The thing about the Master is that no matter how much it looks like they were definitely killed, they just come back later like nothing ever happened. This was true in the Classic series, the Master would definitively die with no way of coming back. Then he would pop up with no explanation.
Both RTD and Moffat realized that this would not be satisfying to modern audiences. RTD dealt with it by showing the Saxon Master definitely burning on the funeral pyre but including the ring as a teaser for their return. Moffat dealt with it by making a self-aware joke about it: when Missy returns in series 9 she said "Okay, cutting to the chase. Not dead, back, big surprise, never mind." And then also by explaining how she survived in the following episode.
Chibnall on the other hand, didn't engage with things in the same way as RTD and Moffat, so he just played it straight. Exactly like it was in the Classic era. The Master is back with no explanation and nobody talks about it, we just move on.
As for why the new Master was evil, well again that's Chibnall just not considering things in the same way as the previous two showrunners did. He wasn't as interested in engaging with the show and how its evolved over the years and how television has evolved over the years like Moffat and RTD were. He just wanted to write a classic style Master in a classic way so he did exactly that. It just unfortunately felt like a step backwards after the evolutions the other showrunners had made.
Chibnall does vaguely try to justify it in the text. There is something about how learning the truth of the Timeless Child drove the Master over the edge but it's not very well defined.
I will also say, I dont really think Missys redemption read to me as like Moffat was intending for it to actually stick. The whole "The Master kills themself" feels very much like commentary on the Master being a self-destructive individual that, even at their best, will ultimativly self-sabotage any attempt at bettering themself.
theres an audio adventure from big finish productions. about what happened to missy and how she was able to regenerate again.
im not sure if its canon of course (thw quote of dcotor who of everyhting being canon and nothing being canon) but l liked it. it was well written and it actually had the missy actress.
im not gonna spoil it but its called
# The Lumiat
I think that Gallifrey High Council made the Doctor's mom test her experiments on someone besides herself before they or anyone of importance would attempt the regeneration formula/project (you get it), so the found another orphaned/unimportant kid to be the guinea pig... he doesn't remember because they mind wiped him of it. He, like the Doctor's mom, has the extra regenerations and are probably even harder to kill than most Time lords.
I have a couple of theories on that. First one is that the order went from Saxon to Spy to Missy. Second one is that the Master is also a timeless child; two were sent instead of one
Because it doesn't really matter. The Master is always cheating death, it's their second favourite thing to do after wearing crazy disguises.
Also, the idea that the "redemption" of Missy would have ever stuck is kinda silly. The whole point of the character is for them to be cartoonishly evil/insane, so obviously they'd become a villain again. Them being redeemed permanently is boring; it's a dead end in terms of storytelling, because you're essentially getting rid of an iconic villain and replacing them with a Doctor Lite character.
I disagree that it's silly. Having the character not change over 50 years and have no development, is silly. Seeing actual progress and watching the character struggle to find genuine redemption in a universe where they are hated feared and mistrusted. Watching them fail at it, pick themselves up and try again. That's what good anti-hero stories are made of.
In my head canon, the Masters gotten around the regeneration limit by using tech like cloning. The Master fighting 13 is an off shoot of some incarnation before Missy.
Simple answer - The Master always comes back.
Complex answer - Well...the Master always comes back (and there's a Big Finish audio which sheds some light on the subject I believe).
Also, its not as though Missy had done a complete 180, even if she'd chosen to stand with the Doctor that one time. And the trauma of being killed by herself, coupled with regeneration, would be enough to cause a relapse back to her old villanous persona.
Plus, you're forgetting the impact that the Timeless Child reveal had on the Master...that's really the driving force for this incarnation.
Because contrary to what fandom is constantly telling us. Continuity and lore do matter and it's confusing and jarring to experience that within the span of a one series break.
It's why I continuously say Chibnall's era feels more like it follows on from Classic Who rather than New Who.
Missy's Master was meant to be the last in her line. The new master was evil because they came sometime after John Simm's regeneration, hence why we never saw who he regenerated into. There could be any number of masters before they become Missy.
The Master coming back despite all indications they should be dead forever is kinda just their Thing.
Same for the Doctor tbh. Limit to regeneration. Nah.
