Cillian Murphy and Peaky Blinders creator explain why Tommy Shelby had to have *that* ending

The new Peaky Blinders film, The Immortal Man, arrived on Netflix last week, and Tommy Shelby’s ending has shocked everyone. Here’s a full explanation of why it had to happen, according to Cillian Murphy and the creator.

Right at the end of the film, Tommy is killed by his own son, and in his final moments, he whispers the words: “In the bleak midwinter.”

The creator, Steven Knight, told Tudum that Tommy had to die because he has always been so willing to risk his life. He escaped death so many times, and it couldn’t keep on happening forever. And the reality is, Tommy wanted to finally be at peace.

“He welcomes it,” he said. “And the point is that for a long time, probably since he got back from the trenches, death has always been an option for him. That’s what’s made him so strong and powerful. … If you’ve got someone who is prepared to die, they’re almost unstoppable.”

Credit: Netflix

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In another interview with Entertainment Weekly, Knight said Shelby “didn’t care if he lived or died,” which was both his biggest success and greatest downfall. As for Cillian Murphy, he always felt like his character had to die eventually too, so it never came as a shock. It was always the plan.

Speaking on the official Netflix podcast, the actor said: “I kind of always felt that he needed to die, it needed to happen. A lot of the show, he was kind of looking for that… it feels right, the way it happened.”

He told ScreenRant it wasn’t “a murder or an assassination,” it was a “mercy killing” where Duke finally gave his father “peace”. Rebecca Ferguson, who plays Kaulo, said: “[It was] an asking.” Murphy agreed: “It was like passing him over to the realm of, I don’t know, release or something. Yeah, in peace.”

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Featured image credit: Netflix