Every Superhero, Their Powers & Origin Stories, Explained

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Supacell season 1.

Netflix’s Supacell is a superhero show with a difference that follows five unique people, all around South London, who develop mysterious superpowers. The series is an original story by creator Rapman. Without any foundation in a comic book, the series has more freedom to develop the characters in new and exciting directions that cannot be studied and gleaned from a pre-existing story. However, season 1 has proven to be incredibly clever at delivering a grounded superhero story.

Just like other grounded superhero shows that see ordinary people develop powers, Supacell excels at telling emotional character-driven stories. Each of the characters in turn has their story told, and this is reflected in the first five episodes of the season being named for each of the characters. While the powers appear to have some ties to sickle cell disease, and the characters are all Black individuals from the South of London, their stories go much deeper than this surface-level analysis.

5 Michael Lasaki

Played By Tosin Cole

Michael is a delivery man who has had a few challenging years when it comes to finances and general security. However, when he first appears in Supacell, he is at one of the most stable and positive points in his life with a steady job, a new home, a new car, and plans to get engaged to his long-term girlfriend, Dionne. When his powers suddenly activate, he struggles to understand and recognize the reality of what has just happened.

Michael has the power to control time and space. His ability allows him to teleport over significant distances, even without seeing the location he wishes to teleport to. This also extends to allowing him to be transported into the future, and return to the past, although whether his powers allow him to travel back and alter certain fixed events appears to be unclear. He is also able to freeze people and objects around him, although this does not stop time, as evidenced by him using this power and the video cameras continuing to record Michael and his friends moving while their enemies are frozen.

While delivering a package to a new neighborhood that was not usually on his route, Michael runs into some thugs from a local gang. Despite his efforts to deescalate the situation and get away without incident, one of the thugs, Tazer, suddenly stabs Michael and leaves him bleeding on the ground. At this moment, Michael’s powers activate and see him transported back a few minutes before arriving at the delivery location. Struggling to recognize the reality of what happened, the situation plays out largely the same, but Michael is able to convince the thugs to let him leave.

4 Tazer

Played By Josh Tedeku

In Netflix’s new superhero show Supacell, Tazer is a young man who has fallen into a life of criminal behavior and drug dealing. After his mother left him as a child, Tazer was taken in by a local drug lord, known as Krazy. Tazer found out through tough experience that the only way to survive was to fight back, and fight hard. Now, he runs a local gang which frequently feuds for turf and respect against another nearby gang, with the results of their war often resulting in bloodshed for either side.

Related

Supacell Ending Explained

Netflix’s new superhero series Supacell has a brilliant season 1 finale, but Supacell’s twist ending lets the show set up an even better season 2.

Tazer’s ability allows him to turn completely invisible. And beyond this, whatever he is wearing and holding is able to become invisible as well. Thus far, this ability has only been seen to work with inanimate objects, like their clothing and weapons, or bags of product and money. However, as a criminal, this power comes to be extremely useful for fighting against opposing gangs and claiming his stakes on territory.

Tazer is the only member of the five whose first instance of using his powers is not shown on screen. By the time he reveals his ability, as he is backed into a corner alone by an ambush from the opposing gang, he has honed it to work on command. He later reveals his gift to his close friends and allies, before going into details about how the power started a few weeks earlier, but he wanted to be sure he could control it. Despite this, the power does still require some work as he struggles to maintain the ability.

3 Sabrina Clarke

Played By Nadine Mills

Sabrina Clarke lives with her sister, Sharleen. Initially, Sabrina is seen to be well respected in her job as a nurse, and she has a boyfriend with whom she hopes things will get more serious. However, Sabrina does experience some struggles in her work with reluctant patients who can be extremely aggressive and rude, and her sister’s inclination to constantly party. Sabrina is one of the most level-headed characters on the show, often appearing as the voice of reason for her sister, and for the larger group.

