The final chapter in Tommy Shelby's story is now playing in theaters ahead of its Netflix release later this month, and after that explosive ending, there's a good chance you have questions, which is where our Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man ending explained comes in.
Set some six years after the events of season 6, a lot goes down in the Peaky Blinders movie, including several major events that happen off-camera in the years between season 6 and The Immortal Man. And with Cillian Murphy telling GamesRadar+ that Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man was the "natural conclusion" for Tommy Shelby, the Peaky Blinders movie is not to be missed.
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man ending recap
After returning to Birmingham to save his illegitimate son, Duke (Barry Keoghan), following the assassination of Ada (Sophie Rundle), Tommy and Duke team up to stop Beckett (Tim Roth) and his Nazi-backed plot to flood the British economy with millions in forged currency. Following a shootout between Tommy and Beckett at the hospital where Ada's body is being kept, Tommy learns the location of Beckett's operation from an old acquaintance, dock worker Hayden Stagg (Stephen Graham). Together with several old allies, Tommy concocts a plan to use canal boats to "see if from this bad, some good can come" by destroying the money and killing Beckett.
Around the same time, we learn, via flashback, that Tommy killed his brother Arthur in a moment of rage by choking him to death in a car in the years between season 6 and The Immortal Man. This, and the death of his daughter Ruby in 1934, is what sends Tommy into the spiral of grief that led to his self-exile from the Peaky Blinders and society at large. Kaulo (Rebecca Ferguson) promises to give Tommy 'peace' from this grief if he saves his son, Duke. But that 'peace' is in fact death, with Kaulo telling Duke he must kill Tommy if he ever wants to step out of his father's shadow and lead the Peaky Blinders.
Tommy knows that Duke plans to kill him after they take out Beckett, but proceeds with the plan regardless. Duke seemingly throws a spanner in the works by revealing the details of the canal boat attack to Beckett, but it's a double-bluff, as the real plan is to pack the canal boats with explosives and take out many of Beckett's Nazi platoon at once, which they succeed in doing. Tommy approaches alone via a sealed-off tunnel, but the claustrophobic spaces give him intense flashbacks to his time as a tunneler during World War 1.
As everyone converges on the warehouse, an explosive shootout takes place, with all but Beckett quickly killed on the Nazi side. Tommy uses a mine to blow up the containers full of fake money, burning it all to cinders. Beckett manages to slip away and jumps into his bullet-riddled car. Speeding towards the hangar doors, Tommy steps in front and points his gun at the driver, waiting for the perfect moment to shoot. Whether by choice or necessity, he waits too long and takes two shots to the stomach before killing Beckett with a single bullet to the head.
Unlikely to survive his wounds, Tommy embraces Duke and tells him he must shoot him in front of everyone as he is ready to die, and so Duke can assume his place as the leader of the Peaky Blinders. Tommy is shot by Duke as they hug, and dies.
The film ends with Kaulo retrieving the manuscript that Tommy had been writing in exile, titled The Immortal Man, ahead of his traditional Romany funeral pyre. Tommy's body, on a bed of forged money, and surrounded by pictures of family, is burned inside a wheeled carriage on the moors as Duke, Kaulo and his surviving friends pay their respects.
Does Tommy Shelby die in the Peaky Blinders movie?
Yes, this is definitive: Tommy Shelby dies in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man after being shot twice in the stomach by Beckett, and finally by his son, Duke, at Tommy's own request.
His body is then cremated in a traditional Romany funeral pyre. For much of the film, Tommy is effectively dead to the world, as he is in self-imposed, grief-fuelled exile following the death of his brother, Arthur, and his daughter, Ruby. He returns to his old life in Birmingham to save his son Duke in exchange for 'peace' from Kaulo. This peace, Kaulo neglects to mention, is death, with Kaulo planning to convince Duke to kill his own father so he can take over the Peaky Blinders.
How did Arthur die in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man?
For much of the film, we are led to believe that Arthur died in a car accident between the events of season 6 (set in 1933-34) and The Immortal Man (which is set in 1940), and that Tommy is still grief-stricken because of it. It is revealed, however, that Tommy killed his brother by choking him to death in that same car. We don't see the exact events that led up to the murder, but it's clear that Arthur's demons finally pushed Tommy over the edge, resulting in Tommy taking action in a way he can never take back. This, in a way, ultimately leads to the end of Tommy's own life.
