Each incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who witnesses heartbreak and loss of life, but they aren’t always responsible for it. It’s worth noting that the Doctor’s kill count depends on the being that dies. Robots, androids, creatures with no biological components, for example, don’t count.
Anything the Doctor deactivates or wipes from existence entirely isn’t considered part of the final number either. This count is based on just the TV show, too, as Doctor Who’s audio dramas, prose stories, and comics often blur timelines and canon. Several of the greatest Doctor Who TV stories of all time see others die, but it’s surprising how often this is at the hands of other people, rather than the Doctor themself.
15 The Eighth Doctor
Kill Count: 0/Unknown
Surprisingly, Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor has a kill count of zero. While he causes the Tremas Master to be sucked into the Eye of Harmony in the 1996 Doctor Who movie, the villainous Time Lord technically survives and is later revived, so this doesn’t count as a kill.
Despite what the early seasons after the 2005 reboot allow viewers to believe, the Eighth Doctor isn’t responsible for any killings during Doctor Who’s first Time War. This is because of the introduction of John Hurt’s War Doctor in “The Day of the Doctor.” However, it is unclear how many of these Doctors kill during the war, regardless of species, especially as so little about the events between “The Night of the Doctor” and “The Day of the Doctor” is known.
14 The Ninth Doctor
Kill Count: 0
Because of the canon changes surrounding the Time War, the Ninth Doctor’s kill count initially seems higher than it actually is. While Christopher Eccleston’s singular season as the Time Lord is quite dark, the Ninth Doctor himself doesn’t actually kill any living thing. This doesn’t mean he doesn’t try, however, as he is constantly so angry about his past.
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Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor shares a dynamic with Billie Piper's Rose Tyler that's arguably ambiguous - that is, until very recently.
The Ninth Doctor’s bitterness after the Time War is a huge part of his characterization, but Rose Tyler helps with his grief, and stops him from killing again, like in “Dalek.” He also tries to stop the Nestene Consciousness with anti-plastic, but it’s only a bargaining chip, and it’s actually Rose who causes this death when she kicks it onto the creature while trying to save the day.
13 The Fourteenth Doctor
Kill Count: 0
The only other version of the Doctor who doesn’t kill anyone or anything is the Fourteenth incarnation. The closest he gets to killing is in the Doctor Who charity special minisode “Destination Skaro,” when he crashes the TARDIS into an early prototype of a Dalek, but he only damages the villain and accidentally helps create its iconic appearance.
The Doctor always tries to be a pacifist, but Fourteen is easily the most peaceful of them all.
Many consider the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctor’s game of catch to defeat the Toymaker a kill, but it’s not. After the Pantheon God in Doctor Who is beaten, he is technically banished from existence and folds up into a box, which is now under the watch of UNIT. The Doctor always tries to be a pacifist, but Fourteen is easily the most peaceful of them all.
12 The First Doctor
Kill Count: 1
William Hartnell’s First Doctor is one of the grumpiest regenerations, but he only actually kills one being. The First Doctor’s only official kill comes in the classic era serial “The Daleks,” when he removes one of the creatures from its casing. The First Doctor also appears to cause the deaths of some of the Toymaker’s deadly pawns in “The Celestial Toymaker.”
While the likes of Joey and Clara the Clowns are initially dolls brought to life, figures like the King and Queen of Hearts are implied to be real people before they are manipulated by the Toymaker. However, Doctor Who doesn’t actually confirm this, and the fact this serial is set in another reality only complicates things even further, so it’s hard to establish whether they are real or not.
11 The Sixth Doctor
Kill Count: 21
One incarnation that stands out for being quite violent is Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor in Doctor Who, and not just because he tries to strangle Peri. Throughout his tenure, the Sixth Doctor kills 22 two times. The first is when he dissolves Lord Mestor in “The Twin Dilemma” with Mosten acid, and the last is when he causes five Vervoids to wither using vionesium in “Terror of the Vervoids.”
