The 30 best Doctor Who villains

Tom Percival
The 15th Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) ith several iconic Doctor Who villains behind him including Cybermen, Daleks, and Weeping Angels.

Doctor Who has been on TV for 60 years at this point, and the Doctor has met plenty of monsters, maniacs, and murderers on their adventures through time and space. Yet, who’s the worst of the worst? Who’s the greatest Doctor Who villain?

On paper, that seems like it has an obvious answer: it’s the Daleks, but is that really true? Well, with Doctor Who Season 14 finally here (check out our Doctor Who Space Babies review and Doctor Who Devil’s Chord review), we’ve decided to go through all the Doctor Who episodes and bring you a list of the scariest Doctor Who baddies.

We’ve been as thorough as we can be going through all of the Doctors in order, cataloging monsters as we go — working our way from the Autons to the Zygons. We’ve broken down who each of these vicious villains is, when they first appeared, who plays them, and why they’re scary.

So, with no further adieu, here are our picks for the best Doctor Who villains of all time.

30. Lady Cassandra

The Doctor Who villain Cassandra

First Appearance: The End of the Earth

Played by: Zoë Wanamaker

Who are they? A sentient flap of skin, Cassandra —  or, to use her proper name, Lady Cassandra O’Brien.Δ17 — was the self-declared last pure human in existence or, to use Rose’s description, she was a “bitchy trampoline.” Using experimental cosmetic surgeries, Cassandra managed to extend her life span beyond the normal lifespan at the cost of all her major organs, bones, and everything else. Still, at least she looked thin…

Why we love to hate them: Cassandra is definitive proof that beauty is only skin deep and was completely obsessed with her youth and appearance. In her vain pursuit of the perfect body, she sacrificed everything that made her human, including her empathy and compassion. Yet there’s something terribly relatable about Cassandra; after all, who hasn’t felt a stab of terror when they spot a new wrinkle or blemish?

29. Tzim-Sha 

The Doctor Who villain Tim Shaw

First Appearance: The Woman Who Fell To Earth

Played by: Samuel Oatley

Who are they? Tzim-Sha (Or Tim Shaw to the Doctor and her Fam) was a Stenza warrior who traveled to Earth to hunt the unfortunate crane operator Karl Wright. Unfortunately for Tim, he quickly ran into the freshly regenerated 13th Doctor and was sent packing back to whatever dark corner of the universe he crawled out of. 

Why we love to hate them: While Tim has a pretty standard alien background (he’s basically a combination of the Hirogen and Klingons from Star Trek), he does have two things going for him. First of all, his face has hundreds of teeth embedded into the skin, making him one of the weirdest-looking aliens in all of New Who and an odontophobe’s worst nightmare. That’s by the by, though; the real thing that earned him a spot on this list is the murder of Ryan’s beloved grandma, Grace. 

28. The Dream Lord

The Doctor Who villain the Dream Lord

First Appearance: Amy’s Choice

Played by: Toby Jones

Who are they? The Dream Lord is a dark part of the Doctor’s subconscious brought to life by psychic pollen. The pollen created a shared dream space, trapping the 11th Doctor, Rory, and Amy in an imagined world where the Dream Lord had complete control over reality. Eventually, The Doctor managed to outsmart their captor and flush the pollen out into space, seemingly defeating the Dream Lord. 

Why we love to hate them: Evil incarnations of the Doctor are ten a penny (as you’ll find out later on this list), but there was something incredibly compelling about the sinister Dream Lord. Honestly, it probably all comes down to Toby Jones’ incredible performance. He’s perfectly cast (you can totally see Jones as The Doctor) and brings a bizarre uncanniness to the Dream Lord, which is exactly the quality you want from a character born from dreams and nightmares. 

27. The Monk

The Doctor Who villain known as The Monk.

First Appearance: The Time Meddler

Played by: Peter Butterworth

Who are they? A renegade Time Lord, The Monk travels the universe, causing chaos wherever he goes. Unlike other Gallifreyans (even The Master) who tend to respect the rules of time and space, The Monk loves to meddle, deliberately causing anachronisms and interfering in significant historical events. The Monk was eventually defeated by the First Doctor, but he vowed revenge, although he has yet to honor that promise (on TV, at least).

