Simon Bellamy
Encyclopedia
Simon Bellamy is a fictional character
from the British Channel 4
science fiction
comedy-drama
Misfits
, portrayed by Iwan Rheon. His storylines have included being sentenced to community service for attempted arson
which leads to him gaining the power of invisibility
, reflective of his personality in that he often feels ignored. He has also been involved in a storyline which saw him murder his probation worker and become a masked hooded figure.
. Rheon helped writer Overman to create the character and commented that "we had a sit around the table with Howard the writer and he was very open to suggestions and you can see later on he really started writing for us as actors... and you can really hear it in some of the scenes." Rheon later said that "Director Tom Green and I decided we’d base him on Ian Curtis
, so he’s cool and has his own story, He’s the kind of character you really get to know if you talk to him about music, something that he really cares about. It’s not so much Ian Curtis as an individual we were aiming for, more the idea of his music. The feel of Joy Division, that depth."
commented that he was "The quiet one who burnt down a house can suddenly become invisible". The Daily Telegraph
describes him as being the "shy arsonist Simon" The Metro described him as "troubled", "intense" and a "teen neurotic".
described Superhoodie's storyline and the show's future after Sheehan quit saying they were "confident the show can survive, especially as series three will build on the story of (the non-nerdy, very cool) Simon from the future." The character was initially described as a "masked, hooded stranger who seems to be watching their every move". The character was also described by E4 as a "mysterious man in a mask" and as "masked saviour". On how Simon develops into Superhoodie Rheon said "he needs to finish that journey to becoming the Superhoodie character." before adding "you do see him become a lot more confident and having this ambition to become this superhero character." On playing both present and Simon he also said "It was a great challenge. And also to kind of try and make the present Simon become the future Simon, if you know what I mean - have all those little beats where you can show a little flicker of it... The difficulty was - because the statuses were going from one to, like, ten - to then also keep that sense of Simon in that really confident character. That was quite a challenge."
, using it to film the storm and occasionally, his fellow ASBO holders. In the second episode of the first series, he is contacted online by 'Shygirl18', who expresses an interest in his videos. 'Shygirl18' is revealed to be Sally, the fiancée of dead probation worker Tony. Sally, also a probation worker, suspects that the Misfits are involved in Tony's disappearance. He eventually realizes that she is using him to learn what has happened to Tony. Simon accidentally kills Sally in a struggle as he attempts to prevent her telling police what he and the ASBO group have done. Simon hides her body in an industrial freezer in the community centre, which he visits often. He does not tell the others about her death, as revealed in the first series' finale.
At the start of the second series it is revealed that Simon spent time in a psychiatric unit, where he made friends with a fellow patient named Lucy, who became obsessed with him. It is also revealed to the group that he killed Sally, and the rest of the Misfits aid him in disposing of her body.
It has been mentioned that Simon has a twelve-year-old sister, although nothing else is known about her.
The mysterious 'Superhoodie' who has been appearing to help the group at crucial moments is revealed to be a future version of Simon that came back in time to ensure that certain events happened when they should, although this Simon has provided no explanation about how he came back in time beyond "things are different in the future". Simon also managed to manifest the same superhuman aim that his future self has, as he was able to throw a peanut into a superpowered tattoo artist's mouth while being strangled on the floor. Under unspecified circumstances, this future Simon has also become immune to Alisha's power. He has revealed that Alisha falls in love with Simon. Future Simon became romantically involved with Alisha, but dies while saving her, saying it is meant to be. Present Simon is becoming more confident and is starting to take more control in difficult situations such as defeating the aforementioned tattooist and facing off to Kelly's kidnapper in the same episode as his future self's death. Alisha is behaving more kindly towards Simon but told future Simon that she did not yet love this version of him. Alisha revealed Superhoodie's true identity to Simon after the Misfits went public, as well as her relationship with him, but this timeline was erased by Curtis when everyone but him was murdered. In the three months between the second series' finale and the Christmas special, the whole gang come to learn of Superhoodie's identity and Alisha and Simon are an official couple (Despite Simon's worry that Alisha will always love his future self more). In addition, Simon has begun to live in his future self's flat and is actively training to replicate the abilities of Superhoodie. While he initially achieves little success, his training begins to pay off by the start of the third series, using his increased skill in conjunction with his new power of short-term precognition to determine his limits.
Simon also appears to be the most moral of the group, as he was the most reluctant to steal £100,000 from an armoured car, and wished to return it, despite Curtis' and particularly Nathan's wish to keep it. Simon also hopes to use his power to help people at some point in the future, and believes the gang all received their powers for a reason, comparing giving up their powers to Superman
's decision in Superman II
.
