Warning: Spoilers ahead forDoctor Whoseason 14, episode 6, “Rogue.”
Summary
Doctor Whoseason 14, episode 6, “Rogue,” features a reference to a mysterious figure known only as “The Boss,” and while it’s the first time they’ve been mentioned since “The Star Beast,” there are still many unanswered questions. The only other piece of solid information comes from showrunner Russell T Davies, confirming in aTV Insiderinterview that the Boss andDoctor Who’s The One Who Waitsare “Not the same being.” This goes a small way to clearing things up, butthe Boss could still be any number of charactersfrom the densely-populatedDoctor Whouniverse.
Jonathon Groff’s Rogue is the member of theDoctor Whoseason 14 castthat utters the most recent clue: “This job has so much paperwork ever since we got that new boss.” Paired with the Meep’s suggestion in “The Star Beast” that the Boss would be interested in the Doctor’s status as a rare “Creature with two hearts,” then there is at least some contextual information to work with. It’s possible thatthe Boss could be an entirely original character, but the fact their identity is being so heavily guarded suggests that their eventual introduction will reveal a familiar face.
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10The Meep & Rogue’s Boss Leads A Galactic Criminal Organization
The Boss keeps questionable company
With the Meep’s role as a warlord and Rogue’s as a bounty hunter,those in the Boss' employ aren’t exactly shining citizensof the outer space society. If his other employees fit a similar archetype to Rouge and the Meep, then this paints a worrying picture of a sprawling group of criminals who are paid handsomely to do what they do best - wreak havoc and commit murder.
The Boss would sit at the top of the hierarchy and wouldn’t have to get their hands dirty.
If this is the case, which it very well seems to be, then the Boss would sit at the top of the hierarchy and wouldn’t have to get their hands dirty. However, those in charge of a syndicate such as this often have a bloody past. This intimidating and mysterious figure could beDoctor Who’s next big bad, butDavies has already confirmed that the Boss' storyline is not his current priority.
9Doctor Who’s “Boss” Is The Master
The Master always seems to return in one way or another
The Master has come close to death on many occasions, but he always manages to escape his demise.Every actor who’s played the Master inDoctor Whohas brought something unique to the role, with certain versions of the villainous Time Lord having more of a pronounced evil streak than others. Even thoughthe Toymaker tells David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor that the Master is trapped inside his gold tooth,the Toymaker’s tooth is recovered by an unknown handat theend of theDoctor Who60th-anniversary specials.
The Master has long been a worthy opponent for the Doctor, with both characters sharing a fierce intellect and a talent for improvisation. Given the nefarious schemes carried out by the Master in the past, it’s not a stretch to consider the possibility that he’s somehow established a network of galactic miscreants to do his bidding. What weakens this theory a little is Rogue’s statement about the Boss having a penchant for paperwork.It’s difficult to see the Master as a sticklerfor this kind of thing, but a new regeneration can bring with it fresh traits.
8The Boss Could Be The BOSS Supercomputer From Doctor Who’s Classic Era
BOSS is overdue for a comeback
Davies could be hiding the Boss' identity in plain sight, as the villain’s name may not be all that hidden after all. During Jon Pertwee’s time as the Third Doctor, he came up against a sentient supercomputer called BOSS, which stood for, “Biomorphic Organizational Systems Supervisor.” For all ofDoctor Who’s cloak-and-dagger antics to keep the Boss' identity a secret, the Meep and Rogue may have already shared it openly.
BOSS only appeared inDoctor Whoduring season 10 of the classic era, in the closing serial, “The Green Death.” The computer is presumed not to have survived the events of the story, butBOSS has returned in other areas of the franchise, such as in audio adventures. An advanced AI like BOSS could easily coordinate a vast group of criminals, and its connection to the Doctor would explain its interest in a two-hearted lifeform.
7Doctor Who Has The Chance To Pay Off Ncuti Gatwa’s Reference To The Rani
Kate O’Mara’s villain would be a welcome addition to Doctor Who’s Disney era
The Fifteenth Doctor mentions the Rani by nameinDoctor Whoseason 14, episode 1, “Space Babies.” When he’s explaining his title to Ruby, the Rani is one of the Time Lords he includes to contextualize the society’s naming conventions. Interestingly,the Rani is the only Time Lord mentioned in this scene who is a preexisting character, with the Doctor making up other titles like “The Bishop” and “The Conquistador.” So, Fifteen could be foreshadowing the Rani’s return.
The Rani has never appeared in the modern era ofDoctor Who, and her ties to both the Doctor and the Master would make her an exciting reveal as the Boss.
The Rani isn’t exactly a villain in the traditional sense of the word. A brilliant neurochemist, she places everything else secondary to her research. As part of her goal to advance her scientific understanding, she often puts ethics and morality to one side.The Rani has never appeared in the modern era ofDoctor Who, and her ties to both the Doctor and the Master would make her an exciting reveal as the Boss.
6The Boss May Be Villengard’s Owner
Villengard’s first mention comes in Steven Moffat’s “The Empty Child” two-parter in Doctor Who season 1
Villengard is a company that is often bubbling away in the background ofDoctor Whostories, but it very rarely comes to the forefront, with the 2017 Christmas Special, “Twice Upon a Time,” giving the weapons manufacturers the most attention.Doctor Whoseason 14, episode 3,“Boom,” revisits Villengard for the first time in a while. Given the ongoing mystery of the Boss' identity, Steven Moffat bringing Villengard back into focus could be far more than just a mere coincidence. Instead,the Boss could be among Villengard’s top brass.