Why we love to hate them: The Monk’s an easy character to love because he’s so similar to The Doctor, and he represents what our hero could be if he set aside his morals. Both Time Lords are cavalier when it comes to time travel. The only difference is that The Doctor respects the Laws of Time, whereas The Monk arrogantly believes that he knows best. Fun fact: The Monk was actually the show’s second recurring enemy after the Daleks, but he’s not been seen onscreen since the 1st Doctor’s era. Maybe he can pop up during the 15th Doctor’s run?  

26. The Trickster

The Trickster from Sarah Jane Adventures and Doctor Who.

First Appearance: Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?

Played by: Paul Marc Davies

Who are they? An interdimensional being of untold power, The Trickster belonged to the Pantheon of Discord and sought to rewrite Earth’s history so he could feed off the resulting chaos. Thankfully, Sarah Jane and the Bannerman Road gang were on hand to put a stop to his evil scheme… for now, at least.

Why we love to hate them: Right, before we begin, let’s begin with the Elephant in the room: “The Trickster is a Sarah Jane villain, not a Doctor Who villain!” Good point, poindexter, but the 10th Doctor battled the Trickster during The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, and it’s implied he had a hand in the events of Turn Left, so we think it counts. 

Anyway, back to The Trickster! Aside from looking absolutely terrifying, seriously, that’s some incredible creature design; this devious deviant has a really menacing presence, and his ability to warp reality means that any episode he’s in has real stakes. He’s the best baddie in The Sarah Jane Adventures, and we hope Russell hasn’t forgotten him because a showdown with the 15th Doctor could be incredible. 

25. The Beast 

The Doctor Who villain known as The Beast.

First Appearance: The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit

Played by: Will Thorp/ Gabriel Woolf (voice)

Who are they? The self-proclaimed embodiment of evil, The Beast of Krop Tor, was a colossal horned demon from beyond the beginning of time. Trapped in the Krop Tor asteroid, the Beast claimed it was the literal devil (although the 10th Doctor had his doubts about this boast) and tried to use Toby Zed and a group of possessed Ood to free himself from his prison. Rose and the Doctor managed to stop The Beast in his hooved tracks by sending the asteroid he had been sealed in plummeting into the event horizon of a black hole. 

Why we love to hate them: This devious space devil left a huge impression on audiences back in the day, and his menacing presence helped make The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit two of the scariest episodes of New Who. What makes The Beast so scary, aside from his monstrous design, is his diabolical nature. So often, the monsters in Who can be explained by science or are part of the natural world, but The Beast bucked that trend. He felt unknown and mystical — a realm rarely explored in Who. 

24. Ashad, the Lone Cyberman

The Doctor Who villain, Shad the Lone Cyberman stands with two other Cybermen

First Appearance: The Haunting of Villa Diodati

Played by: Patrick O’Kane

Who are they? Following the destruction of the Cyber Empire, Ashad — a partially converted human — was the last known Cyberman in existence. Desperate to rebuild his species and wipe out all other life in the galaxy, Ashad sought the Cyberium, a database of Cyberman history, which had merged with the poet Percy Shelley (stay with me). While Ashad successfully retrieved the Cyberium, he foolishly decided to ally with The Master, who murdered the Lone Cyberman and stole his army.

Why we love to hate them: The Cybermen are always scary, but Ashad is uniquely horrifying. He was a willing convert to the Cyber Empire who slaughtered his own children and chose to be upgraded. Even when the process failed, he remained loyal to his mechanical masters, who obediently served the Cybermen as they slaughtered and converted billions. 

