Lucifer‘s Tom Ellis: Sinnerman Story Twist ‘Opens Up a Nice Can of Worms,’ Tees Up a ‘Strange Bromance’
Lucifer‘s fall finale steered the Sinnerman story in an unexpected direction — one that cast Lieutenant Marcus Pierce in a whole new light.
Determined to find out what his freshly-blinded tormentor truly desires, Lucifer conspired with Chloe to sneak the Sinnerman out of LAPD custody and have him lead them to the location of an (allegedly) imperiled young woman. No dummy, Pierce got wise to the duo’s duplicity and tagged along, yet even that added manpower couldn’t keep Lucifer from absconding with his adversary.
Stealing away to one of his tony L.A. properties, Lucifer first had Maze make a run at the Sinnerman, but even Hell’s most vaunted torturer couldn’t make the guy crack. And when Lucifer decided to work a loophole and kill the Sinnerman, a human, himself — this costing him his wings and earning back his devil face — he couldn’t go through with it. Just then, Pierce and Chloe arrived, with the former felling the Sinnerman with a hail of bullets.
Later, after mulling assorted things professed by the Sinnerman before his death — including how he wanted to die, and it had to be at Lucifer’s hand — the devil made a date with Pierce. When the detective arrived at the penthouse, he was met by Lucifer with some verbal taunts… and then a dagger driven deep into his chest. Pierce slumped to the floor, only to, moments later (and to Luci’s relief), rise up and extract the blade from his chest, with little more to show for it than some wheezing. Lucifer then greeted the immortal being by his proper name — Cain. As in the world’s first murder, a human who was then cursed to walk the Earth for eternity.
TVLine spoke exclusively with series star Tom Ellis about this bombshell of biblical proportions, and how it will shape the frenemies’ dynamic when the Fox drama returns on Monday, Jan. 1.
TVLINE | Lucifer must have felt pretty darn confident about his theory, plunging that dagger into Pierce’s chest the way he did.
[Laughs] We did have fun with that scene. I don’t know how it worked out in the edit, but we did play a few beats of him having maybe some uncertainty about his play not working out. Like, “Please get up.”
TVLINE | Before we get into how exactly Cain fits into the show’s mythology, my immediate question is: Who was the Sinnerman (played by Kevin Carroll) in all of this?
You find out a bit more in the next episode, but basically the Sinnerman was a protegé of Cain’s, and they hatched this plan together. You then realize that the Sinnerman went rogue and got carried away with the whole thing.
TVLINE | Does Lucifer have any preconceived notions about Cain? Is he sympathetic to his lot in life, as a human cursed with immortality?
As the second half of the season unfolds, he starts piecing things together. And there is a kind of affinity as he realizes that Cain has been trapped by this curse that Dad put on him, to walk the Earth for eternity. You realize that’s almost as bad as being in Hell itself.
TVLINE | How does this alter the dynamic between Lucifer at Pierce when at the precinct?
Lucifer threatens to tell everyone who Pierce is, and Pierce is like, “Good luck with that. You can’t even get them to believe you’re the devil!” Lucifer is a bit stuck with this knowledge, but then he decides to use Pierce to get back at Dad. Cain makes a deal with the devil, and that drives the first half of the next part of the season onwards. Lucifer’s goal is to get back at his dad and get rid of his wings, and Cain’s biggest desire is to die. Lucifer decides he’s going to help him do that and defy his father by lifting the curse somehow. They have this kind of strange bromance for a few episodes.
TVLINE | So did Cain know and believe all this time that Lucifer was the devil…?
The other thing you find out in the next episode is that the person who has got all these files on the celestials and the supernaturals is Cain. He’s been keeping track of everybody coming and going on Earth. When he found out there is the devil and a detective who could make the devil bleed, he thought this might be his chance to find someone who could make him die.
TVLINE | It’s funny, the showrunners told me almost exactly a year ago that Cain is a character they wanted to bring on….
Absolutely. The world’s first murderer! It opens up a nice can of worms.
Want more scoop on Lucifer, or for any other show? Email InsideLine@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.
Not much of a twist for me, I figured something had to be up with Welling’s character.
