RTD has hinted that Donna’s return to Doctor Who will not be easy. Her reunion with the Doctor in the 60th anniversary special could be deadly.
Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble is returning for the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special, but it’s been hinted Donna may not survive the reunion. Donna was first introduced during Tennant’s reign as the Tenth Doctor, in season 2, episode 13, “Doomsday.” As a companion, Donna balanced out the Doctor’s temperament with her very down-to-earth attitude but, despite this, she was still described by Ten and Rose as “the most important woman in all of creation.” Donna’s importance was shown in one episode, “Turn Left,” where her minor driving decision changed the fate of the world, and also when she saved the whole of reality from the Daleks and Davros.
In Donna’s final episode, season 4’s finale “Journey’s End,” Donna absorbs all the Doctor’s knowledge and becomes part human, part-Time Lord, making her Doctor Donna. To save Donna from burning up and dying, the Doctor wipes her memories of him and leaves her behind, claiming if she were to ever remember she would die. However, trailers for the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special show Donna feeling like she is forgetting something about her life as well as her eventual reunion with the Doctor. The Doctor, once again played by David Tennant, is reluctant to see Donna but evidently needs her, which leaves the question of how Donna can possibly survive this reunion.
Donna Was Always Supposed To Die If She Regained Her Memories
Showrunner Russell T Davies recently responded to a Doctor Who Instagram post about Donna’s future, saying it holds “terrible things.” Donna was always s upposed to die if she regained her memories. The Doctor took this seriously enough that he made the decision to leave her. However, the limits of Doctor Donna were shown in the two-part special “The End of Time” when Donna was forced to confront some of her forgotten past and didn’t burn up. This means that there are some areas of the Doctor’s life Donna can definitely face again. However, the 60th anniversary will see the Doctor and Donna fully reunite.
The Doctor and Donna reuniting without any effect on Donna would contradict the severity of the Doctor Donna plot line, and RTD’s comment about what happens to the character could mean Donna is not going to survive her reunion with the Doctor. The Doctor Who 60th anniversary special could finally close the Doctor Donna story, but potentially not in the way fans of Donna hope.
One Character Theory Could Explain Donna’s Ability To See The Doctor
The Doctor Who 60th anniversary special will need to explain how the Doctor and Donna are reunited without Donna burning up as well, and one character theory may already have the answer. A major Doctor Who 60th anniversary theory is that Neil Patrick Harris is playing the Celestial Toymaker, a god-like creature with powers to warp reality. The 60th anniversary special trailer hints that the Doctor and Donna’s realities are becoming mayhem, and the Toymaker is the probable reason for this. The Toymaker is also being cited as the Doctor’s most powerful enemy yet which suggests the the Doctor’s life will be upended.
The Celestial Toymaker’s powers make it possible for him to warp reality to allow Donna to remember the Doctor without dying. Donna was one of the Doctor’s closest friends, so using Donna and the risk of her death upon remembering him could be a way for the Toymaker to taunt the Doctor. Once this is over, with Donna potentially regaining her memory and Doctor Donna’s powers, it is highly possible Donna may not be able to survive when reality to returns to normal in Doctor Who.