23. The Valeyard

The Doctor Who villain known as the Valeyard

First Appearance: The Mysterious Planet

Played by: Michael Jayston / Geoffrey Hughes

Who are they? A cunning and mysterious Time Lord, The Valeyard is supposedly a future incarnation of The Doctor from somewhere between their twelfth and final incarnations. Quite how The Valeyard came into being is unknown; however, we know he served the Time Lord’s High Council during the Sixth Doctor’s trial on Gallifrey. Acting as the Gallifreyan prosecutor, The Valeyard hoped to have the Doctor executed so he could steal his remaining regenerations. 

Why we love to hate them: The Dream Lord and The Mad Monk may be evil versions of The  Doctor, but The Valeyard is the evil Doctor. The definite article, you might say! Pompous and austere, The Valeyard is beloved for being The Doctor’s antithesis, and his character has cast a spell over Who fans for years. Seriously, despite his limited screen time, The Valeyard has had more fan theories written about him over the years than maybe any other villain on this list.

22. Slitheen

A member of the SLitheen family an infamous Doctor who villain

First Appearance: Aliens of London

Played by: Multiple actors

Who are they? A Raxacoricofallapatorian crime family, the Slitheen used skin suits to infiltrate the British government so they could spark a nuclear war. Once the Earth had been reduced to a radioactive cinder, they hoped to sell the planet off as starship fuel. The 9th Doctor managed to stop them, but Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen survived and made her way to Cardiff, where she had yet another run-in with the Doctor. 

Why we love to hate them: These flatulent green monsters may look like overgrown babies, but you shouldn’t underestimate them. The Slitheen are exceptionally dangerous, and their unique biology gives them a number of abilities that make them fearsome enemies. With that in mind, though, it’s Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen who earned this monstrous mafia a spot on this list. Despite being a murderer and thief, she keeps the Slitheen family sympathetic by reminding us that people aren’t born evil; they’re made evil by circumstance and environment.

21. Beep The Meep

Beep the Meep from The Star Beast episode of Doctor Who.

First Appearance: The Star Beast

Played by: Miriam Margolyes

Who are they? The cruel and tyrannical leader of the Meeps, a race of cute furry creatures driven insane by their psychedelic sun, Beep was an intergalactic criminal wanted for beheading and eating the Galactic Council.

Why we love to hate them: Manipulative and murderous Beep is a sadistic menace who looks like the cutest thing ever produced by a factory that exclusively designs very cute things. It’s weird, hilarious, and taps into the unique way Doctor Who approaches its villains. What’s not to like? 

20. Kandyman

The infamous Doctor Who villain known as th Kandyman a robot made of licorice.

First Appearance: The Happiness Patrol

Played by: David John Pope

Who are they? He’s a fascistic robot made out of licorice… that’s it. 

Why we love to hate them: He’s made out of licorice. Who likes licorice? 

19. The Toclafane

The Toclafane from Doctor wHO

First Appearance: The Sound of Drums

Played by: Multiple actors

Who are they? The Toclafane is a race of cybernetic spheres that served The Master during his conquest of Earth. The dark secret of this alien race, however, is that they’re not aliens at all. They’re the last remnants of humanity from the end of the universe, who had converted themselves into cybernetic monsters in an attempt to survive the destruction of everything. 

Why we love to hate them: Human tenacity and endurance are often lauded as virtues in Doctor Who. So to see something so fundamental to our species warped and twisted by The Toclafane was truly shocking and marks these ominous orbs as one of New Who’s most memorable villains. 

18. Sycorax

The Sycorax from Doctor Who.

First Appearance: The Christmas Invasion

Played by: Multiple actors

Who are they? A race of war-like intergalactic pirates, the Sycorax used their advanced technology and blood control to enslave multiple races across the galaxy. On Christmas Day, the Sycorax came to Earth, where they attempted to press-gang half of humanity into slavery. Thankfully, the freshly regenerated 10th Doctor was on hand to save the day while dressed like Arthur Dent. 

Why we love to hate them: The Sycorax are, in wrestling terms, a race of jobbers. They exist only to prove how awesome the 10th Doctor is and stand in the background looking scary. Yet despite that, they look amazing (I’m a big fan of their skeletal faces), and being the first aliens defeated by the 10th Doctor has to earn you some sort of commendation, doesn’t it? 

