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In series 6 of the new Doctor Who series, The God Complex episode, there is a room for everyone (maybe even Rory, we don't know for sure). Amy saw herself waiting for The Doctor as a child. It scared her and reminded her of her faith in The Doctor and made her reach for her faith, which the Minotaur would feed on.

There was a door for The Doctor (Room No. 11...dun dun dun duuun), which he opened and looked into. He said:

Who else?

Who was he referring to?

Since in The Time of The Doctor, we saw that it was the crack in the wall. But who did he see?

I understand that this may just be something he said off-hand. But I am curious.

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    Assuming it's an actual who, and he wasn't just anthropomorphizing the Crack into a sentient being, I would guess it was The War Doctor, but I have no canon backup. It seems logical, tho -- he's been running from who he was and what he did ever since that incarnation, regardless of later changes. Also when the Minotaur is dying, it expresses its pity for "an ancient creature drenched in the blood of the innocent" - because "for such a creature, death would be a gift." referring (to his surprise) to the Doctor.
    – K-H-W
    Aug 14, 2014 at 16:17
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    That being said, I'm pretty sure he was just anthropomorphizing the Crack. At the time, we see the light that we have come to recognize as from the crack, then, as you mention, we see the crack itself in a flashback. I think he's just anthropomorphizing it because it's taking the role as a kind of villain, and he assumes a nefarious sentience behind it.
    – K-H-W
    Aug 14, 2014 at 16:24
  • @KHW: maybe. Or maybe he saw River Song through the crack. She did sort of cause them, right, by piloting the TARDIS as it exploded?
    – Paul D. Waite
    Aug 15, 2014 at 7:16
  • I had assumed he had seen himself.
    – Zenzizenzizenzic
    Feb 2, 2022 at 21:03

8 Answers 8

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There is no way we can know.

As far as I'm aware there is no clue in either that episode, another, or wider canon. A such without official word from the shows creators there's no way to answer definitively.

That's not to say we can't hypothesise!

It's my belief that he met himself (or possibly his 'War Doctor' regeneration). If you watch The Day of the Doctor and the events of the time war you'll see why he loathes that regeneration, he's both terrified and furious at it.

Furthermore there are some precidents for it, in the episode Amy's Choice they encounter the Dream Lord who is a manifestation of the Doctor's darker nature. He's a side of the doctor who 11 is terrified of and wants to overcome. In A Good Man goes to War River warns 11 about what he may turn into if he continues down this path.

11 has a darker theme, he has secrets which must never be spoken. He's running from his past, what he believes is his nature. As such I suspect he saw himself in The God Complex.

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  • I thought almost the exact same thing, and this seems to be by far the most popular fan theory. You could also mention The Waters of Mars, where, after being separated from humanity for a while, the Doctor decides that as the last Time Lord, he can make his own rules.
    – KSmarts
    Feb 8, 2015 at 22:19
  • I'm sorry, but this answer is wrong. In "The Time of The Doctor" (2013 Christmas Special) it was revealed through a flashback that he actually saw the crack in Amy's wall.
    – tilley31
    Sep 18, 2015 at 18:28
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The Doctor saw the crack in Room 11, as shown clearly in Time of the Doctor. Why he said "Who else" is anybodys guess, unless the Doctor realised that the Time Lords were behind it - unlikely at that point.

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He most likely didn't see any particular person. The Doctor, particularly his eleventh incarnation, has always had something of a habit of personifying objects when referring to them, like his TARDIS for instance. And indeed, in "The Time of the Doctor", he does this to the crack in the wall, saying "What took you so long?" upon seeing it. I think it would be reasonable to assume that this is just a case of that.

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    Nearly every incarnation of the doctor has reffered to the TARDIS as "her" though.
    – Monty129
    Aug 17, 2014 at 10:44
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Going by the "Who else?" it could be the War Doctor (John Hurt). As we find out much later (with Clara) that the Doctor 'disowned' a version of himself. The War Doctor. Since he killed all of Gallifrey, including his own family, he is most afraid of that Doctor. Since he doesn't know that Gallifrey Falls No More yet, he is still terrified at that version of himself. So, I think it's the War Doctor.

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I don't know why he would say "Who else?" But it does show in the last episode of season seven in a flashback of him opening door eleven and then shows him seeing a crack. Seeing as to how it was flashbacks of the crack I doubt it would randomly show him opening room eleven, so that's my insight to this answer. Maybe he said who because he saw his name as well and knew that was his fear, dying after the question was answered.

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i myself think it was all the companions who have died because of him of he has had to leave ie rose Tyler. I also think it was the crack but with all the monster he has face flooding out of it ie the darleks and cybermen. It is also likely that the war doctor was in this room to.

so to conclude I think companions , monsters( coming out of the crack) , the war doctor and Galifray ( inside the crack)!

I also think that everyone will have their own opinions of what was in that room but I don't think if all the whovians in the world asked Moffat what was in that room he would tell us!

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I think the Doctor saw all of his companions that passed because of him and the War Doctor, who he was afraid of any one to know.

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    You should edit your answer to explain why you think this, as it currently reads more as a comment than an actual answer.
    – phantom42
    Sep 5, 2015 at 14:59
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First off, I really think anthropomorphizing the crack itself is a stretch. It was just a recurring theme, there was no intelligence there whatsoever.

My first thought in answer to the question is to think about what was revealed to be behind the crack - Gallifrey. Surely that would be more a appropriate connection to the crack than the War Doctor, and (at the time) just as scary to him, as he hadn't yet learned of Gallifrey's survival. Of course, seeing his people in connection with the ol' universe fracture would have given him a heads-up on what would happen later.

I dunno. That made more sense in my head, and I'm tired, so I'm getting muddled.

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