9 Foes That Are Due A Return

Guest contributor Ryan O’ Connor shares his suggestions.

Daleks. Cybermen. The Master (oh my!). Peter Capaldi’s debut series as the Doctor brought these three classic villains (certainly the three most esteemed of all, in any case) back to our screens in grandiose style, with new and nefarious plots, schemes, and in the Master’s case all-new everything. Personally speaking, both Into the Dalek and the two-part finale were definite standout episodes of Series 8, adding those few critical touches to fan-favourite foes that made them more intimidating than ever.

Now, as we all find ourselves in the middle of the long, dreary wait for Series 9, the notion of such returns bears thinking about. Capaldi is a rather retro Doctor after all, with throwbacks aplenty to the mannerisms of his predecessors. Wouldn’t it be nice to see such treatment given to other villains from days gone by? In the spirit of that question, I’ve put forward a numerically-appropriate amount of some choice candidates for a comeback of their own! In no particular order…

9. The Monk

First played by Peter Butterworth in 1965’s The Time Meddler and later by Graeme Garden for Big Finish, the Monk is among those few Time Lords who have proved enduring nemeses to the Doctor, his interference with established history and arrogant nature providing something of a foil to the Doctor himself. Given the ever-looming nature of Gallifrey’s potential return to Doctor Who, to introduce another Time Lord threat seems sensible, and there are few better than good old Mortimus in my opinion (we’re all already on-board with a Rani return as it is)! Were he to return, it would be highly intriguing to see him face down Capaldi’s Doctor, a much potentially-colder and more calculating foe than the other Doctors the Monk has faced. A fascinating dynamic in the making!

8. Sea Devils

The presence of the Silurians in the most current era of Doctor Who has largely been provided through Madame Vastra (no bad thing, of course!). However, spare a thought for their much-overlooked cousins, the Sea Devils. Debuting against the Third Doctor in their eponymous story and not seen on-screen since Warriors of the Deep, these aquatic members of the homo reptilia family were usually involved in rather morally-grey tales, harmed more by humanity than vice-versa. With Peter Capaldi as a Doctor who has already faced his fair share of moral quandaries, I feel as if a classically-styled Sea Devil story would fit right in at present, perhaps giving them a sleek new look like their land-based relatives? Besides, Capaldi and Pertwee’s Doctors have undeniable similarities, and to bring back another villain from that era would be a lovely allusion.

7. Sontarans

To carry on a point from the preceding entry, just as the Silurians are represented these days largely by Vastra, so too are the Sontarans represented by lovable defective clone Strax. While I do enjoy Strax’s antics, I also feel it would be rather a nice thing to see the Sontarans themselves make a return, warlords out striving to generally have a good fight and consequences be damned! To see the Twelfth Doctor stand against them would be quite a show, I imagine (and as a quick amusing note, the Sontarans also debuted against Pertwee’s Doctor). Carry on the theme of soldiery from Series 8, the Doctor as the reluctant general who despises taking orders versus one of the most perfect military races in the galaxy. There’s a lot of potential pathos there, particularly if the next entry gets involved…

6. Rutan Host

Ah, the Rutans. Often referenced and offhandedly-mentioned by proxy, the amorphous race of bioelectric shape-shifters are the eternal enemies of the Sontarans, the two mentioned as fighting their seemingly-endless war on most occasions that the Sontarans have turned up. Despite this, the Rutans themselves have only ever shown up once on-screen, in the Fourth Doctor tale Horror of Fang Rock, and only a single Rutan at that. A revamped Rutan episode could give Capaldi’s Doctor a similar terse horror-themed tale, or perhaps even a more epic story if the writers were to have the Sontarans and Rutans finally throw down the gauntlet on our screens.

