Peaky Blinders: Why Michael And Tommy Can’t Kill Each Other

Warning: Contains spoilers for Peaky Blinders season 6, episode 1.

With Peaky Blinders season 6, the TV series is setting up a war between Tommy Shelby and Michael Gray but the ending is set to be complicated as it would be a huge mistake to have either Tommy or Michael kill each other. Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby has been the focal point of all of Peaky Blinders and his narrative is set to finally conclude with a Peaky Blinders movie after the end of season 6. Finn Cole’s Michael Gray was brought in as Polly Gray’s missing son in Peaky Blinders season 2, episode 2, and has become a more and more important figure in the Shelby circle.

Tommy Shelby and Michael Gray have had a growing animosity for some time in Peaky Blinders as Tommy juggles wanting to treat Michael as his own man and balancing Polly Gray’s (Helen McCrory) desire to keep Michael away from the family business. This comes to a head in Peaky Blinders season 5 when Tommy accuses Michael of being untrustworthy, implying that he might be working against the family and gunning for Tommy’s throne. With Polly Gray’s death at the start of Peaky Blinders season 6, Michael blames Tommy and his boundless ambition for his mother’s murder and swears vengeance upon him before departing for America.

Given the nature of Peaky Blinders conflicts, it might seem logical that Peaky Blinders season 6 or the movie will end with Tommy or Michael dead at the hands of the other. This seems even more plausible given that Tommy is trying to get out of the life, his narrative is coming to an end, and there is plenty of foreshadowing that he will eventually die. However, it is impossible for Tommy or Michael to kill each other without committing some larger narrative mistakes. The death of Michael or Tommy at the hands of the other would either undermine elements of the characters or damage the future of the Peaky Blinders franchise: here’s why.

Why Tommy Shelby Can’t Kill Michael Gray

Peaky Blinders’ Tommy Shelby is an extremely complicated character who always has his own machinations in play. He’s not against turning against his allies if they betray him, notably attempting to kill Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy) at the end of Peaky Blinders season 4 after he betrayed him to Luca Changretta (Adrien Brody). However, he is a fiercely loyal beast to his own, whether that be blood relatives or found family. When, in Peaky Blinders season 1, Danny Whizz-Bang (Samuel Edward-Cook) killed a man while suffering a mental break and the man’s brothers demanded Danny’s death in response. However, Tommy fakes Danny’s death rather than kill him as he works his machinations about saving those he is loyal to and who put their loyalty in him, even when they have acted in ways that have hurt him.

Tommy’s closest connection in the family is to his aunt, Polly Gray, and with her death, the only part of her legacy that remains outside of the Shelbys themselves is her son, Michael. Ultimately, it is impossible for Tommy to kill Michael in Peaky Binders season 6 because to do so would go directly against Polly’s dreams and desires and would feel like he was betraying Polly. While Michael has turned against him, his wrath is driven by grief and there is still room for Tommy and Michael to reconcile rather than forcing Tommy to turn against someone so important to someone so close to him and who is now gone.

Peaky Blinders season 6 also reveals how little ill will Tommy really has against Michael and that he really does not wish to kill him. Tommy has become a changed man and sets Michael up to be in prison to keep him out of the way while he does some bloodier business in the hopes that they can later go their separate ways. This action actually lives up to Polly’s wishes as she always wanted Michael to stay away from a life of crime. Finally, killing Michael off in Peaky Blinders season 6 or the movie would pose a meta-problem for the franchise, as he is one of the main contenders to receive a spin-off series, with other likely candidates being Ada Shelby (Sophie Rundle) and Alfie Solomons.

Why Michael Gray Can’t Kill Tommy Shelby

While Polly and Tommy certainly had their differences throughout Peaky Blinders, the feeling of respect and kinship was relatively mutual. Tommy was ultimately the one who tracked down Michael through his adoption paperwork to be able to reunite Polly with her son. There were times when Polly hated Tommy for the way he acted and the decisions he made, and the ultimately parted on her rejection of him over his scheming around Oswald Mosley. However, even in her darkest times, she would not have wanted Tommy murdered by Michael.

Just as with Tommy killing Michael, Michael cannot kill Tommy in Peaky Blinders because it would run in the face of Polly’s legacy. Polly faced an unfair amount of loss in her life, including her daughter and (while she didn’t live to learn of his death) her fiancé, Aberama Gold (Aidan Gillen). Even if Tommy does not kill Michael, Michael killing Tommy would be its own form of loss and an insult to Polly’s legacy. Polly tried hard to keep Michael away from the darker path and having him become a cold killer of his own family would be a final loss for Polly. Additionally, having Michael kill Tommy Shelby would still cause an issue for Michael being a viable character for a Peaky Blinders spin-off to focus on as audiences might struggle to support a central character who has killed the fan-favorite protagonist of the main series.

How Peaky Blinders Could End Tommy And Michael’s War

It is possible that Tommy and Michael might be able to simply reconcile their differences by remembering their shared connection to Polly Gray. However, if one of them must die in Peaky Blinders season 6 or the movie, they can do so without the other being their murderer. Peaky Blinders has repeatedly foreshadowed the idea that Tommy Shelby might die from some form of lung disease. The gas used in World War I is mentioned multiple times in the series and Tommy is a constant smoker even after he has given up Alcohol. In Peaky Blinders season 5, Tommy has a consistent cough, and in season 6 Lizzie comments that his voice sounds strange. It is possible that Tommy will succeed in his schemes but dies relatively peacefully of illness. If Tommy is to face a violent death, it should ultimately come from someone other than Michael and serve as a demonstration that his own ambition is toxic. Michael notes that Polly died because Tommy didn’t know when to stop, and when, four years later, they talk in prison, Tommy tells him that he has no limitations. Tommy’s failure to learn this lesson might be prescient of his eventual demise.

Alternatively, Peaky Blinders season 6 has also begun to lay the groundwork for Michael’s death at the hands of those other than Tommy. Tommy tips Michael off to a supposed spy in their operation, and Michael later reveals to his wife, Gina Gray (Anya Taylor-Joy) that the gang killed him. Michael is already worried that he could be killed if Gina spills any secrets, and it is entirely possible that the Jack Nelson gang will eventually kill Michael for a slight, perceived or otherwise. While the extended life of the franchise might be affected by how Michael Gray ends the series, it is truly important to Polly Gray’s Peaky Blinders legacy that Tommy and Michael do not kill each other.

Peaky Blinders releases new episodes Sunday on BBC.

About The Author

Faefyx Collington
(487 Articles Published)

Faefyx Collington (They/Them) is a senior features writer for Screen Rant. They’re a British writer of both fiction and non-fiction, focussing on science fiction, fantasy, and mystery for the former and on culture, gender, and current affairs for the latter.
Never content to settle to one thing, Faefyx is also a co-host and producer of the podcast and video series “Unramblings,” and can occasionally be found making music around the internet as well.
Having acquired degrees on both sides of the Atlantic, Fyx has settled (for the moment) in the southern United States where they live with their spouse and an entirely appropriate number of cats.

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