10 Doctor Who Characters That Should Return

Like Ace, Leela was another massive departure from the typical companion archetype, given she was a warrior who could battle her enemies. Sure, Leela wasn't the brightest of companions, but she was certainly loyal, and held so many strengths (both physically and mentally). Unfortunately, her departure was extremely forced, in that she fell in love with Andred out of the blue during the events of The Invasion of Time.

However, this has led to her character being heavily explored in Big Finish due to her association to Gallifrey, pairing her up with Romana in order to protect the Time Lord's home-world from many different threats. Inevitably, this forced her onto the frontlines of the Time War, as she aided the Time Lords in trying to defeat the might of the Daleks.

Though I haven't listened to the Gallifrey range as of yet, I have listened to her appearances during the War Doctor boxset, Casualties of War, and it is so depressing. Leela got struck by a time weapon and for a while lost her identity, as she experienced her infinite realities all at once, before inevitably being brought back from the brink by the War Doctor after years of torment.

As of yet, we do not know her fate. My hopes are that she did survive the Time War, and continued to help Gallifrey, perhaps even aiding them against the Master's onslaught, and maybe helped to get some of the civilians off world. Plus, it'd be nice to see how she could be incorporated into the ongoing events, as the Thirteenth Doctor explores the deceit of the past, which perhaps changes Leela's perspective on how she views the Time Lords as a whole.