Doctor Who’s The One Who Waits Identity Explained: How They Return & Fourth Doctor Connection

SUMMARY

• Sutekh’s hidden identity as The One Who Waits was revealed in “The Legend of Ruby Sunday.”
• Sutekh’s deadly plan to wipe out humanity continues, now with a personal vendetta against the Doctor and a connection to Susan Triad.
• Sutekh’s power is further explored in the Disney era, now a member of the Pantheon with a connection to the Toymaker and Maestro.

Doctor Who season 14, episode 7, “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” finally brought with it the long-awaited reveal of The One Who Waits’ true identity, and he was a villain the Doctor has faced before. Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor has a direct connection to the first big bad of Doctor Who‘s Disney era, with the antagonist also being tied into a tangled web of other franchise antagonists – both old and new. The cast of Doctor Who season 14 was unknowingly on the figure’s trail the whole time, without also knowing the ominous character was looming in plain sight.

The level of the threats throughout Doctor Who season 14 tended to fluctuate, with the dangers ranging from a sentient snot monster to a Time Lord-augmented landmine that may have blown up half of an innocent world. However, Ncuti Gatwa’s inaugural run as the Fifteenth Doctor ends with a story that brings him face-to-face with his biggest challenge to date – and it’s not even close. With countless worlds snuffed out by The One Who Waits, the Doctor can’t help but feel at least partially responsible.

The god of death shows his face in the Doctor Who season 14 penultimate episode

The final moments of “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” brought back Sutekh, unveiling him as the enigmatic One Who Waits. The character only had one canonical appearance within the franchise before Doctor Who season 14’s penultimate episode, but he was mentioned several times in the run-up to his return since Russell T Davies returned to the showrunner’s chair. For instance, Neil Patrick Harris’ Toymaker mentioned The One Who Waits in “The Giggle,” claiming he, “Didn’t dare face” him.

Sutekh’s true identity being hidden was a huge clue regarding who he really was, but it was still tricky to zero in on the villain’s name. A mysterious title like “The One Who Waits” is only really effective if it’s being used as a moniker rather than an actual name. So, the figure was almost certainly going to be a familiar figure from Doctor Who‘s storied history, and that villain turned out to be from the show’s classic run.

Sutekh’s History With The Fourth Doctor Explained

The Doctor defeated Sutekh in “Pyramids of Mars”

Sutekh has faced off with more than one version of the Doctor across the franchise, with the villain appearing in comics, books, and audio adventures. However, only the main show is considered to be established canon, and Sutekh’s lone TV story came in the form of 1975’s “Pyramids of Mars.” In the original four-part serial, Sutekh is the last of the Osiran race, a godlike alien species. The God of Death has been trapped beneath a pyramid by his late brother, Horus, and Sutekh’s goal is to escape and bring the “Gift of death” to all humanity.

While most of the story is set in 1911, Elisabeth Sladen’s Sarah Jane Smith points out that she is from 1980, suggesting that her continued existence is evidence that Sutekh fails to escape.

When Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor comes face-to-face with Sutekh, the Time Lord is rendered inert, and he succumbs to Sutekh’s mind-control abilities. However, he narrowly manages to prevent Sutekh’s escape, and the solution seems relatively permanent. The villain’s view of good and evil is essentially the opposite of the Doctor’s, as he explains: “Your evil is my good. I am Sutekh the destroyer. Where I tread I leave nothing but dust and darkness. I find that good.” His ultimate goal is to kill as much as he possibly can after escaping, with death being his biggest purpose.

Sutekh’s potential can be glimpsed in “Pyramids of Mars.” While most of the story is set in 1911, Elisabeth Sladen’s Sarah Jane Smith points out that she is from 1980, suggesting that her continued existence is evidence that Sutekh fails to escape. Baker’s Doctor takes the TARDIS to an apocalyptic 1980 to prove his companion wrong. This moment is clearly the inspiration for a similar scene in Doctor Who season 14, episode 2, “The Devil’s Chord,” where Fifteen shows Ruby a devastated present-day London due to Maestro’s antics in the past.

How Sutekh Embedded Himself Within The Doctor’s TARDIS

The Corridor of Eternity wasn’t enough to hold Sutekh

The Fourth Doctor foils Sutekh at the end of “Pyramids of Mars.” Although the Osiran manages to have the Eye of Horus destroyed on Mars, the Doctor rushes back to Earth in the TARDIS to prevent Sutekh from reaching the surface of the planet. Four traps Sutekh in the “Corridor of Eternity,” weaponizing the space-time tunnel that the villain was using to commune with his acolytes. The Doctor set the opening of the tunnel so far into the future that Sutekh would, “Never reach the end.” However, there seems to have been a blind spot in the Time Lord’s plan.

Sutekh takes control of the Doctor to pilot the TARDIS to Mars and destroy the Eye of Horus, which could have given the villain some insight into how the space and time machine works.

Sutekh takes control of the Doctor to pilot the TARDIS to Mars and destroy the Eye of Horus, which could have given the villain some insight into how the space and time machine works. While unavoidable, giving this knowledge to a being like Sutekh was incredibly dangerous. His connection to the TARDIS may be responsible for his ability to latch onto the blue box when it left 1911. So, the implication is that Sutekh has been waiting inside the TARDIS since the Doctor was in his fourth regeneration, waiting for the moment to strike.