In DC canon, Vandal Savage is stated to be Cain, serving as the inspiration for the myth (and, thus, being separate from the Cain seen in the Vertigo comic books as the host of the House of Mystery). In Smallville, Dean Cain played Curtis Knox, who was originally intended to be Vandal Savage. Unofficially, Knox is considered by some to be an alias used by Savage, so, Welling and Cain have essentially played the same two different characters (Superman and Savage).
Based on aesthetic alone, I’d say that Welling’s version of Cain does seem to have more in common with the Savage version than the House of Mystery version.
So it wasn’t clear to me, are we to understand that Cain is responsible for Lucifer getting back his wings and losing his “devil” face as Luci seemed to believe or is Dad still involved or someone else?
Yea, the episode does not explain who or how Lucifer got his wings back and lost his devil face. I’m unfamiliar with the comics and the Bible, so I have no idea who Cain is. so it looks like right now, he’s immortal (but is human) and got other special powers??? Okay, time to bring Chloe into the circle y’all, because at this point, it’s not fair to the character at all for being involved but unaware of what’s truly going on. Oh, and bravo to the fans who have guessed that Pierce is Cain before this reveal.
in the bible Cain is one of the son of the first Humans Adam and Eve.Cain murdered Abel out of jealousy I think but he did murder him….so God punished Cain to wander for the rest of his life
Ahh. Thanks for explaining. So, Cain wants to be killed and freed from this immortality punishment.
Nope Cain was son of eve and lucifer.
I know this is a couple of years old….. But Cain and Abel were Adam and Eve’s first two born sons. Cain the 1st born was a farmer and Able was a shepherd. They both gave sacrifices to God but he favored Abel’s over Cains, as he gave his fattest calf. Cain then killed Able. The Lord spoke, “Cain, where is your brother.”
Cain said unto the Lord, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” God sentenced Cain to a life of wandering.
Not real sure what Bible you’ve been reading but that is the version all the rest of us should know and the one handed down through the years.
Lucifer told her the truth in the very first episode and has been doing so ever since (also in the pilot Luci asked Chloe “Did my father send you?” that line spoke volumes). Its not a matter of them telling her its more of her believing in what she is told. Half my thinking is that even if she was showed the truth God may have done something to her that would prevent her from actually seeing it.
Lucifer also told literally everyone he meets that he’s the devil, and no one believes him. Even with Linda, she assumed he was talking in metaphors, until he showed her his devil face. Chloe did get a glimpse of his devil face thru a reflection in season 1, and she believed for a slight second before he was proven wrong when he bled like any human being after being shot in the leg. Chloe needs proof, so Lucifer should just show her the wings already. Or, Lucifer can just give Pierce another good stab to the heart. ;).
In the bible Abel and Cain are brothers and the sons of Adam and Eve. Because he was jealous, Cain murdered his brother and received the “mark of Cain”. On Lucifer it’s the scar that you see in the photograph and that is covered up by that Army tattoo.
Bonus: Pierce said that the Sinnerman has murdered his brother. Which is true considering that Pierce/Cain is the actual sinnerman and the black guy was just a decoy.
Thanks for the interview, Matt! One thing, though, you have Pierce’s name in the first sentence as Piece.
It could have been funny if they had another Superman actor playing Cain.
George Reeves? He’s dead.
Christopher Reeve? He’s dead, too.
Brandon Routh? He’s the Atom now.
Henry Cavill? Busy elsewhere.
None of these would have been funny. And I can’t think of any other actor who played Superman that would make this funny.
And, on another note, has anyone watched that magic show on The CW ? The host looks very familiar.
Dean Cain played Superman. But I don’t think Pierce/Cain is supposed to be funny here…
Nick, how could you miss the obvious reference to Dean Cain, who played Superman on the TV show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman? Especially in that the show was basically a romantic comedy and Dean Cain did a lot of funny stuff on the show.
He didn’t miss.
The fall finale episode was so good. Interesting twist of Tom Welling’s character Pierce/Cain. Good interview with Tom Ellis. I can’t wait to see what happens in the 2nd half of Season 3!
So when he says that the Sinnerman killed his brother he’s talking about himself killing Able? So when he kills his protege it him wishing to kill him self?
I knew something was up with Tom Welling’s character from the start, not only did they make it pretty clear on the show, but Welling said he only came back to tv because it was a really cool role, so it had to be some twist and not just another cop. But that said I did not see the Cain thing coming at all (not sure if its part of the comics because I don’t read those), but I thought he was going to be another Angel or someone sent from Dear Old Dad, so I think its pretty cool he’s actually someone getting punished from God. Can’t wait for the new episodes next year.
