The heroes in Doctor Who are only as entertaining as the villains they face. Over the years, various Masters have helped make the franchise compelling and surprising, while contributing to the playful but tense dynamic of the Doctor Who Universe. Author Jody Houser is no stranger to the Doctor or his nemeses. She's written Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor, Doctor Who: Timelord Victorious, and Doctor Who: Alternating Current. Most recently House penned Doctor Who: Missy, which explores the deceitful side of The Master.
Houser recently spoke with CBR about her appreciation of the Doctor Who universe and how she approaches writing its characters. Doctor Who: Missy follows the titular character as she disguises herself as the Doctor, and recruits the original Master for a wild, timey wimey adventure. Joining Houser are her frequent collaborators, artist Roberta Ingranata and colorist Enrica Eren Angiolini, who help make the series an entertaining romp.
CBR: You have plenty of experience telling stories in the Doctor Who Universe, but Doctor Who: Missy is unique in that the Doctor plays a relatively small role. How challenging was it to center the story around Missy and the Master instead of the Doctor?
Jody Houser: I love Missy and have been wanting to write more of her for a while. So it was more a joy than a challenge. I love a good talky, tricky villain.
What made you want to use these two specific iterations of the Master to celebrate the character's 50th anniversary?
Apart from Missy, it really made the most sense to bring in the Delgado Master. That is where it all started, after all!
What other iterations of the Master do you wish you could have included?
I know he's not canon, but I love Jonathan Pryce in Curse of the Fatal Death.
You do an excellent job of capturing the tone and spirit of the source material while contributing your own flair. How important is it to work your own voice into licensed projects?
I think it's a careful balance you have to maintain. You want to be consistent with the universe and characters that people have fallen in love with, but you want the work to be recognizable as yours. I tend to lean on themes and story structures that I like for that.
How has your collaborative process with Roberta Ingranata and Enrica Eren Angiolini changed in the time you have all been working together, up through this latest project?
I think in a lot of ways it's become easier. I know to give them both as much room to create new worlds and races, and something amazing will come out of it. They know they can come to me with any questions. It's been lovely working with them both.
How has working on this during the pandemic impacted your creative process?
It's been really hard. I'm someone who likes writing in other spaces and making writing dates with friends, and being stuck in one space has been rough. And that's not even mentioning the anxiety that comes with being in the middle of a global pandemic -- not being able to see family, etc.
What are the odds fans will get to see more of Missy in your upcoming series Doctor Who: Empire of Wolf?
Not very likely, but I do hope to write more of Missy before too long!
Doctor Who: Missy is available now from Titan Books