'Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man': Does Paul Anderson's Arthur Shelby appear in the Netflix film?
Contains spoilers for 'Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man'
Netflix's 'Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man' was one of the most-awaited movies of 2026. The explosive film is the latest after six hit seasons of 'Peaky Blinders'. With the film premiering on the streamer on Friday, fans of the iconic series have dissected the film and the characters. Most notably discussed was Paul Anderson's Arthur Shelby, who has shared a love-hate relationship with the fans since the start of the series. The hot-headed brother of Cillian Murphy (Thomas Shelby), who often spirals into addictive issues after his traumatic experiences in WWI, was one of the central characters in the series.
For those wanting to know if Arthur appears in 'The Immortal Man', the answer is a yes... and no. The character does not appear in the film in his flesh, but the movie sees flashbacks of him and the influence he has on the Shelby family. What is revealed is that Arthur is dead when Thomas visits his grave. The burial date is shown to be December 1938. The reason behind his death is unknown, with the storyline implying suicide or an accidental overdose. The effect of his death on Thomas is showcased as well, as it sees him haunted by his brother's memories in the early part of the film.
Later, Rebecca Ferguson's Kaulo tells Thomas that he was not transparent about Arthur's death. The former confesses after she tells him that Arthur's spirit had told her he was not alone when he died, and that Thomas was the other one present. He adds that Thomas denies his request for money, leading him to steal his car and crash it. A confrontation ensues with the gun accidentally being fired, killing Arthur. The major reveal comes when Thomas visits Ada's corpse after she is killed, confessing and divulging more details about Arthur's death.
He reveals that he strangled Arthur to death in a fit of anger. The violent move came after his brother's unbearable actions. The sequence plays out in the flashback. Arthur also makes one final and short brief appearance via flashback in the climax. As Thomas is seen climbing a narrow tunnel, he experiences PTSD-kind of flashbacks to his time fighting during the First World War, and one of the gutting images is where Arthur is seen sitting on rubble. This essentially explains what happens to Arthur in the film. While he is not seen as a major character in the film, he is still an influential personality. For those yet to catch the film, 'Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man' is streaming on Netflix.
