Characters / Gangs of London

The Wallace Family

In General

• Badass Family: Played With. As season 1 progresses it becomes apparent Finn Wallace was the only one who really had the will and mind for the job. However season 2 sees Sean, Marian and Billy all take a level in badass double subverting this.
• Big, Screwed-Up Family: Besides the death of The Patriarch weighing heavily on the entire family, you have: the Lady Macbeth mother Marian, who is prone to being a Manipulative Bitch. The eldest son Billy is an Addled Addict treated as the Black Sheep. The other son Sean is a volatile impulsive heir apparent who is explosive in his Revenge Before Reason. It says something that the only stable family member is the daughter, who is a single mother and White Sheep, distant from the rest of the family.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Engage in it.
• The Family That Slays Together: Averted, collaborating on violence together makes them more unhappy.
• Fighting Irish: A particularly disturbing variation, as a number of the family prove themselves willing to commit terrible acts of violence in the name of dominance.

Sean Wallace

"There is a boy who would burn the world down to prove to it he's a man."

• At Least I Admit It: Noticeably in comparison to his selfishness in season one, Sean grows into this in season two. Despite becoming a far more ruthless and underhanded person, unlike most other gangsters Sean doesn’t even attempt to dress his actions up as anything other than naked ambition and greed, with him overall seeming apathetic to excuses in general. At one point he asks Saba if she wishes to kill him for murdering her beloved uncle Baseem, when Saba tactically admits she does Sean calmly acknowledges he had no real justification for taking his life thus she has every right to feel that way and sends her on her way.
• Bait-and-Switch Character Intro: His intro - the very first scene of the series - is revealed to be this. He's shown hanging a man from a skyscraper to interrogate him, then dousing him in lighter fluid and setting him alight. He does this with a distinctly sad tone, clouding his motivations, but we have reason to think the man helped kill his dad, and it is a gangster series. However, it's soon revealed that the man had nothing to do with the murder, and was just walking by the apartment building when it happened, and Sean most likely knew that. He killed the man 'cause he was the closest thing he could get to a responsible party and doesn't feel bad about it. This is understandably saved for later, so we aren't totally alienated at the outset.
• Big Brother Instinct: Whilst Sean is the younger of the two, due to Billy's addictions and struggles with the lifestyle, it becomes clear that Sean has been protecting Billy for much of their lives. After spending the second season crossing every line he ever previously held in the pursuit of power, Sean finally hits his limit in the final and risks everything he’s worked for (including ruining his profitable partnership) to save Billy.
• Broken Ace: An interesting example as the focus is primarily on his broken traits only revealing his skills later, however, throughout the first season it becomes clear that Sean does have the skills to be a successful crime boss. He’s a strong fighter, a cunning strategist, a charismatic negotiator, a forceful leader and a ruthless yet restrained criminal when necessary, who also has a clear head on his shoulders and strong instincts. However, his impulsiveness, recklessness, temper, and inexperience all ruin it and make it clear to everyone he’s just not capable of succeeding his father. This is proven in season two, where after Sean gains greater control over his emotions and becomes a lot savvier, he successfully manages to retake London from the Investors.
• Boisterous Weakling: A variation, as physically speaking Sean is one of the strongest fighters in the show. While he wields authority as the Wallace's head, he's surrounded by career criminals who've been at this for decades. His insistence on treating them like henchmen amounts to this. Later subverted in season 2, when he returns after being presumed dead and manages to take over the city despite having the odds against him.
• Character Death: Shot through the head by Elliot in the season one final and confirmed by the police to be dead. Subverted in season two, when it's revealed Sean was rescued by Lale before being captured by Joseph Singer and slowly recovering in his off-the-books prison.
• The Charmer: Not his standard MO, but Sean’s proven that when required he’s able to lay on the charm. When in negotiations with Bibi Agostini it is acknowledged by everyone that Sean should lead the negotiations and he quickly convinces Bibi into a deal she held out on Finn for decades.
