Top 10 Most Powerful Doctor Who Characters

A humanoid woman stranded on a small asteroid in a pocket universe, Idris becomes something completely different when the Doctor’s TARDIS lands there… because the malevolent entity that controls the asteroid, House, removes the consciousness of the TARDIS and puts it into Idris’ body. The resulting lifeform briefly holds a complete concept of time; so, she can see the future, the present, and the past all at once. For an episode, at least, she’s super, super powerful. Her heartbreakingly short time spent as a person, though, prevents her from making it higher on our list.

An ancient entity deprived of its body, the Great Intelligence now exists as a formless mind searching for a body, no matter the cost. Even without an actual form, though, the Great Intelligence is capable of controlling others to do its bidding. These pawns include plain everyday people, creepy beings called Whisper Men, robots, snowmen, and robot abominable snowmen (yes, really). The Intelligence’s mental powers allow it to hypnotize its victims, as well as animate the dead and extend lifespans. There’s not really much it can’t do. Did we mention it also splits itself across all of space and time, relentlessly pursuing the Doctor and vengeance? Because, there’s that as well…

A sometimes companion of the Doctor and a leader of Torchwood, Captain Jack Harkness is this show’s lovable rogue. And, thanks to the efforts of someone who we may mention later, he’s resurrected after he’s killed. However, Jack’s brought back forever. He never stays dead. He becomes a living fixed point in time – he must exist. This gives him a tremendous amount of life energy; enough to choke malevolent, life-devouring entities with his power and to allow him to survive inhospitable environments, like areas flooded with radiation or the time vortex itself. If Jack lives long enough, he might even mutate and use his life force to power a city… but we’d hate to speculate.

One of the most ancient and primordial entities of the Whoniverse is the Black Guardian. An immensely old and seemingly malevolent being, the Black Guardian embodies chaos and evil within time. Locked in an endless contest with his counterpart the White Guardian, the Black Guardian gains strength equal to however much evil is actually in the universe; making him very powerful indeed. Although mainly rivaled by the other Guardians of Time, the Doctor and other mortals have foiled this figure before… But the potential for power is always there.

The last of a race called the Osirans, Sutekh is an immensely powerful conqueror who basically wants to destroy all life. He was imprisoned by his own people beneath a pyramid on Earth, such was the threat he posed. Even paralyzed atop his throne though, Sutekh manages to be incredibly menacing, and not just because of his amazing voice. His formidable psychic powers are able to 1) control weapons from afar, and 2) dominate the minds of others, including the Doctor. In fact, if not for some clever maneuvering on his part, the Doctor, and all life in the universe, might have kneeled before this guy.

As this show’s take on the Devil (and all other alien equivalents), the Beast is an ancient, immeasurably evil being that predates time itself. Chained in a pit on a planet suspended in front of a black hole, this character is a massive, horned demon just waiting to get loose… But, while his body is restrained, his mind and his words (which are actually spoken by the same voice actor as Sutekh) are arguably more dangerous. The Beast is able to possess both individuals, like a single human expedition member and entire groups of beings, like the Ood servants. This devil may be drowning in a black hole, but that’s really the only thing that could stop him.

The maniacal, diabolical creator of the mutant, mini-tank menace known as the Daleks, Davros is an evil genius the like of which sci-fi rarely sees. This Kaled scientist has managed to survive the Time War and the ravages of history, thanks to his ruthlessness and endless ingenuity. While he’s not always in charge of the Daleks and frequently finds himself opposed by or even imprisoned by them, since he’s not one of them, Davros still holds tremendous influence over the vengeful, omnicidal mutants - and that makes him one of the most powerful beings around.

Sometimes immense power comes accidentally. While trying to return to the future to rescue the Doctor, Rose Tyler stares into the heart of the TARDIS, absorbing part of the time vortex. This gives her unbelievable abilities that allow her to control the TARDIS with her mind, stop Dalek blasts, bring Jack Harkness back to life for eternity, and dissolve an entire fleet of Dalek ships into atoms! She then scatters the words “Bad Wolf” throughout time and space in order to ensure her own ascension. Of course, this isn’t the only time that Billie Piper’s character has been linked to unparalleled destruction… But in terms of raw potential, the Bad Wolf entity might be the most powerful on our list. It’s only the fact that her own force very nearly kills her that keeps her from taking a higher spot.

The arch frenemy of the Doctor, the Master (or sometimes the Mistress) is a fellow Time Lord/Lady and one of the Doctor’s most cunning foes. Although not usually possessing any powers beyond any other member of their race, other than a particular talent for hypnosis and that one time he was an electric skelo-man, the Master is nevertheless an extremely incessant, intimidating and unpredictable adversary, possessing intelligence nearly on par with the Doctor (plus a great deal more ruthlessness). Though he or she generally needs to rely on alliances or powerful servants to achieve their grander schemes, the Master is considered the Doctor’s greatest nemesis for a reason.

The wandering Time Lord at the center of it all, the Doctor is, few would argue, the most powerful character in the entire show. No matter the face they wear, the character’s many incarnations almost always manage to defeat their enemies… and not usually through might, but through the power of their mind, their empathy, a few gadgets here and there, and the assistance of their friends. All of those things, and also knowing when to run away! The Doctor may not have the most unique or potent powers on today’s list, but the fact that they’re able to survive and usually win against most of our other entries is proof enough; the Doctor is strongest of all.