History Characters / DoctorWhoWarDoctor

* DoesntLikeGuns: Played with. The War Doctor's introduction involves him asking a Gallifreyan soldier for his weapon in an apparent EstablishingCharacterMoment, but he only uses it to blast [[ArcWords NO MORE]] in a wall. Likewise his disdain for his future incarnations using their sonic screwdrivers as weapons implies this, but his BadassBandolier only carries his own sonic screwdriver. Given that the Doctor's most dangerous weapon has always been his mind, it's likely he doesn't feel the need. In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent "Hell Bent"]], a Gallifreyan soldier states that the first thing many people noticed about "The Doctor of War" was that he wasn't armed. But to many, it was also the ''last'' thing they ever noticed.

** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E2TheBeastBelow "The Beast Below"]], the Eleventh Doctor states that if he lobotomized the Space Whale, he'd no longer be able to call himself the Doctor, hinting at this "non-Doctor" incarnation.

** All references to the Time War, like the Nestene Consciousness freaking out when it meets the Ninth Doctor in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E1Rose "Rose"]].

** The Time War is shown in ''The Night of the Doctor'' as the reason why the Eighth Doctor elected to regenerate into an incarnation capable of such actions in the first place.
--->'''Eighth Doctor''': Make me a warrior now.

-->Eighth Doctor: [[DespairEventHorizon "I don't suppose there's any need for a Doctor anymore..."]]

--->'''Eleven''': You were the Doctor on the day it wasn't possible to get it right.

-->'''War Doctor''': I'm looking for the Doctor...\\
'''Tenth Doctor''': ... Well, you've certainly come to the right place.

** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent "Hell Bent"]], one of the soldiers says that, frighteningly, the War Doctor still usually worked without weapons.
--> '''Gallifreyan Soldier:''' The first thing you notice about the Doctor of War is that he's unarmed. For many [[OhCrap it's also the last.]]

-->'''Eleventh Doctor''': My name, my ''real'' name, that is not the point. The name I chose is "the Doctor." The name you choose, it's like a promise you make. He's the one who broke the promise.

* ThatMysteriousThing: When he first appears in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E13TheNameOfTheDoctor "The Name of the Doctor"]], it's never explained what horrible act he committed to lose his right to be called the Doctor (although admittedly, the bulk of the fanbase guessed he was the one who ended the Time War). He himself also used to be the Doctor's greatest, and totally undefined, secret. The truths are later revealed in what led to his birth and the anniversary special.
-->'''Clara''': What is it? What's his biggest secret?\\
'''Jenny''': We don't know. It's a secret.

* WalkingSpoiler: Knowing anything about him gives away TheReveal of his existence in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E13TheNameOfTheDoctor "The Name of the Doctor"]].

* WhamShot: Just as the day seems to be saved at the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E13TheNameOfTheDoctor "The Name of the Doctor"]], the scene cuts to him in shadow, a Doctor ''no one'' has ever heard of before.

* ArchEnemy: Rassilon and the Daleks, though this time it's treated more along the lines of the Daleks being the opposing faction of a war than the personal conflict it was previously.

* ArchEnemy: Rassilon is depicted as a more personal foe to the War Doctor than the Daleks, as, unlike the Daleks, Rassilon is on the Doctor's side of the war and the Doctor can't strike Rassilon down like he does with the Daleks. Eventually, Rassilon proves the worst of two evils, and the Doctor takes drastic action to stop the war.

* ArchEnemy: The Dalek Time Strategist. This Dalek is particularly calculating and turns even more evil as time goes on. Similarly, Cardinal Ollistra, for forcing the War Doctor to do her bidding even if it means enslaving him.

[[Characters/DoctorWhoClassicSeriesCompanions Classic Series Companions]] ([[Characters/DoctorWhoK9 K9]], [[Characters/DoctorWhoRomana Romana]]) | [[Characters/DoctorWhoRevivalSeriesCompanions Revival Series Companions]] ([[Characters/DoctorWhoRoseTyler Rose Tyler]], [[Characters/DoctorWhoJackHarkness Captain Jack Harkness]], [[Characters/DoctorWhoRiverSong River Song]], [[Characters/DoctorWhoClaraOswald Clara Oswald]]) | [[Characters/DoctorWhoOtherSupportingCast Other Supporting Cast]] ([[Characters/DoctorWhoThePaternosterGang The Paternoster Gang]]) | [[Characters/DoctorWhoUNITStaff UNIT Staff]]\\

* SaveTheVillain: He saves the Time Lord Karlax even though they were trying to kill him. Averted later, however: when Karlax tries to kill him and [[Characters/NewSeriesAdventures Cinder]] dies as a result, the Doctor dematerialises the TARDIS around Karlax, leaving him surrounded by Daleks.

* AbortedArc: Eventually averted. John Hurt's passing prevented any more stories apart from the four boxsets from being made until 2021.