The Fourth Doctor uses part of the TARDIS to trap Sutekh, which could explain how the Osiron was able to hide inside the blue box.

Sutekh’s Connection To The Toymaker & Maestro Explained

The One Who Waits is the most powerful member of the Pantheon

In “Pyramids of Mars,” Sutekh is 7000 years old. This may have been misinformation, with the retcon in “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” placing Sutekh at the top of the top of Doctor Who‘s Pantheon of Gods. The villain is either the leader of the Pantheon – if such a role exists, or he is simply the most powerful member, with him becoming the figure with the most authority as a result. Sutekh is the third member of the Pantheon to be shown on-screen in the Disney era, with the first being the Toymaker, and the second being Jinkx Monsoon’s Maestro.

Like Sutekh, the Toymaker debuted in Doctor Who‘s classic era, and his story has been adapted for the Disney era to make him a member of the Pantheon. Maestro, on the other hand, is a new character, and is identified as a Pantheon member in the villain’s first franchise appearance in “The Devil’s Chord.” All three Disney-era Pantheon members have proven to be more-than-worthy opponents for the Doctor at some point, but an unbound Sutekh harbors the most raw power.

Sutekh’s Plan In Doctor Who Season 14 Explained

The Pantheon leader’s scheme has been pulled into the modern age

Sutekh’s goal in his appearance in “Pyramids of Mars” is rather predictable for a TV villain, in that he just wants to wipe out all of humanity – and possibly all life in the universe. From moments in the classic story and his reintroduction to the show, it’s confirmed that all it takes is a touch from Sutekh or one of his avatars for someone to die. His plan doesn’t seem to have changed all that much since his last appearance, as he directly states, “All life will perish at my hand.”

The difference is that this time, he seems to have a personal vendetta against the Doctor for defeating him all those centuries ago. However, Sutekh has had the terrifying advantage of hiding from the Doctor in plain sight, and for centuries too. Everywhere the Doctor has landed in the TARDIS since “Pyramids of Mars” immediately became a key point in Sutekh’s fatal web.

A version of Susan Triad spawned there, and each world fell to the “Death Wave“ when Sutekh emerged from the TARDIS in “Empire of Death.” The Doctor has traveled so extensively since his fourth iteration that nowhere was safe from Sutekh’s plan. If it weren’t for Sutekh’s immense desire to know who Ruby’s mother was, then it’s possible he could have wiped out all life in the universe. However, his thirst for knowledge is ultimately what prevented him from doing so.

How Sutekh Is Connected To Susan Triad (& Mrs. Flood?)

Mrs. Flood appears to be a villain

The true identity of Susan Twist’s character was also finally revealed in “The Legend of Ruby Sunday.” Susan Triad, a software magnate, serves as an avatar for Sutekh, similar to how the character of Marcus Scarman was used in “Pyramids of Mars.” It’s unclear exactly how Sutekh managed to install versions of Susan Triad throughout time and space, but it’s likely related to his connection to the TARDIS and the requirement to keep a watchful eye on his nemesis. Sutekh created all the Susan Triads within 73 yards of the TARDIS each time it landed.

Mrs. Flood also seems to have a connection to Sutekh, and she explains the villain’s arrival to Ruby’s grandmother when she’s appointed as Cherry Sunday’s temporary caregiver. Mrs. Flood doesn’t seem intimidated or afraid at the thought of Sutekh’s arrival. In fact, she seems like she’s been waiting for it to happen for a while, and the scene paints her as a sinister figure. That being said, she also seems very relieved when she returns after Sutekh is defeated. So, Anita Dobson’s character may still have a bigger part to play in Doctor Who.

Gatwa’s Doctor uses what he has to hand to defeat his nemesis

Sutekh may have taken the Doctor’s TARDIS from him, but that didn’t mean the Time Lord was going to let himself go without a time and space machine while he formulated a plan to take down the God of Death. The Doctor takes the Memory TARDIS from UNIT’s Time Window, solidifying the flickering blue box into a solid and functional representation of every version of the ship to date. He, Ruby, and Mel, all managed to survive in the Doctor’s Memory TARDIS as they hid from Sutekh at several corners of the devastated universe.

Eventually, the Doctor formulates a plan to take Sutekh down, and while it features a healthy dose of misdirection, the bulk of the tactic involves a whistle, and the intelligent rope and gloves from the 2023 Christmas Special. From there, the Doctor and Ruby connect one end of the rope to Sutekh, and the other to the TARDIS, dragging the God of Death through the Time Vortex and reversing his damage to the universe by bringing “Death to Death.” He’s last seen dematerializing in the Vortex.

Is Sutekh Really Dead After Doctor Who Season 14?

The God of Death could still return

Sutekh is hugely implied to be gone for good at the end of Doctor Who season 14, as his apparent death is witnessed onscreen. However, the same was largely true the last time the character had a live-action outing back in 1975. The God of Death was banished to the Corridor of Eternity by the Fourth Doctor and was said to have been sent so far into the future that he’d never be able to survive the trip. Russell T Davies retconned this ending by bringing Sutekh back for the Doctor Who season 14 two-part finale.

Sutekh is an immensely powerful being, so it’s possible he managed to avoid death yet again. In fact, as the God of Death himself, it may be impossible for him to die at all. Instead, he could return in a new form, or possibly completely unharmed, once he’s had time to reassert himself within reality. Villains often return from the dead in Doctor Who, so there’s no reason to believe why Sutekh would be any different.