Doctor Who has officially announced its upcoming spinoff show at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, and while I’m excited for The War Between the Land and Sea, one casting choice essentially eliminates the possible return of a companion I’ve wanted to make a comeback for quite some time. After the news was delivered at the Doctor Who panel in San Diego, I immediately thought of a specific character, and how difficult it would now be for her to appear in the upcoming spinoff show. While it’s still technically possible, I can’t see it happening for one very specific but valid reason.
The character in question, whose likelihood of returning has been drastically reduced, isn’t often ranked among people’s best Doctor Who companions. However, I think she’s unfairly appraised, and I greatly enjoyed her time on the show. While she has reprised her role in other corners of the Doctor Who franchise, she hasn’t appeared in the show since David Tennant stepped away from the role of the Tenth Doctor in 2009. The reason why Doctor Who companions leave the show can be incredibly compelling, but this one’s exit was perhaps a little too grounded for her to make a lasting impact.
Martha Was The Most Wasted Companion Of Modern Doctor Who
Freema Agyeman’s Doctor Who character should have been handled better
I remember Freema Agyeman’s performance as Martha Jones throughout Doctor Who season 3 with great fondness. Her return alongside Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble in Doctor Who season 4 made me equally happy. Unfortunately, great though she was, the writers never really let her live up to her true potential. She had a great dynamic with Tennant’s Doctor, even if her one-sided romantic affections towards the Time Lord were driven home a little too hard.
Of modern Doctor Who companions, I can’t shake the feeling that Martha was used the most improperly of them all.
Of modern Doctor Who companions, I can’t shake the feeling that Martha was used the most improperly of them all. As a qualified doctor, she was one of the most intelligent companions, and her comeback in season 4 showed she’d experienced a great deal of personal growth – not to mention her compelling ties to UNIT. Just as Donna came back for the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials, I was hoping The War Between the Land and Sea would be Martha’s best chance to do the same. Unfortunately, I’ll have to wait longer to see if Agyeman’s character will ever return.
Martha Jones’ Sister Actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw Is Seemingly A New Character In Doctor Who’s Spinoff
The Loki star won’t be playing Tish Jones upon her return to the Doctor Who universe
At SDCC, showrunner Russell T Davies announced the upcoming spinoff will be led by Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, both of whom have appeared in Doctor Who before. Initially, I was excited, as Mbatha-Raw played Martha’s sister, Tish, during her original run on the show many years ago. My logic was that if Tish was primed for a comeback, Martha couldn’t be too far behind. However, my heart sank when Davies quickly explained that neither Mbatha-Raw nor Tovey would be reprising their previous roles. Instead, they would be playing original characters.
If, somehow, Martha does also show up in The War Between the Land and Sea , the show will have the delicate and unusual task of finding a way to explain why she doesn’t recognize a character who looks exactly like her sister.
Several Doctor Who actors have played multiple roles, including Agyeman. Unfortunately, this newest instance is a little more complex when it comes to my desire to see Martha return to the franchise. If, somehow, Martha does also show up in The War Between the Land and Sea, the show will have the delicate and unusual task of finding a way to explain why she doesn’t recognize a character who looks exactly like her sister. I don’t think the show could authentically pull this off, as the scenario is far more specific than previous, similar situations.
Martha Would’ve Been Great For Doctor Who’s New Spinoff
Not bringing Agyeman back for The War Between the Land and Sea would be a waste
Given Martha’s connection to UNIT in Doctor Who, she would have made a great addition to the cast for The War Between the Land and Sea, using her experience traveling with the Doctor as well as her post-TARDIS skill set to aid in the fight against the Sea Devils. While it’s not completely beyond the realm of possibility that Martha and Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s new Doctor Who character could interact in the spinoff show, I’d struggle to see past the glaring canonical issue – and I’m sure I wouldn’t be the only one.
That being said, Davies did not confirm the name of Mbatha-Raw’s spinoff character and only stated that she wouldn’t be playing Tish Jones again. So, there’s an outside chance that the actor will be cast as one of the Sea Devils – the show’s antagonist race. If this is the case, then she will be so obscured by makeup and prosthetics that she will be unrecognizable as her previous franchise persona. Unfortunately, only time will tell how the casting and the Doctor Who spinoff itself will unfold.