Who Is Ruby's Mother In Doctor Who? 10 Biggest Theories

Dec. 25, 2023, 6:35 p.m.

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Who Is Ruby's Mother In Doctor Who? 10 Biggest Theories

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This article contains spoilers for Doctor Who season 14, episode 2, "The Devil's Chord."

Summary Ruby Sunday's origin is a mystery; she is a foundling, like the Doctor himself.

The parallel between Ruby and the Doctor raises several possibilities.

Doctor Who also appears to be embracing mythology and fairytales, making it possible Ruby's story is somehow tied to these themes.

The Doctor Who Christmas Special, "The Church on Ruby Road," introduced Millie Gibson as the new companion Ruby Sunday - and set up an intriguing mystery surrounding her mother. Doctor Who has changed a great deal since Russell T. Davies relaunched the BBC's top sci-fi TV show back in 2005, and companions have become rather more complex. Davies' successor Steven Moffat introduced the idea of companions who were mysteries in their own right, enigmas for the Doctor to solve - the most prominent being Doctor Who's Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl.

Davies has returned in what is being referred to by some as Doctor Who's Disney era, and he seems to have picked up a few tricks from his successors. Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday is introduced as another mystery companion, because the truth of Ruby's origin is an enigma - deliberately paralleled with the Timeless Child retcon, which turned the Doctor's entire backstory into a jigsaw puzzle.

Ruby Sunday was abandoned at the doors of a church on Ruby Road, explaining her name. "The Church on Ruby Road" deliberately avoided dropping any real clues about her true identity - the mother was shrouded in shadow, although she seems to have stayed to watch the Doctor tackle the Goblins. While there is still no solid answer to the question of who Ruby's mother is, there are several theories.

Related Doctor Who Season 14 Cast & Character Guide: Who Appears In Each Episode Doctor Who season 14 is Ncuti Gatwa's first full outing as the Doctor, and he is joined by an exciting cast of newcomers and familiar faces.

10 Ruby Is Another Timeless Child

Millie Gibson's character could be the same species as the Doctor

The Timeless Child retcon was one of the most shocking in Doctor Who history, upending decades' worth of continuity to reveal the Doctor was not born on Gallifrey. Instead, the Doctor is in fact the Timeless Child, a being who originates from beyond this universe, and who became the base genetic code for every Time Lord. Ruby's origin parallels the mystery of the Doctor's, raising the intriguing possibility Ruby is in fact a Timeless Child as well. If so, it would be a smart narrative approach.

There's just one problem with this theory, though; "The Church on Ruby Road" seems to go to great lengths to make it rather unlikely. Davina McCall is given a sample of Ruby Sunday's DNA, and attempts to trace her family origins. What's notable, though, is that she doesn't notice any of the telltale genetic anomalies that would indicate this person was not human. If Ruby Sunday is a Timeless Child, there's more to this story than just that - her DNA must have been deliberately cloaked, using something similar to a Time Lord Chameleon Arch.

9 Ruby Sunday Is A Time Lord

Ruby may have origins on Gallifrey

In "The Giggle," Neil Patrick Harris' Toymaker - a being of almost infinite power - claimed the Doctor is the last of the Time Lords. The Chameleon Arch, though, means that isn't necessarily the case; the Time Lords could have concealed themselves by scattering members of their race throughout time and space, using the Chameleon Arch to conceal them.

Related Doctor Who: Every Doctor & Who Played Them (In Chronological Order) Doctor Who has been played by a crop of fantastic actors going back several decades, and each version has been both unique and memorable.

They could even have hidden infants, a new generation of Time Lords. If this is the case, the Doctor has stumbled on the future of the Time Lords - a coincidence so vast it would provide tremendous sustenance for the Goblins in Doctor Who. If this is the case, even Ruby herself would likely be unaware of her ability to regenerate, and she could still be in her original form.

