The History Behind Doctor Who's Big Returning Villain

At this point, modern Doctor Who has been astir for astir arsenic agelong arsenic classical Doctor Who was—which means the accidental for returning legendary baddies that the bid hasn’t already taken is moving alternatively thin. But this week, Doctor Who yet played 1 much acquainted ace up its sleeve (no, not that Ace), and brought backmost 1 of its astir infamous one-off villains.

“The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” the penultimate episode of the existent play of Doctor Who, revealed the mysterious crushed wherefore Doctor and Ruby person been seeing the aforesaid pistillate (played by perpetually persistent impermanent prima Susan Twist, a sanction calved to beryllium utilized successful Doctor Who successful specified a capacity) crossed their adventures successful Time and Space. Now manifested successful modern time London arsenic nebulous tech mogul Susan Triad, the caput of Triad Technologies, the occurrence climaxed with the uncover that Triad was successful information a herald for different of the gods that person been menacing the Doctor from the shadows since past year’s 60th day specials. First determination was the Toymaker, past Maestro, and with an speech notation of Sarah Jane Adventures baddie the Trickster, we got to the last reveal: the deity of Death of this large pantheon, Sutekh!

Who Is Sutekh?

Screenshot: BBC/Disney

Although re-introduced present arsenic the God of Death—unlike the Egyptian deity he’s named for, Set, whose domains included the desert, violence, and disorder—Sutekh looks a small antithetic from erstwhile we past saw him successful Doctor Who. Now a giant, multi-eyed doglike apparition, who has seemingly been hidden astir the TARDIS itself since arsenic aboriginal arsenic past year’s day peculiar “Wild Blue Yonder,” manifesting lone arsenic a peculiar groan and wheeze dependable from the clip ship, Sutekh antecedently appeared arsenic a large, humanoid doglike creature, wearing acheronian robes and an Egyptian-inspired disguise to fell his existent face.

Sutekh was the past surviving subordinate of a contention called the Osirans, an interstellar empire of beings with immense godlike powers that inspired the cosmologies of galore cultures crossed the beingness by their power and appearance—including past Egypt connected Earth. Originally the the guardian of the ruling bid of the Osiran civilization, the Osirian Court, Sutekh yet betrayed his ain radical successful a lust for further power, believing helium could escaped the beingness from the chaos of escaped volition by granting them the inevitability of death. He destroyed his ain homeworld, Phaester Osiris, and began to carve a way of bloody demolition crossed the galaxy, earlier the surviving Osirans—including Sutekh’s ain brother, Horus—managed to imprison Sutekh successful a pyramid connected past Earth, utilizing a almighty instrumentality called the Eye of Horus. Itself located connected a akin pyramidic operation connected Mars, the Eye suppressed Sutekh’s immense psionic powers and his existent form, imprisoning him for thousands of years.

Where Has Sutekh Appeared Before?

Sutekh has lone appeared successful 1 Doctor Who communicative anterior to “The Legend of Ruby Sunday”: the iconic 1975 serial “The Pyramids of Mars.”

Starring Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen arsenic the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith, “Pyramids” is mostly acceptable successful 1911, erstwhile an Oxford University prof named Marcus Scarman inadvertently uncovered the tomb Sutekh was imprisoned successful during an excavation successful Egypt. Immediately killed by the Osiran, Sutekh attempted to usage Scarman’s signifier arsenic a vas to yet hatch a program to flight imprisonment and proceed is quest to bring decease to each beingness successful the universe: utilizing Scarman’s resources arsenic good arsenic immoderate creepy Osiran robo-mummies, Sutekh planned to motorboat a rocket astatine the pyramid connected Mars holding the Eye of Horus, freeing his existent form. Defeated by the Doctor moments earlier helium could escape—locked into a clip passageway that the Doctor shunted the exit for into the acold future, believing helium had aged Sutekh to death—Sutekh was ne'er seen connected surface again until “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” revealing that the Osiran seemingly escaped the Doctor’s trap.

In the UK astatine least, this week the BBC volition re-broadcast “Pyramids of Mars” successful an omnibus format arsenic portion of the Tales of the TARDIS series, featuring caller interstitial worldly starring Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson arsenic the 15th Doctor and Ruby. Presumably that caller worldly won’t beryllium important to knowing the events of this week’s play finale, “The Empire of Death,” but if you tin entree it, “Pyramids” is regularly hailed arsenic a classical Doctor Who story, truthful it’s worthy checking out!

What Does Sutekh’s Return Mean for Doctor Who?

Screenshot: BBC/Disney

Right now, it’s hard to say—but adjacent erstwhile facing Sutekh successful “The Pyramids of Mars,” the Doctor recognized, and struggled to overcome, Sutekh arsenic an highly almighty entity dissimilar thing he’d faced before. Even successful the constrained signifier of his imprisonment, Sutekh was susceptible of psionic powerfulness that could overwhelm the Doctor. The accusation successful “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” is that this is Sutekh genuinely unleashed to his afloat potential. However helium managed to past the clip passageway helium was trapped in, oregon however helium became portion of this caller pantheon of gods, remains to beryllium seen. And that’s adjacent earlier you get into each the different questions raised by the physique up to his uncover successful “Legend”—why Susan Triad and each the different versions of her were indispensable to his return, however he’s been capable to seemingly beryllium hidden and connected to the TARDIS for truthful long, and if helium has immoderate transportation to the enigma down Ruby’s commencement mother.

We’ll find out, hopefully, successful “The Empire of Death”—as good arsenic however the Doctor volition negociate to decision him this time.

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