Doctor Who fans convinced unexpected character will change show forever

Metro

26-05-2025

Doctor Who fans believe season one's episode Space Babies character Captain Poppy could change Doctor Who lore forever.
Ncuti Gatwa's second season as the 15th Doctor is coming to a close with an epic two-part finale as he attempts to not only get Belinda (Varada Sethu) home, but save the Earth from total destruction – so business as usual.
The latest couple of episodes have dropped some major twists and turns including the return of the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) for the first time in 60 years Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) revealing she is actually classic Who villain, The Rani – and promptly bi-generating into Archie Panjabi.
Not to mentionthe threat of yet another Classic Who villain, Omega, being as the third 'Unholy Trinity' member.
Needless to say, it has been a rollercoaster.
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But there is one character whose return has completely baffled fans as to how she will be involved – Space Babies character Captain Poppy.
Keen-eyed fans spotted a mysterious cameo from Captain Poppy (portrayed by Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps) at the end of The Story and the Engine when she is seen by Belinda.
Then, in The Interstellar Song Contest, some fans believe the name of the corrupt company sponsoring the show, Poppy Honey, is no coincidence and refers back to her.
And in the latest episode, Wish World, she is the Doctor and Belinda's child after they are transformed into a married couple in Conrad's dystopian alternate reality.
By the end of the episode, as the fictional reality crumbles, the Doctor even proclaims that Poppy, his daughter, is real.
What's more, in November Anita confirmed that season two would recontextualise Space Babies at Comic Con Cardiff – whatever that means.
For those who need a refresher, the season one premiere is set in 21506 where the Doctor and Ruby arrive on a seemingly abandoned space ship until they stumble upon a legion of intelligent babies in space led by Poppy who initially thinks the Doctor is her dad.
The episode, which received mixed reviews from fans, seems to have been more relevant than any of us realised at the time – and there are plenty of ideas of exactly how she fits in.
Reddit user ThelastoftheTzars theorised that Captain Poppy could be Susan's mother.
'Maybe when she made it off the ship she didn't have anyone so she decided to keep calling the Doctor her father.
'When she got older she heard of another Space baby that was abandoned and decided to adopt her so she wouldn't be alone. Poppy told her about her 'Father'.'
The theory continues that perhaps, when she grew up, Susan attempted to find the Doctor and stumbled across the First Doctor (William Hartnell) rather than Ncuti's iteration and explains her connection to him.
'Given that we saw Poppy last week and Susan last night I am hoping that this theory proves correct,' the theory ended.
And it is further bolstered by the idea that the name of the first ever Doctor Who episode which introduces Susan, An Unearthly Child, is a synonym for Space Baby.
Another theory posed by Cool-Cover 23-27 outlines that Captain Poppy could be one of The Rani's experiments, considering her track record as a science genius.
'What if the Space Babies aren't just babies, but an experiment by the Rani/Mrs Flood to bring the Time Lords back from the dead?,' the user wonders, adding that she could even be a half-Time Lord, half Human using Belinda's DNA.
They conclude: 'Captain Poppy is a Time Lord/human hybrid created from the DNA of the Doctor and Belinda—and she's actually a younger version of the Timeless Child discovered by Tecteun.'
And finally another user Okay_Activity_6449 wondered whether the Space Babies power to make stories come true (such as creating the Bogeyman) will mean they were 'making stories about the Doctor being a hero who saves people.'
The theory continues: 'Maybe these babies are telling stories about the doctor, stories coming to life…
'Can Belinda be a character from a fairytale who came to life because of a story told by Captain Poppy?'
This would also tie into the idea that this entire season is fictional, considering Mrs Flood's fourth wall breaks and even the Doctor and Belinda meeting some Whovians in episode two, Lux.
'Poppy being the only thing he doesn't doubt, yeah she's definitely gonna be Susan's mother isn't she,' X user Becky speculated.
And others agreed that perhaps Poppy could even be the Doctor if she becomes the child left for Tecteun to find – thus wrapping up the Timeless Chid mystery in a neat bow. More Trending
Regardless of how exactly it plays out, fans are united behind one thing – that Captain Poppy is related to the Doctor and his Time Lord heritage in some shape or form.
The synopsis for The Reality Way reads: 'Battle rages across the skies as the Unholy Trinity unleash their deadly ambition. The Doctor, Belinda and Ruby have to risk everything in the quest to save one innocent life.'
Doctor Who returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday.
This article was first published on May 19.
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