Over the last six decades, some of the most threatening enemies of the Doctor have become repeat offenders, making several appearances and becoming the longest-running villains in Doctor Who. While the time-traveling Doctor and their human companions have fought countless one-off villains in Doctor Who’s 62-year history, including the likes of the Flood, the Kandyman, Ramón Salamander, the Vashta Nerada, and many more, other antagonists have made recurring appearances. This has presented huge challenges for the Doctor, and some have become his archenemies.
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Bringing back recurring villains in Doctor Who has often challenged writers to come up with new stories and interesting layers to these characters we haven’t seen before. It’s great that Doctor Who puts focus on developing its villains as well as its heroes, and, in recent years, bringing back some of these classic foes has allowed for a greater feeling of nostalgia and recognition. Some of these villains have struck fear into the hearts of audiences since the very beginning of Doctor Who’s programming in 1963.
10) Autons (6 Episodes)
Modern audiences will know Autons as the living plastic creatures who fought the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) in their first adventure together back in 2005’s “Rose.” Controlled by the viscous Nestene Consciousness, the Autons are animated mannequins used as the Consciousness’ footsoldiers. Autons first appeared in the Third Doctor’s (Jon Pertwee) debut story in 1970, “Spearhead from Space,” and then appeared in 1971’s “Terror of the Autons,” which introduced the Master to Doctor Who. Autons are very hard to beat, but the Doctor has previously beaten the Nestene Consciousness using electricity, radio waves, and anti-plastic.
9) Sea Devils (6 Episodes & 1 Spinoff)
The Sea Devils have appeared in six Doctor Who stories, but have also recently become the star of their own spinoff. The Sea Devils helm from before humanity, but hid in the oceans when environmental conditions changed. In 1972’s “The Sea Devils,” the titular creatures awoke from suspended animation to reclaim their world, coming into opposition with humanity, and this became a running theme in all six of their Doctor Who appearances. The new The War Between the Land and the Sea spinoff sees the Sea Devils—now renamed Homo Aqua—hoping to do the same, waging war against mankind.
8) The Silence (8 Episodes)
One of the most terrifying additions in Steven Moffat’s run as showrunner was the Silence. They comprised a religious order of priests who tried to kill the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) so he wouldn’t give up his name to the Time Lords. The Silence first appeared in 2011’s “The Impossible Astronaut” as villains that individuals forgets as soon as they look away. They have made eight total appearances in Doctor Who, most recently as a prisoner of the Judoon in 2021’s “Revolution of the Daleks.” The Silence are still one of the most unique and nightmarish adversaries in Doctor Who.
7) Ice Warriors (9 Episodes)
Between 1967 and 1974, the Ice Warriors fought the Second (Patrick Troughton) and Third Doctors on six occasions, getting developed as armored reptilian soldiers from Mars. After that, they weren’t seen again until 2013’s “Cold War,” where a lost Ice Warrior appeared on a Russian submarine. “Face the Raven” and “Empress of Mars” dragged the classic Doctor Who villains into the modern era further and cemented them as one of the series’ longest-running and most powerful antagonists. The Ice Warriors are some of the strongest soldiers in the universe, so are a continuing threat in Doctor Who.
6) Silurians (11 Episodes)
While the Sea Devils inhabited prehistoric oceans, the Silurians were the rulers of the land before humanity. Silurians want the same as their aquatic cousins—to reclaim Earth as their own and get rid of annoying human “apes.” They’ve wanted this since their first appearance opposite the Third Doctor in 1970’s “Doctor Who and the Silurians,” though they only made one other appearance in Doctor Who’s classic run when they teamed up with the Sea Devils in 1984’s “Warriors of the Deep.” In the modern era, Silurians have appeared in nine episodes, cementing them as more of a modern villain.
5) Weeping Angels (13 Episodes)
Steven Moffat was, at one time, great at coming up with unique and terrifying Doctor Who villains. The Weeping Angels first graced our screens in one of Doctor Who’s most critically-acclaimed episodes, 2007’s “Blink.” In the 18 years since, the Weeping Angels have made twelve further appearances. The Weeping Angels are stone statues that can only move when they’re not being observed, but can move at lightning speeds when they do. Their ability to send individuals back in time and feed off the energy of the life they could have lived is wholly unique, but they have arguably been overused.
4) Sontarans (16 Episodes)
As a race of militaristic clones, Sontarans are the perfect war force, which has brought them to odds with various incarnations of the Doctor since their debut in 1973’s “The Time Warrior.” Sontarans made four total appearances in Doctor Who’s classic era, including in the multi-Doctor story, “The Two Doctors,” before being reinvented for the modern age. The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) came up against the Sontarans in “The Sontaran Stratagem” and “The Poison Sky” alongside Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman). Since then, they’ve appeared ten more times, both as an adversary and ally.
3) Cybermen (39 Episodes)
The Sontarans’ 16 episodes has nothing on 39 stories featuring the Cybermen, one of Doctor Who’s “big three” villains. The Cybermen first appeared opposite the First Doctor (William Hartnell) in “The Tenth Planet,” where the Doctor’s battle against them culminated in his very first regeneration. Since then, the Cybermen have been through many changes and have even appeared in parallel worlds, but all with the same root—humans converted into a metal army with emotions removed. The idea that Cybermen were once human has been at the core of their modern era stories, and the likes of “The Age of Steel,” “Doomsday,” “Death in Heaven,” and “World Enough and Time” have been truly tragic.
2) The Master (45 Episodes)
Another of Doctor Who’s three biggest villains is the Master, another renegade Time Lord from Gallifrey who has opposed many iterations of the Doctor over 45 total stories. While the Doctor was inspired to travel as a child on Gallifrey, the Master’s mind was broken and twisted when looking into the Time Vortex, setting him on a path of constantly seeking domination over the Doctor and lesser species. The Master first appeared in “Terror of the Autons” opposite the Third Doctor, and went on to oppose the Fourth (Tom Baker), Fifth (Peter Davison), Sixth (Colin Baker), Seventh (Sylvester McCoy), Eighth (Paul McGann), Tenth, Twelfth (Peter Capaldi), and Thirteenth Doctors (Jodie Whittaker) over the last 55 years, and the Master has been played by 11 total actors, too.
1) Daleks (54 Episodes) & Davros (9 Episodes)
While the Cybermen and the Master have opposed the Doctor on numerous occasions over the decades, no other villain has battled the Doctor as many times as the Daleks. First seen in the eponymous “The Daleks,” Doctor Who’s second-ever serial back in 1963, the Daleks’ origins were explained more in latter adventures. Originally the Kaleds, scientist Davros mutated his people into creatures capable of surviving inside armored mobile drones, allowing them to win their war against the Thals on Skaro. The Daleks have therefore persisted as one of the most terrifying, persistent, hard-to-kill, and destructive characters in Doctor Who’s entire history. Almost every Doctor has battled the Daleks, and they will surely continue to pose a significant threat to the Doctor and their companions for years to come.
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