|first cs = The Vengeance of Morbius (audio story)
|appearances = [[Morbius - list of appearances|'''''see list''''']]
|appearances =
|actor = Stuart Fell
|voice actor = Samuel West
|voice actor = Michael Spice
|clip =
|other voice actor = [[Samuel West]]
}}{{incarnations of Morbius}}
|bts = Restoring Classic Monsters - Doctor Who The Fan Show
After the death of his [[Second Morbius|artificial body]] built by [[Mehendri Solon]], the [[Time Lord]] criminal [[Morbius]] was resurrected in a '''new body''', his third after his [[First Morbius|original body]] and the artificial one. He attempted to wreak his revenge on [[Gallifrey]] and resume his dreams of galactic conquest, but was defeated when the entire timeline in which his resurrection had occurred was [[aborted timeline|aborted]], with only [[Straxus (Human Resources)|Straxus]] and [[Lucie Miller]] remembering it.
}}
'''Morbius''' was a notorious and malevolent [[renegade Time Lord]]. His career was the first in millennia to dramatically alter [[Gallifrey]]'s relations with the wider [[universe]]. He attempted to overturn Gallifrey's [[non-interference policy]] in favour of [[military]] conquest, but was [[exile]]d and eventually executed, only to survive, saved by [[Cult of Morbius|his followers]].
Although this account implied that Morbius's new body was a new appearance distinct from his original body, with the Doctor remaking that his old robes now fit him badly, ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|The Vengeance of Morbius (audio story)}}) a later account depicted [[Morbius (Morbius)|an alternative resurrected form of Morbius]] with the same appearance only for [[Argento]] to recognise him on sight, suggesting this appearance matched his [[First Morbius|original incarnation]]. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Morbius (audio story)|part=2}})
== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Like all [[Time Lord]]s, Morbius was taken from his family at the age of eight for the selection process in the [[Drylands]]. Staring into the [[Untempered Schism]] as part of a Time Lord initiation rite, Morbius was driven mad by what he saw in the Schism. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[A Brief History of Time Lords (novel)|A Brief History of Time Lords]]'')
=== Resurrection ===
After [[Karn]] was bought by the leader of the [[Cult of Morbius]], [[Cristophe Zarodnix]], the [[Sisterhood of Karn]] were forced off-world before Zarodnix travelled there and found a fragment of Morbius' brain and began to look for a Time Lord, so he could extract [[DNA]] to fuse with what was left of Morbius in order to effect his resurrection. Zarodnix used DNA from the Time Lord agent [[Straxus (Human Resources)|Straxus]] to effect a new [[regeneration]] for Morbius. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Vengeance of Morbius (audio story)|The Vengeance of Morbius]]'')
=== Reign, conquest and fall ===
Morbius's ambition led him to become the head of the [[High Council]] of [[Time Lord]]s. His warlike nature led him to urge the Time Lords toward a policy of conquest. While based on Gallifrey, Morbius formed a personal army of [[Mercenary|mercenaries]], bought by his promises of [[time travel]] and [[immortality]]. His following came to be known as the [[Cult of Morbius]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'')
When the Time Lords finally denounced him, he and his followers abandoned Gallifrey and attacked the cultures of the outside universe. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[Warmonger (novel)|Warmonger]]'') Gallifreyan society struggled to deal with these inconceivable events. The long-term cultural changes brought about included the increased influence of the [[Celestial Intervention Agency]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Warmonger (novel)|Warmonger]]'')
=== War with the Alliance ===
[[File:Morbiushead.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Fourth Doctor]] sits next to a clay bust of Morbius. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]'')]]
Uncomfortable with being seen to act directly in the universe, the Time Lord High Council eventually chose to fight the war by proxy. The [[Fifth Doctor]], who had travelled into Gallifrey's past, was appointed "Supreme Coordinator of the Alliance Battle Fleet" and directed an unlikely army of [[human]]s, [[Draconian]]s, [[Cyberman|Cybermen]], [[Ogron]]s, [[Ice Warrior]]s and [[Sontaran]]s against Morbius, with the Time Lords providing the Doctor with financial support and a flagship. [[Planet]]s involved in the conflict included [[Fangoria]], [[Romark]], [[Darkeen]], [[Martak]] and [[Freedonia (planet)|Freedonia]], which provided troops for Morbius, and [[Sylvana]], [[Zandir]], [[Tanith]] and [[Electra]], which fell to him. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Warmonger]]'')
With the help of the [[Sisterhood of Karn]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Warmonger]]'') who had originated on Gallifrey itself, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible]]'') the Alliance at long last defeated Morbius on the Sisterhood's planet [[Karn]].
