Here’s What ‘Doctor Who’s Latest Villain Has in Common With Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’

Season 14 of Doctor Who, the first season made in collaboration with Disney, introduced its big-bad in an epic two-part finale. Sutekh, a classic villain from season 13 of Classic-Who, re-reared his canine head in hopes of finally destroying the universe. Although the classic villain has been a part of the Whoniverse for quite some time now, Doctor Who fans have a more recent show to thank for his eventual return. According to showrunner Russell T. Davies, Sutekh’s appearance against Ncuti Gatwa’s 14th Doctor and companion Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson, was all thanks to Marvel Studios’ fan favorite show, WandaVision.

The two-part finale episodes, entitled ‘The Legend of Ruby Sunday’ and ‘Empire of Death’ respectively, saw the return of Sutekh the Destroyer, an alien who first appeared in the 1975 serial ‘Pyramids of Mars’, starring Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor, Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, and voice actor Gabriel Woolf as Sutekh. Woolf reprized the role in Season 14, having also appeared in new-Who as The Beast in David Tennant’s ‘The Impossible Planet’ and ‘The Satan Pit’. Across Season 14, Sutekh had been teased as the mysterious “One Who Waits”, having sparked theories and discourse online surrounding who the season’s main villain might be. Although his return had been hinted at throughout the series, Sutekh’s return was huge news for new-Who, continuing an emerging theme of the season of linking the revival to the classic series.

What Does Sutekh Have in Common With ‘WandaVision’?

According to RadioTimes, Russell T. Davies spoke in a recent interview with Doctor Who Magazine about Sutekh’s unlikely connection to the popular program WandaVision. Discussing the big reveal of Sutekh as the One Who Waits, Davies explained his inspiration, saying, ‘I remember Nicola Shindler, a producer I work with, getting so excited about Agatha Harkness arriving in WandaVision. She thought it was the most brilliant reveal.’ Davies continued, saying, ‘I asked her, ‘Do you know who Agatha Harkness is?’ She went, ‘No, I’ve no idea!’ And I’m fascinated by that – that you can introduce a character from the lore, who a modern viewer doesn’t know, and yet they get the thrill of it.’ Davies’ inspiration, Agatha Harkness, will be returning to the small screen on September 18, 2024, in upcoming series Agatha: All Along.

And it’s not just the big reveal that Sutekh has in common with Marvel’s WandaVision and highly anticipated series Agatha: All Along, now that the British series is now also streamed via Disney+, and produced by Disney. Davies said, ‘Being on Disney Plus now, this is a very deliberate choice to bring back an old BBC enemy – we’ve even cast the same actor – to prove that the show hasn’t severed its roots. To delve into your backstory is a very fine thing. That’s thrilling for new viewers, and for old viewers it’s a great reward.’ Davies continued, saying, ‘Also, you’re guaranteed that the internet will do your work for you. In the old days, you could feasibly have said, ‘Will people know who Sutekh is?’ Now, it’s on our official site. It’s on our Instagram posts. Type in the word ‘Sutekh’ and there’s an entire Wikipedia article, full of the history.’