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Villengard makes its profits when there are wars to fund, and “Boom” proves the company is also willing to propagate conflicts. Using the Meep to initiate a war would certainly fit into Villengard’s brand identity, even if it’s a tactic thatDoctor Whohasn’t previously proven the company to use. Rogue may seem like small fry by comparison, but he’s clearly a skilled killer and a master at blending in - both aspects that could be incredibly deadly given the right circumstances.
5The Doctor Who Classic Era Villain “Vorg” Could Be The Mysterious “Boss” Figure
Vorg appeared again in a 2010 Doctor Who stage show
Vorg is another villain fromDoctor Who’s classic erawho could conceivably fill the role of the Boss. Another nemesis of the Third Doctor,Vorg was a relatively small-scale victim who trapped sentient lifeforms, vastly shrunken with the use of an acquired miniscope to create a sort of terrarium. The Doctor was briefly trapped inside due to mistakenly materializing the TARDIS within its boundary, but ultimately escaped. If Vorg is the Boss then his goal could be to further his collection, making the Meep’s two-hearted comment all the more relevant.
Vorg’s story was expanded by the 2010 stage show,Doctor Who Live. Although he goes by Vorgenson, the main character ofDoctor Who Liveis strongly implied to be the same figure from the “Carnival of Monsters” story from the show’s classic era. Vorgenson collects a wide array of creatures from all over the galaxy, parading them around for his intergalactic traveling show.His main goal is to add the Doctor to his collection, so this could be the Boss' aim.
It would be difficult to confirm whether the events of the stage show are considered canon. However, given the frequentfourth wall breaks since theDoctor Who2023 Christmas Special, it remains a very real possibility.
4The Boss Is A Pre-William Hartnell Version Of The Doctor
Huge parts of the Doctor’s past are unknown
Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor is proof thatDoctor Whoisn’t afraid to introduce versions of the Time Lord from before William Hartnell’s iteration. Although"The Giggle" retconned Chris Chibnall’s Timeless Child storyline, it didn’t vanish completely. So, while the Doctor’s history did once canonically begin with Hartnell’s First Doctor, the Toymaker’s meddling also installed countless other regenerations before Hartnell’s.These pre-Hartnell Doctors were used by Division in ways the current version can’t remember, so the Doctor’s past could be coming back to haunt him.
In “Rogue,” there’s a face among the holograms that looks very much like Richard E Grant.
It’s also possible that the Boss is some alternate version of the Doctor. In “Rogue,” there’s a face among the holograms that looks very much like Richard E Grant. While Grant has never played the Doctor in live-action, he did voice a version of the Ninth Doctor in an animation that aired before the 2005 revival starring Christopher Eccleston. Grant’s Doctor, now referred to as the “Shalka Doctor,” was quickly stripped of his title as the Ninth, and has instead been relegated to non-canon. However,the unknown face in “Rogue” suggests other non-canon Doctors could be set to appear.
The Boss could also be a future version of the Doctor, such asthe Valeyard fromDoctor Who’s classic era.
3Rogue’s Boss May Be Another Timeless Child
The Boss could be from the Doctor’s real home
The Doctor may still be a Time Lord, but Chibnall’s Timeless Child twist altered the character’s backstory to make them an unknown alien species instead of a native Gallifreyan. Although there is a theory to suggest thatRuby is another member of the Doctor’s true species, no other members of the race have been confirmed to exist within the mainDoctor Whouniverse. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any, andthe Boss could be another lost alien.
The Fifteenth Doctor facing off with another member of his own race would parallel the Tenth Doctor’s reunion with the Master inDoctor Whoseason 3, episode 11, “Utopia.”
The Fifteenth Doctor facing off with another member of his own race would parallel the Tenth Doctor’s reunion with the Master inDoctor Whoseason 3, episode 11, “Utopia.” At the time, Ten believed himself to be the last surviving member of his race, only to discover he was wrong. Currently, Fifteen has a similar belief, so introducing another Timeless Child would be an artful recreation of one of the modern era’s biggest revelations.
2Ruby Sunday Is The Boss' Daughter
The mother of Millie Gibson’s character could be Doctor Who’s upcoming antagonist
There is about as much information onRuby Sunday’s birth motheras there is on the Boss, so they could feasibly be the same person. Although the hooded figure who leaves Ruby at the church in “The Church on Ruby Road” is largely believed to be female,the Boss' gender hasn’t yet been disclosed, so this doesn’t negate the possibility of Ruby being the Boss' offspring. If so, this could be the coming together of two incredibly compelling storylines.
If the stranger in “The Church on Ruby Road” is the Boss, then it shows a compassionate side to a character who is almost inevitably bound to be a villain. She could have raised Ruby to be a part of her organization, but she chose to leave her daughter in the care of someone else. This way, Ruby was more likely to have a more ordinary, and less violent, life.
1The Boss Could Be A Member Of The Pantheon
Maestro & the Toymaker belong to the same godlike group
The Toymaker and Maestro are both members ofDoctor Who’s Pantheon of Gods, and their raw power makes running a criminal organization seem like it’d be child’s play for them. That being said,there could be those in the Pantheon who aren’t quite as fearsome, and their skills are more focused on intense levels of organization, using various figures to work their way up the hierarchy.
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This is perhaps one of the less likely theories, as serving as the overseer to a group of mortal beings seems like it would be beneath even the weakest member of the Pantheon. However, it’s not impossible, and the sheer lack of information about the Boss means that almost every avenue is open to be explored. Only time will tell who the upcomingDoctor Whoantagonist will turn out to be, and whether they’re connected to the Toymaker or his musical child.
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Doctor Who: Released on August 24, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
