Many fans of the beloved British show Doctor Who have long regarded David Tennant as one of the best actors to play the role of The Doctor, a feat which many believed to be impossible to reproduce until now.

As part of the branding regarding Disney+ acquiring the rights to broadcast Doctor Who on its streaming platform, many were spoiled to the fact that Tennant has reprised his role, with him as the star of the marketing push, confusing many who shared their reactions online.

The BBC have literally been itching to get the Chibnall era out of the way because in the space of 3 days we've already been bombarded with a trailer, interviews, a Disney partnership and a new logo for an era that doesn't even start until the end of 2023.

It's crazy! #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/hs23NJ08N4

— Star Whovian 👽 (@StarWhovian) October 25, 2022

You're asleep for a few hours and Disney steals Doctor Who from BBC America! pic.twitter.com/DKdDsUp2z5

— Phantom of the Pantozzi (@JillPantozzi) October 25, 2022

SPOILERS 🚨 Watch the regeneration of the Thirteenth Doctor… 🔥 #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/7m4WzWow0q

— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) October 23, 2022

The long rumoured Doctor Who/Disney+ deal has finally been done. Future episodes will premiere on the BBC in the UK, and on Disney+ worldwide

There's also a new logo, somewhat reminiscent of the 1970s version, for those old enough to remember! pic.twitter.com/YS9l1gdkwp

— lizo mzimba (@lizo_mzimba) October 25, 2022

What sparked a lot of this confusion, however, is that Tennant coming back to play the role of The Doctor isn't technically him coming back to the role, but playing the next iteration of the role.

Within the Doctor Who universe, the character of "The Doctor" can regenerate themselves from a fatal wound, changing their appearance, which helps with getting fresh actors in the role. Tennant's return isn't listed as a return, as the character he would be playing is both the same one as before, but advanced by a few seasons and slightly different.

Compounding on that confusion by fans is that Ncuti Gatwan is already announced to be The Doctor after Tennant, meaning that both are doing press releases and are part of marketing for the show as the main character — at the same time as each other.

Ncuti Gatwa dropped in on LiveKellyRyan</a> to share the news – new episodes of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DoctorWho?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DoctorWho</a> will premiere on the <a href="https://twitter.com/BBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">BBC and @DisneyPlus beginning in late 2023 ❤️❤️➕🟦 pic.twitter.com/Ill1EgZaUk

— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) October 25, 2022

Ncuti Gatwa, the next Doctor, joins us to answer some questions about all things #DoctorWho ❤️❤️➕🟦 pic.twitter.com/6Z4aGH5XqV

— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) October 25, 2022

This group would like to welcome David Tennant back to the role as the 14th Doctor
We also look forward to Ncuti Gatwan becoming the 15th Doctor.
Exciting times ahead for Dr Who

— Justice For Noel Clarke (@JusticeForNoelC) October 25, 2022

doctor who spoilers
I know there's goofy sci-fi stuff going on, but it's kind of weird that Tennant is the "new" Doctor, but it's Ncuti Gatwa who has to go around doing all the press junkets. Like he's doing an internship before he can actually play the role. https://t.co/GpN1uedOCZ

— Pop Arena (@pop_arena) October 25, 2022

With the series itself not officially coming until late in 2023, there's plenty of time for the fan questions to become untangled and easier to answer, but for now, there's enough confusion in the air to keep the fanbase speculating until the next series finally comes.

Doctor Who fans: Does the new logo solidify the ontological primacy of the 70s? Is David Tennant overshadowing Ncuti? Will new viewers balk at the Disney+ distribution due to the show's legacy of anti-capitalist messaging?

Non-fans: yeah i like dr who he was cool in infinity war

— Max Kashevsky (@MaxKashevsky) October 25, 2022