been jumbled around somewhat; secret incarnations and multiple regenerations have made things very complex, but more open to ambiguity. Charles Dance, the Game Of Thrones actor, has featured in many fan casting lists and this veteran British actor would certainly be a shoo-in for this calculating and Machiavellian version of the Time Lord.

The Valeyard’s onscreen origin and fate remain a relative mystery, and Davies should not hesitate in using this old villain to give the series a real sense of purpose and direction.

Doctor Who Series 15 is set to release on the 12th April later this year.

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2025-03-17 02:07