Whisper Man
The Whisper Men were a collective semi-physical form adopted by the Great Intelligence. Although the Intelligence chose to speak through a "leader" figure who dressed like the other Whisper Men but adopted the facial features of Walter Simeon, the Whisper Men were all controlled by the Intelligence, and if the Simeon avatar was destroyed, it was able to transform one of the drone Whisper Men into a new Simeon within seconds.
Nature
Appearance
The Whisper Men could morph into the appearance of Walter Simeon at will, and much like the human embodiment of the Great Intelligence, seemed to be hollow on the inside, or unreal. They moved slowly, and lacked features, except for extremely white faces with blackened skin around their mouths and sharp teeth. They had angular faces with vague depressions where eyes should be, and exaggerated chins and cheeks. They wore the same Victorian garb as the Great Intelligence's form as Walter Simeon, (TV: The Name of the Doctor) described by one witness as looking like an undertaker's outfit. (PROSE: The Ghoul')
Abilities
When struck by Strax, one simply appeared to evaporate where hit, and then reformed. They could also pass their limbs through flesh, when instructed by the Great Intelligence to stop the hearts of the Doctor's friends. It was stated that they could kill with a whisper and they spoke in rhyming couplets, although their mouths did not move in sync with their speech. They appeared to hiss at their victims, and travelled in small groups when attacking. (TV: The Name of the Doctor)
They could also disappear and reappear in different places. With Clarence DeMarco, they disappeared from outside the jail cell and reappeared inside his cell, in which they gave him information that he could use to save his life. (TV: Clarence and the Whispermen)
History
There were multiple sightings of the Whisper Men in 1893, but they were cast into doubt, as they appeared to be in the company of Doctor Walter Simeon, who had died the previous year. (PROSE: The Secret Lives of Monsters) In reality, the Intelligence was simply using Simeon's appearance. (TV: The Name of the Doctor) "The Whisper Men" was a traditional rhyme (PROSE: The Secret Lives of Monsters) that described them. (TV: The Name of the Doctor)
Intending to send a message to the Doctor through Madame Vastra, the Whisper Men visited one of London's prison to give a convict information. (HOMEVID: Clarence and the Whispermen) Their first choice was a ghoulish old woman who was only in for the night for a minor offence, but she had never heard of the Doctor, leading them to snub her in favour of the murderer in the cell next to hers, (PROSE: The Ghoul) serial killer Clarence DeMarco. (HOMEVID: Clarence and the Whispermen)
They then kidnapped the Paternoster Gang — Strax, Vastra and Jenny Flint — forcing the Eleventh Doctor to travel to Trenzalore and face his fate. After the prime Simeon avatar jumped into the Doctor's time stream as the Great Intelligence committed suicide to destroy the Doctor once and for all, the other Whisper Men avatar faded into nothing around him. (TV: The Name of the Doctor)
Rhymes
The Whisper Men typically spoke in rhyming couplets usually containing eight syllables in iambic tetrametre per line, with the exception being the aforementioned interview with DeMarco.
The first was heard as Vastra and Jenny fell into the trance:
- The trap is set. The Doctor's friends
- Will travel where the Doctor ends
The second was heard when the Doctor and Clara were cornered at the tombstone bearing River Song's name:
- This man must fall as all men must
- The fate of all is always dust
The third was heard after the Doctor and Clara fell into the secret entrance to the Doctor's tomb:
- The man who lies will lie no more
- When this man lies at Trenzalore
The fourth was heard when Clara had her memories awoken while climbing inside the destroyed TARDIS:
- The girl who died, he tried to save
- She'll die again inside his grave
