Who is Villengard, the enemy from the Doctor Who Christmas special?

This year, Doctor Who revealed to us a colorful new Christmas episode, imagined by Steven Moffat. The 15th Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education) then joined forces with Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) to face Villengard. A company well known to fans, who may have recognized a long-time enemy of the Doctor.

Doctor Who always knows how to please his fans, and the traditional Christmas episodes are proof of that. Unveiled just in time for December 25, the 2024 vintage features the 15th Doctor as he embarks on an adventure through time and space, alongside a newcomer: Joy.

The opportunity for the British series to welcome a star from The Bridgerton Chronicles : Nicola Coughlan, who we know well for her interpretation of Penelope, in the historical romance of Netflix. Together, they must fight against a formidable enemy: Villengard Corporation. And if you are an attentive fan of Doctor Whothis name most likely means something to you.

Warning, the rest of this article contains spoilers for the special Christmas episode of Doctor Whonamed Joy to the World (or Merry Christmasand FF).

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Enemy number 1: capitalism

Villengard is in fact one of the Doctor’s oldest antagonists. If not all of his incarnations have had the misfortune to face him, his plans remain a threat to all of humanity. But what exactly does it represent? Villengard is actually the name of a planet, well known in the universe of Doctor Who.

The problem is that its surface is filled with extreme capitalist corporations, selling weapons across the entire universe at lightning speed. For this, a powerful algorithm was created, making it possible to decide who must die and who can live.

Nicola Coughlan in the Joy to the World episode of Doctor Who, December 2024. // Source: BBC

Suffice to say that Villengard therefore represents absolutely everything that the Doctor hates: an organization that abuses its power by manufacturing war machines, which disgust him. Despite everything, it should be noted that characters close to the Doctor such as Jack Harkness or River Song obtained their own weapons thanks to Villengard. We think in particular of the famous Sonic Blaster.

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Special episodes 60 years of Doctor Who. // Source: BBC

Weapons or banana trees?

The cult series, anti-capitalist par excellence, has therefore mentioned this ultimate villain several times, since his introduction in the first reboot from 2005 by a certain… Steven Moffat, who also wrote the famous Christmas episode, in 2024. Villengard is thus mentioned for the first time in episode 9 of season 1, Funny Death (or The Empty Child in VO), then in the next one, The Doctor Dances).

The episode The Empty Child introduces Villengard // Source: BBC

We learn that the Doctor only went to Villengard once, and that he caused the explosion of the companies’ main reactor. This led to their destruction, before they were replaced by… a banana plantation. An event confirmed by the comics Doctor Who.

The Doctor, played this time by Peter Capaldi, quickly visits Villengard again in the Christmas episode named Twice Upon a Time). The planet is then invaded by Daleks.

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Doctor Who, the episode about Van Gogh. // Source: BBC

Villengard is far from defeated

So far, the main character of Doctor Who was convinced that he had destroyed this evil company for good. However, it is also found in Boomepisode 3 of the new reboot from 2023, also written by Steven Moffat. The ambulance is thus a product created by Villengard, just like the mine on which the Doctor finds himself.

We then better understood the company’s strategy: to make conflicts last as long as possible, to continue to earn money by producing ever more weapons, thanks to their precious algorithm.

The famous Boom episode, which once again features Villengard // Source: BBC / Disney+

The episode Merry Christmas confirms what some attentive fans already suspected: Villengard was not defeated. The companies have been rebuilt and continue their operations, in another corner of the galaxy. In this new adventure of the Doctor, available on Disney+, we discover that Villengard has developed a dangerous source of energy, linked to the Time Hotel.

So, will this antagonist be back in season 2 of Doctor Who, expected for 2025? In an interview with TV Insider, Steven Moffat claimed that this was not his intention and that he simply liked bringing Villengard back for special episodes, Funny Death being his very first as a screenwriter and Boom marking his big return to the saga. But since the showrunner has always had many surprises in store for us, we expect everything.