10 Disturbing Backstories Behind Doctor Who Characters
4. Daleks
If you ever met a Dalek on the street and asked it about itself before it bellowed "EXTERMINATE" in your direction, it would describe itself as perfection. Daleks see themselves as the best possible organism in the universe across all of time and space, which is why they seek to destroy all else.
They may see themselves as perfect, but they didn't start out as murderous blobs residing in impenetrable tanks capable of mass destruction. Originally, they were a species called the Kaleds, which resided on the planet Skaro with another species called the Thals.
The two races were embroiled in a Thousand Year War, which saw widespread destruction across the planet. Radiation made most of Skaro uninhabitable, and what remained was plagued with hordes of mutated monsters. The Kaleds were mutated as well, and only through Davros were they able to evolve and survive.
The Daleks essentially lost their humanity... or whatever word works best for a Kaled. They were the product of nuclear and biological warfare, and conflict was bred into them. Davros furthered their mutation to achieve a "pure" form of what the Kaled would ultimately become, which he designed to be "soldiers who would never, ever stop."