There’s something about Colin Ritman that lingers.
When he first entered the world of Black Mirror in the 2018 interactive special Bandersnatch, Colin (played by Will Poulter) wasn’t just a typical ‘80s video game designer. He was the kind of character who saw the world differently—too differently. Colin’s bleached hair, vague ideas and fixation on alternate realities left viewers with more questions than answers. Many people have thought about him coming back for years, and now Black Mirror Season 7’s “Playthings” episode finally does it.
But before we dive into Colin’s fate, let’s rewind. Who was Colin Ritman and why did his return matter?
A BRILLIANT MIND IN A FRACTURED REALITY
Colin was already a bit of a video game legend in Bandersnatch. He made games for—Tuckersoft a company that was growing quickly during the 1980s video game boom, that were praised by critics for being very difficult to understand. To the public, he was a genius. To Stefan Butler (played by Fionn Whitehead), he was a mentor. But underneath the surface, Colin was slipping into something darker.
Obsessed with the idea of branching realities and the illusion of free will, Colin wasn’t just theorizing—he believed in it. He told Stefan that every decision a person makes creates a split in time, another version of reality. He even took Stefan on a drug-fueled trip where he spoke about the illusory nature of control, the multiverse, and the fact that none of them were truly free. In one shocking scene, he willingly jumps off a balcony, suggesting that his death doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of infinite timelines.
The interactive nature of Bandersnatch meant Colin’s fate varied. In some versions, he disappears. In others, he dies. Yet in all timelines, his presence remains haunting. He was a man unraveling—brilliant, paranoid, and lost in the vast web of possibilities he believed in.
THE RETURN IN “PLAYTHINGS”
Fast forward to Black Mirror Season 7. Colin is back. Not in a flashback, not as a memory—but seemingly alive and functioning in the 1990s. The episode “Playthings” follows a new protagonist, Cameron, played by Lewis Gribben (younger) and Peter Capaldi (older). The story shifts between timelines, and Colin makes his reappearance during Cameron’s 1990s arc.
In “Playthings,” Colin is still a video game developer, but this time he’s older, more grounded—though that glimmer of otherworldly awareness hasn’t left him. He introduces Cameron, a young journalist, to a new game he’s been working on. The game has an eerie quality, tied to a cold case, and seemingly reacts to players in deeply personal ways. It’s unclear whether the game is haunted or just revolutionary. But Colin? He seems to understand it better than anyone.
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO COLIN?
Colin’s return in “Playthings” opens a new chapter in his story, but it doesn’t offer a clean explanation. He’s alive, but how? Didn’t he die in Bandersnatch?
Here’s where Black Mirror leans into its own mythology. According to Will Poulter, the character of Colin was always designed with time-bending potential. Speaking with TheWrap, Poulter explained that creator Charlie Brooker hinted at Colin’s existence across different timelines. So while some versions of Colin died, others may have survived—or even crossed into new timelines.
In “Playthings,” Colin seems to possess a strange awareness. He’s no longer the chaotic, wide-eyed visionary from Bandersnatch, but there’s still something… off. He speaks in ways that suggest he’s been here before. He understands how narratives twist and repeat. He recognizes aspects of himself in Cameron, a fellow neurodivergent mind struggling with the weight of innovation, mental illness, and isolation.
Colin also openly discusses his own mental health. He’s on medication now. He’s older. Perhaps wiser. And yet, there’s a sadness in him. It’s as if he knows something terrible is coming but also accepts that in the grand timeline of possibilities, that’s just one version of events.
He watches Cameron struggle with the effects of the game—how it pulls him into dangerous mental territory. Colin warns him, gently but firmly, that creation and destruction live close together when your mind works like theirs. He doesn’t try to control Cameron’s choices. He merely offers insight, much like he did with Stefan years ago.
A CONTINUATION, NOT A CONCLUSION
Does Playthings resolve Colin’s fate? Not really. It complicates it. It suggests that Colin exists in multiple forms across time, his consciousness bleeding through eras, games, and stories. It doesn’t answer whether this Colin is the real one, or just one of many versions. But it does show that Colin is still searching—for meaning, for stability, for a way to make technology more human.
He no longer wants to create games that trap people in loops. He wants to build experiences that open minds, that connect, that heal. But he’s still haunted by what he’s seen and done.
Will Poulter has expressed interest in playing Colin again, and Black Mirror seems open to the idea. Colin Ritman isn’t just a character; he’s a symbol of Black Mirror’s central tension—between genius and madness, between control and chaos, between reality and simulation.
WHERE IS COLIN NOW?
As Black Mirror Season 7 ends, Colin fades once more into the background. He’s not central to Cameron’s story, but he’s vital to it. He’s the reminder that stories don’t really end—they just branch.
In Colin’s world, death isn’t final. Choices aren’t linear. And every playthrough offers a new path. Whether he’ll return in another episode or remain a ghost in the code, one thing is clear: Colin Ritman is still out there, somewhere.
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