• The Chessmaster: Whilst Sean usually acts on impulse and emotion, it is shown on several occasions that when he stops and plans, he’s a surprisingly capable strategist. A good example is how he deals with Lale stealing Asif’s drugs, Sean sets up the situation where Lale’s sister and nieces are kidnapped then sends her a warning to return profits or else. When Lale pushes forward for the cause, Sean reveals he already had his men steal back the profits, and then casually burns them before Lale’s eyes, making a point that whatever she chose she couldn’t beat him and that the profits she was willing to risk her families lives for are just a drop in ocean to his vast empire and that by working for him she can have access to power and wealth well beyond anything she can accomplish as his enemy.
• Combat Pragmatist: Despite being a very capable fighter in his own right, on every occasion that Sean gets in a physical confrontation he does not fight fair, be it shooting opponents in the back, setting ambushes and traps or using whatever he has to hand to give him an extra advantage. In the season two final, during his big confrontation with Elliot, one of Sean's first tactics is to throw petrol into Elliot's eyes and then use blitzkrieg tactics of striking them withdrawing to wear him down whilst he's partially blinded (granted Elliot was armed at the time whilst he wasn't).
• The Dutiful Son: Played darkly due to being from a crime family, but at the start of the series this makes up a large portion of Sean’s character. He is the only child to remain loyal to his parent’s vision of carrying on the Wallace empire (Billy’s addiction prevented him from being involved with the family business, and Jaqualine’s flat-out refusal to do so). It even implied that overall, Sean would have been happier sticking to constructing Skyscrapers than taking over as head of the family but does so equally out of a sense of loyalty and the desire to protect his family, as he does the desire to catch his father’s killer. However, throughout the first season, Sean becomes increasingly disillusioned with his parents and their dreams, to the point of abandoning this, with him sticking with running the organisation out of a combination of the desire for power and not knowing anything else.
• The Don: Inherits the position as head of the most powerful crime organisation in London following the death of his father, despite this it’s clear to the more experienced gangsters he’s too impulsive and inexperienced to be a long-term leader, but the Wallace organisation simply makes him to powerful to act against. Following losing it all, a much more experienced Sean manages to reconquer London and sets himself up in a partnership with Koba in season two. Although it only lasts a short while before his arrest at the end of season two puts an end to it again.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Despite his many brutal acts Sean grows increasingly uncomfortable with his mother's continual and ineffectual torture of a Danish mercenary to the point, that Sean finally ends up releasing her (though Miriam still shoots her dead).
  • Throughout season one Sean slowly becomes more and more disillusioned by the Gangster lifestyle. It hits its nadir in the penultimate episode of season one when the family is forced to shelter in an abandoned apartment building that forcibly Wallace Industries bought up. Dealing with the fact his father and himself forced who knows how many innocent people out of their homes just to launder money, Sean loses it and calls his mother out for every self-serving lie he’s heard his entire life.
  • Subverted in season two, when Sean has become far more single-minded on regaining his former power and discards his former standards. Multiple times throughout the season Sean encounters a situation that makes him uncomfortable, but each time he chooses to press forwards. Examples include him murdering his father’s unarmed mistress the second she becomes a threat to his alliance with the Kurds, betraying his lover and closet ally Lale to be tortured to death by the brutal Asif and agreeing to support a French kingpin’s human trafficking operation to secure a crucial drug deal.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Sean’s biggest redeeming factor is that he sincerely loves his family above all else. Even upon becoming more ruthless and selfish in season two, Sean makes it clear that his family will still always come first before everything.
• Face Death with Dignity: In season two final, being hanged to death by Elliot, despite being seconds away from choking to death Sean manages to remain surprisingly calm and uses what he believes to be his last words to mock Elliot, talking about his proud his father would be at the man he’s become.
