Supacell TV review — south London superheroes feel the power

It’s only fitting that Andrew Onwubolu, the creator of the new superhero series Supacell, has his own compelling origin story. In 2018, the rapper-cum-filmmaker — better known by the suitably heroic pseudonym Rapman — released a guerrilla-style, micro-budget drama on YouTube, Shiro’s Story, that became an unlikely word-of-mouth sensation. Six years and one acclaimed indie feature later, the south Londoner has helmed a six-part Netflix show being billed as an antidote to the fading lustre of superhero stories.  

While CGI scenes featuring teleportation, force fields and flame-throwing suggest that Onwubolu may have had more budget this time, Supacell is a superhero saga with its feet on the ground. Specifically, the streets around Peckham, where five ordinary people — all Black, all locals, apparently unconnected — suddenly develop preternatural powers. Why them? Why now? The series drops a few hints, a few ominous flash-forwards, but otherwise resists giving away too much too soon. 

It is also seemingly conscious of overplaying the super at the expense of the human. For much of the first few episodes, the characters’ newfound capabilities serve them well. Ultra-strength allows nurse Sabrina (Nadine Mills) to protect her sister from an assailant and debt-ridden father Andre (Eric Kofi-Abrefa) to smash an ATM and provide for his son. Meanwhile, gang leader Tazer (Josh Tedeku) and drug-dealer Rodney (Calvin Demba) use their gifts to beat rivals. Only time-traveller Michael (Tosin Cole) — having glimpsed the future — seems aware of the bigger picture. A courier by trade, it is up to him to track down the others and deliver a warning about a forthcoming conflict against shadowy forces. 

Although the sci-fi/fantasy component is a bit on the schlocky side, Supacell largely keeps a straight face rather than indulge in Marvel-esque winking banter. Instead of being yet another superhero yarn, this is a story that uses the genre to consider how power — its presence, its absence, its denial — specifically affects Black lives in a society still rife with prejudice and inequality. Or, as Rodney puts it, “This ain’t a fucking comic book, this is real life.”

★★★☆☆

On Netflix from June 27