The Valeyardis one of the most confusing characters in the history ofDoctor Who, but an unused Third Doctor story would have made it so much more straightforward. With a show that has been on the air for over 60 years, it’s likely that the show’s canon will get muddled at times. But add to that length of time a time-traveling, regenerating alien who has access to all time and space, and it becomes a certainty.
Over the shows history,many forms of the Doctor have come and gone, with a limited number becoming canonical versions of the Doctor. However, the classic series did introduce anumber of variants who appeared to have some future connection to the Doctor, but their origins and explanations were unclear. One of the most difficult to rationalize within the context of the show was a character called The Valeyard, who appeared to be a future version of the Doctor with no more regenerations. But another untoldDoctor Whostory could have made the character better.
The Master As Doctor Who’s Valeyard Would Have Made More Sense
Doctor Who’s Logic For The Valeyard Didn’t Exactly Work
In one of the unusedDoctor Whostories which was originally written for the Third Doctor, there was a story that would have seen the Master revealed to be a darker version of the Doctor. Of course, theMaster has long been one of theDoctor’s greatest rivals, but having the character also fit into the mold of this dark version of the hero would have meant he could have assumed the role of the Valeyard who appears in a Sixth Doctor adventure.
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However, The Valeyard has never been properly defined in the bounds of the show, and any mention of the character appears to be a contradiction now that the Doctor has passed his Twelfth regeneration, where The Valeyard was set to appear. But having the Master step into the role of this character, as an enduring and recurring villain who frequently comes back to taunt and torment the hero, would have at leastadded to the narrative and made the character a worthwhile additionto the show.
Doctor Who’s Valeyard Mystery Still Hasn’t Been Resolved
Instead, almost 40 years on from when The Valeyard first appeared in “The Ultimate Foe,” the character still lacks a satisfying explanation. While they were supposed to appear between the Sixth and Twelfth Doctor’s they never did. In that time, the Doctor has been granted a new regeneration cycle, and more recentlydiscovered that they have anextensive history as The Timeless Child, of which they were previously unaware.
While they were supposed to appear between the Sixth and Twelfth Doctor’s they never did.
Now, they have also added the irregularity of the bi-generation that saw the Fourteenth Doctor split into two, creating a copy of himself which would go on to live as the Fifteenth Doctor. But the remaining Fourteenth Doctor is not supposed to have another regeneration left. Unless David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor chooses to reject their retirement, adopt an identity as The Valeyard, and chase the Doctor in order to absorb and consume their regenerations and continue living, the mysterious character remains an unexplained anomaly within the Whoniverse andDoctor Who.
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Doctor Who: Released on July 29, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
