Creator Rapman has dropped a mind-blowing blockbuster, “Supacell” for fans of African American gang and drug-dealing films.
Roadmen gang movies set in the United Kingdom have always swept the film market, possibly because of the accents that viewers love to imitate, or the drill and Afrobeat songs that accompany them.
Just like the famous television series Top Boy, Supacell gives us a glimpse into the life of a Black American youth selling drugs, wearing jackets, and saying “Wagwan.” However, this series has a twist—our main characters have superpowers.
Set in South London, Supacell is a six-episode TV series that centres on five ordinary Black people who suddenly acquire superpowers, with no idea how they got them.
The only thing they have in common is their skin colour, and they are being chased because of their newfound abilities.
Table of Contents
Let’s Meet “Supacell” Casts
1. Michael (Tosin Cole)
Michael is a delivery guy who lives a normal everyday life. He recently paid off his mortgage bought his girlfriend a car, and both are ready to start a family. Everything is fine until Michael suddenly gains the ability to freeze time, rewind events, and teleport.
In a bid to grasp what this is about, Michael finds himself in the future, where he and four others are engaged in a battle with some masked and hooded men.
His future self tells him that great danger lies ahead. Michael must find four other people with powers, and together they must stop the hooded men and save his fiancée Dionne (Adelayo Adedayo) from a gruesome death—a daunting task.
2. Tazer (Josh Tedeku).
Tayo Amusan, who goes by his gang name Tazer, is the leader of the Tower Youths, a gang constantly at odds with another gang, the Sixers, over control of the streets.
Tazer grew up with his grandmother after allegedly being abandoned by his mother. However, we later find out that Tazer’s mother did not abandon him; she was taken by the hooded men who are now after Tazer because of his power of invisibility.
For someone who is always watching his back, Tazer’s powers came at the right time, and he leveraged them to make a name for himself.
As he says, “Money, power, and respect—it’s all there for the taking.”
3. Andre (Eric Kofi-Abrefa)
Due to his past criminal record, Andre finds it hard to secure a stable job, making it difficult for him to provide for his son, AJ. Not to be seen as a deadbeat father, Andre continues to job hunt regardless.
Luck shines on him one day at an ATM. He was supposed to withdraw his last payment from his previous job but discovered he wasn’t paid.
Out of anger and frustration, Andre hits the machine, destroys it and the cash starts to flow out.
Wow!! Andre discovered he had super strength.
However, the money runs out because he is enveloped in debt. He must seek other means to provide for his son.
4. Rodney (Calvin Demba)
Rodney is a regular biracial shotter (drug dealer) who comes from a broken home and has taken to the streets to survive.
With his friend Spud, Rodney sells drugs and is quite the gifted salesperson. Business gets better when Rodney discovers he can run really fast, like the speed of lightning, and also heal himself.
This puts Rodney on the bad side of the black guys in charge of the blocks he sells on, leading to his friend being attacked.
To save his friend, Rodney agrees to team up with Michael, find the others, and fight the hooded men.
5. Sabrina (Nadine Mills)
Sabrina is the image of a good girl and a caring sibling, afraid to make a mistake, and always living by the rules.
She’s a nurse and has been on her current job for two years, she comes in early and leaves late, but she is yet to get the senior nurse promotion she so deserves.
After a heartbreak, Sabrina discovers she can move objects with her mind—she has telekinesis, a gift she didn’t want but had no say in the matter.
We see in the series that Sabrina later embraces this gift as she uses her powers to save her sister from harassment and fight alongside Michael and the others.
Key Parts of the Plot
1. The Lab:
At the beginning of the series, we are introduced to what looks like a secret lab where people with special abilities, dressed in yellow jumpers, are kept against their will.
These are people who have been reported missing by their families. We later find out that the lab is underneath Ashington Estate, an old empty apartment complex that was sold but has yet to be redeveloped.
The captives are forced to use their powers against their will and are experimented on like lab rats.
2. Supacell:
Throughout the series, one question on everyone’s mind is: How did they get their powers? This is answered in the final episode. It turns out “supacell” is a mutation of sickle cell.
It is a rare occurrence, and someone could be in possession of it and not be aware. It can be awakened given the right conditions, such as close proximity to someone with activated supacell.
The major criterion for possessing a supacell is having at least one parent with sickle cell. As we later see, our superheroes have a parent with sickle cell.
3. Constant Surveillance:
Michael and the others are constantly watched by a CCTV camera whose input is displayed on a large screen at the lab. This is how the hooded men can track their location and attack them.
4. The Sickle Cell Organisation:
At the start of the series, Michael’s mom, who is a sickle cell patient, is visited by a lady called Victoria, a member of a new sickle cell centre called Health and Unity, a centre that specialises in sickle cell care.
They would love to help Michael’s mother. However, here’s a shocking twist: Victoria, the lady from the sickle cell centre, is in charge of the lab underneath Ashington Estate.
This raises the question: What is the real purpose of the sickle cell organisation?
5. The Hooded Guys:
These are the people sent after our superheroes. They wear hoods and masks to hide their identity. Their masks come off in the last episode, revealing that they are also humans with supacell, but they work as agents for the lab, bringing in people with special abilities and receiving benefits for it.
6. South Londoners:
Another detail worthy of note is that all the people with powers, both fighting for good or being used for evil, are from South London.
Supacell is currently grabbing the attention of film lovers all over social media. The series has also secured a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is safe to say that whatever popularity it is enjoying, it clearly deserves.
The film is unique, and the writer specifically gives Black people powers, which is something we never thought we would see, but Rapman delivered it to us with a stellar cast. It is a film that will get you hooked from start to finish.
Will there be a Season 2?
In an interview with RadioTimes, writer and creator Rapman has given viewers hope of not just a second season but also a third.
“I told them that I want three seasons. I suppose we have to see how season one performs. But I know I’ve very much made clear that I want to do three seasons minimum.”
Where to Watch?
Supacell is streaming on Netflix.
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