New Doctor Who merch could hint at the next big villain facing Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor – and it's a familiar face from the '70s

New Doctor Who merchandise may have given us a clue about who next season's big bad could be – and it's a familiar face.

Per Bleeding Cool, new t-shirts, pins, and other merch featuring a character called "the Guardian of Chaos" are listed on the Forbidden Planet and Walmart websites and set to go on sale in January 2025. The character is also known as Black Guardian, one of the Guardians of Time.

Played by Valentine Dyall, whose likeness is on the shirt, he first appeared on the show in 1978 during Tom Baker's stint as the Fourth Doctor and returned during Peter Davison's time as the Fifth Doctor. That's a strange choice for a new line of merch, then – unless the Guardian of Chaos is making a comeback.

It wouldn't be the first time showrunner Russell T Davies has brought back a vintage villain in a new guise. The most recent season saw the return of the Toymaker (now played by Neil Patrick Harris), who first appeared on the show in 1966 before getting a new lease of life to face off against Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor.

Gatwa will return for the TARDIS for the new season, officially known as season 2, next year. He'll be joined by not one, but two companions: Millie Gibson's returning Ruby Sunday, along with Varada Sethu's Belinda Chandra.

Doctor Who season 2 is set to arrive on Disney Plus and BBC iPlayer in 2025. In the meantime, check out our guide to the best new TV shows still to come in 2024.