Doctor Who Theory: Is Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor Actually a Villain in Disguise?
All the secrecy surrounding the return of David Tennant to his iconic role makes fans wonder whether he comes back as a classic Doctor Who antagonist.
Once Whovians found out that David Tennant was returning to portray the 14th Doctor in a series of special episodes dedicated to Doctor Who 60th anniversary, they immediately started theorizing about what would explain such an unexpected turn of events.
Never before had the Doctor regenerated into his past self, and never before had his clothes changed in the process. Besides, everyone knows that Tennant's tenure as the 14th Doctor is short-lived. He will return for three special episodes only. Ncuti Gatwa previously announced to be the 15th Doctor and replace Tennant will also appear in the special episodes, the teaser shows.
One of the most popular fan theories says that Tennant's Doctor returns as the Valeyard, a villain featured in classic Doctor Who.
It is a very plausible theory considering the Valeyard wanted to steal the Doctor's regenerations and was widely considered linked to them in one way or another. Viewers meet him as a Time Lord opponent of the 6th Doctor and later find out that he could be one of the Doctor's future reincarnations, "somewhere between [the] twelfth and thirteenth regenerations," as the Tremas Master reveals in one of the episodes.
However, there are other theories about the Valeyard's nature. He himself created lots of accounts of his origins clearly trying to confuse the Doctor.
The theories state that the Valeyard is either the Doctor's darker version manifesting from his inner sinister part or a Watcher, a projection of the Doctor's future self before the full regeneration takes place. Whatever the origin of the Valeyard is, his intentions were always clear.
He wanted to steal the Doctor's regenerations. Once he threatened to "reach out from the recesses of [the Doctor's] subconscious and seize [their body]" when the Doctor was weak and unable to resist.
If so, could he wish for a better moment than the aftermath of Sacha Dhawan's Master forcing the 13th Doctor to regenerate into him?
Though some fans think such a development could ruin fond memories about the 10th Doctor, David Tennant playing a villain instead of a protagonist would definitely be an exciting storyline and a good way to include a new Doctor without overshadowing them with a beloved actor.