Warning: Spoilers ahead forDoctor Whoseason 15, episode 8, “The Reality War.“Ncuti Gatwa’s time as the star ofDoctor Whoended without him facing the Daleks, but although his era was filled with new villains, six antagonists returned to oppose him from the show’s rich history. Withthe Fifteenth Doctor regenerating into Billie Piperat theend ofDoctor Whoseason 15,Gatwa’s era is done. While he could return someday, as otheractors who’ve played the Doctorhave done, there don’t appear to be any immediate plans for him to do so. So, his library of villains can finally be analyzed in what is, at least for now, its entirety.
Even before the start of his first season as the Doctor,Ncuti Gatwa was vocal about his desire for Fifteen to face the Daleks. Not only did Gatwa’s version of the Time Lord not face the Daleks, but he also failed to come across the Cybermen or the Master. So,Fifteen missed out on fighting with any of the franchise’s three most iconic villains. Instead, the focus was onmembers ofDoctor Who’s Pantheonand other new bad guys. However, not all the Gods in the Pantheon were unique toDoctor Who’s Disney era, and other returning villains also reappeared.
6The Toymaker
Played By: Neil Patrick Harris
Fifteen entered the fray as the result of a huge twist in 2023’s “The Giggle.” When David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor was mortally wounded by the Toymaker, Fourteen’s attempt to renew his body resulted in the first recorded case of bi-generation. As a result, Gatwa’s Doctor spawned from Fourteen, and the pair teamed up to take down the Toymaker in a high-stakes game of catch. So,Fifteen didn’t have to wait long at all to meet a familiar adversary.
Gough’s Toymaker originally played his supernatural games with William Hartnell’s First Doctor.
The Toymaker debuted in 1966 and was originally played by Michael Gough in a four-episode serial. Gough’s Toymaker originally played his supernatural games with William Hartnell’s First Doctor, although a lot of the original footage from those episodes has been lost over time.The Toymaker was not a member of the Pantheon in 1966, but his return in 2023 retconned the character to make him the God of Games.
5Villengard
Played By: N/A
First mentioned in Christopher Eccleston’s era as the Ninth Doctor, Villengard factored into 2005’s “The Empty Child” two-parter. Although not a specific character and more of a faceless corporation, the weapons manufacturer has been referenced several times since 2005, and to varying degrees of prominence. Perhaps the best episode to understand Villengard is 2017’s “Twice Upon a Time,” when Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor journeys there with David Bradley’s First.
Villengard was created by Steven Moffat, who also wrote “Boom.”
Fifteen’s run-in with Villengard took place inDoctor Whoseason 14, episode 3, “Boom.“Villengard made the smartmine that the Doctor finds himself standing on, and it is also the reason the planet’s population is essentially at war with itself. Villengard’s unmanned ambulances also appear in “Boom,” making problematic judgment calls on how many wounded soldiers to keep alive so that the fighting can continue and Villengard can continue to profit from its weapon sales.
4Sutekh
Played By: Gabriel Woolf
BeforeDoctor Whoseason 14’s two-part finale in 2024, Sutekh hadn’t been in a canon story since 1975’s “Pyramids of Mars” with Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor. So, whenSutekh returned at the end of “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,“it was further evidence that Russell T. Davies wasn’t just including the Toymaker fromDoctor Who’s classic erawhen it came to the villains that Fifteen would face.
Gabriel Woolf returned to voice Sutekh in 2024 after originating the character back in 1975. However, like the Toymaker, Sutekh had been retconned into becoming the God of Death. Originally, he was a member of an alien race called the Osirans. Davies also changed the ending of “Pyramids of Mars.” Although it seemed as though Four had defeated Sutekh, “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” revealed Woolf’s character had attached himself to the TARDIS and remained hidden there for centuries. When Fifteen won against Sutekh, it seemed more final, although it did last time, too.
3The Midnight Entity
Doctor Whoseason 15, episode 3,“The Well,” turned out to be a sequel to 2008’s “Midnight.“The mysterious and invisible alien thatDavid Tennant’s Tenth Doctorhad fallen victim to in “Midnight” returned in “The Well,” despite the 2025 effort being set centuries later on the same planet.The Doctor admits in “The Well” that “Midnight” was the most afraid he had ever been, which makes sense asTen was left powerless by the entity and would have diedif not for the sacrifice of the craft’s hostess.
“The Well” reveals the monster has achieved its goal of leaving the planet’s surface, suggesting it will come back again inDoctor Who’s future.
The monster from “Midnight” has changedin the time it has spent alone, and"The Well” even provides a glimpse of what the entity looks like, which isn’t something that happened in the original episode.The Tennant installment is one of the most beloved ofDoctor Who’s modern era, so it’s a good thing the risk of making a follow-up paid off. What’s more, the ending of “The Well” reveals the monster has achieved its goal of leaving the planet’s surface, suggesting it will come back again inDoctor Who’s future.
2The Rani
Played By: Anita Dobson, Archie Panjabi
The Rani was originally played by Kate O’Mara in the mid-1980s. Despite the character’s limited appearances, she remained popular among the show’s most devoted viewers. However, issues regarding creative control of those who originally wrote the Rani had long prevented her return. In 2023, that all changed when Anita Dobson’s Mrs. Flood debuted in “The Church on Ruby Road.”
It was obvious from the beginning that there was more to Mrs. Flood than it seemed, and the mystery was finally resolved at the end of season 15’s “The Interstellar Song Contest.”
It was obvious from the beginning that there was more to Mrs. Flood than it seemed, and the mystery was finally resolved at the end of season 15’s “The Interstellar Song Contest.“Mrs. Flood bi-generated and spawned another version of the Raniplayed by Archie Panjabi, with both iterations of the Time Lord going on to become joint antagonists in season 15’s two-part finale. Fifteen doesn’t defeat the Rani, as Panjabi’s version is eaten by another returning villain in the episode, and Mrs. Flood flees.
1Omega
Played By: Nicholas Briggs
Credited as the first Time Lord, Omega is a key figure in the foundation of the subset of Gallifreyan society. He invented time travel, but the experiment that ultimately led to the discovery resulted in him becoming trapped in another dimension. The Time Lords believed him to be dead, but his unintentional exile resulted in him becoming bitter and twisted.The role was originated by Stephen Thorne in 1973’s “The Three Doctors,“but he was then played by Peter Davison during a Fifth Doctor story in 1983 called “The Arc of Infinity”
Omega’s return inDoctor Whoseason 15, episode 8, “The Reality War,” meant another recasting. This time brought to life entirely with CGI, Omega was voiced by Nicholas Briggs during the villain’s brief comeback. In a twist of unfair irony, Briggs is most known for voicing mechanical and robotic characters in the franchise. This includes not just recent additions like the Vlinx, butBriggs has also voiced the Daleks and the Cybermen since the show’s 2005 revival. So, Gatwa may never have faced the Daleks, but at least theirDoctor Whovoice actor was there for Fifteen’s final episode.
