To celebrate Doctor Who’s return to our screens (and what a comeback it was), this article is all about one of the most popular Doctors in the new series. The Tenth Doctor, masterfully portrayed by David Tennant, first appeared in 2005 before finally regenerating over 5 years later in 2010.
This incarnation was especially loved by fans for his cheerful and cheeky demeanor. However, the Tenth Doctor also had a surprisingly steely dark side and his anger would erupt occasionally, causing anything or anyone who opposed him to tremble in fear. The Doctor is a hero to many, but get on their bad side and you might not live to regret it.
Deposing Harriet Jones
When the Doctor and Rose first met Harriet Jones, she proved to be an invaluable ally in their fight against the Slitheen, who wanted to blow the Earth up for profit. Harriet teamed up with the Doctor and together, they managed to stop the Slitheen’s nefarious plan. They parted on friendly terms, with the Doctor hinting that Harriet would become the next Prime Minister.
During their next encounter, the Doctor remained asleep in the TARDIS for most of the alien invasion. Therefore it was left to Harriet to act as ambassador for the human race. In the end, while the Doctor did wake up and save the day, Harriet made the decision to blow up the Sycorax. The Doctor was furious with Harriet for protecting her planet and in revenge, he started a vicious rumor that led to her downfall.
Letting The Ood Die
Okay, so this wasn’t technically the Doctor’s fault and, to be fair, he had a lot on his mind, what with the rise of the Devil and all that. Basically, the Doctor and Rose had landed on a planet orbiting a black hole, a scientific impossibility. Naturally, the Doctor was intrigued and so they stuck around for a bit.
However, an ancient and evil force was stirring and possessed the Ood onboard the space base, killing all crew members. The Doctor confronted the Beast and, with Rose’s help, managed to defeat it, but unfortunately, the Ood and the planet fell into the black hole before the Doctor could save them. He later remarked that he owed the Ood a favor.
Killing The Last Of The Racnoss
For a Christmas Special, “The Runaway Bride” definitely had some darker moments. On the plus side, this was the episode in which the Doctor and Donna first met. Unfortunately, it was also the episode in which Donna’s reluctant fiancé was secretly poisoning her, and was then killed in front of her eyes.
Unbelievably, things were about to get even more grim, as the Empress of the Racnoss had just unleashed her children on the planet. To stop her, the Doctor channeled the Thames through her base and drowned the Empress’s children. This incident scared Donna so much that she refused his offer to travel with him (the first time round).
Destroying Pompeii
Season 4 was an incredibly strong run of episodes and probably one of Doctor Who’s best seasons so far. The Doctor and Donna’s friendship was hilarious and adorable and the caliber of the stories was very high. The season’s second episode focused on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the subsequent destruction of Pompeii.
It turns out that a race of aliens called Pyroviles were using the volcano to recreate their home planet here on Earth. Tragically, the only way to stop them was for the Doctor and Donna to trigger Vesuvius’s eruption themselves, actively causing the deaths of thousands of people. It was utterly heartbreaking.
Erasing Donna’s Memories
In the most insane season finale ever, the Doctor and his companions, past and present, were faced with saving every single universe from the threat of the Daleks and their genocidal weapon, the Reality Bomb.
The stakes were incredibly high and so naturally, it was down to Donna, the loudmouthed temp from Chiswick, to save the day. She underwent a metacrisis, absorbing the Doctor’s mind into her own. After she had destroyed the Daleks, though, Donna couldn’t handle the Time Lord consciousness and was dying, so the Doctor took away her memories of ever meeting him. He saved her life, but robbed Donna of her time in the TARDIS and undid all of her personal growth.
Becoming Human
The Doctor rarely ever intends to be cruel or unkind. Sometimes, he acts in the best interests of others but unfortunately, innocent beings get caught in the crossfire. While that might not be the Doctor’s fault directly, he must shoulder some of the blame. This was never more apparent than in the Season 3 episodes “Human Nature” and “The Family Of Blood”.
On the run from a bunch of murderous aliens, known as the Family of Blood, the Doctor and Martha hid in England in 1913. To ensure the Family didn’t sniff him out, the Doctor turned himself human. However, this meant the Family started bombing the local village until the Doctor became a Time Lord again. This was pure collateral damage, in the harshest sense of the words.
Punishing The Family Of Blood
Given how the Family were the biggest bunch of sadistic, murderous aliens the series had encountered for a long time, one might be excused for wondering how this makes the Tenth Doctor bad. However, the Doctor’s punishment for the Family was born out of pure and terrible rage.
The Family’s sole objective for wanting the Doctor was so that they could live forever. In order to achieve eternal life, they butchered and killed hundreds of innocent people. When the Doctor returned, he gave them eternal life, but in a way so horrific, that it could only be described as a living Hell. During this punishment, the Doctor never spoke a word.
Committing Genocide
No, we’re not talking about the events in “The Day Of The Doctor” (although that’s reserved for another list). Instead, this entry is all about the Other Doctor who appeared in the Season 4 finale. When Donna touched the Doctor’s severed hand, it grew and created a whole new Doctor, with Donna’s personality.
This Doctor looked exactly like the Tenth Doctor (so we’re counting it for this list) but he was born with hatred in his mind. Specifically, hatred of the Daleks. When the Other Doctor got a chance, he blew up every single Dalek, wiping out an entire race (or so he thought), much to the real Doctor’s anger and disbelief.
Raging Against The Dying Of The Light
The Tenth Doctor was given some of the best speeches in Doctor Who’s history, and he used this talent mostly for good. However, when the Tenth Doctor was nearing the end of his life, he became darker and infinitely more terrifying. Not only towards his enemies, but also towards the closest of his friends.
During the Doctor’s battle against an undead Master, he fought knowing that this was how he would die. However, the Doctor managed to survive the whole ordeal until Wilfred got trapped in a booth about to be flooded with radiation. The Doctor knew he had to save him at the cost of his own life and launched into an angry speech about how he was so much more important and better than his friend. It was soul-crushing.
Becoming The Time Lord Victorious
This was honestly one of the most shocking scenes ever in Doctor Who. “The Waters Of Mars” was a fantastically bleak episode in which the guest stars displayed more compassion and humanity than the Doctor. It was a completely new take on a fan-favorite incarnation and deserves praise for taking the Doctor into uncharted territory.
The Doctor was forced to leave a group of decent humans to die because of the Laws of Time. Ultimately, though, he realized that he controlled Time, and went back to save the survivors, despite their deaths being established as a fixed point. Their commander, Adelaide, didn’t approve of the Doctor changing her family’s destiny and so she killed herself in her own home to set Time back on track.
