After stealing the body of Tremas, he basically was at his last regeneration until this full on material swap broke the mold. The Time Lords offered a new set to take advantage, but what has changed? How have the rules been altered? While everything has evolved for The Doctor now in his/her 15th incarnation, I got curious and had to revisit past episodes, consult a few guides and figure out what went wrong.
My most favourite incarnation was that of Anthony Ainly/Roger Delgado, as they were dead ringers for one another. After Eric Roberts, it’s tough to say–John Simm did a good job, and when he chose to become Missy (Michelle Gomez), she was perhaps the best of the modern lot!
This version wasn’t always chasing after the Doctor. That’s why I loved her. Although they didn’t as frequently cross paths, and she knew some things about him, there were aspects added to this character’s mystique that I liked. All of it resulted from an outstanding performance from Gomez. Her time challenged notions about really sticking it to the man had substance! Even when she betrayed and killed a past incarnation, I thought it was the end; I also believed the energy prevented her from regeneration but in true BBC fashion, you can’t destroy what’s eternal–she got another regeneration cycle on top, and it’s tough to really know where the count begins and ends.
That also includes having interim entities to house an essence while waiting for that moment to renew itself. There’s “The Lumiat,” to which I missed watching. If this character is supposed to be The Master, then that would mean this individual is the second regeneration. If fans are to count the Big Finish Productions which had Alex MacQueen, Gina McKee, Mark Gatiss, James Dreyfus, and Milo Parker play him, then we’re up to eight more.
As for live-action material, the count suggests we’re at number three. That’s assuming The Spy Master is an incarnation. And after posing as Grigori Rasputin, I think I’ve lost track. In this adventure, The Doctor (Jodi) wanted to reclaim her body, and stuck the soul of the Master into another. If that means he’s up to number four, that’s not too bad. When he’s one-thirds of the way of using up his regenerations, this rapid succession is rather reckless.
In the latest specials, we learn his “soul” is trapped in the Toymaker’s gold tooth, and as for whether he’ll have to burn through another regeneration when he’s able to escape. I’d be curious. If he’s to challenge Ncuti’s Doctor, I want to see the classic form back! As for who can play him, Russel T. Davies has yet to announce any plans. And when this series is on shaky ground following the series “renewal” with Disney distributing, maybe long time fans won’t see a return at all.
If future showrunners are willing to truly break original series canon, he’s going to need another body and dip into the singularity of a black hole to stay alive.