Doctor Who's Captain Jack Harkness was a longtime ally of Doctors Nine and Ten, but then he disappeared from the scene until his recent arrival to help Thirteen. After all of his immortal exploits through time in Doctor Who and its spinoff Torchwood, it’s strange he would entirely skip the tenure of two Doctors: Eleven and Twelve. Captain Jack will finally reunite with the Doctor during his role in Doctor Who’s Christmas Special, but he’s missed a lot in the years between. Although Jack could have appeared at any time, behind-the-scenes decisions left him out of the story.

Captain Jack had been a recurring character since his introduction in 2005, helping Nine and Rose Tyler during “The Empty Child”. He continued showing up for the Doctor’s other adventures, during one of which Rose turned him into an immortal being while trying to resurrect him. His last appearance was at the end of the Tenth Doctor’s run, and he was absent until the most recent season. The Doctor and Jack Harkness may be unlikely to happen upon each other in all of time and space, but he never showed up to help Eleven and Twelve during their cataclysmic problems like he’s doing for Thirteen. His disappearance also left a few mysteries with loose ends, such as how he becomes the Face of Boe, a transformation the show has strongly implied but never confirmed or explained. There’s plenty of potential ground to explore now with Captain Jack, but his return could have happened earlier.

Related: Why Doctor Who Won’t Officially Confirm Jack Harkness Is The Face of Boe

Captain Jack’s final appearance with Ten coincided with the end of Russel T. Davies’ time as showrunner of Doctor Who. Steven Moffat took over afterward, taking the show in a different creative direction that didn’t seem to have room for Harkness’ continuing escapades through time. John Barrowman moved onto new roles like Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrowverse, though he never entirely left Captain Jack behind. Barrowman has been eager to return to Jack Harkness and Doctor Who for years, but Moffat never wrote him back into the show. Moffat’s run carried through the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors, so Captain Jack never had the opportunity to work with two beloved Doctors despite the open narrative opportunities for their meeting.

Captain Jack Harkness on Torchwood

Another change in showrunners is now bringing Jack Harkness back. When Moffat left, Chris Chibnall took over. Chibnall is the former head writer for the Jack-focused spinoff Torchwood, so he was much more likely to have ideas in mind for the character’s return into the parent series. Captain Jack’s reappearance is only one of the many changes Chibnall made to the show, such as the controversial Timeless Child reveal that the Christmas Special may need to deal with alongside welcoming back the fan-favorite time adventurer. Since Chibnall is willing to make big changes with the lore and direction of the show, Jack Harkness could be coming back into the story for larger reasons yet to be revealed. Jack may have missed out on Eleven and Twelve, but his forthcoming adventures with Thirteen may have a significant impact on the future.

With a showrunner at the helm who is well-accustomed to writing for Captain Jack, Harkness could be here to stay. The Thirteenth Doctor currently has a companion problem since Graham and Ryan are departing the show, leaving only Yaz from her original companion team. Captain Jack could replace Graham and Ryan as a proper companion to the Doctor. Whichever direction the story takes him, Jack Harkness is sure to make up for his missed opportunities with Eleven and Twelve through an action-packed time with Thirteen.

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