Doctor Who May Secretly Have TWO Fifteenth Doctors Now (Not Just Ncuti Gatwa)

Doctor Who Hasn’t Explained What Will Happen When The Fourteenth Doctor Dies

Tennant’s Doctor may eventually become another Fifteen

In Doctor Who season 14, episode 2, “The Devil’s Chord,” Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor confirms that he can’t survive the bi-generation process for a second time. As the show’s “main” Doctor, it’s very unlikely that bi-generation impacted Fifteen’s ability to renew himself when the time should arrive. However, the fate of Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor is much less certain. Fifteen’s confusing declaration in “The Giggle” of being from Fourteen’s future suggests that Tennant’s new version of the Doctor won’t die of old age or anything quite so pedestrian. He’s still a Time Lord, so one would assume he’ll regenerate traditionally.

So, the fact that the show hasn’t yet confirmed what will happen to Fourteen when he regenerates raises questions about the title he will go by afterward. There is some evidence to suggest that Fourteen’s next regeneration will lead to him becoming Tom Baker’s Curator from Doctor Who‘s 50th-anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor.” Like Fourteen, the Curator appears to have retired from saving the universe, so this would align nicely. Alternatively, Fourteen could regenerate into another version of Gatwa’s Doctor, or even gain a completely new body. Either way, there would still be another Fifteenth Doctor.

The Shalka Doctor Being Canon Suggests Bi-Generation Created New Regeneration Lines

Richard E Grant’s Doctor couldn’t have existed before bi-generation

During commentary for “The Giggle,” showrunner Russell T Davies voiced his theory that bi-generation occurred up and down the Doctor’s timeline when it took place in the 60th-anniversary finale. This created a Doctor Who multiverse that created multiple new lines of regeneration. For example, when Christopher Eccelston’s Ninth Doctor regenerated into David Tennant’s Tenth at the end of Doctor Who season 1, Nine now survived that process via bi-generation and continued his adventures. So, this explains how Richard E Grant’s Shalka Doctor is canonized in Doctor Who season 14, episode 6, “Rogue.”

After only appearing in animated form, Grant’s Doctor from “Scream of the Shalka” debuted before Eccleston stepped in to help revive the show in 2004. Before then, the Shalka Doctor was the Ninth Doctor, but was scrubbed from the lore by the main show’s return. With Grant’s face featuring among other previous Doctors in “Rogue,” it would appear his version of the Time Lord has been reintegrated into the main continuity – likely as a result of the Toymaker’s meddling with the Doctor’s timeline.

In a sense, bi-generation has allowed Grant’s Doctor to reclaim the title of being the Ninth, even if he’ll probably never be seen that way in the eyes of viewers. Using Davies’ theory, the bi-generation of Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor would have spawned Richard E Grant’s Shalka Doctor, who could then legitimately be referred to as the Ninth Doctor. Building on this hypothesis, McGann’s next regeneration process, which would have been more traditional, would then have introduced John Hurt’s War Doctor. Then, mind-bendingly, the War Doctor will have bi-generated to spawn another Doctor before eventually becoming the Ninth.

There May Already Be Multiple Fifteenth Doctors In Doctor Who

Bi-generation creates the possibility of at least 1 more Fifteenth Doctor

Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor is recognized as the official bearer of the title, but as mentioned earlier, Tennant’s Fourteen regenerating would also make him qualified to be the Fifteenth Doctor. Interestingly, another permutation could mean there is at least one more Fifteenth Doctor in the Whoniverse. Different versions of the Doctor live for different lengths of time, depending on their circumstances and the enemies that they face. For example, the Doctor wore Nine’s face for a much shorter time than he did Eleven’s, even within the world of the show. So, clumsiness or poor fortune could mean rapid regenerations.

Whichever Doctor emerged from Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor as a result of bi-generation, whether familiar or otherwise, they will have technically been another Fourteenth Doctor – seperate from David Tennant’s version. If this new Fourteen was especially unfortunate, they may have already been injured to such a degree that their regeneration cycle was initiated very soon after. If so, this would result in yet another version of the character who is eligible to be referred to as the Fifteenth Doctor.

Does Having Multiple Fifteenth Doctors Actually Matter?

The Doctor often has encounters with previous (& later) regenerations

Doctor Who has featured many multi-Doctor stories in its six-decade history. So, the character has often engaged in self-collaboration. No Doctor uses the numbering system when addressing another iteration. Instead, they all just refer to each other as, “Doctor.” So, the existence of multiple Fifteens doesn’t actually have much impact on this particular aspect of the show. They could all meet, but it wouldn’t be any different from other multi-Doctor stories.

Where things start to become confusing is the numbering system that exists outside the world of the show. Currently, when someone says the Fifteenth Doctor, everyone is on the same page about who is being referred to – Ncuti Gatwa’s version of the character. With the introduction of other Fifteens, an already-wordy system becomes even more complex, as the actor’s name would need to be mentioned every time, or sometimes just the actor’s name exclusively to save time.

To return to the example of the Shalka Doctor, it’s now technically ambiguous to refer to the Ninth Doctor, as the title could refer to either Richard E Grant or Christopher Eccleston. The alternative is to always say Richard E Grant’s Ninth Doctor, or Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor – both of which are far wordier than they would have been before Doctor Who introduced bi-generation.