I don’t read the comics so I was not expecting this twist. Lucifer’s next appointment with his psychiatrist should be interesting. Don’t expect Chloe to find out because once she does, Lucifer will be taking a totally new tack.
I liked how he kept wondering. Is he going to get up.
All I care that Cain will not destroy my DeckerStar. Besides, I knew something up with Welling’s character. Must be not a mundane.
Best part was you didnt see it coming. Been watching lucifer since beginning and this was a nice twist.
I wonder what the plan was behind Lucifer having to kill the black guy. What was Pierce’s/Cain’s expectation if Lucifer had done that? Was it supposed to prove that angels are just as flawed as humans? That if an angel killed a human it would mean that Cain’s murder of his brother was just something that everyone – including an angel – could have done? Curious to find out what comes of this.
speculating, I would believe that it is to know what happen when an angel kill a human. Cain wants to die, he knows that lucifer can die with cloe nearby, he may be experimenting with lucifer that in essence is similar to being immortal to see what does god. Cain was shot with cloe nearby, he may have already confirmed that cloe’s closeness does not take away immortality for him so he’s trying options, playing with the son to provoke the father…
Why does TVLine continue to refer to Pierce as Detective? He is a Lieutenant.
Oops. Consider me slapped with a wet noodle. All fixed, and you’re welcome for the coverage!
It was really predictable that the captain was the sinnerman , I love the show n never missed any episode but this last season was really predictable n horrible Lucifer losing the edge of luciferness , no hell ,angel battle , rage or supernatural activities to keep his character as supernatural being . This season he was just a ordinary person with wings n control issue , starting to look boring too me. My favorite scene in season 1 was the dead of the priest his rage picking the guy up, n an every scene toasting People throw glass with one hand.
totally agree with you, very boring they make him so human! Its been 2 times this season he could have get more powerfull, ifrst when he said he had to get bad again and secondly after the blind sinnerman pierced his eyes, I thought he would discover new powers, he never new he had, because he didnt needed it
Yeah, I missed the verse where God sentenced Cain to immortality, but hey, if it gets Tom Welling back on TV, I’m good with it.
Didn’t see it coming by a longshot. Lucifer is amazing and has been almost since the beginning. (I even finally like Charlotte now that “Mom” is gone and she’s herself!)
I was suspicious of Welling’s character too from the beginning. Something seemed a bit off about him. Being Cain was totally unexpected but I did like very much this storyline!! Good episodes!!
I’m glad I’m not the only one who knew Pierce was tied to the Sinnerman and was mythical in some way. He just didn’t seem that upset about his brother’s death. Plus, I found it odd that Ella had no idea about his brother’s death even though she’s a huge fangirl of Pierce and he’s supposed to be such a rock star officer. Plus she’s so drunkenly enamored with him. Add to that his odd behavior and flippant attitude about Lucifer, and he was either mythical or just a poorly written and annoying character. LOL I’m impressed that the faux Sinnerman was able to withstand Maze’s torture. The closed captioning for the show had Cain’s name as ‘Kane’. When I first saw it on my screen, I saw ‘Bane’ which made me chuckle.
Also…”Cain. As in the world’s first murder, a human…” first murderer.
Welling is the Sinnerman/Cain. He told the detective “the sinnerman killed my brother” meaning “I killed my brother” which didn’t state a time/year or how his brother was killed. Apparently welling is the son of Adam and Eve… there would be no record of it hence no one knowing he even had a brother as it happened so long ago.
I think you are confused. I am aware Welling is Sinnerman. My point was there were too many questions/oddities about him before the reveal that it seemed apparent he was tied to the Sinnerman and/or mythical in some way. One of those issues was the lack of any information on his brother. If he’s supposed to be a mortal human, this well known “rock star” captain, he should have a somewhat legit background. Even Lucifer has a legit background, although it’s only 5 years old. So Cain is living as a mortal human Captain whose his brother has been murdered, and Ella is fangirling all over this man, why didn’t she know about this mortal brother of his who had been murdered? You’d think that would be something she’d found in the Chicago news while Googling him. As a huge fan of his, you know she’d have read up on him. So that was just one of the oddities that stood out to me.
I knew there was something odd about Pierce all along. Bravo for making it an unexpected surprise.
