The countdown has officially begun for the return of the Shelby family. With the release of the first trailer for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, fans are getting their clearest look yet at what Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) has been up to since we last saw him ride away at the end of the TV series. Set during World War II in 1940, the film picks up about six years after the finale and brings Tommy back from a self-imposed exile.
While the trailer is full of explosive moments and new faces, one character is generating serious buzz: Duke Shelby, Tommy’s eldest son. Played now by Barry Keoghan (Saltburn, The Banshees of Inisherin) , Duke is stepping out of the shadows and into the spotlight. If you are wondering who this character is and why he is suddenly so important, here is everything you need to know about Duke Shelby before the film hits screens.
The Surprise Son No One Saw Coming
For those who only watched the original series when it first aired, or are just catching up before the movie, the existence of Duke Shelby was one of the biggest shockers of the entire show. He was not part of the family from the beginning. Instead, he appeared late in the final season, and his arrival changed the dynamic of the Shelby clan forever.
Duke is Tommy Shelby’s illegitimate firstborn son . His mother was a Romani girl named Zelda. The story goes back to May 1914, before World War I tore Europe apart. A young Tommy Shelby, then just 24 years old, was at the Appleby Fair, a traditional Romani gathering. There, he met Zelda. She stole his watch and chain, but instead of violence, their encounter led to a moment of passion under a hazel tree. Zelda became pregnant .
When Zelda’s father found out, he shot Tommy with a squirrel gun. Before the situation could escalate further, Tommy was sent off to fight in France, completely unaware that he had fathered a child. Zelda gave birth to a son in early 1915 and named him Erasmus. She told the boy that his father was a Duke, based on the words “Saxon Shore” carved into the watch she had stolen from Tommy. Because of this, the boy grew up calling himself Duke .
How Duke Joined the Peaky Blinders
Duke’s mother, Zelda, raised him alone. Years later, she fell seriously ill. Duke rushed her to a hospital in Bridgnorth, but because she was a Gypsy and had no insurance, they refused to give her a bed. She died that night. In his grief and rage, Duke killed the man who denied his mother care and went on the road, working at fairgrounds and living as a thief .
Fast forward to 1934, during the events of Peaky Blinders season 6. After the tragic death of his young daughter Ruby, a grieving Tommy visits his sister-in-law, Esme Shelby. It is Esme who drops the bombshell. She tells Tommy that the spirits took a daughter away, but want to give him a son. She reveals that a woman named Zelda, who recently died, had a son by Tommy. That boy, now a teenager, is standing nearby with the horses .
That is how Duke Shelby enters the world of the Peaky Blinders. Tommy brings him to The Garrison pub and introduces him to the family, including Arthur, Finn, Ada, and the rest of the gang. Tommy’s wife, Lizzie, is far from happy about this sudden arrival . Duke cannot read or write, but he is sharp, resourceful, and proves his Shelby blood by quickly stealing Arthur’s watch, a skill that impresses his uncle .
Proving His Loyalty in the Finale
Duke does not just join the family for Sunday dinners. In the series finale, he proves he is a true Shelby. Tommy suspects there is a traitor in the ranks. He orders a group, including Duke, Finn, and Billy Grade, to handle some dirty work. When tensions rise, Tommy gives orders through Isiah for Duke to test Finn. Duke and Isiah attack Billy, and Duke commands Finn to shoot him. Finn refuses and even threatens Isiah .
That is when Duke takes control. Realizing Charlie Strong had wisely emptied the first two chambers of the revolver to prevent an accident, Duke fires the fatal shot himself. He then delivers the iconic line, telling his uncle Finn, “You are out of the Shelby family, by order of the Peaky fing Blinders”* . It was a brutal, cold move that showed Duke was willing to do what even some blood relatives would not. He earned his place at the table and even got the famous Peaky Blinders haircut by the end .
Barry Keoghan Takes Over the Role
For the upcoming film, Barry Keoghan steps into the role of Duke, taking over from Conrad Khan who played him in season 6 . The casting has fans excited, and Keoghan recently opened up about how he approached the character. He describes Duke as “troubled” and “up to no good” . But at his core, Keoghan sees Duke as a boy simply looking for his father.
In an interview with Empire, the actor made a surprising comparison to explain the dynamic between Duke and Tommy. “In the way that Simba follows his dad in The Lion King,” Keoghan said. “It’s as simple as that. Honestly! The Lion King was one of the ones that, for me, had that animalistic, father and son approach to it” . He also revealed that becoming Duke was a matter of perfect timing. He had wanted to join the Peaky Blinders world for a long time, but it never felt right until now. He joked about his casting, saying, “Go on, be honest. Who’s got bluer eyes? I look more Cillian Murphy than Cillian looks Cillian Murphy” .
What the Trailer Reveals About Duke
The trailer for The Immortal Man gives us a clear picture of where Duke stands now. It is 1940, and Tommy has been away, leaving a void in the Birmingham underworld. According to the trailer, Duke has filled that void completely. Ada Shelby, Tommy’s sister, says: “Your Gypsy son is running the Peaky Blinders like it’s 1919 all over again” . That means Duke is running things with the same wild, ambitious, and dangerous energy that Tommy had when the gang first rose to power.
But the trailer also hints at a dark path. We see Tim Roth’s character, a Fascist sympathizer, asking Duke if he is willing to commit treason to help Germany win the war . Duke’s response is chilling: “The world don’t give a f* about me, and I don’t give a f* about the world” . This suggests a character who is angry, abandoned, and possibly willing to burn it all down. Rebecca Ferguson’s character directly confronts Tommy, telling him, “You abandoned your kingdom, and you abandoned your son” . This sets up the central conflict: Tommy must return and deal with the son he left behind, a son who is now more powerful and possibly more dangerous than anyone anticipated.
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The Bond Between Father and Son
Despite the tension, the trailer ends on a note that suggests a possible connection. We see Tommy and Duke sitting down, sharing a drink. Tommy tells him, “Once, I nearly got fing everything. But nearly doesn’t count”* . It is a moment of rare vulnerability from Tommy, perhaps passing on the hard-earned wisdom of his life to the son who never got to grow up with him.
For fans heading into The Immortal Man, understanding Duke’s backstory is key. He is not just a random new character. He is the part of Tommy’s past that he never knew existed, a son born from a brief moment before the war changed everything. He is a full-blooded Romani, unlike Tommy’s other children, and he carries the pain of losing his mother and growing up on the road . Now, with his father back in the picture and the world at war, Duke Shelby is poised to become the future of the Peaky Blinders, whether Tommy likes it or not.
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man will be released in select cinemas on March 6, 2026, before arriving on Netflix globally on March 20, 2026 .
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