The next season of Doctor Who faces significant challenges, making it an ideal moment to introduce a well-known villain from the show’s past who hasn’t been seen in the newer episodes. With a new showrunner and Doctor on the way, the series is currently struggling to maintain audience trust and interest.
Despite recent struggles and unsuccessful attempts to revitalize the show, bringing back classic Doctor Who villains could help reconnect the current series with its history. It would also offer satisfying conclusions to long-standing plot threads and appeal to both longtime and new fans.
Many of Doctor Who‘s most beloved characters – like the Daleks, Cybermen, the Master, and the Sontarons – are long-standing villains who originated in the show’s early years. Clearly, revisiting these classic foes is a successful approach, and if the current showrunner can build on their stories effectively, it could revitalize the series and recapture some of its former energy after a recent dip in quality.
The Meddling Monk
The Monk is an alien Time Lord who debuted during the early adventures of the First Doctor. Traveling in their own TARDIS and appearing even before The Master, this enigmatic character is known by the name Mortimus. Unlike the truly evil Master, who craves power, The Monk seems to prefer causing small, irritating problems.
They’re known as The Meddling Monk, a nickname they don’t seem to appreciate. Though this character has popped up at various times and places, including in official Doctor Who novels and audio dramas where they battled more recent Doctors, they haven’t been featured on the television show itself yet.
I’ve always accepted the Time War as a pretty solid reason why we couldn’t see other Time Lords pop up after the Ninth Doctor brought the show back. But the Rani showing up recently? That feels like a big shift in the rules. It seems like whatever the Toymaker’s been up to has really opened things up, and honestly, it’s starting to feel connected to The Monk too – which is a fascinating development!
Light
Light is a timeless entity who journeys across the universe, documenting all forms of life. He appeared only once in the Doctor Who episode “Ghost Light” (1989), where he encountered the Seventh Doctor and his companion, Ace.
Light possesses incredible abilities, like transforming his form, moving objects with his mind, flying, and even destroying things with his thoughts and energy. Despite his drive to find life across the universe, he strangely dislikes change and is reluctant to use his own power of transformation.
Bringing this character back for the next season of Doctor Who could be a fun move, especially considering his past disappearance. It would also fit with the show’s recent self-aware and playful style. The character’s strong dislike of change would be particularly funny given how much Doctor Who itself has changed over the last ten years.
The Gods Of Ragnarok
As a big Doctor Who fan, I always found the villains from the Seventh Doctor’s era particularly interesting, and the Gods of Ragnarok are right up there. They showed up in the episode “The Greatest Show on Earth,” and it’s a cool twist that these seemingly simple stone statues are actually based on the beings from Norse mythology known as Ragnarok. Though, honestly, they weren’t exactly the gods you’d expect! It turned out they just enjoyed causing pain and suffering – they were basically sadists who got a kick out of human misery.
In the end, the Seventh Doctor managed to turn the beings’ own power against them, breaking their stone bodies and scattering their energy into the universe. Because they were incredibly powerful, almost god-like, it’s highly likely they still exist in some form.
Given the focus on gods and powerful beings in recent seasons of Doctor Who, these characters would be a natural addition to the new season. This is especially true because a recent comic book established a connection between them and the Tenth Doctor through their link to Sutekh.
The Valeyard
The Valeyard is a Time Lord who played a key role in a trial against the Sixth Doctor on Gallifrey. Initially presented as simply an enemy of the Doctor, it’s later revealed by the Master that the Valeyard is actually a future, darker version of the Doctor himself.
This character is really interesting – they remind me of the Dream Lord from the Eleventh Doctor’s adventures, but with an even stronger connection to the Doctor. Given how much time has passed, a whole episode could explore the origins of this character and how they represent the Doctor’s darker side.
The Rutans
The Sontarans, a beloved classic villain from Doctor Who, have made a successful return in the show’s modern era. However, they haven’t yet encountered their greatest enemies, the Rutans. The Rutans are a warlike alien race with a unique way of reproducing – by splitting themselves apart – and they have natural abilities like generating powerful electrical shocks.
The Sontarons are driven by a desire to conquer other races. However, much like the Time Lords and Daleks, who have been locked in a timeless conflict, the Sontarons are constantly at war with the Rutans – a battle that has raged across the entire universe.
Reviving these characters would also give fans another chance to see the Sontarans, which would be a welcome return of a classic Doctor Who rivalry.
Morbius
Time Lords usually have a strict rule against getting involved in the affairs of other civilizations. However, some, like Morbius, believed that as the most powerful beings in the universe, they had a right to govern other species and planets.
Morbius assembled a group of followers who shared his beliefs and planned to take over the universe, establishing Time Lord dominance. This ambition went against the core principles of Time Lord society, resulting in his death. But his followers brought him back to life, and his ultimate fate remains unclear, making him an interesting character to potentially revisit in the show.
The Doctor and the Master have clashed countless times, and the Master has occasionally even helped the Doctor. It would be great to see the show introduce new, powerful Time Lord villains to give the Doctor a fresh challenge.
The Black Guardian
The Black Guardian is one of six incredibly powerful beings called the Guardians of Time. Unlike most of the others, who are generally good or neutral, the Black Guardian represents chaos and actively spreads evil.
These characters aren’t portrayed as simply evil; instead, they’re seen as a powerful, natural force – one that can cause significant harm and devastation to anyone caught in its path.
Like many of the villains on this list, The Black Guardian’s story feels unfinished. It would be great for Doctor Who to bring these characters back for a new, compelling story, and give the show’s new season a strong launch with established, effective rivals.
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2026-04-19 21:40