6. Clara Has A Connection To A Returning Enemy
Conceivably, Clara has, in one way or another, encountered every enemy the Doctor has ever faced. Sure she may have been in the background, the Doctor unaware of her presence, but she will have seen every alien, every villain. Was she on the planet Vortis when the First Doctor encountered the Zarbi? Or on Telos when the Second Doctor saw the Cybermen emerge from their tombs? Was she in 15th Century Italy when the Fourth Doctor trapped the Mandragora Helix? Or in World War II Northumbria when Fenric threatened to destroy the Seventh Doctor? Clara being scattered across space and time opens up numerous possibilities, one of the biggest being a connection to an old enemy. Doctor Who has reintroduced a classic baddie every year. Next up are fan favourites the Zygons. For season 8/34, I would love a returning enemy to be linked with a previous encounter with Clara herself. Something that Clara secretly helped to defeat. Or simply came onto its radar by being at the wrong place at the right time. Personally, if it wasn't too similar to the Great Intelligence, a malevolent presence like Fenric of the Fendahl or the Mara. Something that gets its revenge on the Doctor and Clara by possessing the companion and bending her to its will. But something new to Nu Who is likely to be more physical, particular after the last series' central villain. My next choice would be the Sea Devils. It would build on the Silurian lore reintroduced into the show by having their amphibious cousins make a dramatic appearance. If I was writing them, I'd set them in Victorian England, giving Madam Vastra a bit of a moral dilemma to face. And the idea of Sea Devils rising out of the misty Thames; that would be as iconic an image as their original on-masse appearance. Though we've already had Victorian Clara, so maybe looking further afield would be another option. Clara's involvement with the Draconians from 'Frontier In Space' would be fascinating. They were built up to be a rival star empire to humanity but only appeared in one story on screen. They're ripe with potential for development and as they sit more in the grey area (something I find more interesting) they could become a force for good or evil, depending on where the story goes. But if you want a decent baddie, what about the best of the best? Sutekh the Destroyer. This Egyptian God was last seen trapped in a time tunnel by the Fourth Doctor, doomed to die. There have been suggestions laid out there that he was also in fact the Beast from 'The Impossible Planet' / 'The Satan Pit'. Both were a powerful force of evil, voiced by Gabriel Woolf. Both could have been incarnations of the same devil/Osirian. And how would Clara have been involved? Could she have been lurking around Sutekh's pyramid on Mars? Or working behind the scenes to prevent the Eye Of Horus being destroyed prematurely? Either way, assuming Sutekh managed to escape his fate there might be two people on his revenge list. And considering the Doctor and Clara would be travelling in the same Tardis...well that would be too good an opportunity for him not to take up.