Since Peter Capaldi was announced as the Twelfth Doctor, the character of Caecilius has been quite the mystery on Doctor Who. Everyone wondered how the Doctor looking like the Roman marble trader, who, along with his family, were rescued by the Tenth Doctor, would be resolved. As the Twelfth Doctor himself asked, “Why this face?”
During Series Eight, we did not see hide more eyebrow hair of Caecilius. While the Doctor was finding his way and trying to determine whether or not he was a “good man,” the question of why he resembled the merchant from Pompeii remained unresolved. Why did the Doctor choose that face when he regenerated?
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We may be able to get a glimpse into that reason this season. When discussing Series Nine at a ‘Meet the Cast’ event, Capaldi hinted that he could reappear, and stated that Caecilius will “certainly be invoked.” How, exactly, would that happen? What could, in the Doctor’s travels through Series Nine, cause the former merchant to be brought up?
"“With regards to my Roman alter-ego, there will be a… he may appear again,” Capaldi said."
That statement of “There will be a….” is interesting. One has to wonder what Capladi was going to say before he trailed off and changed the wording. Was he about to give away a secret that Steven Moffat wants hidden away, only to be revealed during the episode in question? Or was it nothing more than Capaldi simply changing his mind on the wording, as we are all wont to do from time to time in the middle of conversation?
If nothing else, this statement that Caecilius will be invoked, and “may” appear again, would seemingly solidify that there are plans for the merchant in the future. The day that he and the Twelfth Doctor come face to identical face will certainly make for a classic moment in Doctor Who, and will hopefully clear up that mystery of why the Twelfth Doctor chose that face during his regeneration.
Next: Doctor Who Series Nine: Everything There Is To Know So Far