8 Ruby Is The Doctor's Own Daughter

Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor could have given birth to Ruby Sunday

One surprising theory circulating in the fandom suggests that Ruby is the Doctor's own daughter - and that the mysterious woman is in fact Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor, or another incarnation of the Doctor (given the Timeless Child confirmed previous female regenerations, including Jo Martin's tremendous Fugitive Doctor). This possibility can't be ruled out, and it would establish a tremendous bond between the Doctor and Ruby Sunday. It would also be another way to tie the Timeless Child retcon into Ruby's story. At the same time, though, it seems rather a stretch given Davina McCall's DNA tests - a Chameleon Arch would still need to be involved.

7 Ruby's Mother Is Missy/The Doctor's New Master

The Master has also had a female regeneration

Davies is clearly tapping into his inner Moffat with Ruby Sunday, meaning he could bring back one of the most popular incarnations of the Doctor's greatest nemesis - Michelle Gomez's Missy. Alternatively, he could follow Moffat's pattern by introducing another female version of the Master, whose return may have been set up at the end of Doctor Who's 60th anniversary special. This would be a fun twist, with the Master potentially planting Ruby as a trap, but again - a Chameleon Arch would need to be involved. All these Timeless Child and Time Lord theories hinge on the same technology.

6 Ruby's Mother Is Tied To Folklore

The origins of Ruby Sunday may sit outside existing Doctor Who canon

"The Church on Ruby Road" sees Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor go up against goblins, confirming that the Disney era is headed in a fantastical direction. Given that's the case, it's surely no coincidence Ruby's origin feels like something from a fairytale - a foundling abandoned on the steps of a church at Christmas. Davies has confirmed the Fifteenth Doctor will battle the Toymaker's Legions, godlike beings - and more. Speaking on Doctor Who: The Video Commentaries, he noted:

"Every so often we get a chance to do an episode that’s kind-of supernatural, not exactly supernatural, but where all the rules are suspended... And we’re going to keep doing it, aren’t we? We love it."

Given this comment, Ruby Sunday could be tied to something quasi-supernatural, Toymaker-like - perhaps providing another explanation where her DNA tracks as human. This theory feels like one of the most probable, fitting in with the current direction of Doctor Who, and setting up almost infinite story possibilities. Doctor Who rarely taps into the fantasy genre, but when it does, there's often a scientific explanation.

5 Ruby's Mother Is No One

There could be an underwhelming reveal in Doctor Who's future

This final option could be referred to as "The Last Jedi Solution," named after a controversial decision made by Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. There, Johnson attempted to subvert fan expectations that Daisy Ridley's Rey was part of an important bloodline, instead revealing she was the daughter of two people of no galactic significance. In story terms, it was an attempt to move away from the Great Man of History motif so common in Star Wars, by confirming Rey as a true everyman hero. Davies could be trying to do something similar.

There's just one problem with this theory; Davies would have to be a very brave man indeed to risk it. The Rey revelation was so divisive Lucasfilm hurriedly walked back on it in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, instead revealing Rey was the granddaughter of Palpatine himself. The fandom reacted badly to The Last Jedi's bait and switch, and there's no reason to assume Doctor Who's viewers would be any more positive. This theory feels very unlikely indeed, given the context.

4 Ruby Sunday Could Be The Doctor's Great-Granddaughter

The Doctor mentions Susan in season 14's 1960s episode

In Doctor Who season 14, episode 2, "The Devil's Chord," Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor references the rarely-discussed Susan Foreman - the Doctor's granddaughter. While Ruby Sunday may be Susan herself, it's also conceivable that Susan is the hooded figure who leaves Ruby at the church. If so, this would make Ruby the Doctor's great-granddaughter - which is another coincidence that would explain the Goblins' fascination with Millie Gibson's character in the Doctor Who 2023 Christmas special.

Susan is at least part-Gallifreyan but will also share DNA with the Doctor due to her lineage. Therefore, both Susan and Ruby Sunday would share the genetic material as the Doctor's true species.