* ResurrectionSickness: Largely averted, with him as one of the few Doctors to not have any kind of physical sickness, memory issues, or erratic mental behavior post regeneration. Even the occasional tendency of the Doctor to briefly act like their previous selves after regenerating is openly dismissed with him stating that [[FutureMeScaresMe all of his past incarnations are staying far away from him]] (implying that the vestiges of each life he has lived out sense a huge opposing force taking root and don't accept it as a proper successor). Justified in that this regeneration was the byproduct of an elixir that used elevated Time Lord science on Karn, and designed to forcibly make him a warrior in all aspects[[note]]unless you believe Moffat's novelization of "Day of the Doctor," in which he says the potion was [[MagicFeather the equivalent of lemonade and dry ice]], just there to [[MotivationalLie give him an excuse]] to become the Warrior in his new regeneration[[/note]], so the regeneration doesn't befuddle him like others yet to embrace and define their new self. However, the price is that it really hurt to regenerate.

* TakeAThirdOption: Averted. He's stuck in a situation where there are ''no'' third options; you either do what has to be done or everyone will die. [[spoiler: The one time he tries it backfires horribly.]]

[[Characters/DoctorWhoFirstDoctor 1]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoSecondDoctor 2]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoThirdDoctor 3]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoFourthDoctor 4]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoFifthDoctor 5]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoSixthDoctor 6]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoSeventhDoctor 7]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoEighthDoctor 8]] | '''War''' | [[Characters/DoctorWhoNinthDoctor 9]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoTenthDoctor 10]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoEleventhDoctor 11]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoTwelfthDoctor 12]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoThirteenthDoctor 13]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoFourteenthDoctor 14]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoFifteenthDoctor 15]]\\

* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLYSW_-2uqg His theme]] is much more sombre and serious than the typical Doctor themes, but still every bit as heroic.

** Taken further in "Exit Strategy" when the War Doctor [[spoiler:hacks Case's cybernetic components and uploads a copy of his eighth incarnation's personality to her mind, allowing her to spend her dying moments essentially travelling with the Eighth Doctor in a virtual reality. The War Doctor concedes that he may embrace the creed of his other self in the future, but for the moment he has to focus on the war]].

** Taken further in "Exit Strategy" when the War Doctor [[spoiler:hacks Case's cybernetic components and uploads a copy of his eighth incarnation's personality to her mind, allowing her to spend her dying moments essentially travelling with the Eighth Doctor in a virtual reality. The War Doctor concedes that he may need his other self in the future, but for the moment he has to focus on the war]].

* IHatePastMe: Played with. In "Lighting the Flame", which takes place very shortly after his regeneration, he laments Eight's fate, and expresses something resembling nostalgia for how full of hope and optimism he was, but he also calls him out as naïve and foolish for believing he could avoid the Time War forever.

* MyGreatestFailure: Was forced into ending the Time War by murdering billions upon billions in fire. His future incarnations have been haunted by it ever since.

** This version of the Doctor also follows the trope in another way by refusing (until the very end) to answer to the name Doctor. Other than being called "the renegade" once by another Time Lord, on screen it has yet to be revealed what monicker he actually went by (assuming he didn't just rely on "Hey, you"). This has ''not'' been consistently followed in the expanded universe media; in the novel ''Engines of War'', for example, he is addressed as and answers to "the Doctor" throughout (though he never actually identifies himself by that name). A soldier on Gallifrey refers to him as "The Doctor of War" in "Hell Bent".
*** It's entirely possible that, since he never took on any companions, he had nobody to regularly converse with for his entire life, and thus no actual ''need'' for a name.

[[Characters/DoctorWhoFirstDoctor 1]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoSecondDoctor 2]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoThirdDoctor 3]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoFourthDoctor 4]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoFifthDoctor 5]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoSixthDoctor 6]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoSeventhDoctor 7]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoEighthDoctor 8]] | '''War''' | [[Characters/DoctorWhoNinthDoctor 9]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoTenthDoctor 10]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoEleventhDoctor 11]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoTwelfthDoctor 12]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoThirteenthDoctor 13]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoFourteenthDoctor 14]]\\

* GutturalGrowler: One of the most 'gravelly'-sounding incarnations.
-->'''Ten:''' Still, loving the posh, gravelly thing, it's very convincing.\\
'''Eleven:''' Huh. Brave words, Dick Van Dyke.

* AntiHero: Seemingly killed his own entire race, including children, to save the universe from their war with the Daleks.

[[Characters/DoctorWhoFirstDoctor 1]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoSecondDoctor 2]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoThirdDoctor 3]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoFourthDoctor 4]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoFifthDoctor 5]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoSixthDoctor 6]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoSeventhDoctor 7]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoEighthDoctor 8]] | '''War''' | [[Characters/DoctorWhoNinthDoctor 9]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoTenthDoctor 10]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoEleventhDoctor 11]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoTwelfthDoctor 12]] | [[Characters/DoctorWhoThirteenthDoctor 13]]\\

* TokenEvilTeammate: If regarding the Doctors as a 'team' rather than one man with many faces, this incarnation was regarded as such by at least his next three selves (before they learnt what "really" happened on the last day of the War). The Eleventh Doctor is at least willing to acknowledge that the War Doctor did what had to be done even before their meeting, but he nevertheless declares that what his past self did was not done "in the name of the Doctor". By the end of the special, both the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors admit that they were wrong, because he was more the Doctor than anyone - he was the Doctor on the day it wasn't ''possible'' to get it right.