17. Vashta Nerada

The Vashta Nerada from Doctor Who

First Appearance: Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead

Played by: Multiple actors

Who are they? A race of living shadows, the Vashta Nerada are essentially invisible piranhas who lurk in dark places and devour flesh. In small numbers, they’re nothing to worry about, but as River Song and the Doctor learned, you don’t want to run into a swarm of these nasty beasties. 

Why we love to hate them: The Vashta Nerada will make anyone afraid of the dark, and their ability to reduce a human being to a skeleton in mere seconds will have even the coolest customer breaking out in a cold sweat. 

16. The Great Intelligence

The Doctor Who villain, known as The Great Intelligence

First Appearance: The Abominable Snowmen

Played by: Richard E Grant

Who are they? An unknowable sentient storm of thought, The Great Intelligence first encountered the 2nd Doctor while attempting to build itself a physical body with which to conquer the Earth. The Doctor and his companions managed to put a stop to its plans. Still, the Intelligence would return to battle the 11th Doctor several times, eventually scattering itself along the Doctor’s timeline, undoing all his good work in the process. Luckily, Clara Oswald was on hand to save the day, and the Great Intelligence was presumably destroyed in the process.

Why we love to hate them: The Great Intelligence is so… great …. because of how petty they are. For a being who prides itself on being a real clever clogs, it’s ultimately proven to be an exceptionally vindictive and petty creature who can’t move past the fact it’s not the smartest thing in existence. 

15. The Silence

The Silence from Doctor Who

First Appearance: The Impossible Astronaut

Played by: Multiple actors

Who are they? A bizarre species of grey-skinned aliens, The Silence, were genetically engineered to be forgotten the moment you looked away from them. The Church of the Papal Mainframe believed this made them the perfect priests for confession, but it also made them deadly assassins. Indeed, a rebel sect used the Silence to influence human history in the hopes of killing the Doctor before the prophesied siege of Tranzalore.

Why we love to hate them: The Silence’s unique abilities make them a really creepy threat that plays on viewer’s paranoia. Ever felt like you were being watched? Maybe there’s a seven-foot alien in the room right beyond you now that you keep forgetting about.

14. The Family of Blood

The Family of Blood from Doctor Who.

First Appearance: Human Nature / The Family of Blood

Played by: Harry Lloyd / Rebekah Staton / Gerard Horan / Lor Wilson

Who are they? The Family of Blood belongs to a short-lived race of green gaseous beings. Seeking to extend their lives, The Family hunted the Doctor across time and space in the hopes of using him to become immortal. Eventually, finding the Doctor hiding out at a boarding school in England shortly before the outbreak of World War One, the family possessed the bodies of several humans and laid siege to the school. 

Why we love to hate them: The Family of Blood are the villains in one of the 10th Doctor’s best episodes. That alone justified their place on this list, but there’s something dangerously captivating about these body-snatching ghouls and the wicked things they do in their attempts to become immortal. 

13. The Rani

The Rani from Doctor Who

First Appearance: The Mark of the Rani

Played by: Kate O’Mara

Who are they? A female presenting renegade Time Lord, The Rani wasn’t as insane as despotic as The Master or as eccentric as The Doctor. Instead, The Rani saw herself as a dedicated scientist who was pushing the boundaries of biochemistry further than ever before… and if she hurt a few test subjects in the process, well, what’s the harm? They’re only human. 

Why we love to hate them: While The Rani’s only made two TV appearances, her wicked charm cast a spell on audiences. A lot of that comes down to Kate O’Mara’s deviously delightful performance, but also, there’s something incredibly entertaining in watching a villain with almost no redeeming qualities do bad things. Oh, and The Rani caused the Doctor to regenerate which is a right of passage for any villain. 

12. The Flood

First Appearance: The Waters of Mars 

Played by: 

Who are they? The Flood, unlike almost every other Doctor Who villain, has only ever made one official appearance — they haven’t even popped up in the comics or Big Finish — but anyone who saw The Waters of Mars will understand why. A deadly sentient virus that was trapped in Mars’s polar icecaps, this terrifying pathogen is capable of spreading through a single drop of water and is capable of transforming those infected into a shuffling ghoul with a really bad case of dry lips. 