Simon's attire changes as the second series goes on, changing from his buttoned up denim jacket and fully buttoned shirt to unbuttoned jacket, open hoodie and shirt (with top button undone) in the series finale. This is in parallel to his being more confident around people.
described Simon as being "the quiet, shy one who everyone ignores anyway, can become invisible." while commenting on his new found power. Tim Dowling
of The Guardian
described him as the "weird one" of the group of "foul-mouthed young criminals". The Guardian described him as a "Moody loner, who turns invisible". Boxcutters
commented negatively on the characters of Misfits saying it was "filled with unattractive and very annoying characters" although they responded positively to the show asking "why do we find it so strangely compelling?"
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the British Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
Misfits
Misfits (TV series)
Misfits is a British science fiction comedy-drama television series about a group of young offenders forced to work in a community service programme, where they obtain supernatural powers after a strange electrical storm. The first series started broadcasting on 12 November 2009 on E4, and was...
, portrayed by Iwan Rheon. His storylines have included being sentenced to community service for attempted arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
which leads to him gaining the power of invisibility
Invisibility
Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be invisible . The term is usually used as a fantasy/science fiction term, where objects are literally made unseeable by magical or technological means; however, its effects can also be seen in the real...
, reflective of his personality in that he often feels ignored. He has also been involved in a storyline which saw him murder his probation worker and become a masked hooded figure.
Casting and character creation
Casting for the part was announced on 17 August 2009 by Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
. Rheon helped writer Overman to create the character and commented that "we had a sit around the table with Howard the writer and he was very open to suggestions and you can see later on he really started writing for us as actors... and you can really hear it in some of the scenes." Rheon later said that "Director Tom Green and I decided we’d base him on Ian Curtis
Ian Curtis
Ian Kevin Curtis was an English singer and lyricist, famous for leading the post-punk band Joy Division. Joy Division released their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, in 1979 and recorded their follow-up, Closer, in 1980...
, so he’s cool and has his own story, He’s the kind of character you really get to know if you talk to him about music, something that he really cares about. It’s not so much Ian Curtis as an individual we were aiming for, more the idea of his music. The feel of Joy Division, that depth."
Characterisation
E4's official website describes Simon as being "sharp, calculating minded, shy, unassuming Simon is a social outcast. Nervous to speak up, but desperate to make friends, Simon tries his hardest to be heard and accepted by the others, which helps to fuel everyone else’s suspicion he’s a little odd." Digital Spy described him as "painfully shy nerd Simon". The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
commented that he was "The quiet one who burnt down a house can suddenly become invisible". The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
describes him as being the "shy arsonist Simon" The Metro described him as "troubled", "intense" and a "teen neurotic".
Superhoodie
Nathan is saved from a group of 'Virtue' followers by a hooded figure. The hooded figure late appears and saves Curtis's life and continues helping the young offenders. Alisha is saved by Superhoodie and realises she can be touched by him without her power taking effect. In an attempt to find out his identity Alisha puts herself in danger. Superhoodie saves Alisha after she is pushed down a flight of stairs, and when she awakes she finds that Superhoodie is in fact Simon, who tells her has travelled back from the future. Superhoodie saves Alisha one last time when he jumps infront of a bullet and is killed. Alisha promises to keep his identity a secret and later tells Simon when the time is right. The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described Superhoodie's storyline and the show's future after Sheehan quit saying they were "confident the show can survive, especially as series three will build on the story of (the non-nerdy, very cool) Simon from the future." The character was initially described as a "masked, hooded stranger who seems to be watching their every move". The character was also described by E4 as a "mysterious man in a mask" and as "masked saviour". On how Simon develops into Superhoodie Rheon said "he needs to finish that journey to becoming the Superhoodie character." before adding "you do see him become a lot more confident and having this ambition to become this superhero character." On playing both present and Simon he also said "It was a great challenge. And also to kind of try and make the present Simon become the future Simon, if you know what I mean - have all those little beats where you can show a little flicker of it... The difficulty was - because the statuses were going from one to, like, ten - to then also keep that sense of Simon in that really confident character. That was quite a challenge."
Storylines
Simon is depicted as the smartest individual of the group; he devises a plan to permanently 'hide' the corpses of the Misfits' dead probation worker and their former colleague Gary. He initially has no real friends within or outside the ASBO group, but soon grows closer with the other Misfits, despite his shy personality, and professes it to be only place where he feels like he belongs. He is constantly attached to his camera phoneCamera phone
A camera phone is a mobile phone which is able to capture still photographs . Since early in the 21st century the majority of mobile phones in use are camera phones....
