Super Fuzz (1980) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Dave's powers are nullified whenever he sees the color red because the nuclear missile that gave him his abilities was loaded with red plutonium. The radiation from the red plutonium created a direct link between his powers and the color, so whenever red enters his field of vision, his abilities shut down completely. This vulnerability becomes a major weakness that antagonists exploit throughout the film.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Dave notices his powers failing at random moments before Silvius explains the red connection.

• red plutonium
• power weakness
• radiation
• color vulnerability

Dave survived the nuclear blast because he was at the edge of the blast radius when the missile detonated. The radiation wave hit him as he was leaving the village, but rather than killing him, the red plutonium radiation triggered a physiological transformation that gave him his superhuman abilities. The film treats this as a lucky near-miss that changed his life forever.

Foreshadowing: The remote location of the village and the mysterious evacuation hint that something unusual is planned.

• nuclear blast
• survival
• radiation
• superpowers origin

Rosie framed Dave for murder to prevent him from interfering with Torpedo's operation after he and Dunlop infiltrated their clubhouse. With Dave arrested and facing execution, Rosie believed he would be powerless to stop them, especially since she could keep his powers neutralized by surrounding him with red. The trumped-up charge was meant to remove Dave as a threat permanently.

Foreshadowing: Rosie learns about Dave's red weakness when Dunlop accidentally reveals it during the clubhouse infiltration.

• Rosie
• frame
• murder charge
• Torpedo

Dave used a bubblegum balloon to rescue Dunlop from the sunken Barracuda. After finding Dunlop frozen in the ship's freezer, Dave inflated a large piece of bubblegum like a balloon, which provided enough buoyancy to lift both men to the surface. This inventive escape scene showcases the film's comedic tone while demonstrating Dave's quick thinking under pressure.

• bubblegum balloon
• Barracuda rescue
• Dunlop
• escape

Dunlop jumped off the balloon to prove his trust in Dave and to help execute the rescue plan. By leaping off, he forced Dave to catch him and use his full speed to prevent both of them from crashing. This moment represents Dunlop's complete faith in Dave's abilities and marks his transformation from skeptic to believer in his friend's powers.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Dunlop dismissed Dave's claims about the radiation incident, making this moment a turning point in their relationship.

• Dunlop
• balloon
• sacrifice
• trust

Dave and Dunlop crashed through the earth while falling from the balloon and briefly ended up in China before returning to the city. This absurd, comedic conclusion fits the movie's lighthearted tone and serves as a final joke before Dave and Evelyn's wedding. The sudden teleportation-like moment emphasizes the film's surreal approach to Dave's powers.

Foreshadowing: Dave's precognitive abilities and speed have already demonstrated that he can bend physical reality in unusual ways.

• China
• crash
• finale
• earth

Evelyn dyes her hair red to show Dave that she accepts his powers and the challenges that come with being his partner. By deliberately choosing to surround herself with the one color that weakens Dave, she demonstrates her commitment to their relationship despite the complications. It's her way of saying she's willing to face whatever difficulties come with being with a superpowered man.

Foreshadowing: Evelyn's earlier doubts about dating someone with extraordinary abilities hint at her need to prove her commitment.

• Evelyn
• red hair
• acceptance
• wedding
• commitment

The red plutonium was a special radioactive material used in the secret government-NASA radiation experiment. Unlike ordinary plutonium, this variant emitted red-tinted radiation that created Dave's powers. The specific properties of the red plutonium explain both how Dave gained his abilities and why the color red triggers his power nullification, his transformation was literally caused by red plutonium radiation.

Foreshadowing: The secret radiation experiment is mentioned early as a government-NASA collaboration.

• red plutonium
• radiation experiment
• government
• NASA

Dave escaped from death row by using his superpowers to survive multiple execution attempts. When faced with the electric chair, gas chamber, and firing squad, his invulnerability allowed him to withstand each method. He then broke free from his cell and dove into the sea to reach the sunken Barracuda where Dunlop was trapped. The execution scenes are played for comedy, showing his powers making him essentially unkillable.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes establish Dave's invulnerability and ability to survive extreme conditions.

• death row
• escape
• execution
• invulnerability

Silvius, a retired magician, accidentally stumbled upon Torpedo's counterfeit money operation and became a threat to the criminals. Torpedo's henchmen chased him because he had witnessed incriminating evidence of their operation. Dave rescued Silvius, who then reciprocated by revealing the crucial information about Dave's red weakness, knowledge that Silvius had somehow acquired through his magical background.

Foreshadowing: Silvius appears as a vulnerable old man being pursued before Dave intervenes.

• Silvius
• magician
• Torpedo
• counterfeit
• chase

Dave used his newly acquired hypnotic powers on Torpedo during the clubhouse infiltration. While posing as a corrupt cop interested in joining the operation, Dave entranced Torpedo and convinced him to reveal the location of his printing facility, the fishing trawler Barracuda. This use of telepathy and hypnotism demonstrates another application of Dave's diverse superhuman abilities.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes Dave's telepathic and hypnotic abilities early in his power discovery sequence.

• hypnotism
• Torpedo
• Barracuda
• telepathy

Sergeant Dunlop dismissed Dave's story about the nuclear explosion because it sounded completely implausible. A new police officer claiming he survived a secret government missile test in the Everglades was easier to dismiss as imagination or exaggeration. Dunlop's skepticism persists throughout much of the film until he witnesses Dave's powers firsthand during the rescue missions.

Foreshadowing: The opening scenes show Dunlop as a skeptical, pragmatic partner who has known Dave since the police academy.

• Dunlop
• skepticism
• radiation story
• partner