Rory Williams
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Rory Williams |
| Occupation: | nurse, Roman centurion |
| Relationships: | Amy Pond (wife), Melody Pond, Eleventh Doctor |
| Fandom: | Doctor Who |
| Other: | played by Arthur Darvill |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
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Rory Williams, occasionally referred to as Rory Pond by the Doctor (and therefore also by fans), is a character in Doctor Who, a companion of the Eleventh Doctor. He travels through time and space in the TARDIS with the Doctor and his fiancee Amy Pond, who later becomes his wife.
He has a reputation in the fandom of dying a lot in canon, and this was the subject of many a meme and discussion during his time on the show.
Canon
Rory grew up in the English village of Leadworth, and was a childhood friend of Amelia Pond. After the Doctor crash-landed in her garden, Rory was frequently subjected to her stories and dress-up games of the Raggedy Doctor. Though he had already loved her for years, he and Amy finally began dating in their late teens.
After school, Rory became a nurse. He wanted nothing more than a quiet life and a family with Amy in their hometown. However, she had other ideas: during their courtship and after their wedding he was drawn into her adventures with the Doctor. He is killed several times during their adventures, brought back via Amy's love and memories. He becomes an Auton and guards the Pandorica for two thousand years while she is trapped inside. When she and their baby are kidnapped he crosses universes to find them. Briefly she leaves him, filing for divorce after finding she can't have the children he wants, but his love persuades her to return. Ultimately they split their time between travels with the Doctor and an ordinary life. Then a Weeping Angel traps them in 1939 New York City, where the two of them and their adopted son live happily ever after.
Fandom
Fan Opinion
Here's how one t_aspera describes Rory's arc in season six:
Oh, Rory. Rory has had one hell of a time since the Doctor stepped into his life. He was a kind, gentle and often overlooked nurse (after he failed to become a doctor) in an English village who dreamed of a picket fence future with his girlfriend Amy, until the intergalactic police threatened his neighbourhood and his girlfriend ran off in the middle of the night before their wedding with her imaginary childhood friend. Not that he knows this last part has happened, until the Doctor helpfully informs him of Amy's wayward attentions. At his bachelor party.
Rory then proceeds to win Amy back by reminding her of his gorgeousness, dies, gets erased from existence, comes back to life as a Nesteen consciousness (basically a cyborg), gets mind controlled into shooting and killing Amy, then stands by and protects her tomb/life-support for 2000 years (without sleep) until they can be reunited. Yeah.[1]
In other words, Rory is a total woobie.
His Many Deaths
In fanworks
Rory is most often paired with his wife Amy, though fans also sometimes pair him (and/or them) as part of an OT3 with Eleven. A common theme of Rory-centric stories is his centuries-long vigil guarding the Pandorica.
Since Arthur Darvill will play time traveller Rip Hunter in DC's forthcoming Legends of Tomorrow TV series some eventual crossovers seem inevitable.
Example Fanworks
Notable fic
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
- The Boy Who Waited by Lunik (2012) - "In a world without stars, the Last Centurion loses the Pandorica, loses his charge and loses his mind. SHIELD takes a chance on hiring a mysterious amnesiac man, and Agent Coulson finds that Rory Williams is the best damn secretary he's ever had." Avengers crossover.
- a shift in the universe by such_heights (2010) - "The Doctor and Rory have a conversation. Spoilers for 5x09"
- Nobody Sees, Nobody But Me by theonlytwin (2010_ - "Rory kept himself out of trouble for over two thousand years, did he? Faintest traces of OT3, mostly a romantic robot Roman following a box through history."
Notable vids
- Not Perfect, a vid by China Shop.
Of this vid, Laura Shapiro writes:
If you love Rory Williams, you will love Not Perfect. If you're not convinced about Rory Williams, it may in fact convince you.Surprisingly epic in scope but with the right modest and ironic tone, this vid captures all of Rory's facets and weaves them together into a solidly structured, funny, poignant experience that will make you smile -- and possibly cry.[2]
Art
- Rory Williams GIFs - MAJOR spoilers, Chuck Norris references, etc., creator not known.
Meta
Archives & Fannish Links
- Rory Williams works on Ao3
References
- ^ Ship Manifesto: OT3 In Space: Eleven/Rory/Amy (Doctor Who), accessed January 30, 2012
- ^ Vid rec: Doctor Who, accessed January 30, 2012