Movies

Doctor Who: Poppy Twist & Daughter Theories FINALLY Explained!

BBG News

In the Season 2 finale of “Doctor Who,” titled “The Reality War,” viewers were left puzzled by potential connections between the Doctor and Poppy, hinted at as possibly being the Doctor’s daughter. Introduced in the Season 1 premiere, “Space Babies,” Poppy was portrayed by Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps as the leader of an intelligent baby farm. This episode marked the debut of Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th Doctor and Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday, with numerous mind-bending sci-fi adventures having occurred since then. Lately, the Doctor has been accompanied by Varada Sethu’s Belinda Chandra, only to find themselves at odds with another Time Lord, the Rani, who has created her own reality.

How Was Doctor Who’s Poppy Actually Created?

When the Queen obtained possession of the Pantheon’s God of Desires, the infant named Desiderium, she handed over their care to Conrad Clarke. This radical conspiracy theorist then employed the genie child to construct a realm called Wish World, shaped by his ideologies and values (with some subtle criticism directed towards J.K. Rowling).

In their current circumstances, the Doctor and Belinda found themselves in a marriage and raising a daughter named Poppy. Interestingly, Poppy bore an uncanny resemblance to the baby from Season 1’s “Space Babies” farm, but unlike her counterpart, she was silent.

In this world, although it might not be the first one created, it and every inhabitant, such as Poppy, are genuinely existent. This reality was brought forth by Conrad using his power of Desiderium.

The Doctor clarifies to Belinda that Poppy was brought into existence in this world as a blend of tiny fragments of everyone’s memories, resulting in a child who mirrors a well-known cosmic infant due to her shared facial features, since they collectively contributed to her creation.

This finding was even more surprising since, beyond being brought into existence by a wish, Poppy appeared to be something that should have been “‘unattainable’” as the Time Lords are infertile and it is believed that “‘another Gallifreyan child can never be conceived’” due to a genetic catastrophe.

In a world tainted by reversed ethics and appalling prejudice, Conrad aspired to create something “kind” instead. He also provided Ruby with a family she had never known. As such, the Doctor and Belinda were no different, and it was in this manner that Poppy came into being from their union.

It’s worth mentioning that the Poppy character born from wishes differs from the one seen in “Space Babies”. The latter is yet to be found. However, the new Poppy resembles Captain Poppy because she was crafted based on the memories of the Doctor and Belinda.

Why Did Poppy Disappear in Doctor Who?

In their struggle to alter and eliminate a wish that threatened reality, both the Doctor and the Rani faced a common consequence: the elimination of Poppy. As a result, it was up to UNIT’s brilliant scientist, Susan Triad, to develop a unique space – a “zero room” – which lay beyond reality and would protect those within during the transition.

In the end, Belinda and Poppy took shelter within a sophisticated container as the Doctor managed to reestablish normalcy, fortunately, their strategy proved successful. However, it wasn’t destined for a joyous family conclusion for the TARDIS voyagers since Poppy inexplicably vanished, leaving behind Ruby with reminiscences of her instead.

In the beginning of Episode 7, it wasn’t a novel idea that many of Doctor Who’s well-known figures got swallowed up by the Wish World. However, there was one exception: Ruby. She was the lone character who retained memories of what had transpired previously, and as of now, the explanation for this remains a mystery.

As for why Poppy vanished, it wasn’t explicitly explained, leaving fans to guess. However, it seems plausible that the “zero room,” not performing as well as initially anticipated upon the ending of the wish and the return of reality, led to her disappearance.

How Did The Doctor Bring Poppy Back with Regeneration?

After realizing that Poppy was indeed genuine in the former world (following a brief appearance by Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor), the Doctor decided to inject a massive amount of regeneration energy into the Time Vortex, hoping to slightly alter its course.

In this revised scenario, it becomes clear that prior to ever encountering the Doctor, Belinda had a daughter named Poppy, whom she had long endeavored to reunite with. This quest was the focus of her actions throughout the season, culminating in their successful reunion at 7:30 a.m. on May 24, 2025.

Instead, it turned out that this Poppy was no longer the Doctor’s biological daughter. The Sonic Screwdriver indicated that she was purely human, a fact that Belinda herself had come to know as Ritchie Akingbola, her ex-boyfriend whom she met at the age of 21, was confirmed to be her father.

Was Poppy the Doctor’s Daughter? (It’s Confusing)

Indeed, she was initially born as a blend of The Doctor and Belinda Chandra’s characteristics in the fantastical world known as Wish World, crafted by Conrad Clarke. But within the fresh reality the Doctor brought forth to revive Poppy, there seems to be no trace left of her Time Lord ancestry – a clear reflection of Chandra/Akingbola’s traits instead.

There may still be unresolved aspects of the Poppy mystery, yet based on current information, it seems that the storyline concluded during Season 2 for Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu on Doctor Who, though they might return in the future.

In ‘The Reality War’, it was discovered that the Doctor and any surviving Time Lords are incapable of having children naturally due to their condition. If Poppy isn’t the Doctor’s daughter, this raises an intriguing question about how he has a granddaughter like Susan, who made a remarkable comeback in Episode 6 of ‘Doctor Who’.

Read More

2025-06-01 01:05

Previous post Mark Hamill Says Star Wars Should Focus on New Characters, Not His Return
Next post After 8 Seasons, House Finally Reveals Its Biggest Secret About Chase!