A certain sort of Doctor Who fan has gotten very excited by the ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ appearance of Abslom Daak in the new season of the show. This might be enough for some fans of the 80’s comic book character, but if the BBC was ever to bring everybody’s favourite Dalek killer to the small screen, they would need to find an actual actor to play the role.
For those of you unfamiliar with Steve Moore and Steve Dillon’s action hero, Abslom Daak is a criminal sentenced to that most harsh of sentences; Dalek Killing. He’s been permanently exiled to the Dalek Empire with the single mission of killing “every last stinking Dalek in the Galaxy”. A slightly tongue in-cheek action hero, he has only existed in the Doctor Who comic books until we caught a fleeting glimpse of his wanted poster in the recent trailer for the episode Time Heist.
We at STARBURST humbly suggest these ten actors as potential Dalek Killers:
1: Dolph Lundgren
Okay, so we’d have to dye his hair and explain why Daak has survived so long in Dalek-invested space. Still, Lundgren’s craggy looks and nuanced yet mono-syllabic approach to acting could really work here. Lundgren’s still very physically intimidating, which would allow a good script to imply mega-violence without actually showing it. For bonus geek joy, team him up with John Hurt as the War Doctor.
2: Jonas Armstrong
No stranger to tea-time telly, this former Robin Hood certainly fits the bill when it comes to looks. Armstrong is used to BBC budget action sequences, though his current image his a little bit too ‘loveable rogue’ rather than the obvious thug that Daak is portrayed as in the comic books. Still, he seems like an almost too perfect choice.
3: Craig Fairbrass
Best known for his roles as an English thug, Fairbrass would be a very physical choice, moving away from the roguish good looks of the character and heading into a more sinister and violent sort of world. Still, if anyone can look convincing whilst slicing a chainsaw through the head of a Dalek Emperor, it’s Fairbrass.
4: Viggo Mortenson
Many of us still have fond memories of Mortenson as Aragorn, and though the actor has subsequently moved on to other sorts of projects, it would still be interesting to see him wielding a chainsaw whilst wearing form-fitting armour. He is known to be good friends with Peter Jackson, and given that the New Zealand director has expressed an interest in doing an episode of the show, it would be nice to reunite them for this bit of tea-time fun.
5: Danny Dyer
Let’s be honest, Dyer has a talent for swaggeringly obnoxious characters who get right up your nose. Given that Daak has all the social charm of a dead slug and spends most of his time making idle threats to his allies, Dyer seems like a good choice. The actor is also quite handy at the odd action scene, so could fit quite well.
6: Sean Bean
Bean looks the part; physical and heroic, with a strong line in cynicism and dourness. No stranger to hitting things and playing the part of the doomed hero, Sean Bean’s version of Daak could very well define the character for legions of Doctor Who fans. Bean might be too expensive for Doctor Who’s budgets, but not to worry; any script that cast Sean Bean as the Dalek Killer would almost certainly kill him off at the end.
7: Jensen Ackles
This American actor is better known for his role as Dean in hit TV show Supernatural. Putting him in an episode of Doctor Who would cause a good percentage of the internet to explode, especially the fan factory that is Tumblr. Ackles is no stranger to on screen violence, and is a very good choice for a one-man murder machine who can speak in a gruff and angry sort of way. Swap Dean’s First Blade for a chain-sword and the Impala for a Kill-Wagon rocket ship and we’ll be ready to go.
8: James Purefoy
With rugged good looks and the charm of the very devil, James Purefoy could pull off an engaging yet violent rogue quite well. No stranger to sympathetic murderers, this actor could bounce off Capaldi’s eerie energy very well indeed, and could even make Daak work as a permanent companion.
9: Sean Pertwee
Fans have been itching to get Jon Pertwee’s son onto the show for decades now, but he’s never quite been the right sort of fit. Given that Daak is deliberately designed to be the sort of character we don’t see in Doctor Who, it’s almost written for Sean Pertwee. He does action very well and has a good line in sarcasm that would fit well with Capaldi.
10: Jason Statham
It seems silly to leave him out, really. The quintessential British action hero, Daak is one of the very few roles that would see Statham in an episode of Doctor Who. He would likely dominate any story he was in, but when it comes to surly violence, Statham has you covered.
The Doctor Who episode Time Heist screens on BBC One Saturday 20th September at 7.30pm.
