Peaky Blinders fans infuriated by ‘horrible’ death in Immortal Man movie: ‘The worst possible ending’
"He didn't deserve this"
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man doesn’t shy away from killing off characters, but one “horrible” death has been widely criticised, with some calling it the “worst possible ending”.
The new Netflix movie takes place in 1940, six years after the fiery ending of the original run of Peaky Blinders. Tommy (Cillian Murphy) returns to Birmingham amid the explosive chaos of the Second World War, where he reunites with his son, Duke (Barry Keoghan), and becomes tangled in a Nazi plot to cripple the country.
Despite the time skip, several characters from the show return, like Ada (Sophie Rundle) and Hayden Stagg (Stephen Graham). Others – like Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) and Alfie (Tom Hardy) – aren’t even mentioned.
However, one pivotal character from the series doesn’t make an appearance – and his death is one of the film’s most contentious decisions.
***Warning: spoilers from Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man ahead***
What happens to Arthur in the Peaky Blinders movie?
The sixth series of Peaky Blinders ended on a sombre note for Arthur Shelby. After struggling with addiction, he left Tommy a note instead of parting ways in person.
“Where you’re going, Tommy, there will I be. Very soon. Love, Arthur,” he wrote.
The implication was that Arthur either planned to take his own life or knew he’d succumb to himself. However, The Immortal Man plays out differently.
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Early in the movie, it’s revealed that Arthur killed himself in 1938. Later, we get the truth: tired of his troubles and drunk, Tommy murdered him in a fit of rage. He confesses that it was an attempt to “free himself from him”, and we get a very brief glimpse of him in a vision.
Peaky Blinders fans fume at Arthur’s death: ‘He didn’t deserve this’
The Immortal Man has quickly proven to be divisive among Peaky Blinders fans, but Arthur’s death has been near-unanimously condemned online.
“The way they sent off Arthur was horrible. I don’t care how much booze Thomas was on, the idea of him strangling Arthur because he felt like too much of a burden is so, SO off character for him,” one user wrote on Reddit.
“Worst ending possible,” another commented. “Tommy would’ve never done that to Arthur, and all that palpable tension built in the last season for nothing. I regret watching it,” a third wrote.
“Seriously? After everything we’ve seen over the years, one of the strongest and most loyal bonds in the entire series ends like that? I just can’t accept it,” a fourth commented.
“Tommy would never kill Arthur, that made zero sense,” a fifth added. “Arthur didn’t deserve this,” a sixth wrote.
ARTHUR SHELBY deserved a better ending 💔#PeakyBlinders #TheImmortalMan pic.twitter.com/fnLfKtrQyP
— Myke (@Mykethogan) March 20, 2026
“Shame on Steven Knight for killing off Arthur the way he did. I get it, Paul Anderson… couldn’t be in the movie. But, Tommy would never in a million years take his brother’s life,” a seventh wrote.
Before the film’s release, Paul Anderson revealed to LADbible that he’d been given a heads-up about his character’s fate.
“I think it’s great. I mean, it’s such a powerful thing to do. It’s something you don’t see on TV,” he said.
Speaking to Netflix, Knight also explained that Arthur’s death wasn’t the original plan. “Sometimes something occurs to you that explains what you’ve been writing,” he said.
“I was writing this intense guilt. And then you think, ‘Well, that’s why he’s so guilty. Because it was him.'”
Read more: All 6 Peaky Blinders stars who have died since the show ended
