Fresh from the Last Great Time War and first seen in 2005, Eccelstone laid down the foundations that made modern Doctor Who what it is today. Although the ninth Doctor may not be as memorable due to his short stint, the newest fans did learn a lot from his background and history.
He proved he could be selfless and noble by putting his life on the line to save others. He also proved he wasn't always uptight - joking and flirting with his friends if the mood struck. It was just a shame this is overlooked by the negative aspects of his personality. Would you like some examples? Keep reading 10 ways Nine got worse as time went on.
Impulsive
As soon as Nine blew up Rose's workplace, it was easy to establish that this incarnation would be impulsive and reckless. He always rushed into situations instead of thinking them through, which often led to him and his companions being captured and killed.
For instance, he rushed towards danger without a second thought after hearing someone scream ("The Unquiet Dead"). He also left an anti-plastic serum on his person as he confronted the Nestene Consciousness. He never thought about the consequences until they hit him in the face.
Hot-Tempered
Since fans were seeing the Doctor in the aftermath of the Last Great Time War, it was no wonder the Time Lord had a short fuse. He was seen to be very impatient and had no time for games, especially when he or his companions were in grave danger.
However, sometimes he allowed his emotions to get the best of him and blind his rational judgment. For instance, he once broke his own rules and tortured a Dalek for saying they were the same. In his final stages, Nine almost wiped out humanity because he wanted to get rid of the mutants once and for all. He was more dangerous if there was a vendetta involved.
Desensitized To Violence
Another aspect that got worse as time went on was Nine's desensitization to violence. Some may consider it brave and altruistic that Nine risked his life for others. However, was no one slightly worried by the fact that he failed to recognize other people's anguish?
He traumatized Rose by taking her to watch the destruction of Earth ("The End of The World"), got excited whenever he heard anguished screams ("The Unquiet Dead"), and didn't have any qualms about torturing or shooting a Dalek. Even his last acts almost involved genocide...
Devoid Of Human Emotion
Out of all the Doctor's reincarnations, Nine was the one that could be described as devoid of all emotion. Maybe it's because he was still coming to with the suffering he witnessed in the Great Time War but Nine was shown to be detached from his allies' deaths.
After Jabe was incinerated, Nine refused to grieve for her until years later. When the Dalek begged for mercy, he continued to torture it. Even when Jack was 'killed,' he didn't care and abandoned him on Satellite 5.
Duty Of Care To His Companions
Nine was another incarnation who was negligent when it came to his duty of care. Other than Rose, Nine felt like he had no responsibility towards his other travelers and therefore left them to their own devices. His treatment towards Mickey got worse over time, he kicked Adam out of the TARDIS with an infospike intact, and left Jack for dead.
He even failed Lynda in the end - convincing her to break out of Big Brother and left her to be killed by the Daleks. With three of them (almost) dying as a result of his carelessness, fans can't exactly say he was a good carer.
His Comion
While there were some moments that suggested Nine was capable of comion, fans also saw him choose not to give it. In some of his darkest moments, Nine refused to grant Cassandra and a Dalek mercy despite Rose begging him to. He exiled Adam from the TARDIS for breaking some of his cardinal rules.
The worst was when he kicked Rose out of the TARDIS for intervening with Pete Tyler's death and tried to abandon her in the past. Considering how much he wanted to change his own past, Nine should have been able to empathize with her instead of reacting negatively.
His Relationship With Mickey
One aspect of Nine's tenure that got worse as the show progressed was the Time Lord's relationship with Mickey. From the very beginning, it was obvious that Nine and the mechanic didn't get along. Nine didn't like that he was cowardly and Mickey didn't enjoy that Rose preferred the Doctor's company to his.
As the series progressed, their relationship continued to be tense. Nine relentlessly mocked him by calling him "Ricky" or "Mickey The Idiot." He only tolerated him because of Rose. Ultimately, Nine ended on bad .
His Social Manners
Nine's tenure also saw his social manners worsen as time went on, with many of the companions believing him to be obnoxious, rude, and disrespectful. First, he offended and disgusted Rose when he suggested the Gelth occupy the dead bodies of humans.
He was consistently rude towards Mickey and Jackie, mocking their intelligence and making jokes at their expense. Nine was even seen to openly insult the human race, demeaning them to be "stupid apes." With Nine's short stint, fans never saw this attitude improve with Eccleston.
His Arrogance
Another thing that got gradually worse during Nine's tenure was the Time Lord's arrogance. Although he laughed when the Slitheen stated him to be a God, this could arguably be the place where his god-complex began. He was the last surviving Time Lord, could have all of time and space in the palm of his hand, and found a companion who basically adored everything he did.
With Jack then invited on board, the Doctor's ego became almost unbearable. Again, this arrogance continued to worsen in the years to come.
His Darkness
As soon as fans met the Doctor, it was clear as day that there was something inherently dark about him. Since he was born in battle, Nine was shown to be colder and more distant than his other incarnations. In the first couple of episodes, fans learned he was merciless when he coldly watched Cassandra dry out and tortured a Dalek.
He also nearly commits mass genocide to get rid of the Dalek Empire, inadvertently killing the Human Race too. While he didn't follow through, the fact that Nine's answer was to destroy humanity proves the darkness got worse.