Jonathan Groff’s Doctor Who Character Homages This Fan-Favorite Hero

• Jonathan Groff shines as Rogue in Doctor Who Series 14, Episode 7, captivating viewers with his charisma and wit.
• Rogue’s character draws striking parallels to fan-favorite Captain Jack Harkness, as both are handsome, charming adventurers with hidden depth.
• Groff’s portrayal of Rogue leaves the door open for potential future appearances, similar to Jack’s recurring presence in the Doctor’s life.

Doctor Who Series 14, Episode 7, “Rogue” marks the arrival of Jonathan Groff into the Whoniverse. Groff plays the titular character — a bounty hunter who’s charismatic, a little bit dangerous and comes with a tragic backstory. He starts out making things more complicated for the Doctor, but the relationship quickly transitions into flirting, and then they go their separate ways… with the possibility of finding each other again. Sound familiar? It should.

The character of Rogue and the important beats in his arc bear great similarity to Captain Jack Harkness, the fan-favorite Doctor Who character played by John Barrowman. Captain Jack burst onto the scene as a former Time Agent in Series 1, Episode 9, “The Empty Child,” and proved to be so popular that he not only made numerous appearances afterward, but led the Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood. Barrowman hasn’t appeared in a Who episode since 2020, but Groff’s character Rogue is definitely carrying Jack Harkness’s torch.

Who Does Jonathan Groff Play in Doctor Who?

Rogue Is Central to Series 14, Episode 7

When Doctor Who names a episode after a character, it’s very clear that the plot is going to revolve around them. That’s the case with Series 14, Episode 7, “Rogue,” which starts out as another period adventure for the Doctor but quickly becomes about the Doctor’s relationship with Rogue. Similar to Captain Jack, Groff’s character is initally presented as mysterious. The audience learns that he’s a bounty hunter searching for a Chuldur — an alien shapeshifter — in 1813 England, and he seems to only care about the money. But like Jack, the character turns out to be much deeper.

Through a rapidly changing series of conversations with the Doctor, viewers learn a scant few details about Rogue: he previously traveled with a companion and “lost them,” he took his moniker from the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, and he has a fondness for Kylie Minogue’s 2001 single “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” The latter is vaguely amusing for those who remember that Kylie Minogue played a love interest for the Doctor in 2007’s “Voyage of the Damned,” and moreso when Rogue is quickly positioned as the Doctor’s new romantic partner, making use of Groff’s natural charm and his dry wit.

While the two characters share a dance and a kiss, the romance never comes to fruition. The episode reveals that there are multiple Chuldur, and believing that Ruby has been compromised by the aliens, the Doctor activates a triform trap that ensnares her along with the aliens. Ruby reveals that she actually avoided the Chuldur’s attempt to assume her form — and Rogue knows that the Doctor cannot sacrifice her, even to save the universe. He knocks Ruby out of the triform and takes her place, telling the Doctor to “find me” just before the trap teleports Rogue and the Chuldur to a random, barren dimension.

How Rogue Follows After Captain Jack Harkness

Jonathan Groff Ably Picks up Where John Barrowman Left Off

Rogue is the latest dashing adventurer to catch the attention of the Doctor, appearing after Captain Jack and Dr. River Song. He shares qualities with both of those characters, but there are more similarities to Captain Jack — starting with the aforementioned comment from the Doctor about Rogue’s appearance. Both Rogue and Jack fit the “tall, dark and handsome” archetype. Both characters have backstories that involve morally grey employment; Jack was a Time Agent and Rogue is a bounty hunter. Both are initially shown as very self-confident, but later reveal deep vulnerability. And both of them are able to create memorable banter with the Doctor.

The wit and charm that Jonathan Groff brings to Doctor Who would certainly make John Barrowman proud. Groff is particularly adept at deadpan humor, as seen in his Tony Award-nominated stage work opposite Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez in Merrily We Roll Along, and charming even when he’s not actively trying to be. It’s no surprise that Rogue catches the Doctor’s interest, because Groff is that rare actor who can always get an audience’s attention. The sole reason that the rushed romance between the characters is believable is due to that presence Groff possesses. Barrowman is much more of a showman, making Jack larger than life and full of enthusiasm, but both actors elevate the show by bringing their own energy.

Underneath the quips, the good looks and the sense of adventure, though, both Rogue and Jack have dark sides to their characters. Especially in the much darker Torchwood, audiences saw the tragedy and torment that weighed on Jack. Rogue’s personal loss is only referenced, and it’s quickly forgotten in the script for Series 14, Episode 7. Yet Groff hints at his character’s vulnerability later in the episode as Rogue is utterly lost while trying to cause a scene to distract the Chuldur. What he does in Doctor Who is similar to Groff’s version of Agent Smith in The Matrix Resurrections. The return of Smith would not have worked without Groff creating a sense of humanity in the character. He also finds a way to bring something deeper out of Rogue, even if it’s only fleeting.

Captain Jack Harkness could have been a simple 1950s-style adventurer stereotype and disappeared after “The Empty Child,” but he didn’t because John Barrowman made him memorable, with Barrowman telling AfterElton.com in 2006 that “they basically wrote the character around me.” Rogue holds the promise of so much more beyond his, well, rogueish concept because of Jonathan Groff’s ability to play small moments and details. While the two characters are separated by different eras of Doctor Who, they walk the same path and they both succeed for similar reasons. All that remains to be seen is if Rogue’s story continues like audiences got to see more of Captain Jack.

Could Jonathan Groff Return to Doctor Who?

Rogue’s Fate Is Left Somewhat Open-Ended

The conclusion of “Rogue” further gives off Captain Jack Harkness vibes, as it implies a way in which the Doctor and Rogue can see one another again. Although the Fourteenth Doctor informs Ruby that there’s an incredible number of dimensions, the fact that Rogue still exists in one and specifically tells the Doctor to find him easily supports a story in which the two cross paths. The series doesn’t even need to make it an entire episode. Doctor Who fans all remember “The End of Time,” in which Captain Jack briefly reappeared as part of David Tennant’s farewell storyen route to other adventures of his own. It would be easy to likewise incorporate Rogue in a small scene within a future plot, which would give viewers an idea of where (and how) the character ended up and be convenient for Jonathan Groff’s usually busy schedule.

Jack became a recurring player who moved in and out of the Doctor’s life, so fans may be expecting Rogue to do the same for the Fourteenth Doctor. But where Groff and Barrowman’s Doctor Who situations diverge is that Rogue is not on the level of Captain Jack as a character. Audiences aren’t likely to see him get a spinoff any time soon, and with fair reason — Jack was developed more thoroughly before Torchwood came into being. “Rogue” tries to cram a massive character arc into one episode. Plus, despite Groff’s incredible talent, he doesn’t seem like he’d be at home anchoring a sci-fi franchise spinoff. He’s likely about to win his first Tony Award, and his strength lies in more complicated roles like Franklin Shepard or Holden Ford from Mindhunter.

But in between those roles, it would be interesting to see what he’d do with something written by Russell T Davies or Steven Moffat — both of whom could give Rogue the additional depth the character deserves. After all, one of Davies’ skills as the unparalleled architect of Doctor Who is his ability to weave characters, story ideas and even actors back in with ease. But whether or not Jonathan Groff returns to Doctor Who, he has followed wonderfully in John Barrowman’s footsteps and created another lovable rogue — aptly named — for the Whoniverse.