Puncher: The Last Centurion
Punchee: The Doctor
Memorable Lines: “Welcome back Rory Williams!”
Why it’s Awesome: Rory Williams has just had the absolute worst day of his life. His fiance doesn’t remember who he is, he’s just learned that he’s not only dead but in fact erased from time, which is as nothing compared to learning that he’s also a killer robot made of solid plastic (rather than either a mild-mannered nurse from Leadworth OR a badass Centurion from Ancient Rome), which he in turn discovered by accidentally/on purpose murdering the girl of his dreams, and to top it all off the universe just imploded. But none of that is what makes this particular punch so awesome. Firstly, that’s the Doctor getting punched in the face there. Some of us have been waiting nearly fifty years to see the Doctor get punched in the face, so it’s about freakin time. Secondly, the Doctor’s been generally abusive to Rory all season (well, up until he died, because after that he felt bad about the whole thing), so he really really has it coming. And thirdly, because the Doctor knows this and does it on purpose. He deliberately provokes Rory into punching him in the face, in order to ensure that he’s still one of the good guys. The Doctor gets himself punched in the face, because he’s manipulative and is not above manipulating even himself. It’s like “Good for you! I totally deserved that!” And he really did deserve it, you have to admit - and Rory is still man enough to turn him around and punch him in the face, because even if you’re a twice dead killer robot at the end of the universe, you don’t hit people from behind. Not when you could punch them in the face.
Where to find it?: Doctor Who, “The Big Bang” by Steven Moffat
Because there is a Tumblr dedicated to important punches in entertainment history. Of course.