Summary

• David Tennant's Doctor receives two happy companion endings, while Matt Smith's Doctor never gets a happy ending with Amy & Rory.
• It is theoretically possible for Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor to return to the series, but showrunner Russell T. Davies has expressed no interest in writing multi-Doctor stories.
• Changing Amy & Rory's ending would be a mistake that diminishes the Eleventh Doctor's character development.

After the shocking David Tennant twist in the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special, “The Giggle,” the biggest tragedy of Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor becomes even more devastating. Doctor Who celebrated its 60th anniversary with three specials that commemorate everything that makes the show great. The TARDIS goes haywire, leading to a whimsical adventure with terrifying monsters. UNIT gets a chance to shine after a largely inactive period. Also, the Doctor revisits one of their best companions in Doctor Who.

However, the 60th-anniversary specials also introduce many new elements to the Doctor Who universe – also called the Whoniverse. The Not-Things, new monsters on the edge of the universe, show the repercussions of the Flux. Meep the Beep finally makes a premiere on the show after only existing within the comics. Additionally, “The Giggle” retcons the Timeless Child in Doctor Who and introduces bi-regeneration, which echoes into the past. This leaves two Doctors – David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor and Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor.

The Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials are available to stream on Disney+.

David Tennant Now Has 2 Happy Companion Endings - While Matt Smith's Eleven Couldn't Stay With Amy & Rory

Prior to Doctor Who’s shocking new bi-regeneration, one version of Tennant’s Doctor already received a happy ending with a companion. The Meta-Crisis Doctor has a happy ending with Rose Tyler. One instance is seen in the audio drama Flight into Hull!, where the Doctor professes that they’re deeply in love with Rose, their companion and life partner. The short story “The Turning of the Tide” by Jenny Colgan presents another possible happy future for Rose and the Meta-Crisis Doctor. This shows the pair in love and Rose expecting their baby, who comes by the end of the story. Every part of the Whoniverse shows Tennant’s Meta-Doctor living happily with Rose.

The surprise bi-regeneration at Donna Noble’s family, settling into a static life while the Fifteenth Doctor continues traveling. In the Fourteenth Doctor’s new home, they are surrounded by companions like Donna, Wilf, and Mel. At the lunch table, they say, “Who’d have thought I’d end up with a family?” This question sums up their happy ending.

Unfortunately, Tennant’s multiple happy endings in Doctor Who just worsen the fact that Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor will never get a happy ending with Amy & Rory in any timeline. Given the way that RTD described retroactive bi-regeneration, Eleven survived their emotional regeneration in one timeline. The regeneration involved hallucinating both young and adult Amy. Their survival pours salt in the very open wound of the Doctor losing both she and Rory to the Weeping Angels in Doctor Who. Even when the Eleventh Doctor moves on to their new full-time companion Clara Oswald, they never fully get over the devastation that happened in “The Angels Take Manhattan.”

Will Matt Smith Ever Return To Doctor Who?

Now that every previous iteration of the Doctor has bi-regenerated in Doctor Who, there’s a clear way for Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor to return. They currently exist in another timeline from the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors. The only mystery is how to bridge those timelines without altering any fixed points in time and space – an action that causes catastrophe in the Whoniverse. Theoretically, it’s possible to intersect these timelines, though.

That being said, showrunner Russell T. Davies itted in the in-vision commentary for “The Giggle” that he doesn’t have any interest in writing multi-Doctor stories. Gatwa and Tennant’s Doctors appear together at the end of the 60th anniversary special as RTD’s concession to Doctor Who fans. Considering his feelings on the matter, it seems unlikely Smith will appear as the Eleventh Doctor in any future episodes under the showrunner’s direction.

Additionally, when asked in 2022 about returning to his previous role, Smith expressed hesitation about returning to Doctor Who due to his age. He expressed that the script would have to be right in order to overrule his hesitation. Mind you, the interview in question occurred before David Tennant’s return as the Fourteenth Doctor and the bi-regeneration. Considering the actor still holds a fondness for the series, the new elements of lore may sway him to feel differently about returning as the Doctor.

Doctor Who Needs To Avoid Changing Amy & Rory's Ending

Since it’s theoretically possible for Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor to return to Doctor Who, this raises the question whether Amy and Rory could also come back to the series. Seemingly, the bi-regeneration only impacted the Time Lord, meaning Amy and Rory’s deaths within the timeline would remain the same. However, bi-regeneration is a retcon of sorts. The Timeless Child retconned the entire history of the Doctor, Time Lords, and the Whoniverse. It’s more than possible that RTD could retcon Amy and Rory’s timeline in Doctor Who.

However, it would be a massive mistake to change Amy and Rory’s ending. Amy’s choice to let the Weeping Angel take her so that she can be with Rory massively affects the Eleventh Doctor. They not only lost their two companions but their best friend and the woman they loved. Even though they know the pair will be happy, the Doctor is inconsolable. If RTD changes Amy and Rory’s ending, it will diminish the Eleventh Doctor’s character development resulting from their loss. This impacts all future Doctors as well. It will also threaten to undo the bittersweet nature of Doctor Who's companion endings.