If “normal people develop superpowers” is a genre, then Netflix is the master of it. Beyond Stranger Things, there’s also The Umbrella Academy, I Am Not Okay With This, and even the much-maligned Jupiter’s Legacy. With that proven track record, it can be hard for the streamer to find a fresh take on the same premise, but a new series manages to do just that.
It’s got the realism of The Boys without the over-the-top gore and cynicism, and all the heart of Stranger Things without the nostalgia bait. In a year with only one Marvel movie, this is the superhero story the world needs right now — here’s why you should check it out.
Supacell is the brainchild of Rapman, the rapper-turned-filmmaker who found success in exploring social issues through unlikely mediums — first rap, and, with Supacell, superhero storytelling. The series follows Michael (Doctor Who’s Tosin Cole), a young Black man in London trying to make good: he’s got a stable job as a deliveryman and a great relationship with his fiancée Dionne (Adelayo Adedayo).
That all changes when, during a particularly passionate moment with Dionne, Michael is suddenly transported into the future where he sees a future version of himself leading a team of superheroes: there’s someone with telekinesis, someone with super strength, someone with telekinesis, someone who can go invisible, all the classic superpowers.
Michael’s future self warns him that he must assemble this team or risk losing something incredibly important to him — he’s shown the grave of Dionne, a death that could possibly have been avoided in the past.
Back in the time where he started, Michael has to break out of his mild-mannered life and attempt to find everyone he saw in the future, even if that means worrying those around him. Together, they find more than just a threat to their kind — they find a vast conspiracy that’s somehow linked to each member of this new team being related to someone with sickle cell anemia.
The genius of Supacell is how it manages to combine multiple storylines showing different parts of the British Black experience in one series. Each episode is dedicated to a different superheroic member, so there’s a semi-anthological element. Super-speedy Rodney (Calvin Demba) makes bank once he promises a “five minutes or it’s free” promotion with his drug dealing. Upstart gang leader Tazer (Josh Tedeku) finds his invisibility comes in handy during a fight. Young nurse Sabrina (Nadine Mills) uses her powers to protect her sister from a cheating boyfriend.
Supacell does what superhero stories were always meant to do: highlight little-seen or little-known issues by heightening them through a sci-fi and fantasy lens. Without the powers, this show would just be another “urban” British drama, but with it, it becomes the start of a fascinatingly built world full of characters who could each carry a Marvel movie themselves — but together, this show has the full Avengers.