, using it to film the storm and occasionally, his fellow ASBO holders. In the second episode of the first series, he is contacted online by 'Shygirl18', who expresses an interest in his videos. 'Shygirl18' is revealed to be Sally, the fiancée of dead probation worker Tony. Sally, also a probation worker, suspects that the Misfits are involved in Tony's disappearance. He eventually realizes that she is using him to learn what has happened to Tony. Simon accidentally kills Sally in a struggle as he attempts to prevent her telling police what he and the ASBO group have done. Simon hides her body in an industrial freezer in the community centre, which he visits often. He does not tell the others about her death, as revealed in the first series' finale.
At the start of the second series it is revealed that Simon spent time in a psychiatric unit, where he made friends with a fellow patient named Lucy, who became obsessed with him. It is also revealed to the group that he killed Sally, and the rest of the Misfits aid him in disposing of her body.
It has been mentioned that Simon has a twelve-year-old sister, although nothing else is known about her.
The mysterious 'Superhoodie' who has been appearing to help the group at crucial moments is revealed to be a future version of Simon that came back in time to ensure that certain events happened when they should, although this Simon has provided no explanation about how he came back in time beyond "things are different in the future". Simon also managed to manifest the same superhuman aim that his future self has, as he was able to throw a peanut into a superpowered tattoo artist's mouth while being strangled on the floor. Under unspecified circumstances, this future Simon has also become immune to Alisha's power. He has revealed that Alisha falls in love with Simon. Future Simon became romantically involved with Alisha, but dies while saving her, saying it is meant to be. Present Simon is becoming more confident and is starting to take more control in difficult situations such as defeating the aforementioned tattooist and facing off to Kelly's kidnapper in the same episode as his future self's death. Alisha is behaving more kindly towards Simon but told future Simon that she did not yet love this version of him. Alisha revealed Superhoodie's true identity to Simon after the Misfits went public, as well as her relationship with him, but this timeline was erased by Curtis when everyone but him was murdered. In the three months between the second series' finale and the Christmas special, the whole gang come to learn of Superhoodie's identity and Alisha and Simon are an official couple (Despite Simon's worry that Alisha will always love his future self more). In addition, Simon has begun to live in his future self's flat and is actively training to replicate the abilities of Superhoodie. While he initially achieves little success, his training begins to pay off by the start of the third series, using his increased skill in conjunction with his new power of short-term precognition to determine his limits.
Simon also appears to be the most moral of the group, as he was the most reluctant to steal £100,000 from an armoured car, and wished to return it, despite Curtis' and particularly Nathan's wish to keep it. Simon also hopes to use his power to help people at some point in the future, and believes the gang all received their powers for a reason, comparing giving up their powers to Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
's decision in Superman II
Superman II
Superman II is the 1980 sequel to the 1978 superhero film Superman and stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, and Jack O'Halloran. It was the only Superman film to be filmed by two directors...
.
Simon's attire changes as the second series goes on, changing from his buttoned up denim jacket and fully buttoned shirt to unbuttoned jacket, open hoodie and shirt (with top button undone) in the series finale. This is in parallel to his being more confident around people.
Reception
Rheon was nominated for Outstanding Actor in the fiction category at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival in 2011. The HeraldThe Herald (Glasgow)
The Herald is a broadsheet newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, and available throughout Scotland. As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 47,226, giving it a lead over Scotland's other 'quality' national daily, The Scotsman, published in Edinburgh.The 1889 to 1906 editions...
described Simon as being "the quiet, shy one who everyone ignores anyway, can become invisible." while commenting on his new found power. Tim Dowling
Tim Dowling
Tim Dowling is a journalist and author. Dowling moved to the UK at the age of 27 and currently lives in London with his wife and three children....
of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described him as the "weird one" of the group of "foul-mouthed young criminals". The Guardian described him as a "Moody loner, who turns invisible". Boxcutters
Boxcutters (podcast)
Boxcutters is an Australian podcast dedicated to the discussion of television. It is produced weekly, and usually uploaded on a Monday. Shows average around 70 minutes, although there is no set length, and it is recorded at the studios of 3RRR...
commented negatively on the characters of Misfits saying it was "filled with unattractive and very annoying characters" although they responded positively to the show asking "why do we find it so strangely compelling?"