Doctor Who's Dark Side: Exploring the Doctor's Worst Moments

The Doctor from Doctor Who is known for being a great hero, but even the best make mistakes! For 60 years, this iconic character has been making waves and sometimes, those actions are far from heroic. Let's explore some of the Doctor's most questionable decisions throughout Doctor Who's long history.

The Doctor's Moral Dilemmas

From the very first episode in 1963, the Doctor has always had a dark side, showcasing actions that show a morally gray or outright villainous side that's given fans plenty to discuss for years.

It's clear the Doctor tries to focus on doing good. In Doctor Who, we see that the characters' desire is to save everyone, however this really doesn't mean all decisions are right.

Over time, though, this complexity has created this character who is so popular and continues to bring people into the world of Doctor Who!

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Eleven and Amy:

David Tennant as the 10th Doctor in Doctor Who Image

The Eleventh Doctor (played by Matt Smith) had many intense interactions, particularly with his companion Amy. During "The Girl Who Waited" the Doctor is shown to not only make bad decisions but continue to make them! This comes in this episode's big reveal when it's shown that Amy is abandoned on a quarantined planet.

It's incredibly shocking!
The Doctor shows up 36 years later
To save the younger Amy but abandons the older one

Rory's distress about this situation and this Doctor's actions brings home what made this one so sad! He was truly heartbroken because the older Amy was the person he was in love with! It seemed the Eleventh Doctor made no real effort to correct things! Making everyone involved feel completely awful!

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The Tenth Doctor and the Waters of Mars:

The Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday, The Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond, and The Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler in Doctor Who Image

David Tennant made quite an impact on fans of Doctor Who! This version of the Doctor is often celebrated! Yet this Doctor didn't quite always succeed in making things better and there was no doubt that this show had an incredibly bold move. There's even a moment, "The Waters of Mars," where it’s seen that the Doctor's incredible, even excessive hubris comes to life. He really has this out-of-control ego!

The Doctor thinks he's going to alter the timeline. That he'll find a way to beat fate.
There is a sense that this is dangerous.
What he ends up causing is even more dangerous!

It's almost unbearable to even watch what happened to Adelaide Brooke (the main character). The Doctor's actions are not only self-serving. They're almost completely evil and really do leave many questioning this Doctor’s actions! What's so compelling and makes people keep watching. Is the Doctor's own awareness about how messed up things really were and that maybe changing fate really was a disastrous attempt. He had some major remorse for that, which also gave audiences something more than just shocking twists.

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The Seventh Doctor and Ace:

Fans might not always recognize this Doctor as some might just consider it the tail end of an older Doctor Who before the shows big change and transition. Sylvester McCoy starred as the Seventh Doctor in 1989 and one of his partners in crime was Ace, an exceptional and powerful character.

The Doctor uses Ace. For his own purpose! That was just the way that he did things, and shows some troubling manipulation as he treats Ace terribly but still has the nerve to say that he didn't actually care about her during their confrontation. And while this turns out to be all part of his plan to ultimately save Ace and defeat Fenric (a major antagonist!), this show of bad behavior may have completely broken Ace's trust. For some viewers who watched this special moment and show that came out almost half a century ago, some may just walk away saying that the Doctor truly failed to earn their trust or respect.

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Eleven and the Silence:

This special Doctor Who storyline brings viewers into the world of The Eleventh Doctor and the Silence. A major antagonist group! That even affected a bunch of humans.

What made it compelling, and will always remain unique?

The Doctor goes to extreme lengths
Brainwashes humankind into thinking about "The Silence." as their greatest enemies. They must kill "The Silence" on site!

What was so incredibly compelling and also what has helped propel this Doctor Who series on was the fact that the Doctor acts in a way no other has acted before him! Even though there are times that such drastic action is needed and maybe the Doctor's choice to manipulate many individuals, was necessary. This isn't a very noble act and left many viewers feeling some real conflict about The Doctor's manipulation tactics. This is a special introduction to Season 6.

