History AlternativeCharacterInterpretation / DoctorWho

* "The End of Time" adds a bit of this for TheMaster, who up to that point had mostly come across as a CardCarryingVillain, with TheReveal that [[spoiler:the drumming that had been driving him insane throughout the appearances of his incarnation played by Creator/JohnSimm was implanted by the other Time Lords as a GambitRoulette to get themselves out of the Time War.]] Whether you think this is a StableTimeLoop or not (i.e., [[spoiler:the drums were the reason for his insanity in the old series as well]]) can change him from a borderline Complete Monster who happens to be a victim to a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds. [[spoiler:Though either way, the Time Lords were ''bastards'' for doing that to him.]]

* Perhaps the Tenth Doctor's strident pacifism is a form of detached arrogance fitting with his god-complex. He pompously berates the "little" lifeforms for using violence (frequently in self-defence) because, as a Time Lord, he has no way of seeing things from their perspective or at their level (or at least no way that sticks after he reopens the fob watch). There's a hint supporting this theory in the episode "[[Recap/DoctorWho2005CSTheChristmasInvasion The Christmas Invasion]]" from 2005: Ten berates the Prime Minister for destroying a Sycorax ship. The Prime Minister measuredly responds by telling him that Earth needs to defend itself because the Doctor is "not always [there]". Ten petulantly rejects this and sets events in motion to force the Prime Minister from office.

* Some fans theorize that Rassilon was benevolent at one point, partially because he was one of the founders of Time Lord society, and partly because there is canon of another Time Lord whose dark side attempted a takeover. On the flipside, while in the canon Time Lord society as a whole certainly ''thought'' he was benevolent, but the show itself strongly implied he was just a NotQuiteDead VillainWithGoodPublicity, with both appearances of the character being egotistical megalomaniacs; it is also speculated / implied that Omega's accident that got him trapped in the Anti-Matter verse [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident was actually engineered by Rassilon himself.]] The darker views of his character were [[IKnewIt wholly endorsed]] by "The End of Time".

* "The End of Time" adds a bit of this for TheMaster, who up to that point had mostly come across as a CardCarryingVillain with extra FoeYay, with TheReveal that [[spoiler:the drumming that had been driving him insane throughout the appearances of his incarnation played by Creator/JohnSimm was implanted by the other Time Lords as a GambitRoulette to get themselves out of the Time War.]] Whether you think this is a StableTimeLoop or not (i.e., [[spoiler:the drums were the reason for his insanity in the old series as well]]) can change him from a borderline Complete Monster who happens to be a victim to a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds. [[spoiler:Though either way, the Time Lords were ''bastards'' for doing that to him.]]

*** Or is he holding on because he knows that his next regeneration (as far as he knows anyway) is his last. Since in “Time of the Doctor” Eleven is already well aware of this fact, why shouldn’t Ten?

* The Doctor's relationship with Rose, did he really love her or [[LovingAShadow was he protecting his subconscious memories of The Moment onto her?]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho'' is an example of Alternate Character Interpretation within a series, thanks to being portrayed by [[TheNthDoctor thirteen different actors]] (in canon, anyway) and a slew of writers, directors and producers over half a century, the Doctor has received every interpretation imaginable, from eccentric wanderer, to a literal god, and everything in-between. Not to mention the various speculations on the nature of the Doctor's relationship with various companions.

* The Doctors relationship with Rose, did he really love her or [[LovingAShadow was he protecting his subconscious memories of The Moment onto her.]]

* Some fans theorize that Rassilon was benevolent at one point, partially because he was one of the founders of Time Lord Society, and partly because there is canon of another Time Lord whose dark side attempted a takeover. On the flipside, while in the canon Time Lord society as a whole certainly ''thought'' he was benevolent, but the show itself strongly implied he was just a NotQuiteDead VillainWithGoodPublicity, with both appearances of the character being egotistical megalomaniacs; it is also speculated / implied that Omega's accident that got him trapped in the Anti-Matter verse [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident was actually engineered by Rassilon himself.]] The darker views of his character were [[IKnewIt wholly endorsed]] by "The End of Time".

* The Society portrayed in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E2TheEndOfTheWorld The End of the World]]". The fact that religion is banned is meant as a good thing by Creator/RussellTDavies, who sees it as they have OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions. However it could easily be seen as an oppressive and bigoted regime, the fact they feel the need to ban it shows there must still be religion, not that there is no religion. Would the Doctor still be fine with this if they had banned atheism?
* In [[Recap/DoctorWho2013CSTheTimeOfTheDoctor "The Time of the Doctor"]], did the Time Lords give the Doctor a brand new regeneration cycle out of gratitude for his actions in Day of the Doctor, because they empathized with Clara's words, or because they simply needed the Doctor alive since he's the only one who can help them return? Since there's more than one of them, it could be all of the above. Given that in the future Trenzalore the Doctor and Clara saw, featuring his tomb, it may be in an alternate timeline, one where Clara had not yet jumped into his timestream. So Clara talking to the Time Lords definitely had something to do with it, because obviously that future was averted; the Doctor did not die (permanently). Series 12 adds a new wrinkle to this with the revelation that [[spoiler: the Doctor has infinite regeneration and could have survived the Siege of Trenzalore without their help.]] This raises the possibility that the real reason the Time Lords granted the Doctor a new regeneration cycle was [[spoiler: to protect the DarkSecret that regeneration came from the Time Lords' horrific abuse of the Doctor as a child.]]

* In [[Recap/DoctorWho2013CSTheTimeOfTheDoctor "The Time of the Doctor"]], did the Time Lords give the Doctor a brand new regeneration cycle out of gratitude for his actions in Day of the Doctor, because they empathized with Clara's words, or because they simply needed the Doctor alive since he's the only one who can help them return? Since there's more than one of them, it could be all of the above. Given that in the future Trenzalore the Doctor and Clara saw, featuring his tomb, it may be in an alternate timeline, one where Clara had not yet jumped into his timestream. So Clara talking to the Time Lords definitely had something to do with it, because obviously that future was averted; the Doctor did not die (permanently).