Whatever happened to Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby? It’s the question that’s haunted Peaky Blinders fans since the Netflix juggernaut ended in 2022. Season 6 gave the character the closest thing to a happy ending he could have possibly deserved: though he believed he was dying of a brain tumor, that was just a ruse created by a sadistic political rival. Tommy’s family is in shambles by the end, with his wife Lizzie (Natasha O’Keeffe) striking off on her own and his illegitimate son Duke (Conrad Khan) joining the title Birmingham mob, but Tommy is at least free.
After torching his estate and literally riding off into the sunset, the possibilities for the character are endless. That said, a sequel that follows Tommy on the straight and narrow path probably isn’t what fans want. Creator Steven Knight previously admitted that his plans for Tommy’s story changed dramatically when Netflix greenlit a film; he now calls Season 6 “the end of the beginning,” but it’s not clear what that makes Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, the series’ big-screen follow-up.
