Doctor Who fans think they've spotted a tease for surprise villains in new season 2 trailer

Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who season 2
(Image credit: Disney)

As yet, the Daleks aren’t believed to be making an appearance in Doctor Who season 2. Some eagle-eyed fans have spotted a tease for what could be the Doctor’s mortal enemies in a new trailer, spurring all sorts of speculation.

We're nearing the premiere of Doctor Who season 2, the second to be both led by Ncuti Gatwa and streaming on Disney Plus. A trailer posted by Disney Germany contains some new footage from these misadventures in the TARDIS, and a particular moment where someone gets eviscerated has raised people’s eyebrows.

At 1:55, you can clearly see some people on a space station locked in a laser battle with an unseen enemy. One of them gets blasted, turns transparent then disappears, very similar to the Dalek extermination ray.

Doctor Who | Staffel 2 | Disney+ - YouTube Doctor Who | Staffel 2 | Disney+ - YouTube
Watch On

That’s the theory rippling through Whovian communities right now. Users on Doctor Who forum Gallifrey Base think it looks like some sort of combination of the extermination and disintegration beams, and we're inclined to agree.

The last time we saw the infamous time-travelling warmongers was 'The Power of the Doctor', Jodie Whittaker's send-off from the franchise and the exit of former showrunner Chris Chibnall. Gatwa hasn’t squared off against the time-honored villains yet, so it's just a matter of time really.

The likelihood is, if the Daleks are in series 15, it's intended as some form of twist, as The Doctor suddenly realizes whatever they're investigating is actually a scheme by the biomechanical space-fascists. There's been no suggestion of their presence so far, and it's always worth approaching these discussions with a grain of salt.

It could be an indication of the Daleks, or it might be something else entirely. Expectations should be kept in check. What has been shown indicates some very high concept episodes, including one where The Doctor and incoming companion Belinda Chandra are transformed into cartoon versions of themselves.

Pure wackiness as we’ve come to expect from the timey-wimey show. Doctor Who season 2 kicks off on Disney Plus on April 12, 2025. We have a rundown of the best Doctor Who characters if you’d like to brush up on your Time Lord knowledge.

Anthony McGlynn
Contributing Writer

Anthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Doctor Who
Doctor Who season 2: Release date, cast, and everything we know about Ncuti Gatwa’s next season
Anita Dobson as Mrs. Flood in Doctor Who
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies teases season 2's "scariest episode" and a "big surprise" from the mysterious Mrs Flood
Varada Sethu and Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who season 2
The first full-length trailer for Doctor Who season 2 is here – and fans think they've spotted the mysterious Mrs. Flood
Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who
Doctor Who season 2 release date appears to have been announced via an online advert - and it’s sooner than expected
Doctor Who season 2
Doctor Who season 2 reveals release date that's very soon after leak – and announces an X-Men guest star
Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday and Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor in Doctor Who
New Doctor Who Christmas special trailer teases an emotional cameo from Ruby Sunday following her departure from the TARDIS
Latest in Sci-Fi Shows
Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who season 2
Doctor Who fans think they've spotted a tease for surprise villains in new season 2 trailer
The Xenomorph in Alien: Earth
New look at Alien: Earth has fans theorizing over whether they can hear a Predator in the background
Varada Sethu and Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who season 2
The first full-length trailer for Doctor Who season 2 is here – and fans think they've spotted the mysterious Mrs. Flood
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Andor season 2
Star Wars fans are convinced a Rebels planet shows up in the Andor season 2 trailer
Eleven in Stranger Things season 4, episode 9
Stranger Things season 5 is so top secret, even Eleven star Millie Bobby Brown won't see the full episodes before their release
Doctor Who season 2
Doctor Who season 2 reveals release date that's very soon after leak – and announces an X-Men guest star
Latest in News
Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who season 2
Doctor Who fans think they've spotted a tease for surprise villains in new season 2 trailer
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 has an endgame problem, but a developer assures us "things are coming," they just can't say what yet because otherwise our expectations will be too high
inZOI Character Studio trailer showing a young woman with ginger-y long hair and a white baseball cap smiling, her hand against her chin
The Sims 4's hyper-realistic competitor inZOI will only "sort of" have sex – but I'm sure a Wicked Whims-style mod will take care of the rest
A screenshot of the title card for the upcoming DC show, Starfire.
James Gunn confirms that the Starfire animated TV show will be Elseworlds like Batman and Joker
Narset flowing in the air with waves of blue magic floating around her
MTG Tarkir: Dragonstorm’s autistic hero may be able to protect the multiverse but that doesn’t make her immune to sensory overload
Guardians of the Galaxy 3
Marvel star Vin Diesel might be teasing a Groot movie: "Disney wants their Planet X!"