10 Doctor Who Monster Remakes, Ranked From Worst To Best

Over the years, the modern era of Doctor Who introduced several new original villains and monsters to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, but the most exciting creatures are always those that return from the original series. Classic Who had some truly terrifying monsters whose designs were extremely ahead of their time, despite the show’s rather low budget that precluded practical effects and makeup. However, when most of these creatures returned in the modern era, they received complete redesigns.

Doctor Who there are some cute monsters, there are some friendly monsters, but most of the alien species in the series ended up being quite problematic for the Doctor during his travels through time and space. And despite your best efforts, many of these creatures came back time and time again to cause trouble for the Time Lord. This was one of the most interesting features of the Doctor Who revival when it began in 2005, and it’s still exciting when monsters get a new paint job today.

10

The Autons

First appeared in “Spearhead From Space”

Autons are one of the Doctor WhoThe oldest villains, so it’s no surprise that showrunner Russell T. Davies decided to give them their first appearance in the reboot Doctor Whopilot episode. They are a kind of artificial life form created by the Nestene Consciousness hide in plain sight and serve as sleeper agents for humanity’s inevitable invasion of consciousness.

In both classic and rebooted shows, the Autons have taken the form of plastic window mannequins. Its classic design was a little more exaggerated and noticeable than the rebooted design, which was more subtle and didn’t have many identifying features other than its plastic shape. It was one of the least dramatic monster recasts in the series, and consequently one of the most forgettable.

9

Macra

First appeared in “The Moonbase”

The Macra were not particularly well known before they were restarted in Doctor Whothird season, but its return was a welcome surprise for longtime fans of the show. The species belongs to an empire of large crustaceans which thrive on humanity’s impure gases, making them poisonous to humans. This allowed them to live in spaces that humans could not physically enter, allowing them to remain unnoticed for years.

The Macra later returned in Deadlockone Doctor Who episode featuring one of David Tennant’s best performances as the Doctor. In the story, the crab-like monsters became even larger and more terrifying, although their physical form was quite similar. They retained their ability to create poisonous gaswhich caused the endless stream of traffic the Doctor had to navigate in that episode. Although they were defeated quite easily, their increased scale was a delight to see on screen.

8

The sea devils

First appeared in “The Sea Devils”

Doctor WhoThe reimagined Sea Devils are one of the most recent revamps, and it’s long past time for these iconic villains to return. The aliens are cousins ​​of the Silurians and lived on Earth before humanity inhabited the planet. They made their debut in The sea devils alongside the Third Doctor, but it took a while for the show to bring them back. It wasn’t until 12th grade The timeless children that the public got a glimpse of its updated design and the show seemed to have learned the wrong lesson from the Silurians.

Instead of making the creatures more humanoid and familiar, the showrunner Chris Chibnall opted for a more faithful and authentic adaptation of its original form – but the result was somewhat silly and poorly judged. He kept the tall prosthetics and reptilian features that made them so iconic in the first place, but only updated them as the budget increased. It’s one of the boldest decisions made in Chibnall’s turn as showrunner, and it didn’t pay off.

7

The Zygons

First appeared in “Terror of the Zygons”

Although it took a while to Doctor Who to bring the Zygons back after the show was rebooted, their new design was certainly worth the wait. Their new form was very similar to their classic look, but the show’s increased budget and more advanced prosthetics gave them much more detail and intricacy. Where monsters had already been constructed wearing red suits and helmets, the new Zygons were almost entirely makeup and prostheticswhich helped them appear humanoid and unfamiliar at the same time.

The Zygons made their first reboot appearance in Doctor Who50th anniversary special, Doctor’s Day. This was the perfect episode to bring them back as it was a true celebration of Doctor Whothe story and the Zygons certainly deserve their recognition in this narrative. It was also fitting that they returned at the same time as Tom Baker, the actor whose iteration of the Doctor they are most firmly associated with. With “Terror of the Zygons” now removed from BBC iPlayer, the updated appearance is all that remains of the classic monsters.

6

The Ice Warriors

First appeared in “The Ice Warriors”

The Ice Warriors first appeared alongside the Second Doctor in his Doctor Who debut, and they remained for many years after that. The creatures quickly became fan favorites, appearing in numerous stories and causing trouble for the Doctor and his companions on numerous occasions. But despite its popularity, the Ice Warriors did not appear in the reboot Doctor Who until its seventh seasonwhen they were updated for the modern era with an interesting tweak.

