Citadel (2012) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The ferals chase Tommy and Elsa because they hunt by sensing fear. In the tower block's mythology, the mutant children were born to a pregnant junkie and grew up feral, able to 'see' through detecting fear in others. They are drawn to Tommy and Elsa because the baby represents a potential new member for their kind, as the priest explains that the ferals have been kidnapping children to turn them into more mutants.

Foreshadowing: The initial attack on Joanne in the lift involved a syringe, hinting at something more sinister than simple gang violence.

• ferals
• mutants
• tower block
• fear
• chase
• mythology

Tommy develops severe agoraphobia after witnessing his wife Joanne being assaulted by hooded teenagers in the tower block lift. The traumatic event leaves him terrified to leave the house, a condition that persists for eight months. His fear is so crippling that he struggles to even visit his wife at the hospice or venture outside, making simple tasks like getting help nearly impossible.

Foreshadowing: The lift doors jamming shut while Tommy is trapped inside foreshadows his psychological imprisonment.

• agoraphobia
• trauma
• fear
• psychological
• Tommy

Danny is blind but can sense fear because he was once a feral child living in the tower block. The priest reveals that the original twins and other children who grew up in the block became mutants who 'see' by sensing fear rather than using their eyes. Danny was rescued by the priest before he fully transformed, but he retained this supernatural ability to perceive danger and fear in others, which is why he appears to 'see' Tommy despite being visually impaired.

Foreshadowing: At the funeral, Danny's strange ability to perceive Tommy before he speaks hints at his unique nature.

• Danny
• blind
• fear sensing
• ferals
• supernatural ability

The priest agrees to help Tommy and Elsa only on the condition that they blow up the tower block because he wants to destroy the nest of mutant ferals once and for all. The tower block has become a breeding ground for these creatures who have been terrorizing the area and kidnapping children. The priest, who is actually the father of the original infected twins, carries deep guilt for creating this nightmare and sees destruction as the only way to end it.

Foreshadowing: The priest's warning at Joanne's funeral that the gang will return for Elsa suggests he knows more than he initially reveals.

• priest
• tower block
• explosion
• sacrifice
• ferals

Marie approaches the hoodies in the poorly lit underpass because she tries to prove to Tommy that the threat might be exaggerated and that she can pacify the situation. Throughout her attempts to help Tommy, she maintains sympathy toward the youths and suggests the attacks could be random acts of violence rather than a coordinated threat. Her belief in de-escalation leads her to confront the hoodies directly, but this tragically results in her death.

Foreshadowing: Marie's earlier argument that the youths may be victims of circumstance rather than monsters foreshadows her fatal misjudgment.

• Marie
• hoodies
• underpass
• death
• confrontation

The ferals don't attack Tommy and Elsa at the end because Tommy conquers his agoraphobic fear. Throughout the film, the ferals hunt by sensing fear in their prey. When Tommy finally faces his terror and leads Danny and Elsa through the crowd of ferals without panic, they cannot detect his presence. Danny had warned he might not be able to protect everyone, but Tommy's overcoming of his fear allows them to pass undetected.

Foreshadowing: The priest's revelation that the ferals 'see' through sensing fear establishes this vulnerability early in the mythology.

• fear
• ferals
• ending
• detection
• courage
• Tommy

The priest is revealed to be the father of the original feral twins just before he dies. He admits he is the father of the children born to a pregnant junkie inside the tower block, the first of the mutant creatures. This revelation explains his deep knowledge of the ferals, his possession of Danny whom he rescued before transformation, and his willingness to sacrifice himself to destroy the tower block. He carries immense guilt for the horror his children have caused and sees his death as atonement.

Foreshadowing: The priest's unusual dedication to protecting children and his intimate knowledge of the tower's history foreshadow this connection.

• priest
• father
• feral twins
• revelation
• sacrifice

The hoodies and ferals want to take Elsa because she represents a potential new member for their mutant community. The urban myth explains that the original twins and other feral children kidnapped children from the area, turning them into more ferals. The priest tells Tommy that these creatures have been collecting children to grow their numbers. Elsa, as a vulnerable infant, fits this pattern of targeting young children for abduction and transformation.

Foreshadowing: The initial attack on the pregnant Joanne with a syringe suggests they were targeting the unborn child from the start.

• Elsa
• kidnapping
• ferals
• hoodies
• baby
• transformation

The attack on Joanne is connected to the feral mythology because it wasn't simply a random gang violence incident. The hooded teenagers who assault Joanne in the lift are revealed to be the ferals or their allies, and the syringe used suggests they were targeting her unborn child. The priest's later explanation about the ferals kidnapping children to turn them aligns with this initial assault. The attack sets the entire plot in motion, leaving Tommy with agoraphobia and forcing him to protect his daughter from the same threat.

Foreshadowing: The specific detail of a syringe in Joanne's abdomen during the attack hints at something other than typical violence.

• Joanne
• attack
• syringe
• ferals
• mythology
• pregnancy

Tommy agrees to have Joanne taken off life support because doctors confirm she has no hope of recovery after eight months in a coma. The compassionate nurse Marie consoles him through this devastating decision. Despite his agoraphobia making it difficult to visit, Tommy musters the strength to be present for this choice, which weighs heavily on him as he grieves both his wife and the life they planned to have with their daughter Elsa.

Foreshadowing: Tommy's traumatic inability to save Joanne in the lift foreshadows this second loss of control over her fate.

• Joanne
• coma
• life support
• death
• grief
• Tommy

The tower block must be destroyed to eliminate the ferals because it serves as their nest and breeding ground. The abandoned building has become home to the mutant children who have grown feral within its walls. By blowing up the tower, Tommy and the priest destroy the source of the threat, killing the ferals and preventing them from kidnapping more children. The explosions at the end visibly eradicate the mutant inhabitants, ending the immediate danger to Tommy and Elsa.

Foreshadowing: The priest's description of the tower as a nesting place for creatures that are no longer human establishes it as the threat's origin.

• tower block
• explosion
• destruction
• ferals
• nest
• ending

Danny's ability to sense and mask fear protects Tommy and the group from the ferals during their mission to destroy the tower. Because the ferals hunt by detecting fear, Danny's presence allows them to move through the building undetected. However, Danny warns that he may not be able to protect everyone, and his power proves limited in the chaotic finale. When Tommy finally overcomes his fear, Danny's assistance becomes unnecessary because Tommy himself stops emitting the fear signal that attracts the ferals.

Foreshadowing: Danny's ability to perceive Tommy at the funeral demonstrates his capacity to sense danger before it arrives.

• Danny
• fear masking
• protection
• ferals
• ability