Doctor Who Season 14: Who does Jonathan Groff play in ‘Rogue’?

Doctor Who Season 14 Episode 6 features a new character played by a familiar face — but who does Jonathan Groff play in ‘Rogue’, exactly?

The latest episode of Doctor Who Season 14 takes a page out of Bridgerton’s book, as the Doctor and Ruby step back in time to the Regency era. There’s bird-like creatures out to cosplay the human race to death, and during the pair’s mission to stop them, they encounter Jonathan Groff.

Fans will know Groff outside of the Doctor Who episode from the likes of Glee, Hamilton, and Mindhunter. For many, it’s a brilliant surprise to see him joining the sci-fi show in the new episode.

So, who does Jonathan Groff play? Is he a friend or foe to the Doctor and Ruby? Here’s everything you need to know about his character. (Warning: major spoilers ahead!)

Who does Jonathan Groff play?

In ‘Rogue’, Jonathan Groff plays Rogue, a bounty hunter who’s been sent to capture whoever is behind the Chuldur’s evil scheme.

Sorry, Who fans — he’s not secretly playing a version of Captain Jack Harkness. (Then again, he does allude to an old flame slash companion who we never catch the name of. Maybe, at one point in time, Captain Jack and Rogue were a pair.) 

Rogue is a bounty hunter who mistakes the Doctor for being the mastermind behind the Chuldurs’ plans. He takes him prisoner, and even almost sends him into an incinerator, but the Doctor manages to explain everything.

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From that point on, the two become a duo as they attempt to take down the Chuldur family and save Ruby Sunday. The Doctor and the bounty hunter’s relationship is flirtatious and affectionate, with the two dancing together (to gain the attention of the Chuldurs), and showing off as they explore each other’s spaceships. 

What happens to Rogue?

In the ‘Rogue’ ending, Jonathan Groff’s character essentially sacrifices himself, pushing Ruby out of the Chuldur trap that she’s accidentally caught in and sending himself (and the Chulurs) into a transport that sends them into a planet potentially entire galaxies away.

Whereas Rogue wants to kill the Chuldurs, the Doctor instead decides to banish them, sending them far far away to a place where they can never find their way back. Rogue, realizing the Doctor would never sacrifice Ruby for the greater good, switches places with her.

So, he’s not dead, but he could be millions of galaxies away, somewhere completely unknown. It’s very unlikely the Doctor will ever find him again, even if he tried. (Still, this is Doctor Who — who’s to say he won’t pop back up again in the future?)

Do the Doctor and Rogue kiss?

Yes! The Doctor and Rogue share a kiss right before Rogue sacrifices himself. 

The two spend the episode being very flirtatious with each other, and the brilliant chemistry between Ncuti Gatwa and Jonathan Groff implies that both characters feel an attraction. They almost kiss earlier in the episode, but they’re interrupted when the tri-form trap makes a noise to signal that it’s fully charged.

It’s clear that the Doctor became very enamored with Rogue, relating to him as a lonely traveler who must always continue on. At the end of the episode, the Doctor looks to the sky and puts on the ring that Rogue gave him in an earlier scene, signifying that he’ll always remember him.

For more, check out our ‘Rogue’ review. You can also keep tabs on all the Doctor Who Season 14 villains, and find out how to watch Doctor Who Season 14, wherever you are.