Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor is making a surprise return, asDoctor Whobrings the iconic character back for an ambitious new story alongside Varada Sethu’s Belinda Chandra. The pair are heading for a prison planet alongside new ally H-8 - a mysterious cyborg with ties to the Daleks.
Interestingly, ‘The Prison Paradox’ seems to be an explicitly sci-fi story, despite Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor leaning more towards folklore and magic.
Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor regenerated at the end of the fifteenth series ofDoctor Who, seemingly taking the form of former companion Rose Tyler (played by Billie Piper.) However, a new comic series set before the character’s death and rebirth will revealapreviously unseen Doctor/Belinda adventure titled ‘The Prison Paradox.’
Cover Artists:
Jay Anacleto, Nupini, Flops, Sami Kivelä and more
As reported byDoctorWho.TV, the four-issue series will begin later this year inDoctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor Issue #1, and will see the two trapped in an"inescapable prison facility"in a forgotten part of the universe. The prison planet of ‘The Prison Paradox’ is run by a mysterious warden, with DoctorWho.TV providing a report on the main heroes from the Warden’s perspective:
Panoptopolis prison
Planet of Origin:Gallifrey, Constellation of Kasterborus (planet destroyed)
Species:Time Lord
Data:Gallifreyan male. The last of his kind, prisoner has a binary vascular system. High intelligence, persuasive with a quick wit.
Data:Humanoid female. Speaks of planet known as “Earth.”
Planet of Origin:Unknown
Species:Unknown
Data:Prisoner doesn’t remember what part of him is biological anymore, or what species he started out as. Armed and dangerous with weapons- including a Dalek gun (deactivated?) attached to his arm. Surprisingly affable.
Doctor Who’s Ambitious Series Gives Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor More Adventures
Will the Fifteenth Doctor Finally Face the Daleks?
While fans have decried the short tenure of Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, it’s a tradition for each Doctor’s adventures to continue in novels, audio dramas and comics, meaning thatthe character will continue to have new adventures into the future. Coming from Titan, editor Jonathan Wilkins says:
This storyline is Titan Comics' most ambitious yet as the Doctor and Belinda travel to a sinister space prison from which there is no escape. But who or what are the inmates - and who holds the keys to the cells? Writer Dan Watters takes us on a grand tour of the facility where mystery and danger lurk in every corner! Artist-extraordinaire Sami Kivelä joins the team to bring Dan’s epic story to life! Join us for an incredible adventure featuring some familiar faces and some exciting new characters making their debut in the Whoniverse!
The information given so far confirms that the adventure takes place afterBelinda joined the Doctorin the TARDIS, with references to Earth being erased from galactic memory. The name of the prison, Panoptopolis, implies a city-sized prison where the inmates are under constant surveillance, drawing on the name of Jeremy Bentham’s theoretical panopticon prison, where a single guard keeps all inmates in line by hiding who is specifically under observation at any given time. Interestingly,‘The Prison Paradox’ seems to be an explicitly sci-fi story, despite Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor leaning more towards folklore and magic in his television adventures.
It’s clear from the cover art that the Doctor will ally with a selection of inmates, including the mysterious H-8. H-8’s Dalek weaponry teases fans with the possibility ofNcuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor perhaps encounteringthe series' most iconic villains, which he wasn’t able to do during his televised adventures. That’s even more likely as Titan promises thatthe prison ship is"holding monsters and villains from across the cosmos,“allowing for essentially limitless cameo potential- could this be the surprise return of the much-missed Slitheen?
Whatever aliens end up appearing in ‘The Prison Paradox’,Doctor Whofans will be excited for more of Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor whenDoctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor Issue #1debuts later this year.
Doctor Who / Whoniverse
The Whoniverse is the expansive science fiction universe encompassing the British television seriesDoctor Whoand its numerous spin-offs across various media. Originating in 1963,Doctor Whofollows the adventures of the Doctor, a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels through time and space in the TARDIS, a time-traveling spaceship resembling a British police box. Over the decades, the franchise has grown to include films, audio dramas, novels, comics, and multiple television spin-offs, creating a rich and diverse narrative universe.
Doctor Who
Cast
Doctor Who: Released on July 04, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
