Doctor Who: 10 Moments Of Mind-Blowing Unexpected Cruelty From The Doctor

2. "The Curse Of Fenric"

It seems a list of the Doctor's cruelest moments cannot be compiled without giving some sort of mention to Sylvester McCoy. The seventh Doctor was certainly the most manipulative, adopting Ace as companion only to use her in a larger pawn against Fenric. But the two still shared a very intimate, father-daughter-esque relationship, not unlike that of the third Doctor and Jo's. We thought we had seen the worst of his manipulation of Ace in Ghostlight, but that was nothing compared to the climax of "The Curse of Fenric." When the Doctor denied Ace to her face, calling her an "emotional cripple," his ends-justify-the-means attitude shone. Though he later tried to soften the blow, insisting he didn't mean what he said, the fact remains that he used his companion and forged a bond with her just to have the upper hand against Fenric. This sort of manipulation was unheard of for the Doctor to do. Unfortunately, "Fenric" was the penultimate serial of Classic Doctor Who, so we never got to see how this somewhat resolved relationship played out.