‘Doctor Who’ Spinoff Reveals the Original Sea Devils Still Exist

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Be warned, this contains spoilers for the first episode of The War Between the Land and the Sea, titled “Homo Aqua.” Even before the show aired, promotional materials for this Doctor Who spin-off caused debate among fans because of a major redesign of some well-known villains. These villains had last appeared during Jodie Whittaker’s run as the Thirteenth Doctor, and while they’d been slightly updated, they were still clearly the same creatures the Third Doctor battled in the 1970s. However, The War Between gave the Sea Devils a much more dramatic and complete overhaul.

Fans have come up with many ideas to explain the Sea Devils’ new appearance. Because the show didn’t offer a clear in-universe reason, most Doctor Who viewers thought showrunner Russell T Davies just wanted to update the look of the creatures, which originally appeared over fifty years ago. However, the first episode of The War Between, released on BBC iPlayer on December 7th, quickly provided an explanation for UK audiences.

One Line in Episode 1 Suggests the Original Sea Devils Still Exist


BBC

I was immediately struck by something in the first episode of The War Between, “Homo Aqua.” Before the ten-minute mark, they address why this Sea Devil looks so different from the ones we remember from classic Doctor Who, and it’s done in a really clever way. A UNIT officer specifically points out to his boss, “It’s the first time we’ve seen one exactly like this.” That wording really stood out to me! It suggests UNIT has definitely encountered Sea Devils before, but that this particular version is new to them. It makes me think the original Sea Devils from Doctor Who and these ‘Homo Aqua’ are either closely related species, or perhaps even parallel evolutions of the same creature.

The most likely reason for the Sea Devils’ redesign is that the showrunner, Davies, wasn’t happy with their original appearance. However, it’s commendable that he hasn’t erased the previous design entirely. He’s found a way to keep the classic Sea Devils as part of Doctor Who history, simply by suggesting they’ve remained hidden. While some dedicated fans might still disagree with this choice, it’s a clever solution that preserves a piece of the show’s heritage. Interestingly, it’s unclear what the original Sea Devils would be called in The War Between, as their counterparts in the spin-off series are scientifically classified as Homospondyl Erectus.

The ‘Doctor Who’ Spinoff Provides Even More Evidence That the Original Sea Devils Haven’t Been Replaced


BBC

For a long time, fans of Doctor Who believed there was only one type of Sea Devil, also known as Homo Aqua, and that seemed to be the case until the series The War Between. However, that show changed things by adding more variety to the Homo Aqua species, introducing different kinds of intelligent life in Earth’s oceans. In the first episode, we see a new subspecies, called “Piscimorpha Grandis,” joining the original Homospondyl Erectus. This new type of Sea Devil looks much more like a fish than the bipedal versions we’ve seen before.

Next, Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s character, Salt, is introduced as the first “Homo Amphibian” – a creature adapted to both land and water – seen on screen. These different variations all fall under the broader category of Homo Aqua, suggesting a much more complex underwater world than we’ve previously seen in Doctor Who. Considering how much of the ocean remains unexplored, it’s logical that our understanding of Homo Aqua would also be incomplete. This also allows for the possibility of the classic Sea Devil design returning, though they’d likely be rebranded with a new name to differentiate them from the other types of Homo Aqua.

The Impact on Other Sea Devil ‘Doctor Who’ Stories


BBC

While this explanation is smart and makes sense, it’s still a change to established history. This inevitably creates some inconsistencies with what we already know. The biggest issue is that it seems a bit too coincidental that the Doctor has only ever met one type of ‘Homo Aqua’ – the original Sea Devils. When those stories were first made, they were the only ones that existed in the show’s history. Now, it makes you wonder where all the other types of Homo Aqua have been hiding.

The most plausible explanation is that the original Sea Devils were the only ones awake for a long time, until recently. Things like climate change and pollution might be causing more underwater communities to wake up and investigate the changes to their environment. While not a complete answer, it’s a logical possibility. The new series, The War Between the Land and the Sea, could explore this further, but even if it doesn’t, it’s easily explained with a bit of Doctor Who imagination. The War Between the Land and the Sea will be available on Disney+ in 2026 and is currently streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK.

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2025-12-08 21:33