Bull (2022) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Bull's resurrection is left deliberately mysterious but heavily implied to be a deal with the devil. The black eyes he displays throughout the film are shown in flashbacks to have appeared after his death, confirming he did not survive naturally. The supernatural element is reinforced in the final scene when smoke rises from his body, signaling his time on Earth is ending and he must return to Hell.

Foreshadowing: The opening scene of three men burying a burning body establishes the mythic, supernatural tone that later explains Bull's return.

• bull resurrection
• supernatural
• black eyes
• deal with the devil
• hell

After Norm tortures Marge to extract information about Aiden's whereabouts, Bull watches from the shadows. When Norm leaves, Bull enters and finds his mother severely tortured and in unbearable pain. Rather than let her suffer further, he chooses to end her suffering with a mercy killing, asking her if she wants help before smothering her.

Foreshadowing: Bull's violent but protective nature toward family is established early in his backstory.

• marge
• mother
• mercy killing
• torture
• norm

Norm's push for Bull to divorce Gemma and surrender custody was not about morality or the affair itself. Norm wanted Gemma to marry Gary so the gang could leverage Gary's drug connections to expand their operations and increase profits. It was purely a financial calculation to grow the criminal enterprise.

Foreshadowing: Norm's character as a ruthless gang leader who operates through fear and money is established early.

• norm
• gemma
• divorce
• custody
• gary
• drug connections
• money

Bull's revenge is brutal and indiscriminate, targeting anyone connected to those who betrayed him. Cheryl was Gemma's sister, making her part of the family that abandoned and killed him. His path of vengeance leaves a trail of bodies as he hunts down everyone associated with Norm's gang and his past betrayal.

Foreshadowing: The opening rampage establishes Bull as a man consumed entirely by vengeance, willing to kill anyone connected to his enemies.

• cheryl
• ollie
• revenge
• killing
• gemma family

Aiden witnessed his father Bull being burned alive and shot ten years earlier, and this traumatic experience caused him to fall into heroin addiction. When Bull finally finds him, Aiden is emotionally wrecked, unconscious, and living under a bridge, a direct consequence of the trauma inflicted by watching his father's murder.

Foreshadowing: The abduction scene shows young Aiden witnessing Bull's death, planting the seed for his later psychological damage.

• aiden
• heroin
• addiction
• trauma
• bridge
• church

Bull's permanently black eyes are the visual symbol of his supernatural resurrection. The flashbacks confirm his eyes turned black after his death, and the film implies this is the mark of a deal with the devil, a pact that granted him return from death to carry out his vengeance. The vicar's horrified reaction when she sees his eyes confirms they mark him as demonic.

Foreshadowing: Flashbacks throughout the film consistently show Bull's eyes as black, confirming this is not a recent development but a permanent change since his death.

• black eyes
• demonic
• supernatural
• devil deal
• resurrection

After finding Aiden unconscious under a bridge, Bull carries him to a church to keep vigil through the night, a place of sanctuary where he hopes his son can be protected and possibly find redemption. Bull sees the church as the one place where Aiden might be safe from the criminal world and where spiritual help might reach his traumatized son.

Foreshadowing: Bull's motivation has always been centered on protecting Aiden, making the church a natural choice for his final act of paternal care.

• church
• aiden
• vigil
• sanctuary
• protection

In the final scene, Bull returns to the field where his body was buried ten years earlier. As he kneels, smoke begins rising from his form, signaling that his time on Earth is finished. With his vengeance complete and Aiden saved, Bull must return to Hell, the place he came back from through his demonic deal.

Foreshadowing: The opening burial scene mirrors the final scene, creating a cyclical structure that completes Bull's journey.

• final scene
• smoke
• hell
• return
• field
• burial

The vicar is Norm's ex-wife, so she has direct knowledge of the criminal world and the violence Bull is capable of. When she discovers Bull at the altar with his black eyes fully revealed, she recognizes him as something supernatural and demonic, unable to comprehend how such a being could enter a house of God. Her horror stems from both personal history and the unmistakable sign of his demonic nature.

Foreshadowing: The revelation that the vicar is Norm's ex-wife connects her to the criminal past, making her reaction understandable.

• vicar
• fear
• norm ex-wife
• supernatural
• church
• black eyes

Before departing, Bull leaves behind the money he stole from the heroin dealer, providing financial resources for Aiden's care and recovery. This act represents Bull's final attempt to give his son a chance at a normal life despite being unable to stay himself. It embodies the paradox of his character, capable of extreme violence yet desperate to save his child.

Foreshadowing: Bull's consistent motivation to protect Aiden from the criminal world makes this sacrifice logical.

• money
• aiden
• church
• care
• recovery
• heroin dealer