Doctor Who’s Rogue Explained: Everything We Know About Jonathan Groff’s Character

• Rogue, a new character in Doctor Who, shares similarities with the beloved Captain Jack and is set up to potentially recur in future episodes.
• Rogue, a time-traveling bounty hunter, has an unknown background that mirrors the Doctor’s tragic past, setting him up as a potential major love interest.
• Rogue’s sacrifice and mysterious disappearance hint at his potential return in future Doctor Who episodes, adding depth to the overall storyline

Jonathan Groff’s long-awaited appearance on Doctor Who introduced a new, mysterious character who could appear on a recurring basis. Every actor who has played the Doctor has met some people who would make good companions if the timing were different but who are unable to join the Doctor in their adventures for one reason or another. Rogue was one such character, as he spent most of the episode interacting with the Doctor one-on-one.

Groff’s character had been rumored to be a replacement for Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). Jack Harkness was a popular character who was omnisexual and often flirted with the Doctor when they met. After reports alleging improper behavior by Barrowman on the set, it was unlikely he would be invited to return as a Doctor Who companion. Some similarities suggest Rogue might be intended to be a stand-in for Jack. However, Doctor Who set up Rogue as a dynamic character who may recur throughout Ncuti Gatwa’s run.

Rogue Is A Bounty Hunter In Doctor Who

He Came to London In 1813 In Search of Shapeshifting Aliens

When the Doctor first met Rogue, Rogue was surveying the ball from a balcony, looking for signs of unusual activity. Rogue soon revealed himself as a bounty hunter; he didn’t explain who he was working for, but he did tell the Doctor that he would be paid handsomely for catching and killing the Chuldur, the shape-shifting alien species that had infiltrated the ball. This posed a problem for the Doctor, as Rogue initially believed the Doctor was the shapeshifter he was hunting and prepared to transport him to an incinerator to get rid of him.

As a bounty hunter in time and space, Rogue has similar abilities to time travel as the Doctor; neither one of them was from 1813. It is unclear how old Rogue is or whether he is human or a human-like species. However, he likely comes from a technologically advanced society, as he had a ship that he used a cloaking device to hide and the ability to scan the Doctor for evidence that he was a shapeshifter, as well as a device that could trap the object of his search and transport them to an area of his choosing.

Why Jonathan Groff’s Character Is Called “Rogue”

His Name Is A Reference To Dungeons And Dragons

While trapped in Rogue’s ship, The Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver to explore his surroundings and learns that Rogue enjoys Dungeons and Dragons after seeing dice associated with the game in Rogue’s console. Dungeons and Dragons is a roleplaying game in which players take on the roles of elves, goblins, and other fantastical creatures. Rogue’s name is likely a tribute to the game he enjoys; in Dungeons and Dragons, a Rogue is a class of fantastical characters that rely on stealth, skill, and their ability to exploit their enemies’ weaknesses to gain the upper hand over them.

These qualities describe who Rogue is as a bounty hunter, as he has to blend in with his surroundings and use his intelligence, technological skills, and ability to think strategically to outmaneuver his prey. He also must exploit weaknesses — for example, he exploits the Doctor’s obvious attraction to him to lure him outside toward the housekeeper’s body so that he can capture him. However, the fact that he has chosen his name from a roleplaying game is ironic, considering that the Chuldur were killing people in order to cosplay as them at the ball.

Doctor Who Implies Rogue’s Tragic Backstory Mirrors The Doctor’s Own Past

Rogue Admitted He Had Lost Someone Important To Him Too

While talking to Rogue in the TARDIS, the Doctor mentions he’s aware that Rogue lost someone important to him. Rogue eventually admitted this was the case, though he didn’t elaborate beyond stating that he had been traveling with someone who had died. The 2005 reboot established that the Doctor lost his entire people during the Time War, and he has also lost many companions over the years, so this shared sense of grief was part of what made it possible for Doctor Who‘s Rogue to be a romantic partner for the Doctor.

Rogue’s backstory also sets up a new mystery. He didn’t explain precisely who he lost or what the circumstances were. Thus, if the Doctor encounters Rogue again, it may be in the context of a story involving that loss. Additionally, it’s possible that Rogue’s backstory will play into the mystery of who Ruby Sunday’s birth parents are, as the Doctor met Rogue while visiting 1813 with Ruby. Ruby seems drawn to places where there are abandoned people in need of love.

