The Master (Doctor Who)
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | The Master Koschei Professor Thascalos Gilles Estram Harold Saxon Missy |
| Occupation: | N/A |
| Relationships: | Lucy Saxon (Spouse) claimed the Doctor as her "boyfriend" (but may have been kidding), shared two onscreen kisses with him |
| Fandom: | Doctor Who |
| Other: | Roger Delgado (1971-1973) Anthony Ainley (1981-1989) Eric Roberts (1996) Derek Jacobi (2007) John Simm (2007-2010) Michelle Gomez (2014-2017) Sacha Dhawan (2020-2022) |
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The Master is a recurring character and antagonist in the Doctor Who franchise, conceived as The Doctor's archenemy. They share a common origin with The Doctor, with both being Time Lords from the planet Gallifrey. Their relationship with The Doctor combines antagonism with an underlying tone of camaraderie and grudging, mutual admiration. The Master has been portrayed by many different actors and written with differing characterization across multiple regenerations.
Due to their relationship, The Doctor and The Master are frequently paired together in enemyslash.
Canon
Roger Delgado
The Master first appeared in the Third Doctor era and remained a reoccurring character up until Roger Delgado's death.
Peter Pratt
Peter Pratt's Master was a reoccurring character in the Fourth Doctor era. Pratt's Master was portrayed as a rotting husk on his last regeneration and close to death. In The Keeper Of Traken, Pratt's Master steals the body of Traken council member, Trema, leading into Anthony Ainley's iteration of The Master.
Anthony Ainley
Anthony Ainley's Master first appears at the end of the Fourth Doctor era. After causing the Fourth Doctor's regeneration in Logopolis, he reappears across multiple eras, including the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh eras.
Eric Roberts
Eric Robert's Master was featured in 1996 Doctor Who television movie, serving as the main antagonist to the Eighth Doctor.
Derek Jacobi
The first version of The Master in the revival Doctor Who era appears in the Tenth era. The Time Lords resurrected them, but he fled and hid until found by the Doctor. Derek Jacobi's time as The Master was brief, as he was quickly shot by his assistant, immediately regenerating into John Simm's Master.
John Simm
John Simm's Master served as the overarching villain for the third series of the revival Doctor Who era, and the main antagonist for the Tenth Doctor's last episode. Simm's Master flees to contemporary London and takes over the world. He is eventually defeated by The Doctor and companion Martha Jones, but is shot by his wife Lucy. Simm's Master refuses to regenerate due to The Doctor's anguish over his death.
In the final episode of the Tenth Era, The End of Time, Simm's Master is resurrected by a cult group. He then turns the human race into copies of himself. However, he is thwarted by the Time Lords, who have used him as a beacon to escape the Time War. The Doctor and Simm's Master collaborate to destroy the link, sending the Time Lords back to the Time War, but also sending Simm's Master with the Time Lords in the process.
Michelle Gomez
...until the eighth series in 2014. A mysterious and whimsical character calling herself "Missy" appeared in the first episode, "Deep Breath" and continued to make cameos until the next-to-last episode, "Dark Water", where she revealed that Missy was short for "Mistress", her true identity being the Master, becoming the first onscreen Time Lord to switch genders (the concept had been mentioned before, with the Corsair in "The Doctor's Wife", but never explored). The Master, or Mistress, raised a Cyberman army from all the dead humans on Earth, and gifted it to the Twelfth Doctor for his birthday, claiming that they are "not so different" and that she "needs her friend back". The Doctor rejected the gift (though he kindly thanked her with a kiss) and the Cyberman army destroyed itself under the direction of Danny Pink. Clara Oswald demanded that the Doctor kill the Master, but before he could, the Master was shot with a blast (presumed to be a disintegration ray) from the Cyber Brigadier. Before she supposedly died (although disintegration beams are typically orange, and this beam was blue, so it may have been a transmat beam), the Master gave the Doctor coordinates to where he could find their lost home planet, but the coordinates were fake.
Michelle Gomez returned as the Master in series 9, and featured prominently in the two-part opener, "The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar". In season 10, it was revealed that the Doctor saved her from execution and now Missy is his prisoner, locked in a vault. She has promised to be good, and in later episodes struggles with guilt for all the crimes she has committed, and the millions she has killed. Missy's gradual reformation results in the Doctor giving her more freedom. She lead a rescue mission in the finale, and her commitment to reform is tested when she encounters her former self in the form of John Simm's Master. Initially betraying the Doctor to return to her old ways, The Master's plan inevitably gets out of hand and when all seems lost, she tries to return to the Doctor as his ally. She stabs John Simm's Master, but he in turn kills her to prevent another incarnation of the Master aligning themselves with the Doctor.
Sacha Dhawan
The Doctor's best enemy returned in season 12 (but fandom is still debating if this regeneration is a pre-Missy version of the Master or a post-Missy regeneration). Masquerading as MI-6 agent O, the Master has been texting the Doctor for years and the Doctor enlists his help to investigate mysterious deaths. The Doctor eventually thwarts the Master's plan to turn the human race into hard drives, but even stranded in another dimension, the Master has the last word. He leaves a geo-locked message for the Doctor, revealing that he destroyed Gallifrey.