[[File:Morbius the monster.jpg|right|thumb|The body crafted for Morbius by [[Mehendri Solon|Solon]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]'')]]
Although the verdict had been decided in advance, the Sisterhood still put Morbius [[Trial of Morbius|on trial]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Warmonger]]'') The sentence of death by public and ceremonial [[molecular dispersal|disintegration]] was in part a panicked attempt by the Time Lords to caution the [[universe]] at large against ever opposing them. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'') The Sisterhood's leader [[Maren]] attended the execution where Morbius was placed in a [[dispersal chamber]] and atomised to the nine corners of the universe. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]'')
Morbius escaped death when one of his followers, the [[human]] surgeon [[Mehendri Solon]], secretly removed Morbius' [[brain]] prior to his disintegration. Solon was secretly aided by the Fifth Doctor, who knew that Morbius's brain had to survive in order to keep history on track. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Warmonger (novel)|Warmonger]]'') Solon went into hiding on [[Karn]], where he began planning to build a new body for Morbius. The Sisterhood began to defend the [[Elixir of Life]] by causing nearby spacecraft to crash. These space travellers provided a regular supply of corpses from which Solon scavenged body parts for his project. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'')
=== Morbius' brain ===
Over the years, Solon acquired a great many body parts, which he used to create Morbius's new body. These included [[lung]]s from a [[Birastrop]], a left arm from Solon's unknowing assistant [[Condo]], and a claw for his right arm. During this time, Morbius hid his presence from the Sisterhood by placing a barrier around his mind, and his hatred for them had increased. This plan to create a new body for Morbius and wreck vengeance was nearing completion when the [[Fourth Doctor]] and his [[companion]] [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah Jane]] arrived at his [[castle]] on Karn.
By this point, Morbius had become increasingly antagonistic towards Solon, frustrated by the [[scientist]]'s never-ending promises. He didn't care about what he looked like in his new body, he only wished to walk, to feel and to see again. He likened himself to "a [[sponge]] beneath the [[sea]]" though he noted that a sponge had more life than what he was going through. He also pitied himself, saying that when he led the High Council on Gallifrey, he "dreamed the greatest dreams of history".
The haphazardly-assembled body lacked a head to hold the brain of Morbius, so Solon planned to use the Doctor's head. After Morbius's brain was damaged during a fall when Condo fought with Solon on discovering his arm was being used, Solon was forced to use a [[plastic]] braincase. He had not used this before as there was the danger of a [[static electricity]] build-up which would probably damage the brain. Morbius was unable to speak for some time due to the damage sustained. Eventually, Solon was able to repair this but was killed soon afterwards when the Doctor poisoned him with [[cyanide]] [[gas]]. As Morbius proclaimed his return to power, he was challenged to a [[mind-bending]] contest by the Doctor, who informed him that he doubted Morbius's power after his brain had spent so long trapped in the tank, and agreed.
