The Rory Theory That Would Change Everything On Doctor Who

Matt Smith's 11th incarnation of the title character on "Doctor Who" introduces a new aspect to the series — traveling with a married couple. While Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) may have started out on her own, the addition of fiancee Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) gives the series an added romantic spark. It also spares fans the usual questions about The Doctor's possible romantic entanglements — read: Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). Rory and Amy's tenure with the series may have been shorter than fans would have liked, but there are still some things to unpack about their place in the Who-niverse. Just like any great pair, they've got their own stories to tell. 

For Rory, that story could be far more calculated than viewers ever imagined. One small piece of information is setting the stage for a "Doctor Who" fan theory with potential to change narratives. It also creates a potential time travel mystery fans may have missed during the initial run. Everything leads back to one particular form of identification and the surprising answer it might offer. 

Rory Williams appears in the Eleventh Doctor's (Matt Smith) very first outing. Among the chaos of introducing a new regeneration, the presence of a new companion and her possible love interest could easily have been secondary. Instead, viewers learn just enough about Rory to actually enjoy his presence. It's all about the introduction — something there to learn just a bit about this character. A medical ID badge could be a great way to spill a bit of exposition without going into too many details, but does it reveal something else about the ill-fated nurse? The camera stays on the badge just a beat too long for it to be meaningless and that's where speculation starts.

The date on the badge points to Rory working at Royal Leadworth Hospital since 1990; this means he would have been a nurse there for over 18 years, given other time factors in the episode that place it around 2008. Since the character's apparent age doesn't match that small detail, fans are left wondering if there's something else behind those numbers. One fan theory is that the date could instead point to the time of his death. With the Weeping Angels sealing his and Amy's fate in Season 7 by sending them back to 1938, the year 1990 could make sense. Given that his dateless headstone offers no details on when Rory finally passed on, could his date of death have been teased in that very first appearance? Some fans have latched onto that particular bit of head canon, but no official answer has ever been given.