Doctor Who: Is David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor “Darker” than Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor?

By J. R. Frontera | Jul 29, 2015

When Capaldi came on the scene as the Twelfth incarnation of our beloved Doctor, it was said that he would be a “darker” Doctor. The precise definition of “darker” was never really defined, but I took it to mean he would be a sharp contrast to Matt Smith’s very light-hearted, almost-too-whimsical-for-me-personally Doctorhood. I assumed this meant Capaldi’s Doctor would be broodier and moodier, and the man definitely has the eyebrows for it.

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Capaldi can scowl like nobody’s business.

But just earlier this week I came across a video featuring a lot of episode clips from Tennant’s reign as Doctor, and I found myself surprised. Surprised at the great amount of yelling and telling off of people and threatening that was done by my own favorite Tenth Doctor. It’s been a long while since I re-watched any of Ten’s episodes (sadly), but watching this video mash-up made me remember a lot of what originally drew me to the Tenth Doctor in the first place.

He’s a Time Lord after my own heart. He’s a lover. He’s loyal to a fault. But cross him or anyone he cares about and you’ll have hell to pay. HELL. TO. PAY.

"“No second chances. I’m that sort of a man.” — The Tenth Doctor, ‘The Christmas Invasion’"

This pattern was really started by Eccleston, but Tennant’s dramatic flair and expanded time in the role really brought it to life. By the time Ten regenerated, we knew who the Doctor was. We knew what would earn his respect, and we knew what would set him off in a fit of Time Lord rage. And he ranted and raged quite often, actually. A fact that’s easy to forget when you don’t re-watch his episodes enough and all of the Whovian internet in the meantime pegs him as “the lover” Doctor.

Then came Eleven, and he did not rant and rage so much. Even when he blew up part of the Cybermen fleet and was threatening to blow up the rest in order to find Amy (which, btw, Ten never would have done unless those Cybermen were directly involved in the disappearance and potential harm of his companion), it was kind of hard to take him seriously.

And sure, he was made out to be this scary Time Lord during a few episodes such as ‘The Pandorica Opens,’ but we were never really shown that part of Eleven. It’s the same as saying “actions speak louder than words”. The only reason any of that worked at all, in fact, was because of what Nine and Ten had done before Eleven. Because we could think, “Oh yes, they are scared of The Doctor because of what Nine and Ten (and beyond) did.”

Locking up the big bad Time Lord …

credit: BBC

Now, what about Twelve? He definitely seems grumpier than the others. Less friendly. Less happy than Nine, Ten, or Eleven overall. Even Ten enjoyed himself in between the scathing lectures and occasional threats. Twelve seems more skeptical of everything and everyone, too. But I’m not sure he’s actually proven to be darker than any previous Doctor … except maybe Eleven.

He yells at people, sure, but sometimes they don’t even really deserve it. And that just makes him seem mean, not dark and brooding. He doesn’t like hugs. Okay, fine. That just makes him seem distant, not dark. He’s not sure if he’s a “good man”. While I like the vocalization of this question with Capaldi’s Doctor, it’s not a new theme. That question is something that’s been lurking in the background even since Classic Who.

There have been a few glimpses of the good ol’ “dark” Doctor a la Ten with Capaldi, though, most notably in ‘Deep Breath,’ when it is left purposefully unclear whether the Half-Faced Man fell to his death because of a self-destruct mechanism … or because The Doctor pushed him.

But even that is something the Tenth Doctor would do.

"“It’s not like I’m an innocent. I’ve taken lives. And I got worse — I got clever. Manipulated people into taking their own.” — The Tenth Doctor, ‘The End of Time’"

Since ‘Deep Breath,’ Twelve hasn’t really shown us that “dark side” so much. Thus far, I’m not really buying that he’s a darker Doctor at all.

I do believe, however, that Capaldi has the potential to be a great darker Doctor. I’d love to see more of that from him, and I’m holding out hope that Series 9 will deliver!

Next: Doctor Who Morning Cuppa 7/29/2015

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