• Faux Affably Evil: Zigzagged. Sean is by nature not especially cruel or vicious, with him taking no pleasure from his criminal activities unlike some of his counterparts and often strives for pragmatism. However, he is an utterly ruthless man who will go to almost any length for himself, as well as a vicious temper that results in explosive acts of brutality (including some flat-out pointless ones). Despite this, he rarely raises his voice and is usually chillingly polite to everyone he talks to be they friend or foe.
• Frontline General: During assaults such as on the Travelers Camp and on taking London back in season two, Sean always personally leads the fighting from the front, with him personally killing numerous opponents singlehandedly. He is increasingly forced to do this in the second half of season one, due to the Danish wiping out most of the Wallace’s muscle.
• Genius Bruiser: Whilst he rarely gets into flat-out brawls, Sean is one of the strongest fighters in the show. In the final conflict in season two, Sean becomes one of only two characters in the entire show to go toe to toe and even come within a hair’s width of beating Elliot, to the point he would have won if he hadn’t gotten cocky at the last second (granted Elliot had been weakened before the fight). Likewise, despite initial appearances, Sean proves himself to be a highly capable strategist and an exceptionally cunning opponent.
• Inadequate Inheritor: While he's driven and angry, he's accurately pegged by everybody as not ready for the position.
• It's All About Me: What he comes across as in the cast. Every one of the crime leaders has lost loved ones, often to terrible things. But he's the only one who insists on the entire rest of the community suffering with him.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: Zigzagged in season two. Whilst a ruthless and murderous criminal in his own right, Sean initially comes across as this in his war against the utterly merciless Investors and the sadistic Koba. Sean endeavours to present himself in this light in the hopes of gaining the support of the other gangs to drive them out of London. However, when it becomes clear it’s not enough, Sean instead changes tactics and teams up with Koba, betraying and bringing down the Investors together, and proves just how ruthless he is to take back his crown, with him even reluctantly selling out his closest ally for a drug deal. Nevertheless, in the final Sean finally cements he is still a better person than Koba when he chooses his brother over power.
• Manipulative Bastard: In season two, following his experiences in Singer’s prison, Sean proves to have gained some skills in this department. He effortlessly convinces Singer to release him and empowers his campaign to take London back, by convincing him he can drive the Investors out of London. In the final, he plays Koba like a cheap fiddle, fully convincing him that he can trust him whilst secretly planning to kill Koba to save Billy.
• The Peter Principle: It heavily implied that Sean was highly capable back when he was an enforcer and lieutenant for his father, with him being a capable tactician and a brilliant soldier when he has someone to direct him. However, upon ascending to the head of the entire organisation, it soon becomes clear that Sean’s emotional nature and inexperience make him utterly unsuited to be the boss. Subverted in season two, which establishes it was more of a steep learning curve, as once Sean gains some experience and gains much better control of his emotions and impulses, he proves he does have what it takes to rule London.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: The head of the Wallace Organisation from the start it’s made clear that Sean is a highly capable fighter. However, it's only after he loses everything and must work to get it back, he truly learns how to fight smart. His initial attacks to retake London and weaken Koba involved numerous strategic attacks successfully wiping out numerous gangsters.
• Scars Are Forever: Throughout season two, Sean has a prominent scar on his cheek where the bullet Elliot shot him with nearly killed him.
• Smarter Than They Look: At first it initially seems that Sean is just an inexperienced thug who is driven by his emotions and his only response to situations is violence. However, throughout the first season it becomes clear that when Sean takes time to think and plan, he is a brilliant tactician and a lot more aware than people give him credit for being. It's best demonstrated in season two, where he manages to go from nothing trapped in an off-the-books prison to taking down the Investors and taking back London.
