Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be puttering out, the superhero genre is still alive and well on the small screen, and Netflix has dropped their latest superhero series, Supacell, just in time for summer.
With its grounded, relatable characters, clever sci-fi conceit, and layered storytelling, Supacell delivers a memorable first season, but its time-travel heavy storyline can be a little difficult to follow, even for genre vets. Luckily, you’ve got me here to help you break down all the portal-hopping, timeline altering, and power-siphoning that goes down in the Supacell season one finale.
Starring Doctor Who‘s Tosin Cole alongside Adelayo Adedayo, Eddie Marsan, Josh Tedeku, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Calvin Demba, Nadine Mills, Supacell follows Michael (Cole), an ordinary South Londoner who discovers he has superpowers. After his future self appears with a warning that the love of their life Dionne (Adedayo) will die if he doesn’t stop the “hooded figures”, Michael races against time to unite a group of unlikely heroes including Andre (Kofi-Abrefa), Sabrina (Mills), Rodney (Demba), and Taser (Tedeku).
Who are the hooded figures in Supacell?
When Michael first gets the ominous warning from his future self that Dionne’s life is in danger unless he unites a team of superpowered Londoners, a key part of the warning is to beware of the “hooded figures” hunting down Michael, Dionne, and his fellow heroes. The identity of the hooded figures (whether they’re associated with a gang, from the future, or empowered themselves) is a major question mark over the course of Supacell season one, but the action-packed finale finally delivers answers.
All season long we’ve wondered if there was some connection between Krazy and the hooded figures, and now we have confirmation. Not only is he a part of their group, he’s apparently their leader. While facing off with Michael’s group, Krazy stands alongside the hooded figures, having also successfully recruited Andre in secret. It’s a devastating one-two punch for Michael and a nasty twist that makes the tall order of preventing Dionne’s death that much harder. Eventually, a fight breaks out and Michael freezes time, taking the opportunity to successfully win Andre back to their side just in time to stop Krazy from killing Taser.
Does Dionne die at the end of Supacell season 1?
The biggest question heading into the finale, though, is the same one that’s been looming over Michael’s head all season: will he be able to save Dionne? After a climactic final battle in which Krazy is able to siphon Rodney’s powers and kill them all, Michael turns back time in one last-ditch attempt to set things right.
Grabbing the knife the he knows Krazy is going to use to kill them, Michael teleports behind Krazy and stabs him multiple times—but in the chaos, the gun Krazy is holding fires, killing Dionne with a stray bullet. That’s right—even though Michael is able to find the other members of his team and kill Krazy, Dionne still dies at the end of Supacell season one.
Does Supacell have a post-credits scene?
Dionne bleeding out in Michael’s arms is a brutal way to end season one, but one that falls right in line with the classic conventions of a superhero backstory — the tragic death in his past that drives his quest for justice going forward. Though Michael ends season one vowing to find out who’s responsible for Dionne’s death, we already know, thanks to a jaw-dropping post-credit scene.
That’s right—if you didn’t stick around to watch through the end title card, you missed a game-changing post-credit scene at the end of the Supacell season finale. Deep within the headquarters of the shady Organization (no other name yet, apparently) Ray (Marsan) walks past kidnapped Black super-powered prisoners, including Sabrina’s sister Sharleen. Ray is talking to Krazy (still recovering from the recent scuffle with Michael) when Victoria (Sian Brooke) waltzes in— that’s right, the leader of The Organization is none other than the (seemingly) mild-mannered head of Health and Unity, the sickle cell research center.
Victoria then unceremoniously orders Ray to kill Krazy (which he does) with a bullet to the skull — that’s one way to get rid of Taser’s turf war problem. Victoria then reminds Ray that Krazy isn’t the only one who failed her, and the camera lingers on their surveillance reports of Michael before the credits roll. With a new big bad revealed, the love of his life dead in his arms, and a new group of fledgling superheroes to manage, there’s no question that Michael has his work cut out for him heading into Supacell season two.