5. Draconians

Not as much of an enduring presence as many of those on this list, the Draconians nonetheless could make a rather interesting return indeed. Seen occasionally in the Bernice Summerfield range, this space-faring empire have only appeared once on our screens alongside (I promise they won’t all be like this!) Jon Pertwee’s Doctor in Frontier in Space. Much like their original appearance, a modern comeback for the Draconians could be a very tense standoff-type episode with much tricky manoeuvring and careful dodging of regulations, something the Twelfth Doctor does so very well. A society based entirely on rules? The perfect enemy for the maverick Twelve.

4. Fenric

An extremely unlikely one here, but then I never thought the Great Intelligence was coming back either, you can never really tell with this show! Appropriately for this entry, Fenric (last seen on-screen battling and scheming against the Seventh Doctor in The Curse of Fenric) and the Great Intelligence share quite a few things: they’re both Great Old Ones, they both have a propensity for extended and elaborate plots, they both enjoy mentally toying with both the Doctor and notably his companions…you get the picture. A return of Fenric could give the Twelfth Doctor an incredibly dangerous and cunning foe, and if there’s anything that puts the Doctor at his best, it’s that. One of my most hoped-for, to be honest, no matter when it happens (up there with Sutekh, but that’s for another list)!

3. Vashta Nerada

An enemy introduced by the modern era makes its way onto the list at last, and with good cause! First seen in the Tenth Doctor Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead two-parter scripted by Steven Moffat, the Vashta Nerada are a fascinating alien that I believe certainly deserve more screen time. If the success of Series 8 episodes like Mummy on the Orient Express and Flatline (both my personal favourites of the series) has shown anything, it’s that Capaldi’s Doctor and horror are a great mesh. To face down a literally-implacable and nigh-unstoppable enemy such as the Vashta Nerada forces the Doctor (not to mention the writer!) to think at his very quickest, and that’s a situation I want to see the Twelfth Doctor placed in. Moffat’s already shown a fondness for bringing back his old creations as showrunner, and I reckon leaving the Vashta Nerada out, whether Series 9 or beyond, would be a mistake.

2. Wirrn

As this list goes on, it’s apparent that several of the foes involved lend themselves well to a less-than-jovial atmosphere. This is only appropriate, of course, as many of Series 8’s stand-out episodes (and those of Doctor Who in general, arguably) are run through with horror undertones, if not outright horror. The Wirrn (seen facing Tom Baker’s Doctor in The Ark in Space) hold a treasured position in the history of the Whoniverse, being one of the very few archetypal “bubble-wrap monsters” to achieve lasting success, in one of the finest Fourth Doctor episodes of all to boot. Their xenomorph-like habits and extremely potent abilities make them a deadly foe, combining with the excellently tense writing in their on-screen debut to ensure a lasting impression. A Wirrn revival in Capaldi’s era could be a magnificent story, similar to the initial scenes of Kill the Moon but writ large, fraught with terror.

1. Raston Warrior Robot

…Well, they don’t all have to be scary, do they? The Raston Warrior Robot, seen on-screen in The Five Doctors facing both the Third Doctor (surprise) and an entire patrol of Cybermen, has become one of the most unintentionally hilarious scenes in the history of Doctor Who, at least in my humble opinion (go watch it if you haven’t already, it will make your day). Described as a truly deadly weapon in nearly every appearance it has made across the Whoniverse, I think one has to let their imagination run wild here. With the show’s current production values, how would it look today? I admit personal bias as I’m very fond of the concept, but a revamped Raston Warrior Robot in Series 9 or further afield could be one of the most powerful foes the Doctor has faced, if written well enough. I can dream, eh? One day, it shall come back…

So there you have it readers. Just a few notions on how these foes would work if reintroduced in the current era of Doctor Who, whether for Series 9, 10, or however many Capaldi sticks around for (may they be plentiful!). Naturally, this list isn’t exhaustive, and there are dozens more enemies past from the show alone, not to mention Big Finish, the novels, the comics…the whole wide range of the Whoniverse, in essence. But this is just me, of course. Any particular choices you’d have added to the list?