Reaper

To see the entity of the same name, see Grim Reaper

Reapers were beings linked to Time itself. The Reapers would search out disturbances in time, such as temporal paradoxes, leave the Time Vortex and "sterilise" the area by devouring everything, with older objects being the tastiest and sentient beings of more interest than inanimate objects. According to the Ninth Doctor there was nothing in the entire universe which could harm them. They are by far the most dangerous creatures the Doctor has ever faced, due to the fact that they can devour the entire human race within a few hours and the Doctor is powerless to stop them. The majority of the human race would be consumed without even knowing the Reapers are there. But luckily for the Doctor and the human race, they can be banished if the timeline is restored to its original condition, and everything will return to how it was before, as though they were never there, and everyone would forget about them.

Appearance
The Reapers appeared as flying reptilian beings with sleek heads, four long hooked arms, mouths on their chests and tails that resemble a scythe.

Behaviour
They engulfed creatures in a flash of light with their mouths, leaving no traces. Despite these powers, they are material creatures, at least in this world, and can be blocked. They cannot pass through solid objects, with older objects such as a church being more effective barriers. As damage to Time in the form of time paradoxes accumulates, it allows them entry.

In less than a few hours, Reapers had devoured all but a handful of the humans of an alternate timeline Earth.

The presence of Reapers would seem more prevalent given, as the Ninth Doctor explained, other than himself no Time Lords existed to prevent temporal paradoxes. With the Time Lords gone, paradoxes happened with more frequency. (DW: Father's Day)


 * The Reapers are similar in appearance to the Vortisaurs, the Hunters and the Chronovores. The Doctor did not actually refer to them as Reapers.

The Reapers, alongside the Chronovores, were seen dwelling in the Time Vortex. (DWM: The Crimson Hand)

Behind the scenes

 * The name "Reaper" never actually appears on-screen. The script to Father's Day described the Reapers as appearing as multiple Grim Reapers who cut their victims down with their scythe. The idea of a more alien look for the Reapers came out of production team discussions.