Sabrina is also one of the most powerful heroes as she begins to manifest her abilities of telekinesis. She is able to lift and move objects with her mind, thrusting groups of large men into the air and across a distance with relative ease. In the future, which was seen by Michael when he accidentally moved forward in time, Sabrina can also be seen flying, which shows that her powers have advanced to allow her to lift herself as well.

Related

Supacell Cast & Character Guide

Supacell has been a huge critical hit since arriving on Netflix, bringing some much-deserved attention to its impressive cast and characters.

Sabrina’s powers were unlocked when she was due to have a romantic dinner date with her boyfriend of nine months, but he never showed up. Sharleen then convinced Sabrina to go to his home and find out what was really happening, where she discovered another woman in his flat who claimed to be dating him for the last couple of months. Sabrina’s powers then manifested as she flung her large, now ex-boyfriend, several feet across his drive and into his door. Sabrina was also more afraid of her abilities than many of the others, because of their potential to cause harm.

2 Andre

Played By Eric Kofi Abrefa

Andre is one of the most moral characters in the original series, Supacell, with a clear sense of right and wrong, and a strong desire to provide for his teenage son. Unfortunately, Andre was wrongfully convicted for drug trafficking when he picked up an old friend in his car who stashed a large quantity of drugs in his car, without his knowledge. Due to a sense of loyalty and not snitching, Andre took the fall, and ended up serving time in prison. However, his punishment extended much further when it caused him to struggle significantly to find work with his criminal history.

Andre has super strength, which allows him to lift large weights, such as cars clear above his head, and punch with exceptional force, which can break open safes, and destroy walls. In addition, Andre has bulletproof skin, which makes him nearly indestructible. Combined, these gifts make him an exceptional fighter and tank within the team that can withstand significant damage and hold back enemies with ease.

His gifts first activated when he was suffering from extreme emotional distress wishing to feed his son, but realizing the job that recently fired him after discovering his criminal past, had yet to pay him for the work he already did. In frustration, staring at an ATM that told him he had no available funds, Andre punched the screen, and to his surprise, completely shattered the device and the adjoining wall. The machine began to pour out all the cash that it held, which, in his desperation, Andre chose to collect and secure a little more time for himself while looking for more legitimate work.

1 Rodney

Played By Calvin Demba

Rodney, commonly known as Rod, is an independent drug dealer. Along with a friend, he attempts to aggressively sell his product to people in an effort to make ends meet. He is estranged from his mother, who remarried a man who has a clear dislike of him. Despite taking in his more fair skinned sister, and raising his own children with Rod’s mother, his father-in-law does not want so much as to see Rod in his home. This has driven Rod to find comfort in his best friend, with whom he shares a flat, and the pair work to sell their product together.

Rod has super speed, and an accelerated healing factor that appears to work with most major wounds and trauma. Rod’s speed is so efficient that within seconds, he can cover vast distances, such as London to Edinburgh, which is over 400 miles. Again, in the future when Michael saw the group, Rod was also capable of throwing lightning energy from his body to incapacitate and fight off enemies.

While working the streets to sell his product, Rod’s car broke down, which could have resulted in the loss of a customer. However, Rod was determined to get to their location in good time and get the promised money, so he set off on foot to try and finish the deal. At this moment, his eyes lit up, and Rod’s body began to move at incredible speed, and in a moment, he had traveled an immense distance, overshooting his target by hundreds of miles, but uncovering a gift that would change the future of his business, and beyond in Supacell season 1.

Supacell (2024)

Supacell is a British superhero drama series that follows a group of ordinary Black Londoners who suddenly develop superpowers. The series explores the impact of their newfound abilities on their personal lives and the broader societal implications. Supacell blends action with social commentary, highlighting themes of empowerment and responsibility.

Cast

Michael Salami , Eddie Marsan , Adelayo Adedayo

Release Date

June 27, 2024

Seasons

1

Directors

Sebastian Thiel , Rapman

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Creator(s)

Rapman

Expand