• The Stoic: A curious example as Sean is otherwise quite passionate and emotional. But having been forced into violent crimes since childhood Sean can inflict horrific amounts of brutality without reaction, as demonstrated in his first appearance where he burns a teenager alive. Come season two this has evolved in Sean’s default, with him spending most of his appearances calm and seemingly emotionless. It's implied he’s deliberately invoking this to a degree to induce confidence in his followers, as he’s slightly more vulnerable and open when alone with either Billy, Lale or Miriam.
• Tragic Villain: Sean is a vicious gangster who will go to nearly anything length to ensure his power. However, it made clear that he is very much the product of his upbringing with his parents forcing him into crime and murder from a young age. Throughout the series, it is shown that Sean takes no pleasure from his brutal acts and is overall burnt out, with him desperately trying to hold onto his few meaningful relationships as his actions cause them to slip further through his fingers. It’s made clear that even if he succeeds in maintaining his power, it won’t bring him any real sense of happiness or fulfilment but having been brought up in violence and crime his whole life, Sean simply doesn’t know how to live any other sort of way.
• Took a Level in Badass: After spending several months trapped in an off-the-books prison, slowly recovering from nearly being shot dead, Sean learns some important perspectives and manages to gain more control of his emotions, focusing on being more strategic going forward. This allows him to use all his skills to their full capacity, with him manipulating his way out of the prison and waging a war to take back London.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: The other side of Sean’s return to power in season two. Despite already being a ruthless man and a mass murderer, during season one most of Sean’s crimes were done out of emotional lashing out or the desire to protect his family, with him slowly growing more disillusioned with the gangster lifestyle. Come season two, his losing everything causes him to grow more obsessed with regaining his former empire and power, thus upon coming back Sean is much colder-blooded and ruthless with him unhesitant murdering unarmed opponents and teaming up with the sadistic Koba to rule London.
• Underestimating Badassery: Sean has a habit of inspiring this within people:
  • During the first season, whilst right that he isn't a fitting successor for Finn, most of the other gangsters dismiss Sean as nothing more than a child playing with his daddy’s tools. Noticeably Ed attempts to accomplish several key pieces of business without looping Sean in. However, Sean proves to be far more ruthless and aware than any of them were expecting, often throwing their carefully made plans into disarray with his unforeseen actions.
  • In the second half of season one, Jeevan, Ed and by extension, the Investors believe Sean is done and a minor threat to deal with in time, as they’ve wiped out most of his men, sent his family on the run and taken his infrastructure. They are all utterly blindsided when Sean manages to successfully steal millions from the Investors and then flat-out blows up the latest Wallace skyscraper, risking putting all their dirty deeds out in the open for all to see.
  • In season two, Joseph Singer is convinced that he’s running the show and that Sean is merely a useful pawn he can use to drive the Investors out of London and then deal with in his leisure. Sean had been playing Joseph all along to ensure his return to power and once he no longer needs him, he casually has him assassinated.
• Unholy Matrimony: Throughout their interactions, it becomes clear there is an attraction between Sean and Lale, the leader of the Kurds. They finally act on their feelings in the season one final and sleep together. Following returning to retake London the two become lovers, although they keep it secret and act professional in front of Lale’s men so no one believes her judgement is compromised. This carries on until Sean reluctantly agrees to betray her to Asif to secure his drug infrastructure for his and Koba's new empire.
• Villainous Friendship: After his direct family, the one person that Sean is easily the closest to is Alex. Having grown up together Sean makes it clear that he considers Alex part of his family. Even after Alex is forced to turn on him by the Investors, Sean nearly manages to talk Alex into joining him in his efforts to take them down in the season one final. Despite the betrayal, it's clear Alex still meant a lot to Sean, as he’s visibly saddened upon reading the headlines reporting Alex’s death.
• Villain Protagonist: While he has many qualities of the Byronic Hero, it's possible to tell even from the first episode that he's not really a good guy. The series is really about how his self-destruction hurts everyone around him.

