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| “ | Now, the dream outlives the dreamer and can never die. Once, I was the puppet. Now I pull the strings! | „ |
| ~ The Great Intelligence, taking control of Dr. Simeon. |
The Great Intelligence, also known by his host Dr. Walter Simeon or as "Yog-Sothoth", is a major antagonist in the Second Doctor's era and the overarching antagonist in the Eleventh Doctor's era in the Doctor Who franchise.
It is a malevolent disembodied consciousness seeking to claim a new body for itself. After being thwarted by the Doctor, it would orchestrate several schemes to get revenge on him.
In the classic series, it was played by Wolfe Morris while possessing Padmasambhava in "The Abominable Snowmen", and by Jack Woolgar while possessing Arnold in "The Web of Fear". In the revival series, it was voiced by Ian McKellen in "The Snowmen", and was portrayed by Richard E. Grant after taking over its host Walter Simeon for the rest of the series, who also played Withnail in Withnail & I, Barkis Bittern in Corpse Bride, Darwin Mayflower in Hudson Hawk, Vic Van Wrinkle in Horrid Henry: The Movie, The Man With a Beard But No Hair in A Series of Unfortunate Events, Dr. Zander Rice in Logan and Allegiant General Pryde in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker.
Biography[]
The Snowmen[]
From another world, the Great Intelligence comes to 1800s London during winter and forms a mental link to a child named Walter Simeon to survive. With the adult Dr. Simeon finding the Great Intelligence Institute to house the preserved snowman he inhabited, the Great Intelligence builds an army of snowmen to enhance. However, the Eleventh Doctor, having faced the Great Intelligence in his Second incarnation, knows what he was dealing with and used a memory worm to render Simeon mindless. However, the Great Intelligence becomes independent enough to continue on his own and possesses Dr. Simeon's brain dead body to kill the Doctor before being forced to leave it.
The Abominable Snowmen[]
The Great Intelligence goes on to possess the body of the High Lama Padmasamabhava, enabling the Lama to live for over 300 years. The Intelligence has him create the Robot Yeti to act as his army, which it controlls by control spheres. In 1935, the Second Doctor, as well as the explorer Edward Travers, intervene in the Intelligence’s attempt at world conquest. Despite the Intelligence’s attempt to turn Padmasambhava’s monastery against the Doctor, a subsequent attack gives The Doctor the chance to examine a defeated Yeti and deduce its true nature. Thanks to Travers spying on the Yeti assembling the spheres in a cave, The Doctor learns that the Great Intelligence is attempting to physically manifest itself on Earth, as well as learning about his old friend’s connection with it. While The Doctor distracts the Intelligence in Padmasambhava’s body, Jamie McCrimmon and one of the monks destroy the equipment he was using to control the Yeti from the monastery. Following this victory, The Doctor destroys the pyramid of spheres that had been assembled, ending the threat of invasion.
The Web of Fear[]
The Great Intelligence retaliates forty years later when a surviving Yeti is reactivated. Creating an army of next generation Yeti, the Intelligence invades the London Underground, manifesting as webbing, which also catches the Doctor's TARDIS, forcing him to land in London. Along with Travers, the Doctor aids the British military, led by Colonel Lethbridge Stewart, against the Intelligence, but is unaware that the Intelligence had reanimated the corpse of Staff-Sergeant Arnold to act as a spy. The Intelligence eventually manages to capture the Doctor, with the intention to drain his mind. The Doctor attempts to reverse the process, allowing him to absorb the Intelligence and destroy it. When the control spheres that form the focus of the Intelligence are smashed by Jamie McCrimmon, the Intelligence is banished.
The Bells of St. John[]
In the 21st Century, the Great Intelligence acts through a woman called Miss Kizlet using an organization based at the Shard to collect and harvest the minds of people using the wifi. The Eleventh Doctor manages to free his victims, with the Great Intelligence satisfied with what he learned as he has Miss Kizlet wipe all memories of his existence from her mind and others in order to hinder UNIT's investigation.
The Name of the Doctor[]
Having acquired data on the Doctor's actions over the years, the Great Intelligence makes his move using the spectral Whisper Men as vessels that assume the form of Dr. Simeon. The Great Intelligence kidnaps the Silurian Vastra, Jenny and the Sontaran Commander Strax, taking them to Trenzalore to lure the Eleventh Doctor to his tomb the dying TARDIS to open it.
He threatens to use the Whispermen to kill the Doctor's friends unless the Tomb was opened, but a Data Ghost of River Song opened the TARDIS. Inside, a temporal rift representing the Doctor's timeline has manifested. There, knowing it would destroy him in the process, the Great Intelligence scatters himself along the Doctor's timeline and rewrites it to destroy the Doctor and all the good he has done, which starts destroying the Universe and erases Jenny and Strax.
However, the Doctor's companion Clara Oswald also scatters herself along the timeline to undo most of the damage. After that, Madame Vastra assumes that Clara's action destroyed the Intelligence, but it is possible he will return.
Quotes[]
| “ | Such a brain as yours is too small to grasp my purpose. | „ |
| ~ The Great Intelligence to the Doctor, The Abominable Snowmen. |
| “ | He has no alternative. I am sorry not to be here to welcome you personally, but I am sure you will not be offended. After all, the guest of honour is the Doctor. He, I am sure, will cooperate as I advise you to do. Any attempt to interfere would be pointless. My Yeti can destroy you so easily. | „ |
| ~ The Intelligence in The Web of Fear. |
| “ | Vastra: The Doctor has been many things, but never blood-soaked. Great Intelligence: Tell that to the leader of the Sycorax, or Solomon the trader, or the Cybermen, or the Daleks. The Doctor lives his life in darker hues, day upon day, and he will have other names before the end. The Storm, the Beast, the Valeyard. |
„ |
| ~ The Great Intelligence tries to demonize the Doctor by pointing out his darker side. |
Trivia[]
- According to one account in the Doctor Who universe, the Great Intelligence was originally the being known as Yog-Sothoth, a Great Old One from the pre-universe who began conquering planets while searching for a body to possess.
