Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 14, episode 8, "Empire of Death."

Summary

• Doctor Who's Pantheon introduces godlike beings with powers suring the Doctor, posing a huge threat to the universe.
• Pantheon appear human but possess eccentricities and vast powers, challenging the Doctor in close showdowns.
• With connections to past villains like Eternals and The Trickster, the Pantheon teases the emergence of more powerful adversaries.

Doctor Who's Pantheon doesn't appear all at once, but that only makes the godlike beings even more intimidating. First mentioned by the Tenth Doctor in a 2009 spinoff episode, the collection of antagonists have abilities that sur even those of the Doctor. As a result, they're one of the biggest threats to the famous Time Lord. However, the danger isn't just to the life of the Doctor, but the entire universe is at stake as well. The Doctor's immense intellect levels the playing field, but his showdowns with Pantheon are always a close call.

greatest Doctor Who stories of all time involve bad guys whose power and know-how match or exceed the Doctor's, and this group of interdimensional deities certainly fits that description. While the nature of the show means the Doctor is almost always completely victorious, the best villains always give the distinct impression that Doctor Who's main character is nearing defeat.

Maestro & The Toymaker Are Part Of Doctor Who's "Pantheon"

Those in the Pantheon appear to be immortal

Some of the Pantheon look human in appearance, but Neil Patrick Harris' Toymaker are testament to the group's eccentricities too. After seeing Maestro in action in "The Devil's Chord," Ncuti Gatwa theorizes that the musical villain is part of an organization called the Pantheon, describing them to Ruby as, "Vast powers from beyond the universe." Then, when it's revealed that Maestro is the Toymaker's child, the connection can be extended to Harris' character too.

Gatwa's Doctor has come up against both the Toymaker and Maestro, but has never been able to use the same trick twice against them.

The Doctor goes as far as referring to the Pantheon as "Gods," suggesting the level of power they all harbor. Gatwa's Doctor has come up against both the Toymaker and Maestro, but has never been able to use the same trick twice against them. As Fifteen himself states, "One trick, once. That's all you get with the gods." In the Doctor's two victories over the Toymaker and Maestro, he has had to use the villain's respective rules against them, and neither character was killed - only banished.

The Pantheon Is The "Pantheon Of Discord" From The Sarah Jane Adventures

The Pantheon's debut came in a Doctor Who spinoff show

"Pantheon" is a very recognizable word, and it's one that was used in Doctor Who canon long before the Disney era. In the Doctor Who spinoff show, The Sarah Jane Adventures, David Tennant's Tenth Doctor comes face-to-face with a villain called the Trickster in the season 3 two-parter, "The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith." The Doctor confirms the Trickster belongs to "The Pantheon of Discord." While the version of the Pantheon from Doctor Who season 14 was a long way off being devised, Trickster has now retroactively been made a member of the same group of gods as Sutekh.

"The Trickster is a creature from beyond the universe. Forever trying to break into our reality, manifest himself. He's one of the Pantheon of Discord."

Russell T Davies co-wrote the spinoff story, so the returning showrunner hasn't been afraid to delve into his older efforts from his original spell in charge of the franchise. This would also explain how the Doctor has ever heard of the Pantheon, despite them never showing up in Doctor Who itself. This Sarah Jane story first aired in 2009, but the Trickster still wasn't the first Pantheon god to appear onscreen. Sutekh and the Mara from Doctor Who's classic era are also confirmed of the Pantheon.

Sutekh confirms the Trickster is the God of Traps in "Empire of Death."

The Pantheon Could Be Connected To Doctor Who's Eternals

The Eternals share similar traits with the Pantheon

The various Pantheon are seemingly immortal, which makes it possible that they are connected to another group of Doctor Who villains. Known as the Eternals, these powerful bad guys date back to the show's classic era, appearing in the 1983 Fifth Doctor serial, "Enlightenment." Eternals have simple, one-worded titles, with character names such as Death, Time, Pain, and Light.

Maestro and the Toymaker may have slightly more recognizable names than the individual of the Eternals, but the format is very similar. Additionally, both sets of characters can appear to be human in appearance, despite being almost the furthest thing from it. The Eternals are mentioned again during the modern era in Doctor Who season 12, episode 7, "Can You Hear Me?" Both the Eternals and the Pantheon also boast incredible powers that seem, at the very least, equal.

Doctor Who's Pantheon Tease Suggests More Villains Are Out There

There are likely several of the Pantheon who can show up in Doctor Who

The word "Pantheon" is used as a collective noun for a culture's gods, Doctor Who's revealed villains from the Pantheon would be an underwhelming total to fit under this moniker. For example, in the Ancient Greek Pantheon, there are twelve gods. As such, it seems highly likely that there are several other of the Pantheon ready to cross into the universe and strike. Both the Toymaker and Maestro have a specific style and theme, so the same is likely true of other figures within the Pantheon.

The Fifteenth Doctor describes the Toymaker as "A living game," and goes on to call Maestro, "The essence of music itself."

The Fifteenth Doctor describes the Toymaker as "A living game," and goes on to call Maestro, "The essence of music itself." So, any more debuts from the Pantheon need to have a distinct specialty so that this trend can continue. However, they also need to be based on universal concepts. It's easy to imagine that cultures on other planets have games and music, so these are good examples. Sutekh being the God of Death aligns with this trend too.

The One Who Waits Is The Supreme Deity Of Doctor Who's Pantheon

Sutekh is revealed to be the mysterious villain in "The Legend of Ruby Sunday"

The One Who Waits is first mentioned by the Toymaker in the third and Doctor Who's classic era.

Maestro also voices their unease about The One Who Waits in "The Devil's Chord," although they still don't use Sutekh's real name. When Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday is trapped in Maestro's musical bindings, Maestro looks visibly scared, saying the song emanating from Ruby holds a similar level of power as "The Oldest One," who was apparently there on the night of Ruby's birth. This is confirmed to be true in "Empire of Death," as Sutekh was hiding in the TARDIS while the Doctor saved his future companion from the Goblins on Christmas Eve, 2004.

Other Gods Confirmed To Exist Within Doctor Who's Pantheon

Sutekh provides a list of other Pantheon in "The Legend of Ruby Sunday"

Although the Doctor has been victorious each time he's come up against a member of the Pantheon so far, none of the battles have been easily fought. For instance, if it weren't for the musical genius of John Lennon and Paul McCartney in "The Devil's Chord," the Doctor and Ruby would have fallen to Maestro. So, it's a terrifying thought to think that there are other Pantheon gods out there, ready to come after the Time Lord. Unfortunately, there are, and Sutekh names many of the other Pantheon in "The Legend of Ruby Sunday."

So far, only the Toymaker, the Mara, Maestro, the Trickster, and Sutekh have all appeared in Doctor Who - even if the Trickster was in a spinoff, it's still canon. There are still several other confirmed gods that could appear at any time and oppose the Doctor. Some of the new deities, like Reprobate and Incensor, are mentioned by name in "The Legend of Ruby Sunday." However, some may simply not have been mentioned, meaning Sutekh may have been keeping some future Doctor Who villains under wraps.