* RedBaron: He ditches the name of the Doctor, and while it isn't clear what name he takes up instead, one Gallifreyan soldier refers to him in ''Hell Bent'' as 'The Doctor of War'. At first, this just seems like a rejig of the 'War Doctor' name. Then, on further consideration, the full meaning sinks in: the title of Doctor is accorded to someone who hasn't just Mastered an art, they've taken it to a whole new level. What did he do to ''earn'' such a title?

* {{Foil}}: To ''every other Doctor'', but particularly Ten and Eleven. Where they are both "young" excitable {{Sad Clown}}s, War is "older", weary, and doesn't bother to compensate his angst with glib. Whereas they are prone to bursts of anger amongst a generally pacifist attitude, War is quicker to use violence, but isn't nearly as angry.

* NiceGuy: For all his warrior qualities and snarkiness, he's not as grumpy as the First Doctor and is quite an amicable fellow.

* TokenEvilTeammate: If regarding the Doctors as a 'team' rather than one man with many faces, this incarnation was regarded as such by at least his next three selves (before they learnt what "really" happened on the last day of the War). The Eleventh Doctor is at least willing to acknowledge that the War Doctor did what had to be done even before their meeting, but he nevertheless declares that what his past self did was not done "in the name of the Doctor".

* ThatManIsDead: He's renounced the name of the Doctor, claiming he's no longer him. Nobody buys it.

* FrontlineGeneral: ''ComicBook/DoctorWhoFourDoctors'' actually shows him in action during the Time War, personally leading some truly irregular forces- a platoon of ''Voord''. You can either read it as a sign of how far he's fallen, or as a show that he's still a DefectorFromDecadence to Gallifrey's ArmchairMilitary.

* ResurrectionSickness: Largely averted, with him as one of the few Doctors to not have any kind of physical sickness, memory issues, or erratic mental behavior post regeneration. Even the occasional tendency of the Doctor to briefly act like their previous selves after regenerating is openly dismissed with him stating that [[FutureMeScaresMe all of his past incarnations are staying far away from him]] (implying that the vestiges of each life he has lived out sense a huge opposing force taking root and don't accept it as a successor). Justified in that this regeneration was the byproduct of an elixir that used elevated Time Lord science on Karn, and designed to forcibly make him a warrior in all aspects[[note]]unless you believe Moffat's novelization of "Day of the Doctor," in which he says the potion was [[MagicFeather the equivalent of lemonade and dry ice]], just there to [[MotivationalLie give him an excuse]] to become the Warrior in his new regeneration[[/note]], so the regeneration doesn't befuddle him like others yet to embrace and define their new self. However, the price is that it really hurt to regenerate.

* ResurrectionSickness: Largely averted, with him as one of the few Doctors to not have any kind of physical sickness, memory issues, or erratic mental behavior post regeneration. Even the occasional tendency of the Doctor to briefly act like their previous selves after regenerating is openly dismissed with him stating that [[FutureMeScaresMe all of his past incarnations are staying far away from him]] (implying that the vestiges of each life he has lived out sense a huge ). Justified in that this regeneration was the byproduct of an elixir that used elevated Time Lord science on Karn, and designed to forcibly make him a warrior in all aspects[[note]]unless you believe Moffat's novelization of "Day of the Doctor," in which he says the potion was [[MagicFeather the equivalent of lemonade and dry ice]], just there to [[MotivationalLie give him an excuse]] to become the Warrior in his new regeneration[[/note]], so the regeneration doesn't befuddle him like others yet to embrace and define their new self. However, the price is that it really hurt to regenerate.

* ResurrectionSickness: Largely averted, with him as one of the few Doctors to not have any kind of physical sickness, memory issues, or erratic mental behavior post regeneration. Even the occasional tendency of the Doctor to briefly act like their previous selves after regenerating is openly dismissed with him stating that [[FutureMeScaresMe all of his past incarnations are staying far away from him]]. Justified in that this regeneration was the byproduct of an elixir that used elevated Time Lord science on Karn, and designed to forcibly make him a warrior in all aspects[[note]]unless you believe Moffat's novelization of "Day of the Doctor," in which he says the potion was [[MagicFeather the equivalent of lemonade and dry ice]], just there to [[MotivationalLie give him an excuse]] to become the Warrior in his new regeneration[[/note]], so the regeneration doesn't befuddle him like others yet to embrace and define their new self. However, the price is that it really hurt to regenerate.

* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDJAA8Jg0gs His theme]] is much more sombre and serious than typical Doctor themes, but still every bit as heroic.