Finn Wallace

• Abusive Parents: In the first three episodes, we find out that amongst other things, he took his sons out to the woods as kids and presented them with a captive and a rifle.
• Broken Pedestal: As season 1 goes on, it becomes clear how much of this he is to Sean, who in his efforts to take his father’s place.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: It becomes clear throughout the series that every deal Finn ever made was only to benefit himself. For example, he promised Luan permission to build a skyscraper in exchange for him murdering a family of Albanians, only to reveal he was planning to screw him over from the start, having set up the banking systems to automatically steal all the money and leave Luan holding the bag when his angry partner came calling. In season two, Sean flat-out refers to Finn’s MO as “cut a deal, then slowly bleed them dry.”
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Officially Finn Wallace was a real estate developer, whose company built numerous skyscrapers and other projects throughout the city of London. In reality, Finn’s businesses were all fronts for him to launder money gained through his criminal empire, with him using his iron grip control over building skyscrapers to keep the other gangs in line, as they required his infrastructure to clean their profits.
• Dirty Coward: For all Finn’s posturing about being a real man and conquering all the threats that come to a calling that he drilled into his sons when it became clear the Investors wanted a change in how the Wallace Organisation was run, his response was to try to run away with his new mistress and leave his family and business partners to take the fall.
• The Don: For over twenty years Finn was the most powerful gangster in London, with him running everything from drugs, guns, protection, gambling etc. He kept the other gangs under his control, by his monopoly on the skyscraper building projects, using his legitimate construction companies to launder billions upon billions of pounds.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Cruelly subverted. Finn presents himself as a jovial patriarch and installs a sense of loyalty to the family above all else into his children. However, following his death it becomes apparent that Finn never truly cared about anyone other than himself, and was planning to abandon his family to be killed by the Investors whilst he ran off with his new younger mistress.
• Family Extermination: To make his new mistress Floriana fully his, Finn forced Luan to wipe out Florianna’s entire extended family as they objected to their relationship. Including several young children.
• Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: As a young man Finn was a poor Irish immigrant, who had to face a large share of prejudice in sixties London and went into crime as it was the only option a man like him had a chance to thrive. Sean tears this apart after his death, when he points out in his "The Reason You Suck" Speech to his mother, how Finn kept falling back on his former poverty and struggles long after he had made it to the top to whitewash his every crime no matter how cruel or selfish, as well forcing his children to continue with his criminal dealings despite being able to give them legitimate opportunities he never had. Nothing he ever suffered came close to justifying the amount of death and misery he subjected other people to, many of whom were worse off than him and in the end, it was nothing more than an enablement fantasy for him to justify everything he did.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Finn originally started as a poor Irish immigrant who arrived in London in the early sixties to find a city unwelcoming to him. Over the years he managed to rise to become the most powerful gangster in London.
• Undignified Death: After being the most powerful gangster in London for twenty years, to the point of ruling with an iron fist, Finn meets his end by being shot dead by a low-rent hitman who had been told he was merely “an old pedo”, and bleeds to death in a dirty abandoned apartment building hallway having been lured they’re under the impression he was meeting his mistress.
• Out-Gambitted: Knowing the Investors were making moves, Finn devised a plan to save himself, by stealing his partner's money and escaping whilst leaving his family to take the fall. Unfortunately for him, the Investors were aware of his plans and took steps to have him removed.
• Plot-Triggering Death: His death in the first episode kicks off all the events of the season, with the underlying mystery of who arranged for him to die and why being the initial driving plot for Sean.
• Posthumous Character: Finn dies in the very first episode of the series before the show is even ten minutes in, however, his shadow continues to hang over every character throughout the series, either directly in his son’s residual trauma due to how he raised them, or indirectly throughout the London underworld as the consequences of his decisions continue to echo.
• A Real Man Is a Killer: Believed this to a psychopathic extent, to the point that he espouses the capacity for murder and cruelty as what makes a man great.
• The Sociopath: Above all, the dude was clearly just a bullying monster who saw the world as so much meat for slaughter. He was willing to abandon his family, take all of the money from his criminal enterprises and essentially screw over both his family and business partners leaving them at the wrath of the Investors, for a woman he cheated on his wife with.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Most of the world knew Finn Wallace as a successful self-made business tycoon and a generous philanthropist who only wanted to give back to the city that gave him so much. Only a select few knew his true nature of being a merciless gangster.
• Villainous Friendship: Subverted between him and Ed Dumani. The two had known each other since their youth and rose through the ranks of organised crime together. Ed is even introduced giving a touching eulogy to Finn at his funeral. However, throughout the show it becomes clear that Finn only ever saw Ed as a useful asset and never truly cared for him as a person, whilst Ed hid a lot of contempt he had for Finn holding him back. Shannon flat-out tells her father that Finn used him all those years when he could have been the boss in his own right.

