There may not be any new ‘Doctor Who’ episodes this year, but at least fans will get a new Christmas Special entitled “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” which introduce a new concept to the Who-niverse: a superhero. Canadian actor Justin Chatwin (‘Shameless’, ‘Orphan Black’, ‘American Gothic’) will portray Grant, a being who is described as a “brash figure with an American accent – and in all likelihood a few dark interstellar secrets of one sort or another.”
Grant will join The Doctor; The Nardole, the bizarre figure played by Matt Lucas in last year’s ‘Christmas Special’, ‘The Husbands of River Song’; and an as-yet-unnamed investigative journalist played by Charity Wakefield to stop an alien attack on New York City.
Showrunner Steven Moffat didn’t directly speak about Grant, but gave his musings on superheroes in general, saying:
“I’ve always been fascinated by superheroes, but where I think superheroes are at their best is in the secret identity. The most exciting superhero of all time is Clark Kent. He has to be a god and pretend he isn’t. It’s the best story ever.”
Will the “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” be, in some way, an homage to the Man of Steel? It may be.
In the image at the top of the page, Chatwin’s Grant seems to borrow the armored-up look of many cinematic comic book champions, including Henry Cavill’s Superman, who is more padded than previous film interpretations. The G chest emblem is also reminiscent of Superman’s famous S shield. (Oh sorry. I meant “symbol of hope.”) Plus, Superman is sort of THE epitome of a superhero. Usually any parody version of the art form features a Superman-type.
Though Grant’s black armored suit may call to mind the dark heroes of DC’s movies, Moffat hints that the ‘Christmas Special’ may not follow the same bleak tone:
“In an age of bitter and sad anti-heroes, the Doctor’s boundless heart and huge optimism fits perfectly on Christmas Day.”
Hmmm, now we just need to figure out who this Doctor Mysterio is!
Are you excited to FINALLY get a new ‘Doctor Who’ adventure before next year’s Season 10?
Source: Cinema Blend
