Does Arthur Shelby appear in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man?

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**WARNING: Contains spoilers for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man**

Whether you loved or hated him, Arthur Shelby was undeniably a central figure in all six seasons of Peaky Blinders.

Paul Anderson played Arthur Shelby, Tommy Shelby’s older brother. Arthur struggled with severe PTSD and mental health problems from his time in World War I, which frequently led to him developing addictions.

Along with Cillian Murphy and Sophie Rundle, Anderson was one of just three actors who were in every episode of the series. Given this, many fans were surprised he wasn’t in the movie, particularly since his character was still alive, though quite ill, at the end of the show in 2022.

Will Arthur be involved in the story of The Immortal Man? Here’s everything you need to know.

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Does Arthur Shelby appear in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man?

It’s a bit complex, but basically, the character doesn’t physically appear in the movie – at least not while he’s alive. However, his impact is significant, and we do see brief moments of his past through flashbacks.

It’s still unclear exactly how Arthur died. The story suggests it was either suicide or an accidental overdose, which seems plausible considering his struggles and self-destructive patterns throughout the series.

As the movie unfolds, it’s revealed there’s more to Tommy’s behavior than meets the eye. He’s clearly still grieving his brother’s death, which is just the most recent in a series of family tragedies, and throughout the beginning of the film, he’s visibly haunted by memories of Arthur.

Later, a Romani fortune teller named Kaulo (Rebecca Ferguson) helps Tommy realize he hasn’t been truthful about how his brother died. After Kaulo claims Arthur’s spirit told her someone else was there when he passed away, Tommy confesses he was the one who was with him.

He explained that they’d argued because Tommy refused to lend his brother money. This led Arthur to steal and wreck a car. He then confronted Arthur in the car, and a fight broke out. During the struggle, his gun went off by accident, tragically killing his brother.

Honestly, even that wasn’t the complete picture. The real truth finally comes out when Tommy goes to see Ada after she’s been killed. He breaks down and admits Arthur’s death wasn’t an accident at all – it was intentional. It was a huge moment, finally understanding everything.

He confessed that he intentionally killed his brother in a moment of anger, feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility Arthur had become. The scene is shown in a flashback, though Arthur’s face isn’t visible. This explains why he’s been so troubled – he knew he was responsible for his brother’s death.

Arthur briefly appears one last time in a flashback during the story’s climax. While Tommy crawls through a tight tunnel, he experiences flashbacks to his traumatic experiences in World War I and other difficult moments, including a quick image of his older brother sitting amongst debris.

Has Paul Anderson said anything about Arthur’s absence in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man?

Anderson explained in a March interview with LADbible that he was okay with the decision not to involve Arthur, and seemed to accept it peacefully.

Honestly, there wasn’t much I could do about it, you know? It just was. I figured the best thing to do was let things unfold naturally, and frankly, I think it’s brilliant how it all played out.

He admitted he was a little hesitant about making a movie, feeling they should have continued the show for a couple more seasons. He honestly didn’t think a film was necessary.

But he added that he was happy with the way in which his character was written out of the film.

He said he really liked it. He thought it was a bold move, something you rarely see on television. Everyone expected Arthur to die, but he was genuinely surprised. He admitted his character wasn’t always pleasant, often being unkind to others, but people still seemed to love him anyway.

You can now see the Peaky Blinders movie, ‘The Immortal Man,’ in some UK cinemas. It will be available to stream on Netflix starting March 20th, with subscriptions beginning at £5.99 per month. Netflix is also accessible through Sky Glass and Virgin Media. If you prefer to watch the original series, all episodes of Peaky Blinders are currently available on BBC iPlayer.

Authors

Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer

Patrick Cremona writes about movies for TopMob, covering both theatrical releases and streaming titles. He’s been with the site since October 2019, and during that time has interviewed many famous actors and reviewed a wide variety of films.

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2026-03-20 13:06