Doctor Who: The 10 Most Pathetic Plans Put Forward By Villains

The Doctor's gone up against many villains in his time, but only a select few have shot themselves in the foot so spectacularly.

By Nicole Dawn Emrikson /

Disturbances in the Whoniverse come down to a handful of basic conflicts involving survival, greed, and lust for domination. Each of these must be foiled by some combination of the Doctor, his friends, and very often the bravery of someone we didn't know at the top of the hour. Sometimes the solution comes down to our heroes being just a little bit cleverer. Other times, it is a last minute defection of a trusted minion. Still on other days, the only option left is a Deus Ex Machina-style universe restart. But in nearly all cases, the Doctor's victory requires a misstep of the Doctor's opponent. Often, this miscalculation is forgiveable, but with more than two hundred documented schemes to win wars, breed, gather fuel, claim untold riches, or seize great power throughout the known Whoniverse, some are bound to be duds. While one can assume the enemy of the week never sets out to fail, some plans are so poorly thought through, or contain so many mistakes along the way, that you nearly feel sorry that that poor sap ended up where they did. So be prepared with your best facepalm and groan as I not-so-proudly present the Ten Most Pathetic Plans Put Forward By Villains.