Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor materializes in an adorable chibi-style reimagining through comic book artist George Jeanty's Doctor Who artwork. Eccleston's groundbreaking modern take on the Time Lord made his debut in 2005's season 1, ushering in the return of the sci-fi series to television screens and the beginning of the show's revival era. The Ninth Doctor, after healing from pain and loss throughout the season, would sacrifice his life in the season finale 'The Parting of the Ways', though Eccleston would return for Big Finish's Doctor Who audio drama range.
With March 27th marking 19 years since Doctor Who's revival began, Jeanty kicked off a new personal project on his Instagram, reimagining each incarnation of the Time Lord in a chibi style. Jeanty, who has worked on Superman, X-Men, and the canon continuation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the comic book adaptations of Star Wars' The Mandalorian and Ahsoka series, began this project with Eccleston's Ninth Doctor, as the time lord brandishes his sonic screwdriver. Alongside a fitting somber look, the artist also emphasized the incarnation's ears as a nod to a running gag throughout the season.
The Ninth Doctor represented a major shift for the Time Lord in terms of personality, as showrunner Russell T Davies aimed to balance an accessible entry point for newcomers that matched the darker, grungier stylings of late 90's/early 2000's fantasy and dramas including Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Gone was the renegade adventurer leaving a world of powerful, strict, rule-abiding Galifreyans, as the Ninth Doctor became the sole survivor of the Time War, having wiped out both the Time Lord and Daleks to bring peace.
Despite this, the Ninth Doctor isn't lost in this darkness, as he also holds a greater appreciation of the little things that life can offer and be taken for granted, from a serving of chips, the aftermath of a good night out, and connections with family. Even when monsters or mistakes threaten the balance of the universe, the Ninth Doctor never loses this softer side, and it emerges more and more as he travels with companion Rose Tyler. By the end of Eccleston's Doctor Who tenure, the Doctor is able to find some closure and begins to heal.
As Doctor Who's revival moves closer to its 20th anniversary in 2025, many may be feeling nostalgic for Eccleston's brief era, from longtime classic viewers who were thrilled to see the show return, to then-newcomers who were introduced via season 1. Eccleston's era proved that a series that had become derided and looked down upon by the BBC and the public by the end of the classic era could thrive and become a hit with a contemporary new, emotional reimagining. As such, Jeanty's reimagined Ninth Doctor art is a perfect celebration of revival and start to his new project.
Eccleston's Doctor Who era can be revisited through Max's Doctor Who collection for US audiences and BBC IPlayer for UK viewers.
Originally premiered in 1963, Doctor Who is a sci-fi series that follows a powerful being known as a Time Lord, referred to as the Doctor. Using an interdimensional time-traveling ship known as the TARDIS, the Doctor travels time and space with various companions as they solve multiple problems and help avert catastrophe as much as they almost cause it. Though the Doctor is always the same character, they experience regenerations, allowing them to be recast every few seasons as a unique immortal being with new personality traits.