[[File:Long way down.jpg|left|thumb|Morbius falls from a cliff. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'')]]
Morbius was apparently winning the contest, but the static build-up left him in a dazed, animalistic state. He didn't speak again, only groaning in agony. Upon leaving Solon's castle, he was chased by the [[Sisterhood of Karn]], surrounded and forced over the edge of a high cliff, apparently falling to his death. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'')
After the Doctor left Karn, the Sisterhood went to the bottom of the cliff and recovered what was left of Morbius' "not entirely destroyed" brain. [[Ohica]] led the wounded Morbius to the [[Death Zone]] to use the remains of Rassilon to give Morbius immortality. Ohica discovered that [[Iris Wildthyme]] had infiltrated the Sisterhood and used the [[Time Scoop]] to bring seven of Iris' incarnations to Death Zone. The Irises were able to get past the [[Ice Warrior]]s, [[Ogron]]s, [[Sea Devil]]s, [[Zarbi]], [[Mechanoid]]s, and [[Quark]]s that Ohica time scooped to the Death Zone and defeated Morbius before he gained immortality. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Verdigris (novel)|Verdigris]]'')
=== Vengeance ===
[[Cristophe Zarodnix]] later became the leader of the [[Cult of Morbius]] and bought the planet Karn, forcing the Sisterhood off-world. On Karn, he found a fragment of Morbius' brain and began to look for a Time Lord, so he could extract [[DNA]] to fuse with what was left of Morbius, in order to effect his resurrection. Zarodnix used DNA from the Time Lord agent [[Straxus]] to effect a new [[regeneration]] for Morbius. In his new form, Morbius used a [[stellar manipulator]] to suck the power of the [[Eye of Harmony]], making the Time Lords powerless to stop his conquest. Morbius rebuilt his military forces, including mind-controlled [[Trell]], and spent a decade conquering over ten thousand worlds, but his body was unstable and required frequent gene-splicings (called "feedings") from Straxus.
The [[Eighth Doctor]] and [[Lucie Miller]], who had barely escaped from Gallifrey before Morbius used the stellar manipulator, arrived and worked with Straxus and the cybernetically augmented Trell policeman [[Rosto]] to steal the remote control for Morbius' stellar manipulator. The Doctor succeeded in taking the control and releasing the Time Lords, who promptly broke the [[Laws of Time]] to prevent Zarodnix's purchase of Karn and Morbius' resurrection; however, at the moment before the [[Timeline]] was rewritten, Morbius and the Doctor fell from the balcony of Morbius' palace. The Time Lords believed the Doctor to be dead, but he was actually transported by the Sisterhood to the planet [[Orbis]]. The timeline in which Morbius had been brought back to life was unmade, with only Lucie Miller and Straxus remembering it. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Vengeance of Morbius (audio story)|The Vengeance of Morbius]]'')
== Behind the scenes ==
=== A new lease of life ===
* [[The Imperator]] is the name used for Morbius in the [[Faction Paradox (series)|Faction Paradox series]].
In his new form, Morbius used a [[stellar manipulator]] to suck the power of the [[Eye of Harmony]], making the Time Lords powerless to stop his conquest. Morbius rebuilt his military forces, including mind-controlled [[Trell]], and spent a decade conquering over ten thousand worlds, but his body was unstable and required frequent gene-splicings (called "feedings") from Straxus. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Vengeance of Morbius (audio story)|The Vengeance of Morbius]]'')
* Morbius was named after Dr Edward Morbius from the 1956 film {{wi|Forbidden Planet}}. ([[INFO]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]'')
* Morbius was referenced in [[Craig Hinton]] and Chris McKeon's ''Time's Champion'', a sequel to Hinton's ''[[Millennial Rites (novel)|Millennial Rites]]'' and ''[[The Quantum Archangel (novel)|The Quantum Archangel]]''. It was revealed Morbius fathered twin children, the Children of Contempt, with an unknown renegade Time Lady.
