Doctor Who Retcon creates a fifth doctor villain way better than forty-two years ago.
Retcon of a Peter Davison-era monster in Doctor Who Season 14 greatly enhanced a 42-year-old narrative. Many of the actors who portrayed Doctor Who have hated Earth and human people since they have fought off against several strong aliens that wish to wipe off the planet. The classic series included both recurring enemies like the Daleks and monsters that emerged once or twice before apparently permanently being destroyed. Though they involve strong opponents who aren't likely to stay conquered for forever, some of the one-off tales are among the best Doctor Who episodes of all time.
Though its approach and harsher tone differ, the 2005 relaunch of the show aims to be a continuation of the original. It occasionally connects modern episodes to old ones, such in the episode in which Doctor Who clarified the Susan Twist persona was a vehicle for Sutekh, a strong enemy the Doctor trapped in a time passage at the end of 1974's "Pyramid of Mars." These tales are even more powerful than they were when they first aired since they also Retconned another monster that made two appearances during the Peter Davison period of the show.
The Mara Described
Originally manifest as pure evil, the Mara showed up as a snake. It cropped up twice during Peter Davison's run, both times involving his friend Tegan (Janet Fielding). Tegan first came upon the Mara when she was enthralled with some wind chimes on an apparently perfect planet, which made her fall asleep and meet a sinister man who insisted on having her so that it could use her to transfer itself to a member of the Kinda tribe, so wreaking havoc and aggravating the conflict between the Indigenous people on the planet and white colonists.
Evil cannot stand to look at itself, thus even if the Doctor tricked the Mara into entering a circle surrounded by mirrors, defeating it on this occasion, the evil spirit still had some control over Tegan and affected her to direct the TARDIS towards its home planet on the 500th anniversary of its banishment. The Mara then had Tegan for a second time since it wanted her assistance in acquiring the Great Crystal, which might be utilized to enable its physical comeback. But the Doctor defeated the Mara once more—this time permanently—using mystical knowledge. Though there are audio adventures about the beast, the Mara has never shown on-screen. Plus, an early Torchwood episode alluded to the Mara. Regarding the fairies in "Small Worlds," Jack Harkness said they connected to the Mara and that the word dream comes from their name. Given Sutekh's latest revelation regarding the Mara, Jack might not have been very far off in his estimate.
Season 14 Doctor Who Verifies The Mara's Membership in the Pantheon
Doctor Who explains that the Doctor and Ruby Sunday (Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson) have encountered various members of the Pantheon of Discord throughout season 14, explained as a collection of nigh omnipotent, godlike creatures. Members of the Pantheon, the Celestial Toymaker, the Maestro, and Sutekh most likely acquired the ability to enter the universe following the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) misleading certain eerie shapeshifters into believing a superstition involving salt would help him to eradicate them.
Sutekh noted especially that the Mara is a part of the Pantheon after disclosing his actual form and his scheme to destroy the cosmos. Doctor Who canon does not include the Pantheon, hence the Mara was not specifically identified as a member until Sutekh's announcement. Still, this retcon makes sense considering the Mara's past portrayal as an evil spirit yearning to wreak devastation in the cosmos.
The New Origin of the Mara clarifies one of the Classic Mysteries of Doctor Who.
Introduced as a manifestation of absolute evil, the Mara was never described beyond that. Its original narrative was a clear allegory about the way Indigenous people had been treated by white colonists all around, as the colonists had kidnapped two Kinda men to experiment on them and believed the Kinda were hostile and primitive because Kinda men did not speak, while the Kinda had a complex culture including understanding of the Mara's role in death and destruction. Therefore, the authors lacked the necessity to clarify the Mara's strength outside of its function in Kinda society.
This is fixed when Sutekh reveals the Mara belongs to the Pantheon. Usually living in the spiritual world, the Pantheon are all quite strong entities that have been able to enter the material universe due to the Doctor's mistake during "Wild Blue Yonder." This clarifies the Mara's strength on both its home planet and the Kinda's universe and implies that it might resurface in later tales as Sutekh has now done fifty years following his Fourth Doctor's defeat (Tom Baker).
The Mara. Being a member of the Pantheon makes them a better doctor who villain.
Connecting the Mara to the Pantheon gives the two stories the creature appears in extra significance. Although these tales were compelling on their own, they lacked distinction since they were merely tales of events whereby one of the things that happened to a Doctor Who companion was that she was possessed by a terrible creature that would not resurear after it was destroyed. The Mara's revised genesis narrative, however, implies that the encounters with the creature were a component of a greater scheme involving the Fifth Doctor.
Being a part of the Pantheon gives the Mara such prominence that Doctor Who can bring back in next episodes, maybe even in the Season 14 finale. This offers a darker, more improved form of the Mara and lets the new series be more tightly connected with earlier episodes. This also clarifies the Mara's beginnings and powers in a way the original didn't, so this retcon is among the finest things to happen throughout season 14.
The Pantheon of Discord: Doctor Who's Chaos Force
Revealed as a key force in the Doctor Who world, the Pantheon of Discord is an enigmatic and strong collection of entities. Comprising several strong creatures with individualized talents and motivations, the Pantheon is The Pantheon's members—the Maestro, Sutekh, the Mara, the Celestial Toymaker, and the Maestro—have caused chaos over time and space, therefore endangering the universe and its occupants. The Pantheon's development has given the Doctor Who universe a fresh degree of intricacy and mystery, casting doubt on the true motivations of these strong entities and their beginnings.
The Pantheon reminds us that, as the Doctor's meeting with the shapeshifters in "Wild Blue Yonder" shows, even the most strong entities may be controlled and used. The establishment of the Pantheon also begs issues concerning the nature of authority and the results of unbridled ambition. The stakes are never higher and the Doctor and his friends are confronting a fresh degree of difficulty in their battle against the Pantheon. The Pantheon's existence is evidence of the Doctor Who universe's capacity to always change and bring fresh and surprising hazards, therefore guaranteeing that the Doctor's exploits stay exciting and interesting for next generations.
