Evil

Evil was the concept or force perceived as being the opposite of what was good, both of them being part of moral duality.

However, like good, evil could be perceived differently from conflicting vantage points; evil was, according to the Seventh Doctor, a matter of perspective. (PROSE: Utopia ^[+]Loading...["Utopia (short story)"]) As such, the Seventh Doctor claimed evil had no name, (TV: The Curse of Fenric ^[+]Loading...["The Curse of Fenric (TV story)"]) and the Twelfth Doctor later asserted that "hardly anything [was] evil, but most things [were] hungry." (TV: The Pilot ^[+]Loading...["The Pilot (TV story)"])

The universe existed side-by-side with a reservoir of evil made up of manifest suffering and fear. Dr Colin Dove and Dr Jeremiah O'Kane attempted to unleash it using Daniel O'Kane and Peter Russell. (HOMEVID: The Zero Imperative ^[+]Loading...["The Zero Imperative (home video)"])

In the distant past, the Grey Man's people imposed duality onto the first humanoids to evolve, resulting in them destroying themselves in chemical warfare. The Grey Man later created Cathedral as a metacultural engine that introduced "greyness" and "doubt" into the universe. (PROSE: Falls the Shadow ^[+]Loading...["Falls the Shadow (novel)"])

In Ancient Prophesies of Gallifrey it described the Enmity of Ages; the never-ending struggle between evil and good. (TV: The End of Time ^[+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"], PROSE: Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia ^[+]Loading...["Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia (reference book)"])

At the end of the Thousand Year War, Ronson told the Fourth Doctor that the Scientific Elite believed Davros had changed the nature of their research to something immoral and evil, which later resulted in the creation of the Daleks. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks ^[+]Loading...["Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)"]) The First Doctor, in his first encounter with the Daleks, called their plan to destroy the Thals as "senseless, evil killing." (TV: The Daleks ^[+]Loading...["The Daleks (TV story)"])

The Daleks, in fact, according to Bernice Summerfield, were "the most evil race the universe ever came up with". The Dalek Prime however opined that the Daleks were simply the strong dominating the weak, outright saying that he did not view his kind as evil. (AUDIO: The Lights of Skaro ^[+]Loading...["The Lights of Skaro (audio story)"])

Jack Harkness believed that the fairies were bad, while Estelle Cole believed they were good. This led Gwen Cooper to observe that "one person's good could be somebody else's evil", which Estelle recalled echoed the sentiment of Jack's father, actually Jack himself. (TV: Small Worlds ^[+]Loading...["Small Worlds (TV story)"])

The Twelfth Doctor claimed that it was refreshing to encounter "someone truly evil" as it "frees you from having qualms about how you deal with them". He described Chandra Scindia as one such person. (COMIC: The Swords of Kali ^[+]Loading...["The Swords of Kali (comic story)"])

The Time Lords did not believe in nor give much thought to the concepts of good and evil, but the Doctor had always maintained that evil was an actual force. (PROSE: Strange England ^[+]Loading...["Strange England (novel)"], AUDIO: The Guardians of Prophecy ^[+]Loading...["The Guardians of Prophecy (audio story)"], COMIC: A Groatsworth of Wit ^[+]Loading...["A Groatsworth of Wit (comic story)"]) Indeed, one of the reasons he left Gallifrey in the first place was to examine the force of evil up-close, wanting to see why it always lost to good when he thought evil to be the more "practical survival strategy". (TV: Twice Upon a Time ^[+]Loading...["Twice Upon a Time (TV story)"]) When he was first put on trial, the Second Doctor used a Thought Channel to justify his interference in the universe by showing the Time Lord tribunal some of the evils he'd fought, including the Quarks, the Robot Yeti, the Ice Warriors, the Cybermen, and the Daleks. (TV: The War Games ^[+]Loading...["The War Games (TV story)"])

In their travels, the Doctor met many "embodiments" of evil, including the Black Guardian, (TV: The Armageddon Factor ^[+]Loading...["The Armageddon Factor (TV story)"]) the Mara, (TV: Snakedance ^[+]Loading...["Snakedance (TV story)"]) Malador, (AUDIO: The Guardians of Prophecy ^[+]Loading...["The Guardians of Prophecy (audio story)"]) the Beast (TV: The Impossible Planet ^[+]Loading...["The Impossible Planet (TV story)"]) and Fenric, whom the Doctor told Ace was one of two forces, only good and evil, that existed before the beginning of all time and space. (TV: The Curse of Fenric ^[+]Loading...["The Curse of Fenric (TV story)"]) Likewise, one account identified the Entity as the personification of pure "undiluted" evil; such a concept, however, was unbeknownst to the Mandarin and, thus, was ignorant to this fact. (PROSE: Games ^[+]Loading...{"page":"22","1":"Games (short story)"}) However, in another account, the Seventh Doctor asserted that Fenric wasn't evil but a force of nature out of balance. (PROSE: The Curse of Fenric ^[+]Loading...["The Curse of Fenric (novelisation)"])

The Ninth Doctor described the Shadeys as "something evil," mentioning to Rose Tyler that "some people don't believe in evil... They say it's all subjective. No absolutes," and as a rebuttal to this, he told Rose to "take a look" at the Shadeys. (COMIC: A Groatsworth of Wit ^[+]Loading...["A Groatsworth of Wit (comic story)"])

The Fifth Doctor believed that, considering its nature, the one thing evil could never face was itself, and used this principle to trap the Mara in a circle of mirrors and banish it from Deva Loka. (TV: Kinda ^[+]Loading...["Kinda (TV story)"])