== External links ==
=== Defeat and unmaking ===
{{fpx|Imperator|Imperator}}
[[File:Morbius with Doctor and Lucie 2024.jpg|thumb|left|Morbius with the [[Eighth Doctor]] and [[Lucie Miller]]. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|The Vengeance of Morbius (audio story)|precisecite=Artwork for ''[[The Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller (audio series)|The Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller: Series Three]]''.}})]]The [[Eighth Doctor]] and [[Lucie Miller]], who had barely escaped from Gallifrey before Morbius used the stellar manipulator, arrived and worked with Straxus and the cybernetically augmented Trell policeman [[Rosto]] to steal the remote control for Morbius' stellar manipulator. The Doctor succeeded in taking the control and releasing the Time Lords, who promptly broke the [[Laws of Time]] to prevent Zarodnix's purchase of Karn and Morbius' resurrection; however, at the moment before the [[Timeline]] was rewritten, Morbius and the Doctor fell from the balcony of Morbius' palace. The Time Lords believed the Doctor to be dead, but he was actually transported by the Sisterhood to the planet [[Orbis]]. The timeline in which Morbius had been brought back to life was unmade, with only Lucie Miller and Straxus remembering it. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Vengeance of Morbius (audio story)|The Vengeance of Morbius]]'') All the same, during the [[Last Great Time War]], the [[War Doctor]] was able vaguely recall the rise and fall of an empire and a battle with Morbius. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Morbius the Mighty (audio story)}})
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Latest revision as of 21:53, 11 October 2024
After the death of his artificial body built by Mehendri Solon, the Time Lord criminal Morbius was resurrected in a new body, his third after his original body and the artificial one. He attempted to wreak his revenge on Gallifrey and resume his dreams of galactic conquest, but was defeated when the entire timeline in which his resurrection had occurred was aborted, with only Straxus and Lucie Miller remembering it.
Although this account implied that Morbius's new body was a new appearance distinct from his original body, with the Doctor remaking that his old robes now fit him badly, (AUDIO: The Vengeance of Morbius[+]Loading...["The Vengeance of Morbius (audio story)"]) a later account depicted an alternative resurrected form of Morbius with the same appearance only for Argento to recognise him on sight, suggesting this appearance matched his original incarnation. (AUDIO: Morbius (part 2)[+]Loading...{"part":"2","1":"Morbius (audio story)"})
After Karn was bought by the leader of the Cult of Morbius, Cristophe Zarodnix, the Sisterhood of Karn were forced off-world before Zarodnix travelled there and found a fragment of Morbius' brain and began to look for a Time Lord, so he could extract DNA to fuse with what was left of Morbius in order to effect his resurrection. Zarodnix used DNA from the Time Lord agent Straxus to effect a new regeneration for Morbius. (AUDIO: The Vengeance of Morbius)
In his new form, Morbius used a stellar manipulator to suck the power of the Eye of Harmony, making the Time Lords powerless to stop his conquest. Morbius rebuilt his military forces, including mind-controlled Trell, and spent a decade conquering over ten thousand worlds, but his body was unstable and required frequent gene-splicings (called "feedings") from Straxus. (AUDIO: The Vengeance of Morbius)
Morbius with the Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller. (AUDIO: The Vengeance of Morbius[+]Loading...{"precisecite":"Artwork for ''[[The Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller (audio series)|The Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller: Series Three]]''.","1":"The Vengeance of Morbius (audio story)"})
The Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller, who had barely escaped from Gallifrey before Morbius used the stellar manipulator, arrived and worked with Straxus and the cybernetically augmented Trell policeman Rosto to steal the remote control for Morbius' stellar manipulator. The Doctor succeeded in taking the control and releasing the Time Lords, who promptly broke the Laws of Time to prevent Zarodnix's purchase of Karn and Morbius' resurrection; however, at the moment before the Timeline was rewritten, Morbius and the Doctor fell from the balcony of Morbius' palace. The Time Lords believed the Doctor to be dead, but he was actually transported by the Sisterhood to the planet Orbis. The timeline in which Morbius had been brought back to life was unmade, with only Lucie Miller and Straxus remembering it. (AUDIO: The Vengeance of Morbius) All the same, during the Last Great Time War, the War Doctor was able vaguely recall the rise and fall of an empire and a battle with Morbius. (AUDIO: Morbius the Mighty[+]Loading...["Morbius the Mighty (audio story)"])
