John Barrowman, though a successful actor, has long expressed interest in returning to Doctor Who. He recently returned during the 13th Doctor stories “Fugitive of the Judoon” and “Revolution of the Daleks.” Fans are no doubt wondering whether Jack Harkness will return in RTD’s era, especially consideing that Davies created the character.
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Barrowman’s On-Set Antics Could Have Caused A Problem
John Barrowman came under scrutiny for his on-set antics, in which he regularly exposed himself to colleagues on set. This behavior seemed to follow him everywhere, from Doctor Who to Torchwood to Arrow. While many actors expressed that this was always done in jest by Barrowman and that they didn’t feel threatened, it has nonetheless damaged Barrowman’s credibility and reputation within the industry and amongst fans.
With Doctor Who’s brand suffering in recent years due to fan and critic reception, Russell T. Davies may want to play it safe by not bringing Barrowman back until public perception of him has improved. Barrowman appeared in some of the Tenth Doctor’s best Doctor Who episodes, so nobody can blame Davies if he wants to stick with what works. Then again, Russell is known for working regularly with people he’s on good terms with, and he’s not the sort to shy away from being brave enough to work with Barrowman again regardless of the branding issues. Barrowman has since been apologetic for his behavior and escaped relatively unscathed, so perhaps it won’t be seen as such as a risk by Davies and Bad Wolf Studios.
Multiple Legacy Characters Are Already Returning
Multiple legacy characters have already been announced as returning for Davies’ second era of the show. David Tennant and Catherine Tate are returning, although whether Tennant is returning as the 10th, 14th, or a fake Doctor is unknown, currently with rumors circulating about all three outcomes. One thing people need to know about the Celestial Toymaker in Doctor Who is that he can manipulate reality and create illusions; meaning Tennant could be returning as a fake Doctor and not necessarily his popular incarnation.
What is clear is that Russell is linking his past era with his new one right from the start. Since Captain Jack appeared in his first series in The Empty Child and appeared as recently as Series 12, there is a good chance he could be thrown into the mix at some part also. What’s more, with Neil Patrick Harris and others saying that Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor will be the “sexiest Doctor yet,” Jack’s inclusion feels like a logical return considering his characterization and his history of flirting with the Doctor.
Jack Still Has Potential Character Development
Being an immortal Time Agent, Jack Harkness still has the potential for character development should Russell choose to bring him back. It was alluded to in the past that Jack has two years of his life that he can’t remember, a result of the Time Agency wiping his memories before he left. Exploration into these missing memories is something fans want to see in future Doctor Who seasons.
Being immortal, the character can appear in any time period for any reason. He’s also one of the Doctor’s oldest friends, at least in the modern series, so the potential for his return and further exploration of his character is certainly there. He was most recently seen attempting to warn the Doctor about the Lone Cyberman, and then shortly after when he helped to break the Doctor out of space prison.
Doctor Who Wants To Go The Marvel Route
Russell T. Davies made comments about how he was “sitting on an empire in 2008,” and how he believes the franchise has the potential to be ‘Marvel-ified’ like so many other show franchises have been trying recently. At one time Doctor Who had two spin-offs, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, so there’s definitely the potential there to replicate that in Davies’ new era.
Captain Jack helmed the Torchwood spin-off series, leading it to success throughout its four seasons. With Russell T. Davies likely wanting to repeat the same blueprint and have multiple spin-offs as well as the main show, perhaps he’d want to revive Torchwood? Doctor Who is one of the best science fantasy TV shows around, with potential for much more storytelling than being confined to one singular show.
If Torchwood were to be revived, fans would naturally want a return of Captain Jack due to the importance of that character to the series’ mythology and general structure. As mentioned previously, the branding issues caused by John Barrowman’s on-set antics may cause an issue in the eyes of TV executives. However, it looks like Davies is being given free rein over production as he works with Bad Wolf studio heads Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter; two producers with their own importance to Doctor Who and Torchwood’s history.
Jack Harkness Probably Won’t Return Straight Away
With Russell T. Davies being very open about the returns on his Instagram, fans can assume that Jack Harkness won’t be back any time soon. Both Davies and Barrowman find it hard to keep secrets related to Doctor Who, so the fact there’s been nothing about his return so far suggests it’s a while away. Until then, there are many Doctor Who companions who deserve a comeback.
As the trouble around Barrowman dies down and Russell gets more settled into his old/new role, the chances of Jack returning in the future can only increase. As with most things in the Doctor Who fandom, fan reaction will probably be split down the middle.
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