What are some things that we’ll always associate the Twelfth Doctor with in Doctor Who? What did the Twelfth Doctor make his own?
With every doctor, there are always things that the Doctor does that become ‘iconic’. Whether it’s something they did as the Doctor or something they wore or even said, it becomes part of their doctor and inevitably goes down in Doctor Who history.
For instance, we’ll always associate celery with the fifth Doctor, a scarf with the fourth Doctor, allon-sy with the tenth Doctor, and fantastic! with the ninth doctor. Things simply become part of who that Doctor was.
So what will happen when we think of Twelve? What happened with the Twelfth Doctor that made him stick out. What did he wear, what did he say, what did he do? Quite honestly, it’s an interesting list, and you probably are already thinking of them as you’re reading this. And it’s because your mind has already attached certain things to Twelve.
BBC
Sonic Sunglasses
This is probably what everyone will remember him for. The Doctor took a big risk and let the screwdriver go (for a while) and instead, put on Sonic Sunglasses – wayfarers that seemed to act as a computer. Especially since we saw him email himself and constantly talk about his browser history while wearing them.
To be fair, they didn’t seem to have the same ability as the screwdrivers. This Doctor didn’t rely on a screwdriver, but let’s be honest, there were times where he probably would have preferred it.
Many people were unhappy with the change, but it definitely made him look cooler. Our rocker Doctor with the sonic sunglasses definitely held up well. Through two seasons! It wasn’t until the end of the tenth season that I really saw the Doctor using his sonic screwdriver.
Maybe he was too nervous to use them with two Masters judging him?
Or, sunglasses do inevitably break, though.
BBC
His hair
Talk to any fan of the twelfth Doctor, or any fan in general, and they’ll talk about the change in Capaldi’s hair. When he became the Doctor, he had very short and under control hair. By the time we see him regenerate, he has massive, unruly hair! Many people are in favor of it, and say it’s the same as the Third Doctor’s hair.
Jon Pertwee’s hair also got progressively larger and more unruly the longer he was the Doctor, culminating in a huge unruly mess, just like Peter Capaldi’s. However, the fans absolutely love it, and will probably throw a coup if he ever decides to cut it.
This is a big difference than David Tennant or Matt Smith, who basically kept their hair exactly the same throughout their tenure. (Until the very end, for Smith) But it is nice to see something change about the time lord. While the stability in the looks led to some stability within the character, it’s nice to see the Doctor change.
When he was worried about who he was, his hair was tight and maintained. When he was a rockstar and that side of him calmed down, it got a little longer, like you would expect from a rockstar. Now, it’s wild and unmanagable, and it sort of fits with his regeneration.
Are you Team Short hair, Team Rockstar or Team Pertwee hair?
The War Speech
Normally, I would say that Speeches are 100% Matt Smith’s iconic part of his Doctor. But Moffat gave Twelve some speeches that just stuck. In the Zygon Invasion/Inversion episodes, there were the beginnings of the war between the Zygons and Humans starting up again. But, unfortunately, this not only was a huge issue (as any wars are) but it brought up the forgotten memories of from the 50th Anniversary.
Meaning, of course, that the Doctor was remembering fighting in the Time War, and it was dredging up memories, and remembering that Gallifrey was not gone, that they had saved it. In remembering that, the Doctor gave a heartfelt speech about War, one that, during a difficult time in our world right now, echoed throughout many people, and was re-enacted by many actors, including ex-Doctors.
This speech echoed what so many of us were thinking at the time, and what’s truly amazing about this speech isn’t the words, although they obviously help. It’s how it was acted. So many people stopped and listened to something about war, something no one ever wants to hear or talk about. But they did, because Capaldi did such an amazing job giving it the right emotion to make everyone stop.
BBC
Return of the Mondasian Cybermen
As Capaldi would have wanted it, many people will associate the return of the Mondasian Cybermen with his Doctor. Why are these important? In case you missed our history lesson, I’ll tell you. This particular brand of Cybermen had not been in Doctor Who for over 50 years. They first came in The Tenth Planet, the episode that we should all know soon because it is when the First Doctor regenerates.
There have been Cybermen from Telos, the Mondas sister planet, and other places, but Mondas was the first place they came from. And in bringing back the Mondasian Cyberman during World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls, they also brought back a place we’d never seen. There had been audios and other places Cybermen were made — remember the parallel universe? But this was special because this was a tie into the First Doctor, Capaldi’s favorite Doctor. And it would, in turn, lead well into the Christmas Special coming up this December.
Of course, it all ended up being a bit different than expected with the Masters in place, but that only leads me to my next point.
BBC
The Master/Day of the Masters/Missy
Basically, the Twelfth Doctor will be heavily associated with the Master/Missy. For one thing, she showed up in his first episode and was a huge part of the season eight story arc. Eventually, they spent time trying to figure out what the Promise Land was, and when they got there, it was found Missy was running it as Cybermen league for the Doctor.
He’ll be associated with Missy though, because of his successful attempt (yes, I will say successful) to turn Missy good. Almost, if not all of his final season had a plotline to try to change her. To try to get her to be good so that they could be friends, and be the team that he always wanted. So that he could see the stars with her like she said they would. Throughout his entire time as the Doctor, the Master was quickly behind him.
Of course, Twelve’s tenure on Doctor Who will also be associated with the duo Master episodes that completed the tenth series, and the return of John Simm’s Master. Even moreso than Ten, who had multiple dealings with the Master, Twelve had more to do with her/him that any other Doctor in the New Era.
Next: Thank you to Michelle Gomez for bringing Missy to Doctor Who
Honorable Mention: The Doctor Fall’s Speech
Something that might not be as memorable but still should be associated with the Doctor is his speech in the Doctor Falls to the Masters. The reason why he tries to save the world, any world, even though it’s hard, and he doesn’t always win.