The Doctor believes that Susan is dead, as he explains to Ruby in "The Devil's Chord." However, he's only speculating and has no evidence to prove that these ruminations are correct. Susan is at least part-Gallifreyan but will also share DNA with the Doctor due to her lineage. Therefore, both Susan and Ruby Sunday would share the genetic material as the Doctor's true species. So, Susan could have regenerated several times since she last spoke with the Doctor.

3 Susan Twist's Doctor Who Character Could Be Ruby Sunday's Mother

The actress' mysterious cameo streak has yet to be explained

Susan Twist has played several characters in Doctor Who's Disney era, and although the connection between them all is difficult to establish, it's clear that Davies is plotting a big reveal at some point. Twist has been credited differently in all her Doctor Who appearances so far, so it's tricky to nail down who she is really portraying. However, one theory is that she is actually Ruby's mother, traveling in disguise to keep an eye on her daughter.

There is a similar theory to this one that instead names Mrs. Flood as Ruby's birth mother.

Susan Twist's age could present certain gaps in the logic of his theory, but there's also nothing to prove that she is portraying a human character. In addition, Doctor Who is built on time travel, so if Twist is playing Ruby's mother, her character could have somehow returned from the future to monitor her daughter's activities during a key period in the life of Millie Gibson's character.

2 River Song Could Be The Cloaked Figure Who Delivers Ruby To The Church

River could be unrecognizable

River Song's Doctor Who timeline is complicated, with her death being the first thing the Doctor witnesses, and then going on to marry her in what is essentially her past. As well as the unusual structure of her relationship with the Doctor, River also has the ability to regenerate - despite being human. This means that the three iterations of River Song shown so far may not be the only versions. Just as David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor bore the face of the Tenth, Alex Kingston's River Song could have resurfaced after a brief time in another form - the form that birthed Ruby Sunday.

Depending on where this would take place in River's timeline, this would mean her being unfaithful to the show's titular Time Lord.

Of course, this is something of a stretch, as any daughter of River Song would likely be the offspring of the Doctor as well. However, there is always the possibility that River had a child with someone else. Having said that, there's the argument that such an event would damage her character. Depending on where this would take place in River's timeline, this would mean her being unfaithful to the show's titular Time Lord. As such, this is probably not an avenue Davies would explore.

1 Ruby Sunday May Be The Daughter Of The One Who Waits

It's clear there is something special about Millie Gibson's Doctor Who character

After first being mentioned by the Toymaker in "The Giggle," The One Who Waits is referenced again in Doctor Who season 14. This time it's Maestro who utters the title, linking them directly to Ruby Sunday in the process. When Maestro has Ruby bound in a musical prison in "The Devil's Chord," the Christmas song that emerges from Gibson's character instills what appears to be fear in the Jinkx Monsoon's villain. The power of Ruby's song is likened to that of The One Who Waits, with Maestro suggesting The One Who Waits was there on the night of Ruby's birth.

Related Doctor Who Theory Reveals Ruby Sunday's Origin Is Connected To A Forgotten Fifth Doctor Story One theory about Doctor Who's Ruby Sunday suggests her origins could be related to a classic Peter Davison story that aired in the 1980s.

Very little is known of The One Who Waits, only that they're likely a member of the Pantheon, along with Maestro and the Toymaker. If this theory is true, then Ruby could be unknowingly harboring immense powers. The Pantheon consists of beings who are essentially gods and have demonstrably been able to alter the fabric of reality. If Ruby is descended from The One Who Waits, her Doctor Who future could take a drastic turn, with abilities surpassing those of even the Doctor.

Episode Disney+ Release Date "Space Babies" & "The Devil's Chord" May 10 "Boom" May 17 "73 Yards" May 24 "Dot & Bubble" May 31 "Rogue" June 7 "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" June 14 "Empire of Death" June 21