Doctor Who confirms another returning classic villain – major twist explained

Last week, recurring antagonist Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) was revealed to in fact be returning foe The Rani, with a bi-generation also resulting in a new incarnation of the villain (played by Archie Panjabi).

However, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies later confirmed that the two Ranis only count as one part of an "Unholy Trinity", which also counts despicable grifter Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King) among its number.

So who is the third member? Latest episode Wish World provided the answer and it's a name with its origins in Doctor Who history, going all the way back to 1973 – Omega.

Who is Omega in Doctor Who?

“Tonight – we will find him. The one who is lost. And then… the great work begins.”

Wish World is set on a version of Earth dictated entirely by the whims of Conrad Clark. Having abducted the infant God of Wishes, part of the all-powerful Pantheon, the Rani uses its abilities – combined with Conrad's warped imagination and "a web of titanic power" created by the Doctor's vindicator – to shape an "idyllic" world which is in fact anything but.

There's a sinister seam running through Conrad's world and anyone who doesn't fit with his ideals is made quite literally invisible.

Eventually, everyone from Belinda (Varada Sethu) – recast as the wife to the Doctor's alter ego John Smith – to Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and Shirley Anne Bingham (Ruth Madeley) begin to doubt the legitimacy of Conrad's world... but this is all part of the Rani's plan. As Mrs Flood puts it: "The doubts are not the problem. The doubts are the whole point."

"If you question hard enough, then doubt can crack open the world," the Rani explains, and "if ordinary doubt cracks open the world, then a Time Lord’s doubt rips open up the structure of reality itself."

In short, the Rani(s) created Wish World with the intention of destroying it – because the resulting break in reality will open up a realm called the Underverse, where "the one who is lost" dwells... Omega.

"Omega – the first Time Lord," Conrad explains. "The creator of the Time Lords. The greatest and most terrifying Time Lord of all."

When did Omega appear in Doctor Who?

Omega is a legendary Time Lord, renowned for his role in harnessing the power of a star to enable time travel, effectively laying the foundations of Time Lord civilisation.

However, during this experiment, Omega was thought lost in a black hole, where he survived in an antimatter universe, consumed by bitterness and madness. Believing he had been abandoned, Omega became a tragic villain, seeking revenge against the Time Lords.

The character was first introduced in the 1972 serial The Three Doctors – in this anniversary story starring Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton and William Hartnell, a mysterious energy force begins attacking UNIT headquarters and draining power across the universe.

The Time Lords, facing a crisis, break their own rules to unite the First, Second, and Third Doctors to confront the culprit, revealed to be Omega.

His existence in the antimatter realm makes it impossible for him to return to the real universe and he uses the energy of a black hole to try to escape and take revenge – but ultimately, the Doctors trick Omega into destroying himself by having him handle a physical object (something impossible in his realm) causing his antimatter world to collapse.

The character wouldn't be seen again for another 10 years, eventually reappearing in 1983's Arc of Infinity. Here, Omega again schemes to return to the real universe, by bonding with the Doctor – he is now assisted by a traitorous Time Lord, who steals the Doctor’s bio-data from Gallifrey.

Omega, now resembling the Doctor (Peter Davison), travels to Earth but his stolen body begins to decay and in a final confrontation, the Doctor is forced to use an antimatter converter to banish Omega back to his universe.

It is unclear if the "Underverse" referred to by the Rani is the antimatter realm where we last left Omega or if he has somehow been transported to a new domain since the events of Arc of Infinity.

Who plays Omega in Doctor Who?

The actor Stephen Thorne originated the role of Omega in The Three Doctors, appearing throughout as an impressive, masked figure – with Omega's physical body eventually revealed to have been evaporated by his time spent in the antimatter realm.

The role was recast for Arc of Infinity, with Ian Collier replacing Thorne as a redesigned version of the villain. Peter Davison also played Omega when he assumed the Doctor's physical form.

When Wish World is destroyed and the gateway to the Underverse cracks open, we hear a voice boom: "Long live Omega! Omega shall be free!"

However, it is unclear who will play Omega in next week's season finale The Reality War – with Stephen Thorne and Ian Collier both having passed away, a new actor will once again be required to inhabit the part of one of the Doctor's most powerful enemies.

Doctor Who continues on Saturday 31st May, with new episodes available from 8am on Saturdays on BBC iPlayer in the UK and later the same day on BBC One. The series is available on Disney+ outside of the UK.

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