There are quite a few others that the Sixth Doctor kills by disintegration, interestingly enough, such as the Varos guards in “Vengeance on Varos.” However, one of his most fatal serials is “Attack of the Cybermen,” in which he stabs, blows up, and even shoots several different versions of the legendary recurring Doctor Who villains.
10 The Fifth Doctor
Kill Count: 30
The Fifth Doctor kills a total of 31 times in his lifetime. He kills the Sea Devils in “Warriors of the Deep” by exposing them to Hexachromite gas, accidentally burns two Terileptils alive in “The Visitation,” and shoots various Cybermen and Leaders in “Earthshock.” Technically, the Doctor kills the Mara with a replica of the Great Crystal in the serial “Snakedance,” but as the god has yet to return to Doctor Who, it can be assumed it’s dead.
One of the first villains the Fifth Doctor faces in Doctor Who is the Minister of Persuasion, who doesn’t survive, either. Although the Doctor technically deactivates the android, it’s heavily implied the Minister’s original form is biological, and his consciousness is transferred into a robotic body.
9 The Second Doctor
Kill Count: 53
Patrick Troughton’s Second Doctor kills 53 times during his run. This incarnation of the Doctor is rather brutal, surprisingly. He electrocutes six Cybermats with a cable in “The Tomb of the Cybermen,” and he also kills several Quarks in “The Dominators” by blowing them up, for example.
However, most of the Second Doctor’s most notable kills are from Doctor Who’s missing episodes, like when he uses a recording of a scream to destroy the nerve center of the Weed Creature in “Fury from the Deep” and causes Lolem and Hans Zaroff to drown after flooding Atlantis in “The Underwater Menace.” The funniest death the Second Doctor causes, however, is when he pushes a Dalek off a cliff in “The Evil of the Daleks.”
8 The Third Doctor
Kill Count: Over 38
It’s hard to narrow down the Third Doctor’s kill count to a specific number, mainly because there are several instances in which the final death toll isn’t clear. For example, the Third Doctor kills at least nine Sea Devils in “The Sea Devils” by blowing up their base, but it’s unclear how many are actually inside. This is the same for the serials “Colony in Space” and “The Monster of Peladon,” as it’s unknown how many Uxariean and Ice Warriors die in these stories.
The Third Doctor kills a Sontaran Commander, several Daleks, and even a giant fly in different stories, too. Even though he doesn’t always look capable, the Third Doctor is still guilty of killing when needed.
7 The Thirteenth Doctor
Kill Count: 56
While a majority of the Thirteenth Doctor’s 56 kills are Daleks, there are some unusual deaths she causes that stand out in comparison to the other incarnations of the character. For example, the Doctor locks at least 15 of the mutant spiders in Jack Robertson’s panic room in “Arachnids in the UK,” and although they die of natural causes, it’s only because of her.
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Although Charlie Duffy decides to stay beside the exploding Ker!am Men in “Kerblam!,” and so seals his own fate, it’s still the Doctor who orders the robots to detonate. One of the most notable, however, is when the Doctor recalibrates the laser rifle that Commander Gat tries to shoot Doctor Who’s Fugitive Doctor with, causing herself to disintegrate.
6 The Fourth Doctor
Kill Count: 57
It’s shocking how many villains Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor blows up, and out of the Time Lord’s 57 kills, an astonishing 32 die by explosion. However, many of the Doctor’s other kills are rather inventive. The Fourth Doctor kills a Fendahleen by using a shotgun to rock salts at it in “Image of the Fendahl,” which is one of the times Doctor Who proves the Doctor does use guns.
He also leads an Ogri off a cliff in “The Stones of Blood,” stabs the King Vampire in the heart in “State of Decay” which also causes its followers to disintegrate. One hilarious death sees the Fourth Doctor kick a Tesh into an electrified wall in “The Face of Evil,” as well.
