We now know that series 8 is right around the corner (if August can be considered as such), and speculation about which villains the Twelfth Doctor will face are swirling. Will we learn what fate the Master suffered after the events of The End of Time? Will the Weeping Angels return for more nefarious time schemes? What about the Cybermen, Silurians, or Sontarans? There's even a rumor that series 8 will herald the return of the Monk, not seen on screen since The Time Meddler in 1965! There's one obvious choice for villain, however, that appears to be slipping through the cracks--the Valeyard (in case the name is unfamiliar to you, we have an introductory article on the Valeyard here). There is so much mystery and untapped potential surrounding this character that it would be almost wasteful not to use him, and the fact that he is a major part of Whovian lore gives Moffat and Co. an even bigger reason to bring him back. The Valeyard really is the ultimate foe for the Doctor because he is the Doctor himself. We've seen the Doctor match wits with his darker side in the modern series a la the Dream Lord in Amy's Choice, and even Mr. Clever from Nightmare in Silver could be considered a manifestation of the Doctor's darkness. But the Valeyard came before either of them, and his shadow has stretched after the Doctor ever since the big reveal of his identity in The Trial of a Time Lord. Here, then, are ten reasons the Valeyard is the perfect villain for series 8.
Paula Luther hails from Pennsylvania and has been an avid Whovian since 2008. She enjoys writing (obviously), reading, dancing, video editing, and building websites. She has also self-published two books on Amazon, "Bart the Bard" and "Android Mae and Other Stories".
