Which Canon Moments Support X Missy Interpretations?

It's fun getting into Missy's layered moments because she's the kind of character who practically begs to be read a dozen different ways. If you're asking which canon beats support various 'x Missy' interpretations, there are actually a ton of moments across classic and modern 'Doctor Who' that fandom has leaned on. The trick is to separate outright textual evidence (lines, looks, actions) from tonal stuff (flirtation, obsession, codependency) — both are valid for shipping, but they point in different directions. I'll walk through the most commonly cited pairings and the canon moments people point to when they ship Missy with someone.

Doctor x Missy is the big one, and the show supplies a buffet of material for that interpretation. Michelle Gomez's Missy brings a mixture of flirtation, tenderness, and cruelty that reads as queer-coded chemistry with the Doctor. Look to the season 8 finale pair 'dark water' and 'Death in heaven' where Missy reveals herself and plays that dangerous, coquettish game with the Doctor — there's a push-and-pull of mockery and genuine curiosity that reads like more than simple rivalry. Later, in 'World Enough and Time'/'The Doctor Falls', Missy and the Doctor share long, intimate confrontations and quieter moments of mutual recognition where she shows vulnerability and he shows, however awkwardly, a weird fondness. Classic-era stories — from the Master's early obsessions to lines like “I could never stay dead for you” — also give history to their co-dependent, almost-romantic rivalry. Taken together, the canon repeatedly frames the Master/Missy's feelings as unusually fixated and intimate, which is why Doctor x Missy is so easy to support.

Missy x Clara or Missy x Bill interpretations lean on different scenes. With Clara, the two have sharp, psychologically charged interactions in 'Dark Water'/'Death in Heaven' — Missy toyed with Clara's sense of morality and mortality, and the way she speaks to Clara is both condescending and oddly admiring. Fans read that as emotional intimacy or predatory fascination depending on tone, but either way it creates a plausible bond to interpret romantically or as a dark mirror romance. With Bill, the modern finale ('The Doctor Falls') shows Missy relating to Bill in a softer, almost curious way; Missy’s interest in Bill’s perspective on humanity and her surprising acts of aid can be read as affectionate rather than purely utilitarian, and that ambiguity fuels Missy x Bill fanworks.

There are also sweeter and weirder pairings people enjoy — Missy x River Song, Missy x Nardole, even Missy x the Master-self (a self-romance angle) — and the canon supports those through the consistent themes of Missy's need for recognition, her theatrics, and occasional sincere attempts at connection. Classic episodes give the Master long-standing obsession and theatrical devotion to the Doctor, while modern episodes give Missy vulnerability and the capacity to genuinely change direction for moments. So whether you lean into flirtatious banter, a history of obsession, small compassionate gestures, or major acts of betrayal that read as emotional intensity, the show provides concrete lines and scenes to build a case.

At the end of the day, I love how flexible Missy is as a character — the same smile can read as flirt, challenge, or heartbreak depending on how you want to interpret it. That ambiguity is why she's such a rich source of headcanons and fanworks; the canon gives you the pieces, and fandom riffs make the mosaics, which is endlessly fun to watch and create.