'Missing' Peaky Blinders character actually appears in movie in blink-and-you’ll miss it moment

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man concludes 13 years of stories about the Shelby family but unfortunately the movie doesn’t have enough room for every beloved character to come back.

The film does not see the return of Arthur Shelby, Finn Shelby, Alfie Solomon, or historical figures who became major parts of the series such as Winston Churchill and Oswald Moseley.

Clocking in at just under two hours The Immortal Man is a very focused story, leaving little time to explore the characters outside of the core cast of Peaky Blinders.

The movie does actually feature a character that many will have not even realised is in the film, with Charles Shelby making a blink-and-you’ll miss it cameo.

The most obvious reference to Charles comes in Ada asking Tommy whether he’s been listening on the radio for information about his son who is fighting in World War One in North Africa.

Whilst this references seems to explain away him being missing in The Immortal Man he makes another appearance in the movie you probably missed.

Who is Charles Shelby?

Charles is kidnapped in season three, but otherwise plays little part in the show until the finale (BBC)

Charles is the son of Tommy and his first wife Grace, making him the half-brother of Duke and Ruby Shelby.

He is first introduced in season three and plays arguably his most important role in the whole series when he is kidnapped by Father Hughes in an attempt to co-erce Tommy.

He leaves at the end of season six with Lizzie, his step-mother who also decides to leave Tommy at the end of the final season, saying that she was always more of a parent to him than Tommy ever was. This is the last we hear of him until Ada brings up Charles whilst berating Tommy for his lack of engagement with both of his living children, Duke and Charles.

When does Charles Shelby appear in The Immortal Man?

Charles is shown still in his military garb at Tommy's funeral (Netflix)

Spoilers for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man

There’s a very simple reason many probably didn’t realise that Charles Shelby was in the film: when he appears, you were probably watching the movie through floods of tears when he appeared.

At the end of the film Tommy is tragically shot by John Beckett during the final battle, later encouraging Duke to be the one to be the one to kill him.

The film ends with Duke leading a Romani funeral procession for Tommy in which they set fire to a caravan with Tommy inside surrounded by photos of his family, but he is joined by Charles still in his army uniform, played by actor Alfie Thomas Bland in the film.

Charles Shelby is played by an acting student in the film, making his first on screen appearance (Netflix)

Alfie is a current acting student at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, saying of his casting as Charles that ‘to be a part of such an already iconic franchise is incredible’.

One fan noticed the detail on Reddit saying: “I didn't even catch this during the first watch at the cinema.... Charles Shelby (Tommy's first son with Grace) who is fighting on the front in Africa during the movie, makes a special trip to be at Tommy's funeral. Awesome little detail.” The detail however could be a signal of more to come in the future.

Could Charles returning for the funeral be a hint ahead of the upcoming Peaky Blinders sequel series?

The show’s creator Steven Knight has already confirmed there is going to be a sequel series set in 1953, 13 years after The Immortal Man.

Previously there has been speculation that Finn Shelby, who does not appear in the film, may play a pivotal role in the series opposite Duke Shelby.

Knight has already confirmed that Duke will appear in the sequel show, with Finn then being an obvious antagonist considering the last we saw Tommy’s younger brother he promised he would be back for revenge.

Duke is going to be featured in the sequel series, but Barry Keoghan is unlikely to come back (Netflix)

Fans online however have suggested that Charles could play a role alongside Duke after returning from the war similarly to how Tommy, Arthur, and John did in the original series.

One comment on Reddit said: “For the new series set in 1953 and covering the rebuilding of Birmingham I would love if Charlie is the lead character.

“Knight has already confirmed that The Immortal Man is the final chapter for the older characters. It's the new generation and Charlie should be leading it.”

If his return to Birmingham alongside Duke for his father’s funeral is anything to go by, this is not an impossible future.

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is available to stream on Netflix.