Doctor Who Season 12 introduced Jo Martin as the Fugitive Doctor - and now official tie-ins are finally revealing why she wound up on the run from the Division and the Time Lords. Current Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall certainly can't be faulted on his boldness; his tenure has rewritten Doctor Who's canon and lore, revealing the Doctor is not a Time Lord at all. Rather, she is the Timeless Child, a being who potentially predates the universe itself - and who has forgotten an unknown number of prior incarnations.
Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor actually encountered one of these in Doctor Who season 12, episode 5. There, she discovered a woman named Ruth Clayton (played by Jo Martin). Ruth was actually a forgotten Doctor, eventually revealed to have betrayed a secretive group known as the Division who had attempted to control the flow of time. She'd gone on the run from both the Division and the Time Lords, only to be tracked down by their agents the Judoon on Earth. But why did this Ruth Doctor choose to leave the Division?
The Fugitive Doctor's origin is being told in a comic book miniseries by Jody Houser and Roberta Ingranata, and Titan Comics' June solicitations have confirmed it will answer that question at last. The solicit for Doctor Who Origins #2 reads:
"Working for the mysterious Division on a dangerous assignment, the Doctor uncovers something insidious afoot. Discover why this regeneration became known as the Fugitive!"
It's actually quite surprising for such an important story to actually be told in a tie-in comic - especially given Jo Martin's Ruth Doctor is confirmed to return in this year's upcoming Doctor Who specials (presumably in the Centenary Special later this year). In the past, the BBC's nature as a public service broadcaster has meant essential stories like this couldn't be told in other mediums. It's possible some of those guidelines have changed of late, creating new opportunities for transmedia; if that is indeed the case, this could well be the beginning of a new wave of tremendous new Doctor Who comics, more important than ever before.
The covers tease the Fugitive Doctor in battle against some classic monsters - most notably the Great Vampires, ancient enemies of the Time Lords who ruled during the Dark Times. The Division brought an end to the Dark Times when they established the flow of time itself, and the Time Lords subsequently hunted the Great Vampires to the brink of extinction. It's possible Jo Martin's Forgotten Doctor was actually a part of the final battles against these monsters, before learning a dark secret that led to her going on the run. If that is indeed the case, this Doctor Who tie-in comic could be one of the most exciting to date.
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