Marian Wallace

• Abusive Parents: Whilst a lot more subtle than Finn’s more obvious cruelty, as the series goes on it becomes clear that Miriam has been a terrible mother to all three of her children. Several of Sean’s problems with handling his emotions come from Miriam encouraging his violent impulses from a young age. It reaches its nadir in season two penultimate final when she traps her son Billy in a truck full of drugs, despite knowing full well he’ll likely fatally overdose and then after Elliot kidnaps him attempts to persuade Sean to abandon him for dead.
• Ambition Is Evil: In Season two it becomes clear that Miriam is no longer content with simply being a support figure and wants to be a crime boss in her own right. This creates problems after Sean emerges alive and his new more assertive personality is no longer so susceptible to her manipulations.
• Behind Every Great Man: It's heavily implied Miriam had this sort of relationship with Finn during his glory days. Following his death, she seemingly attempts to set herself up as this to Sean, however, it's overall subverted as it slowly becomes clear that Miriam is out after power in her own right rather than just in support of her son and hopes to run the gang with Sean as her figurehead.
• Broken Pedestal:
  • Throughout Season One Sean slowly grows more and more disillusioned with the lifestyle his mother raised him for and the pointless violence of it, in the penultimate episode of the season Sean flat out calls her out on the constant hypocrisy and self-serving lies she keeps feeding him.
  • It fully shatters beyond repair in the season two final after Miriam tries to persuade Sean to flat-out abandon Billy to die and has the gall to claim it’s to save their family. Sean nearly chokes her to death on the spot, only stopping himself at the last moment. He then disowns her as his mother, making it clear he never wants to see her again as long as he lives.
• Dark Action Girl: Less so than some of the other characters, but Miriam occasionally shows that she’s perfectly happy to get her hands dirty in doing the family business and is a lot tougher than appearances would suggest.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Deconstructed. Miriam does love her children. However, it slowly becomes clear that simply loving them has not spared them from her abuse, with her style of raising playing a large part in all their issues. Likewise, each time she is forced into a situation where she must choose between her children and her ambitions, Miriam proves she doesn’t love them enough to stop her self-serving goals.
• The Irish Mob: Whilst the entire family is ethnically Irish, Miriam herself comes from a prominent Irish Crime family even before she met Finn. She uses these connections in the second half of season one to get the Wallace’s some replacement muscle after their enforcers are wiped out by the Danish mercenaries.
• Lady Macbeth: During season one Miriam ends up being this to Sean, with her encouraging his more vicious side, such as convincing him to wipe out the entire Travellers community in retaliation for Finn’s death.
• Mafia Princess: Fully knew about the family business and whole-heartedly supported it.
• Mama Bear: Darkly subverted. From the start, Miriam claims that her only goal is protecting her family from their numerous enemies and their vicious lifestyle. But throughout the show, it becomes clear this is little more than an enablement fantasy, and Miriam’s main goal is always about increasing her power. In season two, after Sean has retaken London, Miriam secretly works behind his back to undermine him and risk everything he’s sacrificed for, whilst still claiming it’s all for Sean’s protection. It reaches its nadir in the season two final when Miriam tries to claim abandoning Billy to die is to protect their family, at which point Sean finally realises how hollow her claims always have been.
• Never My Fault: Miriam is seemingly utterly incapable of admitting to her own mistakes. Every time something goes wrong it's always someone else’s fault for not listening to her. It gets to the point that she tries to blame her son for getting kidnapped, despite it being her who deliberately put him in the position where he was vulnerable because he investigated her efforts to undermine Sean.
• Never Mess with Granny: On the surface, Miriam appears simply a graceful, unassuming older woman. In truth, Miriam is a vicious gangster and has been her entire life, and she’s absolutely happy to get her hands dirty enacting the family business.
• Pet the Dog: When their base is under attack by Koba’s helicopter, rather than save herself Miriam chooses to run back upstairs to rescue Florinna’s baby.
• The Queen Pin: Throughout the series, it becomes clear this is Miriam’s true goal. It's implied she’s always been hungry for more power in the Wallace Organisation, but Finn kept her on a tight leash during their marriage. Following his death, she sees an opportunity to secretly control things through Sean, and following the situation becoming too much for him she temporarily ends up taking over running the remains of the Wallace organisation. During the period Sean was believed to be dead, Miriam set up and secretly ran her organisation, using her contacts in the Irish Mob and an alliance with Florianna, with plans to eventually retake London, only to have her thunder stolen by Sean’s return. Whilst the two try to go back to their old relationship it soon becomes clear that Sean is no longer so malleable, and she’s no longer contented to play second fiddle. Thus, despite Sean being on the verge of ruling London again, she secretly undermines her son behind his back. By the end of the season, she’s somewhat accomplished this, due to her son’s arrest taking him off the chessboard and her taking over the remains of his assets. However, it’s clear her position is weak and the Dumani’s are coming for her, so her future is uncertain.
• Torture Always Works: She certainly seems to think so.
  • Torture Is Ineffective: The victim only ever relents because they get blackmailed, something that could've been done without torture at all and is in fact what often works.

