Netflix gives away huge plot twist in Messiah after Arabic speakers notice 'massive spoiler' in character's name

Some Twitter users have described the blunder as 'insulting', claiming it means the show is only intended to entertain 'an audience of English speakers'

Roisin O'Connor
Friday 06 December 2019 12:18 GMT
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Messiah netflix trailer

Arabic-speaking fans have reportedly worked out the big twist ending for Netflix's new show Messiah, before it has even been released on the streaming service.

Fans on social media have claimed a major spoiler is hidden in the name of the show's lead character, played by actor Mehdi Dehbi.

The political thriller series is about the sudden, mysterious appearance of a young man in Syria – who claims he was sent to Earth by his father for a special mission – being investigated by CIA officer.

The trailer for the show was shared by Netflix this week, with the caption reading: "Who do you think he is?"

However, Muslims on Twitter have pointed out that the mysterious man is called "Al-Masih".

In Islamic eschatology, Al-Masih ad-Dajjal is an evil figure comparable to the Antichrist – whose name translates to "the false messiah, liar, the deceiver" in Arabic.

Twitter user @frankoceanhafiz tweeted: "Crying @ the fact that Muslims figured out the twist ending of the Netflix 'Messiah' show b/c they LITERALLY NAMED THE CHARACTER DAJJAL."

In response, one Twitter user wrote: "Goes to show you that english speakers also dont look into the meaning or context of the concepts they use - that they borrow these concepts merely because theyre 'exotic' to other english speakers, meant to entertain an audience of english speakers and probs no one else (sic)."

Messiah has received a considerable amount of hype ahead of its release in 2020. Viewers will be able to watch it on Netflix from 1 January.

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