Doctor Who's New Villain: The One Who Waits

Introduction

In the third 60th anniversary episode, 'The Giggle,' Doctor Who hinted at a new villain that is sure to play a role in Doctor Who season 14, but there is already a Doctor Who villain that could perfectly fill this mysterious role. Doctor Who is a British sci-fi television series that first began in 1963. It follows an extraterrestrial being called the Doctor who can travel through space and time in a device called the TARDIS, which looks like a regular British police box. Over the past 60 years, the Doctor has been played by 13 actors, and the 14th will be Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who season 14. The introduction of this new Doctor Who bad guy came in a creepy scene during 'The Giggle.' David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor is facing off with his old foe, The Toymaker. The Toymaker tells the Doctor that he has outwitted and outplayed countless powerful people, including The Master, who is now trapped for eternity. However, The Toymaker does admit one fault of his. He claims that he never dared challenge 'The One Who Waits.' The Toymaker said, 'I saw it, hiding, and I ran.' Ultimately, this is an incredibly spooky way to introduce a new villain, and leaves many questions about who this bad guy will be.

Ruby Sunday and the Fifteenth Doctor looking around at the Goblin ship and smiling in the Doctor Who seasonal special

One previous Doctor Who villain that could easily take the place of 'The One Who Waits' is Sutekh. Sutekh is a villain that first appeared in the 1975 episode 'The Pyramids of Mars' during Tom Baker's tenure as the Fourth Doctor. In the episode, the Doctor and his companion Sarah Jane Smith travel to the early 20th century and find that archeologist Marcus Scarman has unleashed an alien evil onto the world named Sutekh. Known as Sutekh the Destroyer, this villain was part of an alien race called the Osirans, and his deepest desire was to destroy all life in the cosmos. Sutekh was played by Gabriel Woolf in Doctor Who. At the end of 'The Pyramids of Mars', Sutekh was seemingly defeated by the Doctor, however, the Doctor Who comics tell a different story. Allegedly, Sutekh was able to escape the Doctor's attack, and later, was saved by his son Anubis. His story went on, although the Doctor Who series never saw the godly alien again. Because Sutekh has had such a colorful story, combining ancient mythology with science fiction, it would be amazing to see him again in the form of 'The One Who Waits.' The name even makes sense, as Sutekh could be waiting to get revenge on the Doctor who nearly killing him.

Sutekh the Destroyer Doctor Who

Sutekh: The Potential 'One Who Waits'

The most obvious reason why Sutekh could be Doctor Who's 'The One Who Waits' is that he is waiting to take revenge on the Doctor. Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor believes he defeated Sutekh, and to a certain extent, the Osiran was incapacitated. Ultimately, this act would make Sutekh angry with the Doctor, and in the time it took for him to recover, it seems likely that he would develop a plan for revenge. Something else that Sutekh could be 'waiting' for is to enact his plan of world domination. Sutekh may once again be saving his strength in order to destroy all life in the cosmos. Although these parameters could really fit any number of Doctor Who villains, Sutekh's story is particularly intriguing. After the Doctor unknowingly trapped Sutekh in a limbo state in the Void, Sutekh's body was destroyed but his consciousness was not. Therefore, it took a lot of time for the alien god to find a new body and escape from his prison. This situation would definitely harbor feelings of bitterness, and the sense that the villain needs to formulate a perfect plan before he can seek revenge and take over the world. This is especially true of Sutekh, who has been thwarted multiple times before.

Sutekh Doctor Who

Bringing Back Sutekh

In the end, Doctor Who should bring back Sutekh, even if he is not 'The One Who Waits.' Although his story fits well with the title, 'The One Who Waits,' it would be an exciting moment for the old Doctor Who villain to return in any format. It also would not be too difficult to bring him back, as Russell T. Davies has already brought back countless classic Doctor Who villains, and season 14 is on the horizon. Ultimately, Sutekh must come back in Doctor Who because of his extended story outside of the television show and the potential his character has for great evil.

Neil Patrick Harris as The Toymaker on stage in Doctor Who