Billy Wallace

• Addled Addict: Addicted to heroin, his addiction has made him unsuitable for taking any direct part in the family business. It is heavily implied Billy fell into addiction due to not being able to handle the stress of said business and with his traumatic upbringing. In season two, despite being heavily tempted he manages to kick his addiction and becomes noticeably more active.
• An Arm and a Leg: Elliot chops off his right arm following kidnapping him, to prove to Sean he has Billy. Billy nearly bleeds to death but manages to survive and get it treated.
• Big Brother Instinct: The oldest Wallace sibling, Billy deeply loves his brother Sean. When they were younger Billy attempted to protect Sean, such as killing a man to spare Sean from having to do so. However, his fall into addiction left him unable to do so. Billy feels increasingly guilty at the beginning of season two, blaming Sean’s death on himself for failing to protect him. It inspires him to return to London to take revenge on his killer.
• Defiant Captive: Whilst kidnapped by Elliot, Billy spends the entire time trying to reason with Elliot’s better nature. When it becomes clear this isn’t working, he manages to steal a screwdriver and even wounds Elliot before his fight with Sean, giving Sean a brief advantage.
• Distressed Dude: In the penultimate episode of season two, Billy first gets captured by Luan and Miriam when he stumbles on their theft of Sean’s drugs. In the final, he gets kidnapped by Elliot to force Sean to come to him.
• Disappointing Older Sibling: The eldest of the Wallace children, Billy is a burned-out Heroin addict who is incapable of assisting with the Wallace Empire and spends most of his time being looked after by the other members of his family. It is implied Billy fell into addiction due to not being able to handle the stress of the lifestyle.
• Excellent Judge of Character: Billy has a real knack for being able to see through people’s pretences and gain an accurate judge of their real character. Sean lampshades this in season two, revealing their father was always afraid of Billy, as he was the only one never to be fooled by his loving dad act and knew the true selfish man Finn was. He’s likewise the first one to realise Miriam’s true motivations and thus that she’s the one who betrayed Sean.
• Nice Guy: In comparison to the rest of his family, Billy is an easy-going friendly man. Whilst technically involved with his family’s criminal dealings, it's only out of family loyalty, with him having no personal stakes in any of their conflicts.
• Honest Advisor: Becomes this to Sean in season two, Sean flat out deliberately pushes him into the position, as he’s the only one Sean trusts to be both aware of the real situation and to always tell Sean the full truth.
• Recovered Addict: In season two Billy makes a strong effort to kick his addiction. Whilst the stress nearly breaks him, he manages to resist getting high. Even after being locked in a truck with a mountain of heroin, Billy still manages to resist taking any of it and is still clean by the final.
• Took a Level in Badass: In season two Billy manages to kick his heroin addiction, in his pursuit for revenge he manages to almost kill Elliot catching him dead to rights and only failing due to his hesitating to shoot, and even joins Sean on his big assault against the other gangs to retake London.
• Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: In the season one final, Billy decides rather than carry on the conflict in London, to abandon it all with his sister and new niece. The next season establishes they are all safely living abroad, although Billy's guilt over the belief he got Sean killed causes him to return to London.
• Straight Gay: Offhandedly mentions that he is gay, but otherwise Billy shows no camp traits, and his sexuality isn’t otherwise an important detail.

Jacqueline Robinson

• Baby Of The Bunch: Jacqueline is the youngest of the Wallace children. It’s implied to be partially down to this, that she is the only one not to be a criminal.
• Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: In the season one final, Jacqueline abandons London, along with Billy and her daughter for safety abroad.
• Token Good Teammate: The only member of the Wallace family who is not a criminal or a killer.
• White Sheep: In a family of gangsters, Jacqueline is a simple hardworking nurse. She makes it clear on multiple occasions she wants nothing to do with the family business or any of their support.