The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith:

One of the greatest companion arcs throughout Doctor Who has come to an end!

Elisabeth Sladen brought Sarah Jane Smith to life and was adored by all Doctor Who fans.

She made such an incredible and long-lasting relationship with Tom Baker (who's in the role of the Fourth Doctor). A strong friendship was built and has made it clear this version of the Doctor, will truly do bad things.

When there was a call for The Doctor from Gallifrey this companion is left to deal with whatever she could on her own.
This act is very, very problematic as their close relationship should never have ended this way, and never having seen each other after, is one of the most dramatic events from the series!

This event makes this Doctor an incredibly unpopular character among fans!

The Time War:

There were several moments when The Doctor was never as noble and heroic as they are portrayed in other versions.

What’s so notable in the story of The War Doctor (played by John Hurt) from the Doctor Who 50th-anniversary special is a story that helped make up for missing stories but was a dark tale about the Doctor's role. He's the one who makes this terrible decision. That’s not just about fighting an epic war but it changed many lives.

He wipes out The Time Lords, the people from his very planet!
He wipes out the enemy, The Daleks!

This version of the Doctor did save everyone by eliminating both sides, however, It also gave the Doctor a very, very hard burden to carry!

Eleven and River Song:

River Song is one of the Eleventh Doctor's greatest loves. The pair, though unique, still showed the Doctor making choices that were hard to reconcile with. You get to discover just what it is like as audiences were shown just who River Song truly was.

It's also that special moment where it was revealed who the incredible Alex Kingston actually was!
Audiences also get some hints as to her special identity!

It would only seem correct for the Doctor to clear her name after understanding who River Song actually was, what her mission actually was and what had been going on for all those years!

The Doctor is quite complicit! He allowed River Song to stay locked up
That's despite the pair having a whole bond, and love.

This terrible act has stayed with audiences and makes many wonder how this Doctor never quite lived up to what a heroic figure actually was.

Nine and a Dalek:

The newest generation was given a dark tale with Christopher Eccleston's version of The Ninth Doctor.

The audience got an amazing show as viewers discovered what had occurred during the years leading up to this version! Yet they get a sneak peek that demonstrates that he doesn't play well with the antagonist called Dalek. The actions that were so violent left many questioning just how extreme his vengeance really is!

This show has one scene, "Dalek." where you could even see The Doctor torturing this antagonist!
Rose was also watching and never knew how far the Doctor would go!

This created some really incredible, surprising moments but may show those that this was such an over-the-top act of violence that the audiences may have questioned.

The Seventh Doctor and Skaro:

Sylvester McCoy's version is another memorable actor and one that gave us a huge range in the portrayal.

Fans that watched "Remembrance of the Daleks" were introduced to another side of the Doctor's moral code as The Seventh Doctor makes a really controversial decision!

That's where he chose to get rid of the entire planet Skaro
That included not only wiping out the Daleks. But it really created an impact on anyone else on Skaro

It seemed like a bad decision that many will agree on but also gave some viewers even more to reflect upon after the show was completed.

The Sixth Doctor and Peri:

When you consider how different Doctor Who could be across various iterations. It becomes apparent what might seem the strangest and least likely, can easily happen. The Sixth Doctor is played by Colin Baker, an amazing actor! The story about The Sixth Doctor takes a terrible, surprising, violent turn as the actor attempts to choke their companion! It happened right at the start of the regeneration process!

There wasn't even a chance that his companion, Peri, might be innocent.

This created a big lasting image that is pretty hard to forget about! It might even help give audiences context for why his version was shorter and a less notable version.

These memorable Doctor Who stories. Demonstrate the show's compelling aspects as some versions of The Doctor made incredible decisions that really brought into sharp focus their capacity for mistakes. They were powerful reminders, and really helped audiences dive into The Doctor as not only a great hero but someone who is capable of making major missteps! While Doctor Who has shown many forms of The Doctor, it might be a series worth looking at to better understand the various impacts of their roles.