Magnus (Flashback): Difference between revisions

{{merge|The War Chief|see talk page.}}{{retitle|"Magnus" (Flashback)}}{{Infobox Individual

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{{War Chiefs}}

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In an [[incarnation]] which was not his first, a [[Time Lord]] who had acquired the nickname of "'''Magnus'''" in his youth was a contemporary of the [[First Doctor]] on [[Gallifrey]], with whom he had a falling-out as Magnus's thirst for glory drove him to accounts his old friend found unethical. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Flashback (comic story)|Flashback]]'') Some accounts implied he would go on to become [[the Master]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Goth Opera (novel)|Goth Opera]]'') notably highlighting his frivolous waste of regenerations, ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Flashback (comic story)|Flashback]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[Invasion of the Cat-People (novel)|Invasion of the Cat-People]]'') but another account claimed that [[the War Chief]] was the later regeneration of a "[[Magnus]]" distinct from the Master. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Divided Loyalties (novel)|Divided Loyalties]]'')

Magnus was not in his first incarnation and was quite superior about it, mocking his old friend the [[First Doctor]] for "still hobbling about in [his] old body". He had obtained the nickname of "Magnus" in his youth, much as his friend had been nicknamed "[[Theta Sigma|Thete]]", and expressed some surprise at how long the nicknames had stuck;

At some point prior to the First Doctor leaving [[Gallifrey]], he and Magnus were good [[friend]]s. However, one day, Magnus attempted to drain power from a conglomerate of [[Artron energy]] retrieved from the [[Time Vortex]]. The Doctor realised the "ball of energy" was actually a sentient energy being and stopped Magnus; while the Doctor was commended for his actions, Magnus, who wished for the experiment to bring him fame equal to [[Omega]] and [[Rassilon]], never forgave the Doctor for ruining his plans that day, becoming a bitter enemy of his. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Flashback (comic story)|Flashback]]'')

[[Ruath]] later cited "that idiot, Magnus" alongside [[The Doctor|the Doctor]], [[First Rani|the Rani]], and [[First Monk|Mortimus]] as the group of students under [[Borusa]] who had become "scoundrels"; ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Goth Opera (novel)|Goth Opera]]'') with Mortimus being [[the Monk]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[No Future (novel)|No Future]]'') this list placed [[the Master]], notoriously the Doctor's schoolmate, as the Renegade formerly known as Magnus. ([[TV]]: ''[[Terror of the Autons (TV story)|Terror of the Autons]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[Goth Opera (novel)|Goth Opera]]'') Indeed, the [[Second Doctor]] would later recall advising "Magnus" to be more careful with his regenerations, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Invasion of the Cat-People (novel)|Invasion of the Cat-People]]'') while the [[Fourth Doctor]] highlighted the fact that the Master had gone through his regeneration cycle at an accelerated rate. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Deadly Assassin (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Deadly Assassin]]'')

 

However, a later account claimed that the "[[Magnus]]" who attended the Academy with the Doctor was a distinct Time Lord from "[[Koschei]]", the one who became [[the Master]]. According to this account, it was also this Magnus who later regenerated into [[the War Chief]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Divided Loyalties (novel)|Divided Loyalties]]'') contradicting other accounts' contention of the War Chief as another incarnation of the Master. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons]]'', ''[[Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon]]'')

Magnus' nature is a peculiar one; he was intended to be a younger version of [[the Master]] by the authors of ''[[Flashback (comic story)|Flashback]]'', and the story read in this spirit by many.<ref>https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rec.arts.drwho/zR5mKB0Lqpg/S-l-rL2exLIJ</ref> However, when [[Gary Russell]] was asked about the names of [[the Deca]], he explained that this conflicted with [[David A. McIntee|Dave McIntee]]'s notion in ''[[The Dark Path (novel)|The Dark Path]]'' that the Master's original name was "[[Koschei]]" instead. For this reason, in ''[[Divided Loyalties (novel)|Divided Loyalties]]'', Russell decided to retcon the name of [[Magnus]] as being that of the distinct Time Lord who would also become [[the War Chief]], as distinct from the Master.<ref>https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.arts.drwho/zR5mKB0Lqpg/S-l-rL2exLIJ</ref> An earlier draft of ''The Dark Path'' had also had Koschei informing the Doctor that their mutual friend Magnus had fled with a supply of spare TARDIS parts, identifying Magnus as the War Chief; McIntee later published the scene in the charity anthology ''Perfect Timing''.