Why we love to hate them: It’s a truly horrifying concept, with more than a few similarities to John Carpenter’s Thing, and The Flood’s virulence and potential for carnage limits the stories it can appear in. After all, if they ever got to Earth, it would essentially be a game over for humanity. While it’s true you can count their stories on one carrot, The Flood has undoubtedly made many an appearance in many a fan’s nightmares. 

11. The Celestial Toymaker

Neil Patrick Harris as the Celestial Toymaker from Doctor Who.

First Appearance: The Celestial Toymaker

Played by: Michael Gough / Neil Patrick Harris

Who are they? A godlike being who enjoyed trapping his victims in life-and-death games, The Celestial Toymaker is arguably one of the most powerful and petty Doctor Who villains. Despite his enormous power, though, for the longest time, the Celestial Toymaker was another one-and-done villain who was defeated back when the First Doctor was running around. 

Still, despite not having appeared in 60 years, the character left an impression on fans, and when Russell T. Davies returned, so did the Celestial Toymaker (with some help from the 14th Doctor, some salt, and the edges of reality) with a new face. 

Why we love to hate them: Manic, psychotic, and other bad words ending in “c,” the Toymaker delighted in devastation and destruction. While the combined efforts of the 14th and 15th Doctors put a stop to his games, you just know he’s waiting on the edges of reality, ready to play another hand. 

10. Ice Warriors

An Ice Warrior from Doctor Who.

First Appearance: The Ice Warriors

Played by: Multiple actors

Who are they? Reptilian aliens, the Ice Warriors, are the cold-blooded inhabitants of Mars and are known for their imposing armor and belligerence. 

Why we love to hate them: When they first appeared in the 2nd Doctor’s era, they were a war-like species trying to conquer Earth (don’t judge them. That’s just standard alien behavior in Who). Still, later stories gave them a degree of nuance and moved them away from their warmongering origins. Despite this, they remained a popular alien. Eventually, they returned in the 11th Doctor story, Cold War, which was basically Ridley Scott’s Alien on a submarine, and it proved that the Ice Warriors could be every bit as terrifying as a Xenomorph if given the chance.

9. Zygons 

A Zygon from Doctor Who

First Appearance: Terror of the Zygons

Played by: Multiple actors

Who are they? The Zygons are Doctor Who’s resident shapeshifting aliens and are easily one of the best-designed monsters on the show. They sort of resemble what would happen if Seth Brundle had jumped into a teleporter with an octopus instead of a fly, and I’m here for that. 

Why we love to hate them: Anyway, their weird and wonderful appearance aside, the Zygons first appeared in the delightfully bonkers Terror of the Zygons, a story that featured the Loch Ness monster of all things. Despite the silliness, they left an impression on viewers, and their shapeshifting abilities were put to excellent use during the revival era, where the Zygons were used to tell more serious and paranoid stories about stolen identities and spycraft most notably in the brilliant ninth series two-parter The Zygon Invasion and The Zygon Inversion which features one of the 12th Doctor’s most iconic moments. 

8. Silurians 

Silurians from Doctor Who.

First Appearance: Doctor Who and the Silurians

Played by: Multiple actors

Who are they? Earth’s first inhabitants, the Silurians, are a technologically advanced race of reptilians descended from dinosaurs who lurk beneath the surface of our world. Like their scaly cousin, the Ice Warriors, the Silurians have been enemies and allies of the Doctor over the years. When they first appeared while the 3rd Doctor was ‘vwroping’ aground in the TARDIS, the Silurians were looking to take the Earth back from humanity but were roundly defeated before they could poison the surface, but they’ve chilled out a bit since then. 

Why we love to hate them: It’s hard to hate the Silurians because they have a point: humanity has a bad habit of exploiting the planet’s resources and poisoning a world that could have been an Eden. I imagine I’d be pretty annoyed if I went for a nap and woke up to find someone had movies into my apartment and started drilling for oil in the living room. Wouldn’t you?