The thing about the Master is that no matter how much it looks like they were definitely killed, they just come back later like nothing ever happened. This was true in the Classic series, the Master would definitively die with no way of coming back. Then he would pop up with no explanation. Both RTD and Moffat realized that this would not be satisfying to modern audiences. RTD dealt with it by showing the Saxon Master definitely burning on the funeral pyre but including the ring as a teaser for their return. Moffat dealt with it by making a self-aware joke about it: when Missy returns in series 9 she said "Okay, cutting to the chase. Not dead, back, big surprise, never mind." And then also by explaining how she survived in the following episode. Chibnall on the other hand, didn't engage with things in the same way as RTD and Moffat, so he just played it straight. Exactly like it was in the Classic era. The Master is back with no explanation and nobody talks about it, we just move on. As for why the new Master was evil, well again that's Chibnall just not considering things in the same way as the previous two showrunners did. He wasn't as interested in engaging with the show and how its evolved over the years and how television has evolved over the years like Moffat and RTD were. He just wanted to write a classic style Master in a classic way so he did exactly that. It just unfortunately felt like a step backwards after the evolutions the other showrunners had made. Chibnall does vaguely try to justify it in the text. There is something about how learning the truth of the Timeless Child drove the Master over the edge but it's not very well defined.
I will also say, I dont really think Missys redemption read to me as like Moffat was intending for it to actually stick. The whole "The Master kills themself" feels very much like commentary on the Master being a self-destructive individual that, even at their best, will ultimativly self-sabotage any attempt at bettering themself.
Didn't Moffat do the same thing with Davros in Series 9?
theres an audio adventure from big finish productions. about what happened to missy and how she was able to regenerate again. im not sure if its canon of course (thw quote of dcotor who of everyhting being canon and nothing being canon) but l liked it. it was well written and it actually had the missy actress. im not gonna spoil it but its called # The Lumiat
The Master never stays dead. It's one of the main traits of his character by this point.
I think that Gallifrey High Council made the Doctor's mom test her experiments on someone besides herself before they or anyone of importance would attempt the regeneration formula/project (you get it), so the found another orphaned/unimportant kid to be the guinea pig... he doesn't remember because they mind wiped him of it. He, like the Doctor's mom, has the extra regenerations and are probably even harder to kill than most Time lords.
Wibbly wobbly, mastery wastery.
I have a couple of theories on that. First one is that the order went from Saxon to Spy to Missy. Second one is that the Master is also a timeless child; two were sent instead of one
Because it doesn't really matter. The Master is always cheating death, it's their second favourite thing to do after wearing crazy disguises. Also, the idea that the "redemption" of Missy would have ever stuck is kinda silly. The whole point of the character is for them to be cartoonishly evil/insane, so obviously they'd become a villain again. Them being redeemed permanently is boring; it's a dead end in terms of storytelling, because you're essentially getting rid of an iconic villain and replacing them with a Doctor Lite character.
Another way to look at it is that *Missy* was redeemed. But the Master killed her and forced her to become him again.
I disagree that it's silly. Having the character not change over 50 years and have no development, is silly. Seeing actual progress and watching the character struggle to find genuine redemption in a universe where they are hated feared and mistrusted. Watching them fail at it, pick themselves up and try again. That's what good anti-hero stories are made of.
In my head canon, the Masters gotten around the regeneration limit by using tech like cloning. The Master fighting 13 is an off shoot of some incarnation before Missy.
Simple answer - The Master always comes back. Complex answer - Well...the Master always comes back (and there's a Big Finish audio which sheds some light on the subject I believe). Also, its not as though Missy had done a complete 180, even if she'd chosen to stand with the Doctor that one time. And the trauma of being killed by herself, coupled with regeneration, would be enough to cause a relapse back to her old villanous persona. Plus, you're forgetting the impact that the Timeless Child reveal had on the Master...that's really the driving force for this incarnation.
The Toymaker stated that he played a game with the Master for their life, but didn’t specify which one.
The Toymaker referred to the Master with he/him pronouns, so it definitely wasn’t Missy.
I was thinking about Sacha Dhawan’s Master, who came after Missy.
Maybe the game is still afoot
Because contrary to what fandom is constantly telling us. Continuity and lore do matter and it's confusing and jarring to experience that within the span of a one series break. It's why I continuously say Chibnall's era feels more like it follows on from Classic Who rather than New Who.
A wizard did it
Maybe we aren't meeting The Master in the correct order 🤔
Missy's Master was meant to be the last in her line. The new master was evil because they came sometime after John Simm's regeneration, hence why we never saw who he regenerated into. There could be any number of masters before they become Missy.