This was a great episode and I did not expect the twist at the end as I’m not familiar with the comic books. I’m looking forward to seeing the next episode.
Tom Welling’s character just went from boring and pointless to very interesting with that twist.
It looks like Tom Welling’s character will not make another season away this story line is going. That would be a shame I liked him being on Lucifer I hope I am wron I
Hope he does come back for another season
I am really looking forward to Tom Welling’s returning episode in Lucifer Season 3. If only it could air sooner rather than later. I am not used to him playing a villain watching him as a hero for ten years, but I am super excited about his upcoming episodes and very interested to know what his character is planning. I hope he will get A LOT of screen time, and I wish him nothing but the best for future episodes! Happy New Year!
Our household loved season 1 and 2 of Lucifer but we have been rather disappointed in season 3. It looks like the writers threw out the rules for this season and went to the dark side with all the supernatural stuff, ruining an otherwise delightful series. The story line is poor, the plots are often disjunctive and convoluted, and the dialogue has been so tortured that it wastes the exceptional capabilities of an otherwise very talented cast of actors. If Lucifer is not interested in his own salvation, then we are OK with him going back to Hell on a permanent basis and hope he takes the bad writing with him. For some reason people seem to find Lucifer acting in an aggressive and obnoxious manner, as “entertaining”, a problem rampant in today’s world. Fiction or not, since when is torturing anyone considered acceptable? We certainly don’t find things like that appropriate or entertaining, and find it appalling that others do..
It takes time for humans to change when they’re actively seeking redemption, they struggle and backslide, so one would imagine it would be far more difficult for the Prince of Darkness, who’s spent God Only Knows how many millennia (literally) in Hell (which might be apt to warp someone slightly), especially given his antagonistic relationship with Dear Old Dad and his rebellious inclinations. And if you’ll recall, Lucifer never actually expressed any intention to seek redemption, it just sort of organically developed after meeting Chloe, and Linda, both of whom are helping him find his “humanity” if you will, but it wasn’t a conscious decision. He’d probably deny it and be insulted if you suggested he was redeeming himself. It’s funny you thought the show was darker this season since others are saying they’re pleased to see this twist with Cain because the show has been less supernatural and Lucifer has been missing his edgier side. I agree. There’s definitely been less supernatural stuff, and less darkness. Amenadiel has no wings or powers, Lucifer has no devil face (which we saw fairly often in season 1 and 2, the Mother of All Creation, who was pretty evil, is gone, no more siblings turned up that Lucifer had to kill to protect Chloe, there was only one snippet of a Hell scene, Maze has been far less violent and evil, more vulnerable and human, Lucifer has been less violent as well, and couldn’t kill the Sinnerman. Even the homicide scenes have been less gory. As for the torture, Maze IS the demon torturer from Hell, the Sinnerman had killed at least 4 people, just to get Lucifer’s attention, probably more as Cain’s protege in Chicago, the intention was to protect Chloe (just like when he killed Uriel), they didn’t show the torture, or even have the guy screaming, he didn’t look like he’d been tortured, and oh yeah, it’s a TV SHOW — which would be terribly boring if Lucifer turned good and stayed that way in less than 3 full seasons. Not to mention that the US government tortured many, many people in real life, and the current president wanted to start doing it again. I find it perplexing that you found this season darker and more supernatural than the others, or that you’d even begin watching a show about the Prince of Darkness if you object to darkness and/or the supernatural.
Am I the only one who found it odd how irritating Pierce had become AFTER Lucifer shot the Sinnerman?
( yelling at Ella for being noisy…. I mean, sure Ella is always noisy, but Pierce seemed very irritating this time)
I think there is something “bigger” going on.
The Sinnerman WANTS Lucifer to kill him, not Pierce.
But if that was the plan, why the heck did Pierce shoot the sinnerman?
I think I might be missing something here? I am a bit confuse…
I believe Pierce killed the “Sinnerman” because the “Sinnerman” broke and was starting to tell Lucifer everything. Probably wanted to protect both his identity as Cain and his plan for Lucifer, whatever it might be. And I agree with others above that Pierce is the real Sinnerman.
And the irritation … probably due to the fact that the plan fell through. Killing the “Sinnerman” wasn’t a victory for him. We just assumed Pierce wanted justice/revenge from the Sinnerman.