Doctor Who Season 14's Master Return Theory Looks Way More Likely After RTD Reveal

Summary Jinkx Monsoon was already theorized to be playing the Master in Doctor Who season 14.

RTD has now confirmed Monsoon's character is called "Maestro," which can mean "master" in Italian.

Season 14 may be too early to bring the Master back, and could risk overusing the villain.

The popular theory that a recast Master will appear in Doctor Who season 14 now looks a lot more likely - and a certain Russell T Davies is to blame. Very little is known about the overarching narrative for the upcoming Doctor Who season 14, but the show's 60th anniversary and 2023 Christmas specials dropped a few salient hints. These include Meep's Boss, Ruby Sunday's mysterious backstory, and the One Who Waits, but Doctor Who also set up the Master's return via a single scene at the end of "The Giggle."

The Master was last spotted bopping to Boney M ahead of Jodie Whittaker's regeneration, back when the villain was still portrayed by Sacha Dhawan. The Master was then trapped within the Toymaker's golden tooth, but after Ncuti Gatwa and David Tennant's Doctors joined forces to defeat the celestial Spice Girls enthusiast, the Master's dental prison was seized by an unknown hand. The Master will return to Doctor Who eventually, therefore, and a new detail from RTD suggests that moment will come sooner rather than later.

Related 20 Greatest Doctor Who Stories Of All Time, Ranked Doctor Who has been a fixture on TV screens for 60 years, meaning there are plenty of stories to choose from when picking out the Time Lord's best.

Jinkx Monsoon's Character Name Hints She's Playing The Master In Doctor Who Season 14

Jinkx Monsoon Is Maestro

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The Doctor Who rumor mill had already churned out the idea that new cast addition Jinx Monsoon will play the latest Master. This was largely fueled by RuPaul's Drag Race fans musing on how good Monsoon would be as the Doctor's most devilish Time Lord opponent, but any new Doctor Who actor will inevitably be linked to the Master if the role is vacant. The theory that Jinkx Monsoon is playing the Master now looks a lot more likely, however, as Russell T Davies has confirmed in an Empire interview that her official character name is "Maestro."

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Derived from Italian, "Maestro" is typically used in reference to music or the arts, and translates to English as either "teacher" or, crucially, "master." While the connection could be a coincidence, it's certainly a big one. A charismatic actor joins Doctor Who at a time when the Master role needs recasting, and their character's name is Italian for "master." Even if Monsoon's obvious suitability for the part is ignored, Doctor Who intentionally calling a character other than the Master "Maestro" seems highly unlikely. Either Jinkx Monsoon is playing Doctor Who season 14's new Master, or RTD is playing at misdirection - again.

Doctor Who has already set a precedent for the Master changing their title for certain regenerations. When Michelle Gomez faced off - and, indeed, faced-on - against the Twelfth Doctor, she adopted the Missy moniker. In the classic era, Roger Delgado and Anthony Ainley's Masters were constantly switching false identities and changing pseudonyms. Making the leap from Maestro to Master is no leap at all when the character's deceptive history is taken into account.

Other Clues Jinkx Monsoon Is Playing The Master In Doctor Who

The Evidence In Favor Of Master/Maestro Is Growing

Beyond the name alone, plenty of other clues point towards Jinkx Monsoon playing the Master in Doctor Who. When she was first cast, the BBC's official press release labeled Monsoon as the Doctor's "most powerful enemy yet." While the Toymaker might protest, such a bold description could justifiably be applied to the Master, since the villain is both a fellow Time Lord and an unrivaled scheming genius.

Related All 8 Versions Of The Master In Doctor Who, Ranked One of Doctor Who's biggest villains, the Master, has tormented the Doctor for decades, and each incarnation became a staple in the show's history.

It must also be noted that the mysterious hand seen picking up the Toymaker's tooth in the final moments of "The Giggle" could be Monsoon's. Perhaps, somehow, the Master's future self, the one portrayed by Jinkx Monsoon, released Dhawan's version from the tooth, thereby allowing him to regenerate into Maestro.

A final clue pointing towards Jinkx Monsoon's Maestro being the new Master can be found in Doctor Who season 14's trailer. While shots of Monsoon in action are scant, one of them shows her character leaning over a piano. Looking more closely, however, the back of the instrument appears totally flat, suggesting that either the piano is two-dimensional or Monsoon's character is actually emerging from inside it.

Past Master Actors Roger Delgado Peter Pratt Geoffrey Beevers Anthony Ainley Eric Roberts Derek Jacobi John Simm Michelle Gomez Sacha Dhawan

This could mean the piano is Maestro's TARDIS, which makes sense because the villain has, unlike the Doctor, always made full use of their ship's functioning chameleon circuit. The Master's previous TARDIS disguises have included a stone pillar, a shack, a circus trailer, and various other innocuous pieces of background scenery. Since Doctor Who season 14's "The Devil's Chord" is a music-themed episode, Maestro having a piano as their TARDIS seems reasonable enough.

Why Jinkx Monsoon May NOT Be Playing The Master In Doctor Who Season 14

Two Clues Hint Maestro Is A New Doctor Who Character

image via Disney+

It would represent a huge demonstration of top-tier trolling on RTD's part, given the word's English translation, if Jinkx Monsoon's Maestro turns out to be an entirely new Doctor Who villain, but several details lean in that very direction. Firstly, season 14 seems too early for the Master's return. The villain debuted in the modern series with John Simm in season 3 and returned for David Tennant's (first) regeneration. After staying quiet throughout Matt Smith's era, the Master resurfaced as Missy in 2014, then Dhawan's version was introduced in 2020.

During the Third Doctor's reign, the Master was a constant presence, appearing from one episode to the next as a menace to Jon Pertwee.

The Master now needs a well-earned break. After Simm and Gomez teamed up for Peter Capaldi's regeneration and Dhawan remained pivotal right up until the final episode of Jodie Whittaker's reign, Doctor Who is in danger of Master overload if the enemy returns for season 14. RTD is acutely aware of this problem too. The showrunner previously ruled the Daleks and Cybermen out of Doctor Who season 14 for fear of overusing the two classic monsters. While he didn't mention the Master - perhaps tellingly, given the new Maestro update - the problem of overuse still applies.

From RTD's point of view, the Master's ability to regenerate and change actors might make them more malleable compared to the Daleks or Cybermen, which are both more rigid in concept. During the Third Doctor's reign, the Master was a constant presence, appearing from one episode to the next as a menace to Jon Pertwee, so the idea of an ever-present Master is not alien to Doctor Who.

Having said that, one scene from Doctor Who season 14's trailer potentially debunks the theory that Jinkx Monsoon is the new Master entirely. The shot in question shows Monsoon's new villain casting black, floating notes as weapons, almost like a magic spell, and these notes are used to trap Ruby Sunday in midair. This is certainly not a power the Master possesses, so unless Gallifrey's enfant terrible has learned a new trick, these scenes might prove Maestro is a totally new creation.

Sources: Empire, BBC

Doctor Who season 14 premieres May 10 on Disney+ and May 11 on iPlayer.