NOTICE! Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #3In Doctor Whothe Doctor has faced countless fear-inducing enemies throughout his travels through time and space, but his true greatest fear is far darker than any villain. In his latest adventure with Ruby Sunday, the Fifteenth Doctor encountered a twisted new enemy who revealed what he fears most, just as another infamous enemy did in the series.
In Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #3 by Dan Watters and Kelsey Ramsay, the Doctor and Ruby traveled to the last shopping mall on Earth. However, as is typical in this series, a dark threat soon emerges and disrupts their plans. The Sommelier Scream separates the pair, and the Doctor takes a child called Maria under his wing as he navigates a mysterious realm of nightmares. After confronting the Doctor, the Scream Sommelier discovers his true fear and exposes it by kidnapping Maria.
As the Scream Sommelier takes Maria away from the Doctor, he says: "I know what scares you now... it's losing, isn't it? Losing the little people." This declaration of the Doctor's deepest fear sheds light on a secret fans have wondered about for decades, while also presenting a recent moment in Doctor Who story a frightening new layer of depth.
After 61 years, the doctor's darkest fear is finally revealed
Sommelier Scream turns the doctor's nightmare into reality
While not entirely unexpected considering the Doctor's heroic role in the series, his fear of being exposed in such an explicit way is significant. He's often seen as fearless, so it's a change to see him as petrified as he is when he loses Maria. It makes sense that the Doctor would also be afraid of losing people, as it's been stated numerous times that he can't resist helping those in need in any way he can. From defending Earth to preserving peace on distant alien worlds, your main goal is to save people. As such, losing them shakes the Doctor deeply.
The villain behind this wicked scheme, the Scream Sommelier, is unlike any other enemy the Doctor has ever faced. He is a being that feeds on fearand he's not the only one who thrives on this emotion. Under his command is an army of zombie-like Cybermen fueled by fear. All this enemy does is discover the Doctor's secret fear, and in the end he manages to snatch the child he swore to protect. The Scream Sommelier isn't the only villain in recent memory who has used the Doctor's fear against him.
The toymaker knew the doctor's fear all along
The doctor's fear makes an iconic scene from the show even scarier
In the third of Doctor WhoIn the film's 60th anniversary special, "The Giggle", the Doctor is confronted by a celestial being known as the Toymaker. As a reality-warping entity from the beginning of the Doctor's vast history, he has intimate knowledge of his past and is able to use this to his advantage. To mess with the Doctor, the Toymaker puts on a puppet show where he reenacts how he lost each of his old companions. This recreation of his most painful losses is profound in its own right, but knowing that the Doctor's greatest fear is losing people makes this sequence more devastating.
Doctor WhoThe 60th anniversary specials are available to stream now on Disney+!
The Toymaker's powers allow him to manipulate reality to create puppets that resemble the companions the Doctor was unable to save. This makes him one of two villains who use the Doctor's guilt over his loss as a means of angering him. While the Toymaker may play on the Doctor's fears, the Scream Sommelier acts on them in a much more tangible and horrific way. He triggers the Doctor's worst-case scenario in the present day, rather than relying on memories of the past to catch him off guard, putting the Doctor in a seemingly hopeless situation.
“The whole thing is taking care of people”: the doctor’s name proves he can overcome fear
Just like he defeated the toymaker, the doctor can defeat the Scream sommelier
The secret to the Doctor overcoming his fear - and the Sommelier from Scream - is there for all to see. At the beginning of this issue, Ruby said the following about the Doctor: "I think his whole thing is taking care of people. It's in his name." Although the Doctor's real name remains a mystery, his chosen name is a testament to his true calling. Regardless of any obstacles that come his way, the Doctor will always help others, and his name proclaims this. Losing people means he has failed to live up to his name - but his name also reminds him to keep trying to help when all seems lost.
Regardless of any obstacles that come his way, the Doctor will always help others, and his name proclaims this.
The Doctor has overcome insurmountable odds before, including during his battle with the Toymaker. Once the Fifteenth Doctor regenerates and joins forces with the Fourteenth, the two play a game of tag to defeat him and banish him from reality. Now the Doctor will no doubt find a way to defeat the Scream Sommelier as well and save Maria – because saving people is what he does best. Whatever the odds against him, the Doctor will stop at nothing to help others, living up to his name in Doctor Who tradition.
Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #3 is now available from Titan Books.
The final season of Doctor Who introduces the Fifteenth Doctor, accompanied by new companion Ruby Sunday. Their first adventure begins with “The Church on Ruby Road,” where they face powerful new enemies and uncover the mystery surrounding Ruby's origins. The Doctor faces the consequences of a unique regeneration event and faces enemies more formidable than ever before.