Rogue Appears To Belong To The Same Doctor Who Organization As The Meep

His Future Appearances Could Tie In With “Star Beast” As Well As With Ruby’s Origin Story

While scanning the Doctor as part of his attempt to capture him and get his reward, Rogue remarked offhandedly that there has been a lot of paperwork since getting “the new boss.” This could have been a throwaway line or an attempt to sound like Captain Jack, who also spoke like that. However, the line was likely teasing that Doctor Who’s Rogue is connected to the Meep. If so, this could be a major hint as to the reveals planned for the end of season 14.

The Meep was a warlord, while Rogue is a bounty hunter, so it’s possible they are both working for the same entity in different capacities, although their connection is unclear. It’s also possible that the “Boss” and “The One Who Waits,” who the Maestro indicated were present when Ruby was abandoned, are the same entity. However, another theory suggests Rogue is “The One Who Waits” and has been waiting for the Doctor to find him since his disappearance into another dimension.

The Toymaker also warned the Doctor about The One Who Waits, so this entity will undoubtedly be important to the wrap-up of Ruby’s story.

Doctor Who Has Established Rogue As The Doctor’s Next Major Love Interest

The Two Shared A Special Connection That Was Tragically Severed By Story Events

Although Rogue initially used flirting to capture the Doctor, who he suspected of being a Chuldur, the two had an immediate connection that couldn’t be denied. The Doctor continued to flirt with Rogue while Rogue prepared to execute him, resulting in a hilarious sequence in which the Doctor kept using the Sonic Screwdriver to turn the music on to dance while Rogue kept turning the music off to resume his interrogation. Later, the pair have a near-kiss in the TARDIS and kiss immediately before Rogue sacrifices himself to save Ruby.

This tragic ending is par for the course in the Doctor’s relationships. As a quasi-immortal being who has lived for thousands of years, the Doctor has little chance of finding romantic happiness, and most of his romantic relationships end with him separated permanently from his partner. Rogue’s sacrifice sent him into an alternate dimension where he can’t easily be found, which was reminiscent of how the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) lost Rose (Billie Piper) when she was sealed in a parallel universe that he couldn’t access.

Rogue was the first romantic partner the Doctor has had since healing, only for the Doctor to suffer another heartbreaking loss when Rogue was sent into an alternate dimension.

This relationship is also significant because the Doctor has been healing from the tragic loss of his people. The bi-generation at the end of “The Giggle” allowed the Fourteenth Doctor to retire and enjoy life with the Nobles. The Fifteenth Doctor continued traveling around the universe, and the implication was that the Doctor was finally healing from the depression of the past several regenerations. Thus, Rogue was the first romantic partner the Doctor has had since healing, only for the Doctor to suffer another heartbreaking loss when Rogue was sent into an alternate dimension in Ruby’s place.

How Doctor Who Season 14 Sets Up Rogue’s Return

Rogue Is Unlikely To Be Gone Permanently

Rogue’s disappearance resulted from the Doctor’s potentially fatal error while planning to entrap the Chuldurs. The Doctor had reconfigured Rogue’s trap to hold six Chuldurs, who he planned to send into an alternate dimension where they couldn’t do any harm. However, the Doctor mistakenly thought Ruby had been killed and replaced by a Chuldur and didn’t realize his error until after she was trapped. Thus, Rogue sacrifices himself, pushing Ruby out of the way and taking her place before sending himself to an unknown destination along with the shapeshifting aliens.

Although Rogue tells the Doctor to find him, the Doctor later informs Ruby that such a task would be impossible because there are infinite alternate dimensions.

Despite the Doctor’s pessimism, there is still a chance Rogue could return to Doctor Who. If Rogue and the Chuldurs were scattered throughout dimensions rather than all landing in the same place, Rogue could survive, and the Doctor might cross paths with him later. The TARDIS confirmed that it takes the Doctor where he is most needed during 2011’s “The Doctor’s Wife.” Therefore, Doctor Who could revisit Rogue’s storyline when the time is right.