Morbius, also known near the end of his first life as the General, was a notorious and malevolent renegade Time Lord. His career was the first in millennia to dramatically alter Gallifrey's relations with the wider universe. He attempted to overturn Gallifrey's non-interference policy in favour of military conquest, a controversial move which sparked the Time Lords' first and greatest Civil War. He failed, was exiled and eventually executed, only to survive, saved by his followers.
Morbius's original incarnation (TV: The Brain of Morbius) was a charismatic man slightly below medium height, with "classically handsome" features and a domed forehead. He served as President of the High Council before being deposed, taking on the name of "the General". He was ultimately executed. (PROSE: Warmonger)
After his brain was salvaged, Morbius was transplanted into a new body by Mehendri Solon. An unstable patchwork of parts from various species, topped by a purely artificial brain-case, the "monster" was hounded off the edge of a cliff by the Sisterhood of Karn and destroyed shortly after Morbius had been transplanted in this body. (TV: The Brain of Morbius)
Using a fragment of Morbius's original brain and biodata from Straxus, the Cult of Morbius managed to effect a full regeneration from the brain fragment, with Morbius resurrected in a new Time Lord body. However, he needed frequent transfusions of biodata from Straxus to keep himself stable. This resurrection was later temporally undone, with only Straxus and Lucie Miller remembering the aborted timeline. (AUDIO: The Vengeance of Morbius)
Alternative timelines[]
In an alternative timeline, Morbius was a Gallifreyan who became a Vampire and served Lord Prydon. (AUDIO: Annihilation)
Behind the scenes[]
The Imperator as featured or mentioned the Faction Paradox series fills the same place in Time Lord history as Morbius, and the authorial intent is clearly that "the Imperator" be read as a title or alias of Morbius. However, as none of the stories featuring the Imperator held the licence to the character or name of Morbius, this Wiki does not acknowledge them to be the same individual. Interestingly, the Imperator's contemporary in Faction Paradox, the War King, is for his part implied to be a future version of the Master; this would, logically, mean that "Morbius" was a contemporary of the Doctor themselves.
Morbius was named after Dr Edward Morbius from the 1956 film Forbidden Planet. (INFO: The Brain of Morbius)
Morbius was referenced in Craig Hinton and Chris McKeon's Time's Champion, a sequel to Hinton's Millennial Rites and The Quantum Archangel. It was revealed Morbius fathered twin children, the Children of Contempt, with an unknown renegade Time Lady.
The colour of the robes worn by the Third Morbius in The Vengeance of Morbius indicate that he was a member of the Dromeian Chapter. However this has never been officially confirmed.
Unnamed leader • Flavia • Lowri • Flavia • Niroc • Romana II • Unnamed President 2 • Unnamed President 3 • Romana I (Romana II / Pandora) • Valyes • Darkel • Irving Braxiatel • Matthias • Romana II • Unnamed President 4 • Padrac
War in Heaven
Romana III • Head of the Presidency • Umbaste • The War King • Lolita
V-Time
Unnamed President 5 • Unnamed President 6
Last Great Time War
Romana II • Livia Caralis • Valerian • "Rassilon the Resurrected" • "War" Rassilon • "Rassilon the Narrator"
Post-Time War
"Rassilon the Narrator" • "Rassilon the Redeemer" • Twelfth Doctor • Unnamed Lady President
Unknown placement
Pandak II • Pandak III
Unnamed President 7 • Roasted Gallifreyan President
Symbols of office
Crown of Rassilon • Sash of Rassilon • Rod of Rassilon • Great Key of Rassilon • The Matrix • Resignation honours list
Occasions
Presidential Resignation Day • Reaffirmation Ceremony
The Presidents are categorised by in-universe chronological order. Loose chronological order applies for the lists, but when in doubt (as with the temporal uncertainty of the Time Wars), list them in the order in which they were first depicted as Presidents in the real world.
Adam Warlock • Apocalypse • Captain Britain • Captain UK • Combat Wombat • Cusick and Doot • Death's Head • Doctor Doom • Doctor Octopus • Doctor Strange • Ghost Rider • Hulk • Human Torch • Jester • Knave • Lucas Bishop • Namor • Guillermo Perez • Rocket Raccoon • Random • Scarlet Witch • Silver Surfer • Spider-Man • Stacy Arnheim • Tigon Liger • The Thing • Thor • Tuck • Volstagg • Warlock
Other characters
Axel Pressbutton • Bart Simpson • Captain Scarlet • Conan the Barbarian • Darth Vader • Emma Peel • Ferengi • John Steed • The Mekon (balloon) • Sapphire and Steel • Worf
Ships
The Doctor's TARDIS • Kill-Wagon • Tigerfire • USS Enterprise-D • Thunderbird 3 • Flying saucer
