Throughout Doctor Who's decades-long run, the Doctor has brought many companions with him in his adventures across time and space, but Adam Mitchell stands out as a majority of viewers' least favorite. His selfishness and overall annoying behavior have cemented him as a character who's better off being forgotten, though one comic has managed to do the impossible and show that he isn't irredeemable after all.

In the 2005 episode "The Long Game", Adam Mitchell made history as the first - and, so far, only - Doctor Who companion to be kicked out of the TARDIS after he smuggled information from the year 200,000 via an infospike in his brain. The Doctor punished Adam for his greed by returning him to the 21st century and forcing him to hide his implant for the rest of his life.

Since then, Adam has developed a reputation as the Doctor's most widely loathed companion. However, IDW Publishing's Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time has managed to give Adam the redemption arc he's always deserved - by first turning him into a full-on villain.

Doctor Who’s Adam Mitchell Became a Villain After His TARDIS Exit

After Teaming Up with The Master, Adam Finally Had a Change of Heart

2013's Doctor Who: Prisoners in Time is a twelve-issue miniseries written by Scott and David Tipton with art by Simon Fraser, Cary Caldwell, and Tom Long. Each issue follows a different Doctor in a typical episodic adventure, but at the end of each story, his companion gets kidnapped by a mysterious cloaked figure. In the ninth issue, this villain is revealed to be none other than Adam, whose life has taken a dark turn since the Doctor dropped him off in the modern-day world with a gaping hole in his skull that exposes his brain at the snap of a finger.

Adam explains to the Tremas Master's help him kill the Doctor's companions, but things go south when the Master decides to destroy the universe as well.

Upon uniting from across time, the eleven Doctors and Rose Tyler try to talk sense into Adam by telling him his mother wouldn't want this for him, and that he still has a chance to prove he was worthy of being a companion. Moved by their words, Adam betrays the Master, though he unfortunately dies in the process. In his final moments, Adam says, "Maybe I would have been good enough after all...eh, Doctor?" Adam has gone down in history as the Doctor's most detestable companion, yet this moment redeems him in the eyes of the Doctor - and, potentially, the eyes of fans.

Adam’s Villain Arc Salvaged Doctor Who’s Most Hated Companion

It Took Years, But The Doctor Finally Recognizes Adam Mitchell as a Hero

Doctor Who fans have criticized Adam relentlessly over the years due to his infuriating behavior. To this day, he's considered the worst character to ever accompany the Doctor during his travels - and rightfully so, based on the show alone. However, the comics have allowed Adam to undergo the redemption arc the TV series never gave him. It's only after turning him into an outright villain that the series stops painting him as an irredeemable character and lets him amend his legacy. Now, rather than being the black sheep among Doctor Who's companions, Adam Mitchell is finally recognized as "a companion true".

Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time is available now from IDW Publishing!