Doctor Who May Kill Off A Beloved Character Soon

Who has a tombstone with their name on it?

By David Wharton | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

It’s a lonely fate being a Time Lord. You may live for centuries, but most other beings don’t, meaning that every friendship formed is a down payment on eventual grief and loss. Even the Doctor’s companions who end their adventures with him alive and intact still find themselves left behind. Now rumor has it that one beloved character from the modern incarnation of Who may be meeting their fate in the second half of season seven.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS below this picture of Matt Smith and a mop!

Who

Alright, so who’s allegedly in the crosshairs? None other than River Song, aka Melody Pond, aka Mrs. The Doctor. River has been alternately beguiling and bedeviling the Doctor for several seasons now, ever since meeting him for the first time in “Silence in the Library”/”Forest of the Dead.” Well, the first time for The Doctor, anyway. It was actually the last time she’d see him for River, and the two have been enjoying a criss-crossed backwards relationship ever since. According to The List, that relationship may be about to end, as an unnamed crew member on the show reports seeing a mocked-up River Song tombstone prop.

Of course, die-hard Whovians will be immediately calling foul. As we said, the two episodes River first appeared in were also the end of her relationship with the Doctor. After some complicated shenanigans involving voracious predators that live in shadows, River died. Or sort of died. Her physical body was destroyed, but a copy of her mind and personality was saved inside a virtual reality simulation. That being the case, what would the purpose be of a River Song tombstone?

It’s been quite a while since her “death,” so if the Doctor was going to set up a symbolic tombstone, you’d think he already would have. Of course, this is Doctor Who we’re talking about, so the writers can always find a convoluted, timey-wimey way to retcon earlier events. Perhaps River’s fate will be changed? And if so, it sounds like it might be changing for the worse.

Either way, it’s just a rumor for now, but stay tuned to GFR for more.