7. Sontaarans

A Sontaaran on a horse from Doctor Who.

First Appearance: The Time Warrior

Played by: Multiple actors

Who are they? A race of potato-headed aliens, the Sontaarans are basically Doctor Who’s answer to the Klingons. As you might expect then, they’re a war-loving race who like nothing more than marching legions of troops across the galaxy, conquering anyone and everything that stands in their path. 

Why we love to hate them: If there’s one thing I love, it’s a dopey-looking alien, and the Sontaarans — which resemble a hairier version of Mr Potato Head — are among the silliest looking villains Who’s ever produced (with the exception of the Abzrobaloff). What makes this so brilliant, though, is the way it’s contrasted with their love of war and battle. They’re a deadly threat who shouldn’t be underestimated, who so happen to look like a bad kid’s drawing.

6. Rassilion 

Rassilion from Doctor Who.

First Appearance: The Five Doctors

Played by: Richard Mathews / Timothy Dalton / Donald Sumpter 

Who are they? The founder of Time Lord society (Maybe? Things have gotten a bit more complicated in recent years), Rassilion, was supposedly a benevolent Gallifreyan scientist who invented time travel and transformed his people into the masters of time and space. In truth, Rassilon was a despot and a dictator who sought power at the expense of everything else. During the dying days of the Great Time War, he even considered burning the entire universe as fuel to elevate himself to godhood. Basically, he’s not a cool guy.

Why we love to hate them: Rasilion is a fascinating villain who represents the way power corrupts. The way his story is told makes it clear he was once a benevolent figure; he’s described as a “good man” once in Hell Bent. Yet every time we see him, he seems like a vainglorious power-hungry coward.

5. Weeping Angels

The Weeping Angels from Doctor Who.

First Appearance: Don’t Blink

Played by: Multiple actors

Who are they? The kindest killers in the universe, the Weeping Angels, are a species that feed by sending their victims back in time and feeding off the leftover potential energy. Aside from their strange eating habits, the angels also have a unique defense mechanism. They’re quantum-locked, which is a fancy way of saying they turn to stone whenever someone looks at them. 

Why we love to hate them: For the longest time, the Weeping Angels were considered the scariest Doctor Who villains because of their terrifying ability to hide in plain sight. Yet, as time has gone on, it turns out that their reputation as the kindest killers in the universe was absolute rubbish. The Time of Angels, Flesh and Stone, and Tye Angels Take Manhattan have given them more of a personality, and it turns out they’re a bunch of absolute sadists who enjoy teasing their prey and hurting people. 

4. Cybermen

The Cybermen from Doctor Who..

First Appearance: The Tenth Planet

Played by: Multiple actors

Who are they? A race of cybernetically enhanced humanoids, the Cybermen have many different origins. Still, every different flavor of Cyberman, whether they’re from Mondas of Pete’s World, has the same two goals. They want to convert all sentient life into more Cybermen and conquer the galaxy. 

Why we love to hate them: The Cybermen may not be as effective at galactic conquest as the Daleks (As Sec reminded us, the Cybermen are superior to the Daleks in only one respect. They are better at dying), but they represent an equally terrifying threat. It’s not that they feed humans into a literal blender while converting them, or their vast armies, or even their superior tech that makes them scary; it’s what they represent. 

Cybermen are a metaphor for the threat modernity and technology pose to humanity’s sense of self and the sublimation of our unique identities into a homogeneous blob of silver and steel. They’re basically a cautionary tale about what happens when we put progress above everything else. 

3. Daleks

The most iconic Doctor Who villain the Daleks

First Appearance: The Daleks

Played by: Multiple actors (Nicholas Briggs voice 2005-present)

Who are they? The arch-enemy of the Time Lords and the most evil species in the galaxy, the Daleks are an iconic part of the Doctor Who franchise. Originally from the planet Skaro, the Daleks are a species of genetically engineered squid-like mutants who have been bred to feel only one emotion: hate. These mutant squids are then sealed in powerful pepper pot-shaped battle tanks that transform them into deadly killers, and the entire universe quakes when it hears the battle cry “exterminate.”

