10 Biggest Doctor Who Retcons

4. The Doctor Is Half Human

Paradigm Dalek Doctor Who
BBC

As his foes love to mock him for, The Doctor has always had a certain affinity for us humans. But in a bizarre turn of events in the 1998 TV Movie starring Paul McGann, the Doctor's connection to humanity was revealed to run deeper than we thought.

Contrary to what we were led to believe for the entire duration of the show up to this point, the Doctor is apparently not an alien after all. At least, not entirely. In an attempt to distract a party guest while stealing their security pass, the Doctor blurts out a pretty big secret:

"I'm half human. On my mother's side."

This is such an appalling retcon that it almost comes across as a joke, but the Master confirms it to be true in the very same film.

The reveal comes completely out of nowhere and it's incredibly jarring, since it contradicts everything we know. It's almost like the filmmakers didn't even watch the show. Or perhaps they confused the Doctor with Mr Spock. It's a relief, then, that this baffling bombshell is never mentioned again. A retcon of a retcon. Only Doctor Who could be so cavalier with its continuity.

 
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Patch is a pop culture enthusiast and purveyor of puns. He writes about media in a vague attempt to justify the alarming amount of time he spends consuming it. Nobody's convinced... but nobody's told him that yet. He spends his spare time working on Portal 2: Desolation, an ambitious fan-made sequel to Valve's beloved puzzle games.