Summary

  • Captain Jack Harkness becomes the Face of Boe in Doctor Who, a transformation that is not officially confirmed but can be traced back to the character's death and revival in season 1.
  • Fan theories suggest that Jack's transformation into the Face of Boe involves decapitation or the effects of exhaust fumes, but the true reason remains unknown.
  • Being the Face of Boe reframes Jack Harkness's story, highlighting the theme of immortality in Doctor Who and positioning Jack as a significant figure in the universe. Both David Tennant and John Barrowman were excited about this plot twist behind the scenes.

In Doctor Who, Captain Jack becomes the Face of Boe. First introduced during the Christopher Eccleston era, John Barrowman's Captain Jack Harkness is a lovable rogue - a Time Agent turned conman that the Doctor manages to put back on the right path. Appearing regularly in Doctor Who during the Russell T. Davies era, Captain Jack eventually earned a spinoff series, the more mature Torchwood, which ran for four seasons. He then later appeared in the 2020 episode Fugitives of the Judoon, and 2021's Revolution Of The Daleks.

Another recurring character during the same period was the Face of Boe, a giant, highly intelligent head floating in a tank, whose advanced age could only be guessed at. Finding an immediate rapport with the Doctor, it soon transpired that the Face had intimate knowledge of the Doctor's life, warning him that other Time Lords were in existence. The Face remained a mystery until the conclusion of Doctor Who's third season, when the Doctor and Martha mentally join the dots and realize the Face of Boe is Captain Jack in the far future.

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The Series Never Confirmed How Jack Became Boe

Though the show never officially confirms how Jack Harkness becomes the Face of Boe, Jack's transformation can be traced back to the new era of Doctor Who's season 1 finale, in which the character is exterminated by a Dalek. Jack's death is undone by Rose Tyler, the Ninth Doctor's assistant after she accidentally absorbs the Heart of the TARDIS and gains God-like abilities. Far from simply reviving Jack, however, Rose's interference prevents him from ever dying again.

Throughout both Doctor Who and Torchwood, Captain Jack is put through the wringer, only to come out on the other side unscathed. Eventually, after billions of years, Jack Harkness is unrecognizable, as he has become the Face of Boe. Shortly before unwittingly revealing himself as the Face of Boe, Jack questions the Doctor about immortality, confirming to the audience that while he can no longer die, Jack is continuing to age (unlike season 9's immortal Doctor Who characters Clara and Ashildir), albeit at a much slower rate.

The Doctor claims to have no idea what will happen, having never come across such a being previously. This exchange strongly implies that, if allowed to age for billions of years, a humanoid could eventually evolve into just a big head, according to Doctor Who mythology. This transformation may be unique to Jack's Boekind heritage, which could differ slightly compared to humans. Russell T. Davies has always refused to confirm that Jack Harkness and the Face of Boe are the same.

However, Barrowman and other cast members have referenced the connection as canon. Despite the cast and fan enthusiasm for the arc though, Doctor Who still hasn't officially confirmed Jack's Boe identity — but this is mainly to keep the mystery alive. While it's implied that extreme age will result in the loss of one's body, Jack gains several additional abilities through the years, such as higher intelligence and telepathic communication. Jack also falls pregnant, although this trait has also been seen in other males from alien planets.

Struan Rodger voices the Face of Boe in Doctor Who

Several Theories Could Explain Jack's Face Of Boe Transformation

A blended image features Jack Harkness alongside the Face of Boe under guard in Doctor Who

Every Appearance Of The Face Of Boe In Doctor Who

"The End Of The World"

Series 1, Episode 2

"The Long Game"

Series 1, Episode 7

"New Earth"

Series 2, Episode 1

"Gridlock"

Series 3, Episode 3

"Utopia"

Series 3, Episode 11

Various fan theories exist to explain how Jack might've become the Face of Boe. One links to the Headless Monks and Dorian, the blue severed head in a box. Given Jack's swashbuckling ways, it's not unreasonable to think that he was also decapitated at some point during his life and continued to live strictly from the neck up. A second suggestion derives from a line of dialogue in David Tennant's 10th Doctor episode, "Gridlock," when Brannigan describes a woman who breathed exhaust fumes for 20 minutes and her head swelled to 50 ft.