Instead of the classic armor that the Ice Warriors wore in Classic Who, the rebooted show featured the aliens with biomechanical armor, causing Matt Smith’s Doctor to refer to them as “cyborgs.” This was an interesting change to the creatures’ backstory, seemingly reconfiguring the monsters that were included in the original show. The Ice Warriors have a complex history and its rebooted design apparently changed that in subtle ways to make them even more intimidating.

5

The Sontarans

First appeared in “The Time Warrior”

The Time Warrior has quickly become one of the most beloved episodes of Classic Who, and for good reason: not only does it mark the first appearance of the Sontarans, but it also includes the first mention of the Doctor’s home planet of Gallifrey and first adventure with fans. favorite companion Sarah Jane Smith. As such, the Sontarans became extremely important figures in Doctor Whothe storyand its reveal in the rebooted show’s fourth season was a huge moment for fans of the show.

Although the Sontarans have always been some of the Doctor WhoOne of the scariest and most ferocious villains, his classic design didn’t always reflect his power. The low-budget costumes and messy prosthetics often abrogated much of its fear-inducing power, but that’s gone with its modern redesign in The Sontaran Stratagem. With their upgraded armor and more humanoid appearance, the Sontarans became fearsome once again and consolidated themselves as a great success of all time Doctor Who villain.

4

The Silurians

First appeared in “Doctor Who and the Silurians”

Doctor WhoThe Silurians’ major redesign is among the show’s most controversial choices since its reboot, as the creatures have been given a completely different look to their classic form. In the original show, the Silurians were brown, scaly aliens with large eyes and spiked skulls that gave them a frightening and mysterious appearance. But when Doctor Who finally brought them back in 5th grade, the Silurians were much more humanoid: Their faces were no longer prosthetics, but the actors’ faces painted green.

The Silurians were distantly related to the Sea Devils, and their history in the show was long and complicated. Its classic shape was iconic, one of the Doctor Whothe most recognizable alien designs of the – hence many fans were unhappy with his new look. However, the more humanoid appearance of the rebooted Silurians actually serves a purpose in the story. It helps the other characters see themselves in the aliens, which conveys the episode’s message about acceptance and, subtextually, xenophobia.

3

Davros

First appeared in “Genesis Of The Daleks”

Davros is one of the few individuals Doctor Who characters who survived the transition from the classic series to the rebooted series, returning at the end of series 4 The Stolen Land. In the episode, Davros received a completely reinvented look this saw him somewhere between human and Dalek, using the show’s improved prosthetics to really highlight the fact that his body has been corrupted and deteriorated over the years. It’s a much less clean and refined version of the character, but one that fits perfectly into his story.

Doctor Who also redesigned Davros again since his last appearance, with Russell T. Davies claiming he wanted to stop associating the evil character with his disability in the future. Instead, audiences were treated to a new version of the character before his confinement to a chair, which is a version of Davros that has never been explored before.

2

The cybermen

First appeared in “The Tenth Planet”

The Cybermen are surely among Doctor Whomore recognizable and iconic characters, but the monsters have gone through several different appearances over the years. Whether it’s the Mondasian Cybermen who appeared in The Tenth Planet or the Alternate Reality Cybermen of Rise of the Cybermen, There’s always something new about villains that helps them stand out from all their previous forms.

The Cybermen were one of the first classic villains that Doctor Who brought back the post-revival, and it’s hard to imagine the show without them. They have starred in almost every season of the series since their return in season 2, and they were responsible for the deaths of several dear companions and friends. His designs keep getting more unique and frightening, which fits perfectly with his in-universe mantra of “updating” themselves over and over again.

1

The Daleks

First appeared in “The Daleks”

The Daleks starred in several classics Doctor Who stories, helping them develop their current reputation as the most iconic and memorable villains in the entire series. His first adventure, aptly named The Dalekspresented the creatures as controlling and dictatorial creatures who wanted the entire planet Skaaro for themselves. Each succeeding story cemented that reputation, making them more and more dangerous, until the rebooted series explained its involvement in the Time War and ultimately proved that they were the Doctor’s greatest enemies.

When the Daleks returned in series 1 Dalek episode, they had a strong new design that stayed true to their original form while updating their armor and voices to make them seem even stronger and more intimidating than in the classic Doctor Who. They were later redesigned once again in Victory of the Daleks with bright colors and independent personalities, which gave the Daleks unique identities rather than just referring to them as a unit.