#26 The “Secret War” Doctor
Fans were upset by the War Doctor not just because of John Hurt, but because of the character’s inherent unpleasantness. The revelation that the War Doctor existed as a massive “secret” that all Doctor incarnations remembered but refused to acknowledge explains why he had never been brought up before.
Fans complained that the overly complicated timeline of the Doctor and the way it jumbled the already established background of the character was caused by the revelation that this secret Doctor was the one who ended the Time War. Many felt the story actually weakened the narrative by opening up new plot holes rather than providing a satisfying resolution.