Warning: Spoilers ahead forDoctor Whoseason 15, episode 8, “The Reality War.“A mysterious character referred to only as “the Boss” has been mentioned several times since Russell T. Davies returned as theDoctor Whoshowrunner, and although their true identity has yet to be revealed,I’m pretty sure that “the Boss” is just a pseudonym for the Master. As one of the longest-running mysteries ofDoctor Who’s Disney era, the Boss was first mentioned in 2023’s “The Star Beast.” The Meep (Miriam Margolyes) threateningly referenced the Boss when speaking with David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor.
Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor regeneratedwithout ever coming face-to-face with the Boss. That said, if the Boss is just the Master under a different name, then otheractors who have played the Doctorhave met the Master on many occasions. There have been severalversions of the Master inDoctor Who, but the character was most recently portrayed by Sacha Dhawan alongside Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor.The Boss being mentioned again in “The Reality War” suggests the Master could be back very soon.
Anita Knowing Doctor Who’s “Boss” Makes Them Being The Master More Likely
The Boss may not be entirely against the Doctor’s survival
After debuting in 2024’s “Joy to the World,“Steph de Whalley returns as Anita Benn to play a pivotal role in “The Reality War.“Using the Time Hotel, she steps in to save the Doctor and assists in restoring UNIT to its pre-Wish World state. Just before she leaves,Anita tells Fifteen that the Boss says “hello,“and implies that she was given permission, or was even sent, to help the Doctor. Given that the Boss had only ever been mentioned by shady characters like the Meep and Rogue (Jonathon Groff), this deepens the mystery of who the Boss is.
There aren’t many pre-existingDoctor Whocharacters who fit this compelling distraction, but the Master ticks every box when it comes to what we know about the Boss so far.
What we know about the Boss so far is that they have criminal connections, and sending Anita to help in “The Reality War” proves the Boss doesn’t want the Doctor to die. By extension, this means the Boss chose sides in the battle, so they probably aren’t a big fan of the Rani. There aren’t many pre-existingDoctor Whocharacters who fit this compelling distraction, butthe Master ticks every box when it comes to what we know about the Bossso far.
The Boss Would Be The Best Way To Pay Off Doctor Who’s Gold Tooth Scene
The Master was confirmed to be trapped in the Toymaker’s gold tooth in “The Giggle”
The last canonical updateDoctor Whoprovided on the matter of the Master’s fate after 2022’s “The Power of the Doctor” is that he encounteredNeil Patrick Harris' Toymakerjust before Fourteen did.The Master lost a game to the Toymaker and, as penance, was trapped inside the Toymaker’s gold tooth. The Toymaker was defeated in 2023’s “The Giggle,” just before David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor entered retirement. Despite the Toymaker’s loss, his gold tooth fell unseen onto the helipad at UNIT Tower.
A red-nailed hand was shown retrieving the Toymaker’s tooth, but none of the other characters saw it happen as they’d already started walking away. Neither the tooth nor the person who retrieved it has been referenced again since “The Giggle,” butthe moment was quite clearly Davies planting one of his famous narrative seedsthat wouldn’t bloom for years to come. There are many possibilities when it comes to the matter of explaining this interesting shot, but I think using the Boss to pay it off is the best option.
While the Master could be the Boss and has since been freed, this isn’t the only way the Toymaker’s tooth could connect to the mystery of the Boss' identity.
While the Master could be the Boss and has since been freed, this isn’t the only way the Toymaker’s tooth could connect to the mystery of the Boss' identity.The Boss could be the person who actually retrieved the tooth, and is either now working with the Master or is otherwise using his imprisonment to their advantage. Regardless, if the Master does come back as part of this storyline, I’d love to see Sacha Dhawan return as the iconicDoctor Whovillain.