When the Master next appears, he takes the Doctor to the Citadel and traps her in a paralysis field. His mental projection accompanies her into the Matrix, as the truth of the Timeless Child, and his reasons for destroying Gallifrey, are revealed. Meanwhile, the Master's physical self kills Ashaad, takes possession of the Cyberium, and creates an army of CyberMasters with regenerative abilities. When the Doctor escapes the Matrix, he goads her to destroy all organic life on Gallifrey. She is unable to, but Ko Sharmus returns to detonate the death particle while the Doctor escapes. The Master unwilling to let anyone but the Doctor kill him, is also believed to have escaped.
Fandom
The Master's, like the Doctor's, origins are unclear. It can be taken from canon and paracanon that the Master grew up like the Doctor did, and went to the Prydonian Academy with him. Some fans thought the Master was secretly the Doctor's brother (due to a line from Fifth Doctor serial Planet Of Fire: "Won't you show mercy to your own-"), but this theory was dismissed by a conversation in the 2007 episode, "The Sound of Drums". The Master was the Doctor's best friend in their youth, though the Master's madness (inflicted by the drums) and slow turn to the dark side deteriorated their friendship. He, like the Doctor, eventually became a renegade Time Lord, and left Gallifrey to journey the cosmos, seeking to conquer, instead of merely explore like his former friend.
That one line from the Planet of Fire continues to inspire many headcanons about the exact nature of the pre-canon relationship between the Master and the Doctor. Some fans headcanon that the two were just friends, while others theorize they may have been married or related through marriage, and that Susan Foreman may have been the Master's granddaughter, as well as the Doctor's granddaughter.
Koschei
A companion novel published in 1997, revealed that the Master was previously known as Koschei. There are fans who view these extended universe novels as canon, and fans who do not. Originally, some fans rejected the name Koschei as it didn't appear to fit Time Lord naming conventions. These childhood names, or school nicknames, are often rooted in Latin or Greek, whereas Koschei is of Russian origin.
The nickname has cropped up in fanfiction set in all eras of Who. It's probably most common in Academy Era fanworks but also appears in New Who stories. The name Koschei is well known in fandom, and many fans are aware that this was the Master's childhood nickname, but it has made no appearance in the televised series. Fans unfamiliar with the NA, extended universe novels, often consider this a fanon nickname and may be unaware of its origins.[1]
This is also why the Doctor/Master pairing will sometimes be referred to as Thoschei.
Shipping
The Doctor and the Master are frequently paired in enemyslash, and it is the most popular ship for The Master, although not for the Doctor. More information and insight on the Master can be found at the Doctor/Master pairing page, or on regeneration specific pairing pages:
Common Tropes & Storylines
- Academy era fanfiction often feature the Master, known only as Koschei, interacting with other members of the Deca. These works often feature a pre-canon Thoschei relationship, and Theta's brother Braxiatel sometimes makes an appearance.
- As the Master is a villain, many works featuring him are dark and can include non con, dub con, torture and murder. In New Who, the darkest Master-centric works come from the TenSimm era. There are many Year That Never Was fics examining how the Master could have humiliated and abused the Doctor, and other characters, during the year he ruled the world.
- Vault fics are extremely common in works featuring Missy, but there were many fanfics where the Doctor kept the Master as a prisoner before this trope appeared in canon. There have also been many stories where the Master keeps the Doctor as their prisoner,and this is another trope with a basis in canon.
- Telepathy is a skill the Master sometimes uses to communicate with other Timelords. In fanworks, telepathy can be used for communication or mind control. Telepathic bonds and telepathic sex also feature in the Timelord relationships.
- A very small number of crack fics portray the Master's repeated attempts to murder the Doctor and all their friends, as an elaborate Timelord courting or mating ritual.
Fan Theories
Example Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanart
Fanfiction
Fan Songs
- "Hey Missy" - Doctor Who Parody *Spoilers* [Hey Mickey] - by Legs Nose Robinson (Parody of the song 'Hey Mickey') (November 2014) by Legs Nose Robinson
Meta
- I think that like the Doctor, many of the Master’s incarnations have been reactions to their previous incarnations by thirddoctor (2017)
- I’d thought RTD’s characterization of the Master was All Wrong but thinking abt it retroactively, post-Missy, it’s making a lot more sense? by ileolai (2018)
- The Master doesn't remember regenerating by ladyadelinergrey (2020)
Example Art Gallery
Roger Delgado's Master
Art by Mary D. Bloemker from The Faces of Time #2 (1982)
Art by Gennie Summers for The Sonic Screwdriver #2 (1987)
Cover art for The Celestial Toyroom #226 by unknown artist (1996)
Anthony Ainley's Master
Cover art for The Faces of Time #3 by C.R. Faddis (1983)
Cover art for The Clipper Trade Ship #46 by Gennie Summers (1985)
Art by Kara Ray from Celestial Toybox #2 (1987)
Cover art for Frontios #3 by unknown artist (1989)
Cover art of Time-Slog #13 by unknown artist (unknown year)
John Simm's Master
Cover art for Enlightenment no.156, with the Tenth Doctor, by J.F. Wilson (2010)
The Master by SleepyTenny (2017)
Michelle Gomez's Master
Missy by Fiona James (2014)
Communtites & Blogs
Archives & Fannish Links
- The Master works on Archive of Our Own
- See also Ao3's regeneration specific tags: The Master (Delgado), The Master (Ainley), The Master (Simm), Missy, The Master (Dhawan)
- The Master and Missy works on ff.net