Doctor Who Image Teases Superhero In Christmas Special 2016

Doctor Who has been on something of a sabbatical in 2016. After airing Doctor Who Season 9 in 2015, the BBC announced that Doctor Who Season 10, Steven Moffat's last as showrunner, won't premiere until 2017.

Doctor Who fans did get a small fix of the Doctor's adventures in a short introducing the Doctor's new companion, Bill (Pearl Mackie), revealed in April. Peter Capaldi will also make a cameo appearance as the Doctor in the series premiere of the Doctor Who spinoff series Class.

The Doctor Who main event for 2016 has to be annual Doctor Who Christmas Special. Despite there being no Doctor Who season in 2016, the Doctor Who Christmas Special will go off without a hitch.

The BBC has been sparse with details about the 2016 Doctor Who Christmas Special plot, but rumor has it that the episode will involve the Doctor crossing paths with a superhero. Moffat confirmed the rumor in a recent interview on British radio, saying that Canadian actor Justin Chatwin would be playing the role.

A tweet from the BBC America Twitter account on Friday morning offers what looks like our first taste of this new superhero character. The image shows a giant "G" in what looks like the form of a superhero crest, clearly inspired by Superman's "S" shield.

Here's a first look at something special from this year's @Doctorwho_BBCA Christmas special. Tune in this Christmas on @BBCAMERICA! pic.twitter.com/c2BtnTGRMA

— BBC America (@BBCAMERICA) October 7, 2016

Considering the popularity of superheroes over the past decade, it is something of a wonder that Doctor Who has taken this long to bump up against the genre. Of course, many consider the Doctor to be a uniquely British superhero in his own right.

Either way, this will hardly be the strangest being the Doctor runs into on Christmas night. In the 2014 Doctor Who Christmas Special, the Doctor encountered Santa Claus himself (played by Nick Frost).

Fans should be treated to some additional details about the 2016 Doctor Who Christmas Special, as well as details about Class and possibly Doctor Who Season 10, at Friday night's Doctor Who panel at New York Comic Con.

The 2016 Doctor Who Christmas Special will air on Christmas Day on the BBC and BBC America. Doctor Who Season 10 is now in production and is set to premiere in 2017. Class is set to premiere on Oct. 22, 2016.