Doctor Who: The Doctor as an Anti-Hero

It is easy to think of the Doctor as a hero in Doctor Who, given how many planets and civilizations he has saved. In reality, he is more of an anti-hero.

Anti hero (noun): a main character in a book, play, movie, etc., who does not have the usual good qualities that are expected in a hero.

When one thinks of Doctor Who, one imagines the heroic journeys of the Doctor and his companion. They go around protecting those who cannot save themselves, often at great risk to themselves. To many, the Doctor is a true hero, fending off those races and beings who would seek to subjugate them to further their own ends.

Yet, the Doctor himself does not think of himself as a hero. As we saw throughout Series Eight, the Twelfth Doctor questioned whether or not he was even a good man. That, however, does not stop others from casting him in such a light, as it was contended that the Doctor may be the definition of a true hero. After all, with the screwdriver, extra heart and police box, one cannot think that he is there to fix the universe and be ready to help anywhere he is needed.

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However, that is not what the Doctor is. In our general view of a hero, we picture someone who is genuinely kind and friendly to everyone, ready to do anything needed at any given moment to save the world. Instead, the Doctor, even dating back to the beginning days of the show, has a temper, can be quite cutting and sarcastic, and, in this most recent incarnation, has fewer people skills than I do. His insults and biting commentary, throughout the incarnations, are quite remarkable.

There is also the violent aspect to the Doctor. Even the First Doctor attempted to wrestle Ian to protect his and Susan’s secrets. Who can forget the Fourth and Sixth Doctors choking their companions, although for different reasons? Or the megalomania and increasing anger of the Tenth Doctor as he destroyed political careers and different species? The Ninth and Twelfth Doctors essentially had a ‘Do Not Touch’ sign hanging from their necks, given their ability to intimidate.

These are not the actions of a typical hero. Instead, the Doctor has been a character where the ends have justified the means, as opposed to attempting to get the desired result with as little collateral damage as possible. Even though the deaths of those around him come back and haunt his memories, the Doctor still continues to send these beings forward.

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The Doctor is not a traditional hero, and Doctor Who is not a show about the heroic journeys of that being. Instead, he is far more of an anti-hero, and someone who may tend more towards those glimpses of darkness than we would want to realize.