Doctor Who: 5 More Potential Masters For Peter Capaldi's 12th Doctor

5. Benedict Cumberbatch

The first entrant on this list is Benedict Cumberbatch. Since starring in Sherlock since 2010, as the eponymous Sherlock Holmes, he has become something of a teenage icon - and viewed as the perfect detective. His ability to portray a man who may be on the side of the angels but certainly isn't one of them would fit in with the Master's rationale, as his ties with the Time Lords are overshadowed by his power-hungry and twisted ambitions. The energy and charisma which Cumberbatch would bring to the role, along with a profound dark side, are critical, and would allow him to shape a character which would be a match for either the Eleventh, in the unlikely event that he appears in 2013, or more likely for the Twelfth, Doctor. He has established himself as a villain already too, playing Khan in 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness. However, the main drawback is the role he already, and most famously, occupies - that of the world's greatest detective and, perhaps, hero. It is almost unimaginable that someone who is viewed as good yet flawed and working for justice would suddenly turn to the polar-opposite role. Cumberbatch himself has distanced himself from Doctor Who, despite his ties with Steven Moffat, so as much as it would be fantastic to see him play the role, it is highly unlikely.