Doctor Who: Why Missy was a natural successor to John Simm’s Master

We look back at Missy, and why her distinctive incarnation of iconic Doctor Who villain the Master was a natural one following John Simm’s interpretation.

Missy’s a pretty controversial figure for Doctor Who. I’ve seen as many fans love the character as I’ve seen them hate her.

There are a variety of reasons, of course. The fact that she was the first female incarnation of the Master is reason enough alone for some fans to dismiss her, but it’s not just that. There’s also the fact that she’s considerably sillier compared to some other incarnations. On top of that, while she starts off as a villain, she’s virtually the only incarnation of the Master that has ever tried to be good.

But there is one reason that some fans dislike her that leaves me feeling a little perplexed. And that’s the claim that she’s completely different to all the other Masters.

Whenever I hear this, I always have to ask: Really? There are no other Masters like Missy? None? No other Masters that are eccentric? Quirky? Completely insane? None spring to mind?

The bonkers Masters

All of these traits were, of course, shared by John Simm’s Master. And it makes sense, too. If an incarnation like Missy had followed Derek Jacobi’s, it really would’ve been a huge difference. But that was true of John Simm’s already. Taken in context, the Master’s change of gender isn’t actually as big as the change in style that we got when Simm’s distinctive incarnation was introduced.

For example, there’s no question that Missy was absolutely bonkers. And this trait was really introduced with John Simm. The Master has always been evil, but they usually had a sense of dignity, or at least a sense of focus in their plans.

However, from his very first moments in the series – literally seconds after regenerating from Derek Jacobi’s calm and restrained incarnation – Simm’s Master was extremely energetic and hyper. And, as we all remember, those traits essentially continued with him for the rest of his episodes, at least those written by Russell T Davies.

Unsurprisingly, Steven Moffat decided to continue this characterization with Missy. While it was initially difficult to get a good grasp on her personality during her cameo appearances for most of Series 8, from Dark Water onwards, it was clear that she was just as insane and ruthless as her predecessor. Possibly more so.

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A sense of style

Now, one thing that was different between the two incarnations was their sense of style, at least in terms of fashion. Missy didn’t just wear clothes with a touch of class – she was essentially an evil Mary Poppins! The moment she appeared in mid-air, floating down while carrying an umbrella in Death in Heaven made that especially clear.

To be honest, even this seems to fit with what we knew of Simm’s Master, or even earlier Masters. If incarnations played by Roger Delgado or Anthony Ainley were meant to be the perfect depictions of “gentlemen”, (ruthless homicidal gentlemen, admittedly, but still gentlemen,) then Missy was meant to be the perfect depiction of a “lady”. (At least, in the Master’s extremely distorted view.)

The fact that these two were so similar in style could have worked against making the pairing interesting in The Doctor Falls. With the best multi-Doctor meetings, it’s usually more fun if the personalities of different incarnations clash. (For one of the best examples of this with the Master, check out the audio story The Two Masters. The huge difference between Geoffrey Beevers’s and Alex Macqueen’s incarnations is hilarious to listen to!)

Gradual change

But what really worked about it was when the story occurred: during Missy’s gradual arc of redemption. Considering her predecessor was still gloriously evil and she was trying hard to be a good person, the clash gave us an interesting exploration of the Master’s character. And even then, that key difference was earned: when we were first introduced to Missy, after all, she was clearly just as ruthless and psychopathic as any of her previous incarnations.

It’s rather fitting that the ending of her story also lead to the beginning of it, as the Master headed off to regenerate off-screen. It’s a moment that reminds us how similar Missy initially was to the Master, and how much Missy had grown since that beginning, too.

What do you think? Do you think Missy shares more in common with Simm’s Master than any other, and vice versa? Which incarnation do you prefer? Who is your favorite incarnation overall? Let us know in the comments below.