Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor shows his charming but vulnerable side in a new piece of Doctor Who fan art that has subtle nods to one of the Time Lord’s most emotional season 14 adventures. After making a surprise bi-generation debut in the final 60th-anniversary special in 2023 and having a seasonal first adventure, Gatwa led his eight-episode debut season alongside Millie Gibson’s new companion Ruby Sunday. Despite an emotional farewell, Gatwa and Gibson will reunite for Doctor Who season 15, where the TARDIS team will become a trio as Varada Sethu’s new companion steps aboard.
Recently, Hansoeii on Instagram has created a new piece of artwork that captures the Time Lord at his most charming.
In the vibrant piece of artwork, the Doctor stands before the TARDIS entrance holding a bundle of flowers in one of his most recognizable outfits. While not an exact match to the Time Lord’s outfit from “Rogue,” seeing the Doctor at his most vulnerable and charming brings to mind his whirlwind romance with intergalactic bounty hunter Rogue (Jonathan Groff).
The Fifteenth Doctor Has A Subtle, Heartbreaking Arc
This Doctor Wonders If His Adventures Are Consequential To Those He Loves.
The Fifteenth Doctor has quickly established himself as one of the more vulnerable incarnations of the Time Lord.
While Gatwa’s debut season has been a new era, having found some closure from many lifetimes of torment, pain, and trials, his travels in the latest season have not been free of heartbreak. Alongside his sad parting with Rogue, the Doctor has been questioning the effect that he has on the universe. Ever since he met the Doctor Who character Ruby on Christmas Eve, part of him has been wary of whether he makes people better, and whether his presence is good in his loved one’s lives.
When the potential for a reunion with a long-lost companion and granddaughter, Susan, arises in the season 14 two-part finale, the Doctor admits to Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) that part of him fears that all he does is bring pain. This fear becomes a reality when it is revealed that Sutekh (Gabriel Woolfe) has clung to the TARDIS since his first encounter with the Time Lord, using his adventures to bring about a plan that almost wipes out the universe. By Doctor Who season 14’s end, not only is the Doctor alone, but they question his place in the universe.
The Fifteenth Doctor has quickly established himself as one of the more vulnerable incarnations of the Time Lord. While eager to show his affection, the Doctor now also shows his pain and frustration more openly. As such, the latest artwork captures one of the Time Lord’s defining qualities coming out of Doctor Who.
While Gatwa’s previous Doctor Who adventures can be found on Disney+ and BBC iPlayer, a new seasonal special will be released in December of this year.