10 Best One-Off Villains Classic Doctor Who Villains

5. Salamander

Tom Baker Meglos Fourth Doctor
BBC

1967-68's The Enemy of the World saw Second Doctor actor Patrick Troughton also portraying the villainous despot known as Ramón Salamander.

A stark contrast to the loveable, wondrous Doctor, Salamander was a power-mad, well-connected scientist with plans for world domination. With endless resource including machines which could create earthquakes and erupt volcanoes, Salamander was considered to be one of the most powerful and dangerous men to ever live.

Known for inventing a sun machine which aided in growing crops to fight world hunger - this was all a front for Salamander's true intention to rule the world. Murdering diplomats, politicians, and anyone else who got in his way, this madman soon had the world's leaders replaced with officials he could trust and would do his bidding.

Salamander's scheme almost came to fruition if not for the intervention of the Second Doctor and companions. Due to his unexplained resemblance to the dictator, the Second Doctor impersonated Salamander and took down his operation from the inside.

Learning of the Doctor's ruse, Salamander detonated an explosive and destroyed his base, along with the remainder of his empire. Injured in the blast, Salamander was mistaken for the Doctor by companion Jamie McCrimmon and taken on-board the TARDIS.

Unable to operate the TARDIS, Jamie realised that he'd been tricked and fought with the villain until the real Doctor showed up.

Managing to overpower both the Doctor and Jamie, Salamander made a final attempt to pilot the TARDIS. Instead, he found himself ejected into the Time Vortex where he would be trapped for eternity.

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Eden Luke McIntyre is a Scottish writer, editor and script consultant, with an MA in TV Fiction Writing. He writes content for TV, radio, stage, and online, and was appointed as a BBC Writers Room Scottish Voice in early 2020. Eden can usually be found rambling about Doctor Who, The Beatles, and obscure things that no one cares about.