Michelle Gomez Doctor Who

‘Doctor Who’ Series 11 will be a completely fresh start.  The conclusion of Series 10 saw the regeneration of the Twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi, and the departure of longtime showrunner Steven Moffat, who will be replaced by Chris Chibnall.  With these departures, actor Michelle Gomez who played the Doctor’s foil Missy also chose to depart.

Of course, as everyone knows, the Thirteenth Doctor will be the first female Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker.  Gomez’s Missy was the first female regeneration of longtime Doctor villain The Master, so in a lot of ways Missy paved the way for a female Doctor.  It would seem fitting to have them come face-to-face.

Even though Gomez opted to exit the series, it now seems that she is open to returning.  In an interview with Doctor Who Magazine, she said:

“I think it’s going to be really hard to shake this one off. Missy has made quite a big impression on me, and hopefully on the fans as well. She was such a great fit. Even though, for now, she has been laid to rest. I don’t think she’s ever going to be that far away. I loved playing this character so much, and it was really hard to see her go. But I think that in many different shapes and forms, she will be back. I can’t really say much more than that. I have never had this response to anything else that I’ve done, and I’m really grateful for that.”

She doesn’t say that she will be returning to the role, but that she thinks the character could be back and considering Missy’s nature, another actor could take Gomez’s place.  But when she says “I can’t really say much more than that,” is she saying that the future is just speculation, or does she know more than she can reveal?

Even when she discussed her decision to leave, she left open the possibility of returning.  This is what she said last year at San Diego Comic Con:

“It’s good to know when to leave the party. It was a jolly good party, but time to leave – and then maybe come back – but time to leave for now… It feels like this was a chapter – a perfect chapter, actually – with Steven [Moffat] and Peter [Capaldi]. I don’t know about being a Master to another Doctor. I feel very loyal to Peter and I don’t know how that would work, but I am willing to find out at a later date.”

It would seemingly be essential to see the first female Master testing the first female Doctor, but one has to respect Gomez’s loyalty to Moffat, the man who cast her and Capaldi, the only Doctor she ever faced.

Things looked bleak for Missy in the Series 10 finale ‘The Doctor Falls’, as she was shot in the back by her past self, played by John Simm, just as she had decided to turn over a new leaf and assist The Doctor.  And her regeneration abilities were suspended so it looked like a true, final death.  But, we’re talking ‘Doctor Who’ here, so it’s not like death has to be permanent.

Meanwhile, Gomez has been cast as a series regular on Netflix’s ‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ as Mary Wardell, Sabrina’s kind teacher who becomes possessed by the forces of darkness and becomes the villain Madam Satan.

But wouldn’t you like to see Missy return to challenge Whittaker’s Doctor?