Paul Anderson, who played Arthur Shelby for six seasons, does not appear in any new footage during Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Who dies in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man?
As well as Tommy Shelby, who is shot by Beckett and later by Duke, Tommy's brother Arthur dies off-camera before the events of the movie. There is one other major death in the Peaky Blinders movie: Tommy's sister, Ada (Sophie Rundle), is assassinated by Beckett.
Now an MP, Ada threatens to destabilize Beckett's plan to flood the British economy with millions in forged currency by having her nephew, Duke, arrested for stealing guns destined for the front lines from a bombed munitions factory.
Beckett tells Duke he must kill Ada to prove himself loyal to the cause, but Duke refuses, and Beckett shoots Ada in the head instead. In one of the film's eerier moments, Tommy sees a spectral vision of Ada on the road immediately following her death and, despite being miles away, knows in that moment that she is dead.
Is Duke the new leader of the Peaky Blinders?
Yes, both at the beginning of the movie, and certainly by the end, Tommy's son Duke is the new leader of the Peaky Blinders. With Tommy in self-imposed exile in the country, Duke steps in to lead the notorious Birmingham gang. Under his leadership, the Peaky Blinders have become more ruthless, even going so far as to steal munitions destined for British soldiers on the front lines.
When Tommy returns to the city to save his son, he shows no particular interest in leading the Peaky Blinders again, but his reputation precedes him and even Duke quickly falls in line with his father. Following Tommy's death, Duke is held up as the new leader of the Peaky Blinders by all those present.
Did Operation Bernhard really happen?
Like many of the events in Peaky Blinders, there is a historical basis for the act of subterfuge that unfolds in The Immortal Man. Operation Bernhard was a real Nazi plot to destabilize Britain in World War 2 by flooding the economy with millions in forged bank notes, leading to the kind of hyperinflation that hobbled Germany in World War 1.
Naturally, the details are dramatised in the film – Beckett, the treasurer of the British Union of Fascists, is fictional for starters, and the end of Operation Bernhard wasn't quite so explosive in real life. Operation Bernhard has been dramatised a couple of times over the years, most notably in the 2007 German film The Counterfeiters.
Can Kaulo really speak to the dead?
This is up to interpretation. While the Queen of the Palmer Witches seems to know more about Tommy and the future than she should, there's little that can't be explained by her being well-connected in the Romany community. The idea that her long-dead twin sister Zelda can inhabit her body could easily be read as Kaulo exploiting Tommy's connection with her sister to get close to him. Tommy himself provides the most compelling evidence that Romany have the ability to see into the next life, as his vision of Ada in the road is almost too much of a coincidence to reasonably explain. Kaulo ultimately has Tommy's best interests at heart and manipulates events to give Tommy what he truly needs – peace through death.
Is there a Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man post-credits scene?
There are no extra scenes after the credits of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. However, you might want to sit through at least some of the credits, as they play over a static, long-distance shot of Tommy's funeral pyre. You'll definitely need that time to compose yourself and wipe away the tears.
When is the Peaky Blinders movie on Netflix?
While Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is currently playing exclusively in movie theaters, on limited release (meaning you may have to travel to find a theater playing it) there's not too long to wait till it hits streaming. The Peaky Blinders movie releases on Netflix on March 20, at which stage you can stream it to your heart's content.
Will there be a Peaky Blinders season 7?
This is a little complicated. Peaky Blinders is returning, with a new iteration of the show already filming after being picked up for two seasons. But it is set in 1953 and will follow the next generation of Peaky Blinders in Birmingham. This almost certainly means that Duke won't still be leading the Peaky Blinders some 13 years after taking his father's place.
Tommy's death at the end of The Immortal Man also means it's very unlikely we'll ever see Tommy Shelby return. There are, however, a lot of open doors for creator Steven Knight to explore down the road. Could we see a revival set in the six years between season 6 and The Immortal Man featuring Tommy? Or a new season set in the 13 years between the events of The Immortal Man and the newest iteration of the show featuring Duke? It's all pure speculation for now, and The Immortal Man is clearly designed to close the book on Tommy Shelby's story, so if we had to guess, a season 7 that continues the Shelby story seems unlikely to ever happen.
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is in theaters now, and streams on Netflix from March 20. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies, or fill out your watchlist our guide to the best Netflix movies.
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