Doctor Who Rumor: Could Missy be Another Classic Series Villain?

With John Simm’s Master returning, we examine a popular fan theory regarding Missy. Is she really who she claims to be?

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With the announcement that John Simm is returning as the Master, a lot of fans are left guessing as to what this means for the show. Is this simply a case of time travel? Are we finally getting a multiple Master story? Or, as one popular fan theory asks, is there more to it than that?

There’s been some speculation that Simm’s return could mean that Missy isn’t who she’s claimed to be. Is it possible that Simm is still the current incarnation of the Master, and Missy has been lying the whole time? Is she really another Time Lord altogether?

Could Missy in fact be…the Rani?

In this writer’s opinion? No, not really. At the very least, she’s wouldn’t be the Rani done right.

I think one problem with this theory is that there’s a lot of misconception about the kind of character that the Rani is. There are many fans that simply think she is a female version of the Master. (Not literally, as in Missy’s case, but at least figuratively.) If it were that simple, then Missy would, admittedly, fit the description.

The only problem is that the Rani is far, far more than that.

The Rani isn’t seeking universal domination, at least not for its own sake. She doesn’t kill people for the sake of enjoyment. She’s not a psychopath like the Master is. In some ways, she really doesn’t think that much of him.

Kate O’Mara as the Rani. (Credit: BBC)

The Rani is, more than anything else, a scientist. She tests boundaries. She experiments. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially as the Doctor is a scientist himself. The problem is what she uses in her experiments. Just as some human scientists would use an animal in their experiments, the Rani would use members of any lesser species. Including humans.

The Rani sees being a Time Lord as something higher than the rest of the universe. (Something that, thinking about it, she actually shares in common with most of her race.) She doesn’t enjoy killing. She simply doesn’t have a problem with removing someone if they start becoming problematic.

I’ll be honest: up until the series 8 finale, I could’ve bought that Missy was, in fact, the Rani. Partly because she seemed to be experimenting on a grand scale on the human race, but mostly because we had seen so little of her up to that point.

However, after seeing Dark Water/Death in Heaven, that theory was very quickly destroyed for me. Not just because of the obvious fact that Missy actually stated she was the Master. After all, if she was the Rani, she could have been lying about it. But we saw a lot more of her personality in those episodes. And the Rani, she definitely wasn’t.

Missy revealed herself to be an absolute maniac. Someone who enjoys killing for the sake of it, and likes to have fun while doing it. Honestly, it really wasn’t that difficult for me to imagine Gomez following Simm’s Master directly. Both love being evil, both love to have fun with what they do.

A retcon revealing her to be the Rani is still possible, but I’d absolutely hate it if they did that. If you’re going to bring the Rani back, you need to do it right. Considering that regenerations come with new personalities, she doesn’t need to be exactly the same.

But the writers would need to stick to what makes the character stand out. A scientist with a brilliant mind but no morals or compassion. Not a psychopath, just someone who sees the universe as her own personal laboratory.

Retconning Missy, a completely different character altogether in both name and personality, to be the Rani would be a huge mistake. Personally, I’m hoping the explanation we get for Simm’s return is the simplest and obvious one. Specifically, that we’re getting a multi-Master story on television, just like we’ve had several multi-Doctor ones.

Next: Is That A Regeneration Easter Egg?

What do you think? Do you think Missy should remain as the Master, or would you prefer her to be retconned as the Rani? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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