The Eighth Doctor called the Master "pure evil". (TV: Doctor Who ^[+]Loading...["Doctor Who (TV story)"]) The First Doctor declared that he opposed everything the Doctor held dear. (AUDIO: The Destination Wars ^[+]Loading...["The Destination Wars (audio story)"]) The Fourth Doctor referred to the Master as the "quintessence of evil", (TV: The Deadly Assassin ^[+]Loading...["The Deadly Assassin (TV story)"]) while the Third Doctor described him as "the personification of evil". (TV: The Sea Devils ^[+]Loading...["The Sea Devils (TV story)"]) and Eleventh Doctor summarising him as "pure unbridled evil". (COMIC: The Choice ^[+]Loading...["The Choice (comic story)"]) In the Unbound Universe, the Brigadier described the Master as evil, the Time Lord taking the term as a compliment. (AUDIO: Sympathy for the Devil ^[+]Loading...["Sympathy for the Devil (audio story)"])

Borusa told the Master that he was "one of the most evil and corrupt beings [that] Time Lord race [had] ever produced." The Master smiled with pleasure being described as such. (TV: The Five Doctors ^[+]Loading...["The Five Doctors (TV story)"]) Even when Melanie Bush told him he was "utterly evil," the Master replied, "thank you." (TV: The Ultimate Foe ^[+]Loading...["The Ultimate Foe (TV story)"]) Missy later took offence to the idea of her having "gone good". (TV: The Magician's Apprentice ^[+]Loading...["The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)"])

In truth, anyone was capable of both good and evil, as the Master pointed out when he revealed to the Sixth Doctor that the Valeyard was a future manifestation of him, created between his twelfth and final incarnation:

There is some evil in all of us, Doctor, even you. The Valeyard is an amalgamation of the darker sides of your nature...The Master

While the Doctor often tried to be a force for good, (TV: Into the Dalek ^[+]Loading...["Into the Dalek (TV story)"]) his methods could be seen as evil, causing other races to raise arms in fear against him, (TV: A Good Man Goes to War ^[+]Loading...["A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)"]) with an alliance including several of his enemies imprisoning him in an attempt to prevent the end of the universe. (TV: The Pandorica Opens ^[+]Loading...["The Pandorica Opens (TV story)"]) Several individuals considered the Doctor's good to be their evil, including Sutekh (TV: Pyramids of Mars ^[+]Loading...["Pyramids of Mars (TV story)"]) and the Black Guardian. (TV: Mawdryn Undead ^[+]Loading...["Mawdryn Undead (TV story)"])

By the Fifth Segment of the Last Great Time War, the universe's increasing knowledge of the Time Lords caused the Doctor's TARDIS to be viewed as an omen of evil. (PROSE: The Day of the Doctor ^[+]Loading...["The Day of the Doctor (novelisation)"])

In a possible future glimpsed by the Eighth Doctor within the Tomorrow Window, (PROSE: The Tomorrow Windows ^[+]Loading...["The Tomorrow Windows (novel)"]) his twelfth incarnation sacrificed his life to save the universe from a zectronic energy beam, an act that inspired both the Master and the Daleks to renounce evil and follow the Doctor's example. (TV: The Curse of Fatal Death ^[+]Loading...["The Curse of Fatal Death (TV story)"])

Other realities

Willy McDuff's universe

In one universe, during a tour of his "chocolate factory", Willy McDuff claimed "the Unknown" to be "an evil chocolate-maker who lives in the walls". (PROSE: A World of Pure Unimagination ^[+]Loading...["A World of Pure Unimagination (short story)"])

Behind the scenes

The Universal Databank identified six types of evil which the Doctor has fought against. These were as follows:

1. Those motivated by greed —
   • Kal; Aydan, Eyesen and Kala; Forester; Bennett; Sevcheria; El Akir; Johnny Ringo; Grey; Samuel Pike; Theodore Maxtible; Maurice Caven; Dent; Irongron and Bloodaxe; Eckersley; Lupton; Kellman; Federico; Henry Palmerdale; the Usurians; Graff Vynda-K; Xanxia; Vivien Fay; Grendel; Adrasta; Tryst and Dymond; the Gaztaks; Rorvik; Morgus and Stotz; the Chief Officer, the Mentors; Kara; Doland; the Bannermen, Keillor; Peinforte;
2. Misguided fanatics —
   • Tegana; Tlotoxl; Maximilien Robespierre; Eric Klieg and Kaftan; Carrington; Eric Stahlman; Hepesh; George Trenchard; Charles Grover; J. P. Kettlewell and Hilda Winters; Sorenson; Harrison Chase; Hieronymous; Taren Capel; Maximillian Stael; Kassia; George Hutchinson; Timanov; Dastari; Helen A;
3. Those motivated by megalomania and/or a desire for conquest —
   • The Master; the Rani; Borusa; Morbius; Animus; Eldrad; Meglos; Monarch; Mestor; the Borad; Kroagnon; Kane; the Ice Warriors; the Voord; the Drahvins; the Macra; the Dominators; the Krotons; the War Lords; the Nestene; Axos; the Zygons; the Kraals; the Krynoids; the Nucleus; the Movellans; the Nimon; the Terileptils; the Tractators; WOTAN; BOSS; Zaroff; Salamander; Tobias Vaughn; Magnus Greel; Morgaine; the Daleks; the Cybermen; the Sontarans;
4. Those who seemed to be evil incarnate —
   • The Toymaker; the Great Intelligence; Sutekh; the Mandragora Helix; the Fendahl; the Black Guardian; the Shadow; the King Vampire; the Mara; the Gods of Ragnarok; the Destroyer; Fenric;
5. Those driven to become evil by a cruel twist of fate —
   • Omega; the Wirrn; Xoanon; Scaroth; Mawdryn; Sharaz Jek; the Silurians and Sea Devils;
6. Those motivated by factors beyond human notions of good and evil —
   • The Dæmons; Kronos; the Xeraphin; the Eternals.