Critic rating: 9/10
Supacell, directed by Rapman, was released in late June 2024. It follows the story of British black men and women learning about their newfound superpowers. The show is something I never knew I needed. Rapman is a British rapper who is known for his socially conscious themes and his vivid style of storytelling. Let’s just say he lived up to his reputation. This show covers themes like gang violence, sickle cell, and abusive relationships that we never typically see in superhero shows.
Supacell is a new take on superheroes that strays from the classic superhero story we often see in the media. The main characters are Rodney, Tazer, Michael, Dionne, and André. They are characters we would never picture as superheroes. Rodney is a drug dealer who is trying to make ends meet after his mother abandoned him. When he got his powers, superspeed, he used them for the selfish gain of selling more drugs. Tazer, the leader of a gang, used his power of invisibility to gain an upper hand in the gang war in his neighborhood. Andre, an ex-inmate who struggles to get a job and spend time with his son, uses his superstrength to earn money. Dionne, a nurse with the power of telekinesis, struggles to control her power. Michael is a delivery man with the power of teleportation, time travel, and time control. He uses his power to try and save his fiancé after accidentally going to the future and seeing her death. This show portrays the superheroes as imperfect and selfish. They all used their powers for selfish gain in some way, which I applaud because it takes away the typical godlike portrayal of superheroes. It brings realism to their stories.
Supacell was also able to bring awareness of sickle cell disease, which is known to affect black people. It did this by weaving it into how the characters were able to get their superpowers. The characters got their powers from a cell mutation in the sickle cell gene, which their parents passed on to them. Michael, one of the main characters in the show, mom is shown suffering from sickle cell and the symptoms it causes. The theme of sickle cell is a continuity throughout the shows; it even taught me something that I didn’t know about the disease. The show was educational and entertaining in a very creative way.
Supacell is a show that I would recommend. It brings a fresh new perspective on superheroes and brings awareness to things that we do not often talk about. I can’t wait to see how far the story goes and how the characters develop.
