Doctor Who: 10 Villains The Doctor Couldn't Defeat

How do you kill a shadow? Simple: you don't.

Doctor Who Vashta Nerada
BBC Studios

Not all Doctor Who villains are created equal. While some are capable of destroying entire planets or even causing devastation on a universal scale, others can be defeated by having someone shout "Expelliarmus" at them.

And even though the Doctor's M.O. is to travel the universe, save innocent lives and stop the bad guys, some villains are too clever, too sneaky, or simply too powerful to handle, capable of not only executing their chosen evil scheme, but on certain occasions, even besting the Doctor to boot.

Alternatively, the Doctor may simply be forced to leave certain villains alone. If they don't have a weakness (or even a physical form), then there's often nothing that can be done to control them, kill them, or otherwise rid the universe of their existence.

The Doctor is intelligent and resourceful, sure, and the character does win most of the time. But there are certain occasions where the bad guys just can't be taken down. This whole "wandering the universe" malarkey was never going to be a walk in the park, especially when these are some of the foes you have to deal with...

10. Skaldak (Cold War)

Doctor Who Vashta Nerada
BBC Studios

The Eleventh Doctor episode Cold War finds the Doctor and Clara trapped onboard a submarine that is under attack by Skaldak, a member of the mighty Ice Warrior race.

With the Doctor being trapped in such a confined space with very few resources - and no TARDIS - there really isn't much he can do to stop Skaldak's assault, and as a result, the alien runs rampant, killing several crew members and threatening to unleash nuclear warheads upon the Earth, potentially killing billions.

This leaves the Doctor with one option: blow up the submarine, an act that would destroy the missiles and Skaldak, yes, but would also kill himself, Clara, and all the other innocent crew members onboard the vessel.

Fortunately, the Doctor doesn't have to do this in the end, but only because Skaldak leaves, and as an added bonus, he also decides to show mercy by not firing the warheads. If he had wanted to though, Skaldak could've easily blown the Earth to bits, and the Doctor would've been powerless to stop him.

The story ends with the good guys surviving and the Earth being left unharmed, but not because the Doctor beat the villain. If you boil it down, the Doctor actually lost this one, and things only turned out well because Skaldak chose peace instead of destruction.

In this post: 
Doctor Who
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

WhoCulture Channel Manager/Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture. Can confirm that bow ties are cool.