Written by The Wandering Fox
Hello everybody, I’m the Wandering Fox, and I’m here to tell you all about the history of Disabled Characters and how not all of them are evil. Or more specifically telling this so called master of writing how bloody wrong he is.
This is Russel T. Davies, the former head writer of Doctor Who who brought the show back in 2005, left in 2009 and then returned in late 2022 to be in charge of the series again. Russel before he returned was beloved by Doctor Who fans who looked to him for hope to try and help Doctor Who get back on its feet. But as soon as he returned he had to do something that outraged a lot of Doctor Who fans.
Davros Returns
As part of celebrating 60 years of Doctor Who in November 2023, the mini episode Destination Skaro was released which featured the return of the Daleks’ creator, Davros. But he looked different. He was now able bodied and no longer disfigured. Watching the episode we just guessed this was him before he ended up injured and went in the life support machine. This is how Davros was from 1975 to 2015.
Davros when he first appeared in Genesis of the Daleks 1975, with Michael Wisher playing him.
On the left is Davros as he appeared in Destination Skaro. On the right is how Davros returned in 2008, played by Julian Bleach in both.
However, in the behind the scenes documentary Doctor Who Unleashed, Russel ended up saying something which outraged Doctor Who fans, including disabled Doctor Who fans.
There's a problem with the Davros of old, in that he's a wheelchair user who is evil. There's a long tradition of associating disability with evil but time, society, culture and taste has moved on. When the world changes, Doctor Who has to change as well. Especially on Children in Need night, when issues of disability and otherness come right to the front of the conversation.
— Russell T Davies
Russell made a huge error that began his collapse as a loved writer to Doctor Who fans, with many noting a huge majority had no problem with Davros before. Of course Russell, who’s an old guy in his 60s, went on Instagram and had a big diva tantrum with fans who told him, quite kindly, he was utterly wrong.
But he also said something that is so crazy and ridiculous that you know this man lives inside his own rectum.
“There's a long tradition of associating disability with evil but time, society, culture and taste has moved on.”
Russell is wrong. He is completely wrong. Nobody had thought Davros was evil because he was disabled. Nobody did. Davros was evil before he was disabled. He is a Kaled who grew up hating the Thals and wanted them dead, he was injured and he did not let his disability stop him and grew to become one of the most powerful scientists in the universe. His “wheelchair” is his life support machine, it keeps him alive. But yeah, Russell went back to Genesis and has said “Davros was never in the chair, he was always like this”, which makes scenes like the Doctor almost killing Davros really difficult to think of.
But he’s also wrong about how disability has been associated with evil. He is wrong.
Yes, we had Jason Voorhees, Darth Vader, Freddy Krueger, Emperor Belos, the Brain, we’ve had them. But who else did we have? Well, let’s see then, Russell.
Zuko
Look at Zuko. He’s disfigured. He’s partly burnt. Did he start as an antagonist? Yes. But was it because he was burnt by his father? While it was a contributing factor to his first antagonistic role in the first season of Avatar, it wasn’t the reason why he was evil. He was emotionally abused by his father and sister since he was a kid and lost his mother which damaged him mentally and emotionally. In the following season Zuko wrestled hard with his feelings of who he truly was and though he made strives to do good, he fell back into wanting his father’s love which of course set him back so bad that Katara told him she’d end him if he hurt Aang again after he went to Team Avatar for help and look, he still made it to the end and came out as a good guy who desired to change things for the better. You see Russell? Avatar was made back in 2005, same year as you brought Doctor Who back. If you’re so clever Russell, you’d have known this.
How about we look back to 1985 with.
Sloth
In 1985, while Jason was dead until he was brought back a year later, we had this classic movie called The Goonies released, and a great character we ended up getting in the movie was Sloth. The dear guy was trapped in the basement of his mother’s, with his mum and brothers, the Fratellis, criminals. After Chunk was thrown into the room with him, he was at first frightened by Sloth but realised he was a gentle guy who came to like Chunk. Upon being freed Sloth helped himself to Rocky Road ice cream and was so happy to be free he then went in the tunnels with Chunk, in which he helped save the Goonies from his family. This was great as Sloth was free from his family and in the end he was free to move in with Chunk and adopted by his family. Interestingly he was called Jason, incredibly ironic not just because of the murderer but because Superman has a son called Jason in some continuities so that’s a great bonus for him. Sloth wasn’t evil at all. He was disfigured but was a gentle hero. Russell, if society has only just come this far to you, how come we had a disfigured hero in 1985?
In fact, why don’t we go back a bit further to 1967 with:
Ironside
The wheelchair detective Ironsides was a consultant to the San Francisco police department. A detective in a wheelchair in 1967 predating Davros. Wow Russell, you had to have heard of him, eh!?
If we’re gonna include those who suffered lost limbs then I can go on all about Luke Skywalker, but there’s Ash from the Evil Dead series.
Ash’s mechanical hand after he cut off his real hand.
Ash became a bloody badass hero who took a huge swaths of Deadites and goes about his day. This dude even went up against Freddy and Jason. Don’t you remember him Russell?
Or Bentley from Sly Cooper? Or Toph from Avatar? Or Hunter? Oh Russell, I can go on and on of how many disabled heroes there are.
But since you think there’s been too much evil disability, let’s look at these famous lot who are disabled.
Freddy Krueger
Freddy has a burnt face. Yes, he does. Did that make him evil? No. Freddy was evil before that. The guy killed children, had a thing for women in which he did horrid things to them. Freddy enjoyed doing it. Freddy isn’t evil because of his injuries. He’s evil because he enjoyed hurting children and killing them.
Jason Voorhees
Jason is disfigured and though he was bullied thanks to it, it wasn’t that which had him go evil. He turned evil after his mum was killed by Alice, and from then, minus the fifth film, Jason became the killer of the series. Jason could have stopped with just killing Alice but instead he kills anybody who comes to Crystal Lake. He hates people having fun, sex or being drunk or drugged up as those who could’ve been looking after him did that instead. Jason is driven by revenge and hatred, especially towards Tommy and Freddy.
Darth Vader
Ugh. Do I have to explain to Russell?
Hope I’ve explained my case to you. Yes, there’s been disabled villains, but there’s been disabled heroes as well. You only have to take a look and find it then you see it. Gosh why is it so hard?
I’m the Wandering Fox and I’ll see you all again with a Doctor Who essay that won’t be made until it’s over.