How Many Times Has the Doctor Met the Devil?

Nick Kitchen is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

The Father of Lies. Beelzebub. Lucifer. Pazuzu. The Morning Star. Satan. My former supervisor. What ever name you ascribe to him, there is no villain or monster in fiction (or reality, if you prefer) than the Devil. Regardless of religious background, every great hero must face their version of the Devil. In this regard, the Doctor is not exempt. In fact, our beloved Time Lord has encountered many different versions of the Evil One. Today, we shall see if we can number the beast, so to speak, and recall the different occasions the Doctor has met the Devil.

Azal (The Daemons)

The first time that the Doctor and the Devil met was during the Third Doctor serial, The Daemons. If you’ll recall, the serial found the Doctor fighting to keep the Master from raising Azal the Daemon, an alien race that humanity has often identified as the Judeo-Christian Satan, as well as pagan demons. Like most portrayals of the Satanic, Azal is offered a human sacrifice in the form of Jo Grant. Jo’s offer of self sacrifice to save the Doctor thwarts the being and the Master no longer gets he power to rule the world. It’s also interesting to note the physical portrayal of Azal. He is given horns and has a half man-half animal body, the lower half being covered in fur. This is based on one of the classic portrayals of the Devil in art and description. Also of note is the Master’s role in this storyline. It could be argued that he takes on the New Testament “Antichrist” role and worships Azal in order to obtain power to rule the Earth and defeat the Doctor, who in this analogy would be the “Messiah” figure.

Sutekh (Pyramids of Mars)

While most historians will recognize Sutekh (or Set) as the Egyptian god of war (among other not so good things), Whovians know him as the antagonist in the Fourth Doctor story, The Pyramid of Mars. This take on the devil figure finds Sutekh the Destroyer a member of the alien race Osirian who is bent on destroying the universe. It also another appearance where the devil-like figure is attributed as Satan, as well as Set and other cultural depictions of the Evil One. This serial saw Sutekh possess the mind of the Doctor in order to aid his freedom from imprisonment. Ultimately, this Devil was trapped in a Time Tunnel where eventually died after thousands of years. This portrayal also envelops the idea of conflict between the Devil and the God/god, raging through out the heavens (literally in this instance, as his war with the Osirans raged from planet to planet).

The Beast (The Satan Pit)

It took six regenerations, but the Doctor and the Devil met again in the Series 2 two parter, The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. This is probably the most direct reference to the Judeo-Christian Devil in likeness and concept. The Beast claimed to have existed before the formation of the universe and was trapped at Krop Tor, reminiscent of the Book of Revelations depiction of Satan being locked up in the great pit for a millennia, by the Disciples of Light. The Doctor found its existence troubling, as it caused him to question what he believed to be true about the universe. It is also the only time that a figure claiming to be Satan hasn’t been explained away as a member of an alien race, though it appeared the Doctor was eager to find a way to do so. The story ended with the Beast’s body and spirit (possessing Toby) being trapped in the Black Hole, presumed destroyed.

Akhaten (The Rings of Akhaten)

This can probably be classified as more of honorable mention, but we would be remiss to not mention the parasitic sun planet in the list, because while it had no real speaking parts, it does embody some classic Luciferian traits. For example, scripture describes Lucifer as the Morning Star and the Lord of the Air. Akhaten at its core was a star and made of light. He also commanded the obedience of beings that lived in his orbit, or air if you will. It also forced that obedience by demanding sacrifice and use of fear in the Lovecraftian sense (i.e. the people obeyed because of the fear of unknown consequences of disobedience). The Akhaten portayal, if not specifically called Satanic, does hit enough of the marks to be considered an encounter with the Evil One.

That brings this devilish list to an end, dear reader! The Devil is perhaps one of the most chilling monsters the Doctor has faced. Indeed, The Beast two parter is the only time I’ve ever experienced a “behind the couch” moment with Doctor Who. Because fear is cathartic, I cannot wait until they face off again.

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