Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 15, episode 2, “Lux.”The God of Death’s exit in Doctor Who season 14’s finale could be interpreted as a temporary setback given the character’s history, but season 15, episode 2, “Lux,” teases the fact that Sutekh (Gabriel Woolf) is gone for good. The One Who Waits’ true identity being revealed as Sutekh was one of season 14’s biggest twists, as the villain hadn’t appeared in the show since the 1975 “Pyramids of Mars” serial starring Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor. Alan Cumming’s Mr. Ring-a-Ding/Lux Imperator, the God of Light, mentions Sutekh in “Lux,” and it doesn’t sound good for Woolf’s character.

As a member of Doctor Who‘s Pantheon, Sutekh has been retconned into being part of a larger collective of villains. He was strongly implied to have been at the top of the hierarchy, which suggests his supremacy. With Sutekh defeated, it remains to be seen if anyone will rush in to fill the void, or if the Pantheon even has that kind of structure. Lux is also a very powerful being, but was similarly dispensed with by Fifteen (Ncuti Gatwa) in season 15’s second installment – but not before the God of Light provided a cryptic clue about Sutekh’s future.

Lux Suggests Sutekh Really Is Dead After Doctor Who Season 14’s Ending

The God of Light uses an interesting word to describe the Doctor’s second defeat of Sutekh

Once Lux identifies the Doctor, the God of Light goes on to monologue about the Time Lord’s various victories over other Pantheon members. Although Lux largely avoids words that imply the Doctor actually killed any of the other Gods, he doesn’t make the same omission when it comes to Sutekh. Cumming’s character calls the Doctor the “enemy” of the Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris), the “decomposer” of Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon), but calls him the “killer” of the God of Death – who is Sutekh.

Of course, Lux could simply be turning a phrase, but it feels especially salient that he uses such a final word to describe the Doctor’s defeat of season 14’s biggest villain. If anyone would know whether Sutekh is gone for good, it would be someone like Lux, who also belongs to the Pantheon. What makes it difficult to tell whether Lux is speaking literally is his penchant for showmanship, so he could have been exaggerating or embellishing the truth.

If Sutekh Returned Once, Don’t Rule Out His Future Doctor Who Comeback

The God of Death has already fooled the Doctor once

When Baker’s Doctor defeated Sutekh the first time around, that also seemed like a permanent solution. However, Sutekh wasn’t banished at all, but had rather hitched himself to the TARDIS and waited for centuries to resurface as the God of Death. Therefore, it’s possible that his final scene in Doctor Who season 14, episode 8, “Empire of Death,” was just as deceptive as his 1975 exit. If so, he could return yet again in Doctor Who‘s near or distant future.

Doctor Who

5/10

Release Date

December 25, 2023

Directors

Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie

Writers

Russell T. Davies, Dave Gibbons, Kate Herron, Steven Moffat

Franchise(s)

Doctor Who