Doctor Who Theory Reveals Mrs. Flood Is An Angel Created By The Doctor Himself

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 15, episode 3, “The Well.”Anita Dobson’s Mrs. Flood debuted in Doctor Who‘s 2023 Christmas special, and I’ve since become convinced that the mysterious character has a connection to the Doctor that mirrors that of the connection between Sutekh and the various versions of Susan Triad (Susan Twist). While quietly permeating the Doctor Who season 15 cast, Mrs. Flood continues to pop up throughout time and space without any real explanation as to how or why she is following the Doctor. Almost a year after Doctor Who season 14’s ending in 2024, I think I finally know.

Showrunner Russell T. Davies confirmed before Doctor Who season 15 began that Mrs. Flood would appear in every episode, suggesting that the mystery that has surrounded her since her debut would start to be properly addressed. Although the reason for her presence becomes more compelling rather than clearer in season 15’s opening episodes, I’ve been formulating a theory about Mrs. Flood that I think stands a good chance of being correct. It all comes back to Doctor Who‘s Pantheon of Gods, and its possible connection to the Doctor.

The Doctor Could Be One Of Doctor Who’s Pantheon Gods

Doctor Who’s main character as the God of Life makes so much sense

To fully contextualize my theory about Mrs. Flood, the Doctor’s place in the ongoing mystery also needs to be addressed, which leads to more speculation. I think the Doctor, currently being played by Ncuti Gatwa, is part of the Pantheon. However, if he is, he has no idea. Chris Chibnall’s Timeless Child storyline with Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor retconned the Time Lord’s backstory so that they actually originated from outside the universe, and fell through a crack in the fabric of reality and landed on Gallifrey. Before becoming William Hartnell’s First Doctor, the character had their mind wiped.

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All Doctor Who Pantheon Gods Ranked By Power

The Doctor has now fought several Pantheon members onscreen, which makes it easier to work out which of the Gods is the strongest overall.

Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor has spoken a few times now about where the Pantheon is from, stating its origin is “beyond the universe.” He may not remember his earliest days now, but it’s now canonically true that the Doctor is from a different universe, too. Pair this with the fact that the Doctor routinely goes toe-to-toe with the Pantheon and comes out on top, and it’s not unreasonable to assume his power stems from belonging to the same group of characters as the Toymaker, Maestro, and the other confirmed Pantheon members.

If the Doctor belongs to the Pantheon, the most fitting position he could hold is the God of Life. As well as the character’s compulsive need to traverse space and time, saving people from certain doom, there is another trait that would support this theory. In short, it’s the existence of regeneration, which, after the Timeless Child arc, is now established to be a skill that originated with the Doctor and was harvested by the Time Lords. The power to cheat death over and over again would certainly be a fitting hallmark of a God of Life.

Mrs. Flood Is Acting A Lot Like Doctor Who Season 14’s Susan Triads

Despite very little having been resolved so far about the mystery of Mrs. Flood, there are quite a lot of similarities to a character from Gatwa’s first run of episodes as the Fifteenth Doctor. Susan Twist appeared throughout Doctor Who season 14, and always as a completely different character each time. Even during the instances where they seemed similar, there was something notable that set them apart, like a setting in the far future or distant past that would have made it impossible for the characters to be the same if Susan were just human.

Because of the reveal that Susan Twist was really playing all of Sutekh’s Angels of Death, I don’t think it’s an unreasonable leap of faith to assume that Davies is quietly nudging us all toward a similar conclusion for Dobson’s character. The biggest difference is that Mrs. Flood appears to be openly tracking the Doctor as he tries to get Belinda (Varada Sethu) home to Earth, whereas all the Susans seemed unaware of their true natures until Sutekh called them into action.

Has The Doctor Accidentally Created Mrs. Flood As His “Angel Of Life”?

Fifteen may not know he is responsible for Mrs. Flood’s presence

Building on the theory that the Doctor is the God of Life, that would mean he is bound by the same rules and quirks as the other Gods that have appeared so far. That said, some of them have had unique traits, but Sutekh’s seemingly effortless ability to create an Angel of Death wherever the TARDIS landed, all of whom were played by Susan Twist, could be something that the Doctor is doing too, only with Angels of Life. With Death and Life being such closely bound concepts, it’s not a wild idea to assume this similarity.

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Theory: Mrs. Flood Is Talking About Doctor Who Ending, Not The Fifteenth Doctor Regenerating, In Her “Lux” Cameo

Mrs. Flood is one of Doctor Who’s most confusing characters, but her line at the end of “Lux” may have hinted towards her greater purpose.

Just as Susan Triad and her counterparts acted autonomously, Mrs. Flood appears to be doing the same. So, it could be that each Mrs. Flood is different. If the Doctor is the God of Life, then he could also be causing a version of Mrs. Flood to materialize nearby each time he lands the TARDIS, which is what was happening with Sutekh’s Angels of Death. Just as all the Susans didn’t pose a threat until they were called upon to do so, the Doctor could have a huge advantage when the time comes to call upon all the Mrs. Floods.

What Mrs. Flood Being An Angel Of Life Means For Doctor Who Season 15

Mrs. Flood clearly has a major role in the upcoming chaos

Mrs. Flood has broken the fourth wall countless times, and it’s become one of her biggest traits. Even among all the other meta moments in Doctor Who‘s Disney era, the scenes where Dobson’s character directly addresses the audience stand out particularly well. She’s made it clear that she knows quite a lot about the Doctor, his TARDIS, and the show has even teased that Mrs. Flood has been following the Doctor’s companions since the beginning. All of this would make a lot of sense if she turns out to be an offshoot of the Doctor, and makes her incredibly important.

One of Mrs. Flood’s most loaded moments so far is saying that the Doctor has a “limited run” that ends on May 24. However, considering how often she has referenced things that she should not know about, she may be referring to Doctor Who itself. Either way, May 24 is the date that “Wish World” airs, which is season 15’s penultimate episode. So, Mrs. Flood’s true purpose and identity will likely be cleared up in “Wish World,” and an Angel of Life becoming a part of the story means an exciting conclusion for Doctor Who season 15.

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