Perhaps Harkness had a similar experience, and the effects didn't register as an injury and therefore didn't heal. Eventually, of course, the Face of Boe does die, seemingly from a mixture of old age and exhaustion after providing his energy to save New New York in "Gridlock," but the reason Captain Jack suddenly becomes mortal is never addressed. The Doctor describes Jack as a fixed point in time, theoretically meaning he should never cease to exist.

Perhaps the effects of the Heart of the TARDIS only had a limited life span, and after billions of years, Jack finally regained his ability to die. Alternatively, maybe the Face of Boe used his psychic abilities to pass on the TARDIS' energy to help rescue New New York, having become more powerful throughout his lifespan.

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How Being The Face Of Boe Reframes Jack Harkness's Story

Captain Jack Harkness and Face of Boe on Doctor Who

Immortality is a recurrent theme throughout Doctor Who, and integral to multiple characters, including the ever-regenerating Doctor themselves. Immortality is explored a great deal throughout Jack Harkness' story, especially in season 4 of Torchwood when the entire human race lost the ability to die. The Face of Boe revelation is Jack's most important moment though. It shows that the true outcome of an unfathomably prolonged life in Doctor Who's world is the evolution into something unrecognizable as a human.

Jack is one of many immortals in Doctor Who. None lives to be as old as the Face of Boe — even the Doctor, who has been alive for mere millennia compared to the billions of years the Face of Boe racked up when he died. Jack, being the Face of Boe, reframes his story from a time-traveling human to perhaps the only being in the universe as significant as The Doctor. Most significantly, he's proof that even in the world of Doctor Who, nothing is forever, including The Man Who Could Not Die.

Behind The Scenes Of The Face Of Boe

The Face of Boe in his case while the Doctor sits and talks with him in Doctor Who

Fans weren’t the only ones excited about Jack Harkness becoming the Face of Boe in Doctor Who. Behind the scenes, David Tennant and John Barrowman, both fans of the show before they were cast, were incredibly excited to find out that fact. Barrowman said as much when he spoke with Pop Culture Zoo in 2008,

I was so excited. David Tennant and I jumped up screaming. It was probably the most excitable moment we had during the shooting of that series of Doctor Who. It was amazing.

Weaving beloved characters into surprising moments from the early days of the Doctor Who revival has become par for the course. The Face of Boe almost didn’t become an iconic character in the show because it was deemed too expensive. Originally, the Face of Boe wasn’t an important plot point. FX guru Neill Gorton and the Millennium FX team were responsible for creating monsters, animatronics, and set pieces at the time, and he can be credited with making the Face of Boe such an important part of Doctor Who.

When the 2010 Doctor Who museum exhibit opened in Glasgow, Gorton answered questions for the press about the process involved in working on the series, and it was the Face of Boe, on display at the exhibit, that provided a great example for him. The Face of Boe was initially a “throwaway line in the script,” and Gorton was told they could even replace the “five-foot face in a giant tank of gas” for something less expensive (via The Scotsman). Gorton, however, fought against that.

Gorton pushed for the Face of Boe to survive script cuts. He worked up an illustration of an idea for the character and showed it to Russell T. Davies, who liked the concept. The Face of Boe then became more important to the plot and was written into multiple episodes as the series continued. Fans of the long-running sci-fi series can credit decisions like Gorton’s for keeping their beloved characters alive on Doctor Who.

  • Doctor Who Poster
    Doctor Who
    Summary:
    As the last of the alien species known as the Time Lords, the Doctor travels through time and space in his TARDIS, a time machine thats bigger on the inside than the outside, seeking out adventures in the ancient past and unimagined future while also serving as the protector of Earth and mankind. With a human companion by his side, the Doctor meets extraordinary – and sometimes deadly - characters and creatures from across the universe.
    Release Date:
    1963-11-23
    Cast:
    Jenna Coleman, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Kingston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi
    Writers:
    Mark Gatiss, Toby Whithouse, Neil Cross, Steven Moffat, Chris Chibnall
    Seasons:
    26
    Genres:
    Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi
    Franchise:
    Doctor Who
    Story By:
    Sydney Newman C. E. Webber Donald Wilson
    Network:
    BBC