Why we love to hate them: As Doctor Who’s oldest recurring villains, the Daleks are as integral to the show as the TARDIS and the Doctor. There are loads of reasons to love the Daleks, from their iconic inhuman design to the threat they pose to the universe and even their surprisingly catty personalities, but that’s not why I love them. 

No, I love the Daleks because if the Doctor represents the best of humanity — our curiosity, compassion, and benevolence — the Dalkes are the complete opposite. These squid-like aliens represent humanity’s darkest traits — our intolerance, hatred, and aggression. They may not look like humans on the outside, but on the inside, we share a frightening amount of DNA with the Daleks. And yet, despite that, the Doctor always wins, suggesting that kindness will always triumph over cruelty. 

2. Davros 

Davros the leader of the Daleks from Doctor Who.

First Appearance: Genesis of the Daleks 

Played by: Michael Wisher/David Gooderson/ Terry Molloy/ Julian Bleach

Who are they? A Kaled scientist and megalomaniac, Davros, is the man responsible for the creation of the Dalek race and has the blood of billions on his hands. Now, Davros dedicates his days to serving his creations, helping the Daleks devise new weapons and tech to conquer all of reality. 

Why we love to hate them: Supposedly, Doctor Who’s answer to Adolf Hitler (we’re not sure we want to know what the question was, to be honest) Davros is utterly irredeemable. Unlike other villains on this list who were either genetically altered to only feel hate, transformed against their will into cybernetic automatons, or driven mad by circumstance, Davros has no excuses. He’s just a small-minded evil man who hates everything and everyone; basically, he’s the antithesis of everything the Doctor Who represents. One thing, though… what was he thinking when he gave the Daleks a plunger for an arm (I suppose that’s the 14th Doctor’s fault, really)?

1. The Master

The Master from Doctor Who

First Appearance: Terror of the Autons

Played by: Roger Delgado / Peter Pratt / Geoffrey Beevers / Anthony Ainley / Eric Roberts / Derek Jacobi / John Simm / Michelle Gomez / Sacha Dhawan

Who are they? A renegade Time Lord, The Master is the former best friend of The Doctor turned archenemy (depending on the incarnation). A maniac and a genius, The Master has spent most of their long, long life dedicated to two ambitions: crushing the universe under the heel of their boot and making The Doctor’s life hell.

Why we love to hate them: The Master is effectively the Joker to The Doctos’s Batman. A deliberate dark mirror held up to the hero and a scary vision of what could have been if The Doctor had taken a different path. What makes this all the better, though, is how aware The Master is of this dynamic, and they’re constantly trying to drag The Doctor down to their level not out of malice (or not always) but because they miss their old friend. That’s what makes them so terrifying; they’re not omnicidal like Davros and his Daleks or murderous like the Cybermen; the Master is so much worse than that. He’s a bully and a cad who seeks to bring out the worst in The Doctor.

If you’re new to Doctor Who and need help making sense of their timey-wimey adventures, then we can save the day. We have a guide explaining how to watch Doctor Who Season 14 and broken down how many seasons of Doctor Who there are. If you already know your way around the TARDIS and are just looking for Doctor Who Season 14 episode schedule don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

With that in mind, if you prefer your sci-fi with a bit more action in it, we have articles revealing everything you need to know about The Acolyte and Andor Season 2. Finally, why not check out our list of the best new shows coming to streaming this month? There’s a lot of great TV at the moment, and we’re keen to make sure you don’t miss out.

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About The Author

Tom Percival is the Features Editor at Dexerto. He has a BSc in Geography and an MA in Broadcast Journalism. Tom's been in the media for nearly a decade and he's worked at UNILAD, The Digital Fix and the BBC. Nothing excites Tom more than a good hot take except maybe Spider-Man and Game of Thrones. You can email him here: tom.percival@dexerto.com