Constructing interesting and strong villains is one of Doctor Who's core strengths, and the franchise has given us some truly great characters to fear and hate over the years. We all know the classics like Daleks, Cybermen, and of course The Master, and I would imagine fans have their own personal favorites they've seen over the years.
As much as I love how Doctor Who continually expands and adds more villains to the universe, there are quite a few in its past that were underutilized or faded away much sooner than they should have. These are some of my personal favorites, and some reasons why I loved them and would love to see them return.
Sontarans
The Sontarans were once a feared enemy of The Doctor, though only sometimes brought into the story as a filler enemy in part of a larger plot. By the time Strax was brought into the story, the species was largely played off as a joke. I get it, seeing as they look like the McNugget Buddies from old school Happy Meals, but there's a part of me that misses the days of the Sontarans being feared enemies of The Doctor. Bring back the fearsome Sontarans, perhaps by showcasing some of that superhuman strength they exhibit due to high gravity on their home planets.
The Silence
The Silence had a good run during Matt Smith's run as The Doctor, but sadly, fell out of style minus one episode outside of Season 6. That said, I guess I can only assume that, considering The Silence can influence the thoughts of others and make their subjects forget they were ever seen right after. For all we know, The Silence could be behind a lot of things since then, and The Doctor just hasn't sniffed them out again! I'd love to see it, but I'm not optimistic Chris Chibnall is looking into giving these well-dressed aliens a comeback.
The Family Of Blood
They say the family that hunts together for immortality stays together! Well, actually no one says that, because even Doctor Who only featured these villains on television in one two-parter. It's also incorrect to call these gaseous human-possessing life forms a family really, though they referred to themselves as such in Season 3. For those that may not remember, the Doctor granted each of these villains their immortality, though in ways that were more torturous than enjoyable. Wouldn't it be great to see at least one of them come back for revenge? My money would be Son of Mine, considering he's just posing as a scarecrow in a field somewhere.
Pting
Perhaps the cutest villain Doctor Who has ever seen, a Pting is about as dangerous as it is cute. It only eats inorganic matter, and can consume a great deal of it. It's a nightmare for any ship out in space, especially since capturing and containing these species is nigh impossible. Their poisonous skin makes them highly toxic to humanoids, but good news! They can survive without oxygen. This allowed The Doctor to shoot one out into space guilt-free in "The Tsuranga Conundrum," and save her and her "fam" from an almost assured death.
Racnoss
The Racnoss have not been seen in Doctor Who since they faced off The Doctor and Donna Noble, but that's for a good reason. The species was driven to extinction thanks to their actions, which is a shame because they were one of the coolest-looking species in the series. Of course, one could argue that no species is truly extinct in a series about time travel, where the slightest changes could bring someone back into existence. I'd love to see it, if only to see that angry queen bark orders at minions.
The Stenza
One of the newest ultra violent species of Doctor Who, the Stenza are big on ritualistic hunting and are so cold they can freeze a human to death with their touch. Did I mention they also look like they have a ton of baby teeth shoved into their skin, because that's a thing that'll give anyone nightmares. Unfortunately, the most notable Stenza we've seen (nicknamed Tim Shaw) hasn't been seen since his arc in Season 11, but perhaps the future will showcase his grand return?
Time Beetle
Doctor Who had the perfect excuse to do "what if" episodes with the Time Beetle, but unfortunately made this a one and done villain. I'd love to see another Time Beetle in the future, though admittedly, so much changes in Doctor Who that it's kind of hard to stop time traveling for a plot that revisits and creates a past episode with a different outcome. Maybe use one at the start of a season for something audiences haven't seen yet, and then slowly unravel the reality of what happened vs. what the audience saw?
The Whisper Men
The Whisper Men have the same general creep factor of the Silence, and even the "weird faces with suits: shtick, but these blokes are completely different. I liked their ability to retain the form of a specific individual, and any villains that threaten in rhyme is just that much more badass. I'd love to see them again, though given they were merely tools a part of the Great Intelligence, I wouldn't hold my breath on their return.
Fisher King
The Fisher King is one of coolest and strangest looking one-off villains of modern Doctor Who. He looks like a Predator with a turtle shell over the top of his back, and has the ability to turn people into ghosts. I guess any villain who kills can do that, but the Fisher King then used these ghosts to transmit signals to his people in an effort to be rescued from Earth. The Doctor ended up killing him with a great flood, which is ironic, but it's my hope with a name like Fisher King he swam his way out of it.
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