Wallace Family Organisation and Enforcers

In General

• Curb-Stomp Battle: When Sean leads them to attack the Travellers community in retaliation for Finn’s death, it is closer to a massacre than a battle. The Wallace’s significantly heavier artillery and trained enforcers (many of whom are former soldiers) means they pretty much wipe out all the Travelers without suffering a single casualty.
• Elite Mooks: Their status as the most powerful crime family in London means that the Wallace’s have access to a higher grade of muscle than most families can afford, with it mentioned a good number of their men are former squaddies.
• How the Mighty Have Fallen: At the start of the series the Wallace Organization is the undisputed kings of the London underworld, to the point that Sean can force all the other gangs to stop their criminal activities as none of them are willing to confront them and their dependent on their infrastructure to wash their profits. However, following having most of their enforcers wiped out by the Danish mercenaries and the Investor's moves to take over London, by the end of the season the organisation has been taken from them and their remnants are scattered to the winds.
• The Irish Mob: Following having most of their muscle wiped out by the Danish mercenaries so that they can remain a threat Miriam manages to use her connections to strike a deal with her sister to rent a small army of Irish enforcers. They are noticeably more working class and rougher compared to their former enforcers' more sophisticated front. Following Miriam being forced into exile, she continues to run the remains of the organisation with men she trusts from Ireland.
• London Gangster: Ethnically speaking the family are Irish, with Finn and Mariam having recognisable accents. However, their operation is ruling the city of London, and their organisation's more upper-class aesthetic, and habit of personally dishing out violence fits closer to this than the Irish Mob. Similarly, Sean and Billy both have London accents, and most of their enforcers are also native Londoners.
• Mook Depletion: Nearly all the Wallace’s quality muscle ends up being wiped out by Tove in a surprise ambush, to the point that in the second half of the first season, Sean only has Elliot as backup when trying to fight against them.
• Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: At the start of the show the Wallace’s have a reputation for their quality muscle and the excellent security it provides. Many of their men being former soldiers they operate on a level beyond what the other London gangs can muster and are thus considered invincible in direct conflict. However, it becomes clear this is only in comparison to the other London gangs. When they are instead dealing with the former Danish special forces turned mercenaries, they are nearly effortlessly slaughtered by the much more well-trained and heavily armed soldiers.
• Protection Racket: The Wallace's run a more upmarket example, offering out the guarantee of security to London’s jewellery district in exchange for a cut of the profits. Following several low-level crooks robbing a jeweller in the aftermath of Finn’s death, it becomes an issue the Wallaces need to crack down on immediately to ensure their reputation and lucrative racket remains intact.
• Real Estate Scam: At heart, their luxury skyscraper business is little more than one of these. The Wallaces buy up land on the cheap by forcing the locals out, construct luxury skyscrapers and sell them out to foreign investors who never use them, the whole process laundering all their dirty money and making them a future.
• White-Collar Crime: As well as having their hands in protection, drug dealing and gambling, a large source of the Wallace’s income comes from fraud and financial crime, all carefully managed through their legitimate fronts.

Elliot

• Action Hero: The main one of the series.
• Badass Bystander: You're darn right he is.
• Badges and Dog Tags: Was in the military in addition to being a detective inspector, which explains his considerable combat prowess.
• Boxing Battler: Seeing as his father was a former professional boxer (even if he threw many of his fights), it makes sense Elliot is similarly as skilled with his fists.
• Dark and Troubled Past
• Deuteragonist: To Sean’s Villain Protagonist. Season 2 sees him rise to be The Protagonist.
• Improbable Weapon User: Makes good use of a dart during a Bar Brawl, as well as a mattress against a machete wielding Welsh Traveller.
• The Mole: Being an undercover cop trying to bring the Wallace organisation down.
• Mr. Fanservice: Handsome and muscular. Shannon is quite attracted to him.
• One-Man Army: A low-level version. In the first episode he takes out more than eight Albanian enforcers singlehandedly.
• Token Good Teammate: While every member of the Wallace crew is either cowardly, cruel, or simply content making money off of people who are, Elliot is goodhearted, pleasant, and with a highly developed conscience.
• Undercover Cop Reveal: Is revealed at the end of the first episode to be an undercover(UC), who had infiltrated the Wallace organisation two years ago.

Mark

• The Brute: As head of the Wallace’s muscle, Mark is the person they send out to take care of special jobs. He’s noticeably disappointed when Elliot manages to resolve a situation without needing to beat information out of a suspect.
• Character Death: Mark is shot through the head by Trove during the ambush in the meeting with the Albanians.
• Jerkass: A cold, unwelcoming and utterly smug man who takes a bit too much excitement out of the prospect of beating a pensioner senseless. He’s almost gleeful when he gets a chance to expose Elliot knowing Sean will kill him.
• Mook Lieutenant: As the head of the Wallace’s overall muscle, Mark is one of the more senior figures within their organisation. However, he is a minor character overall who only makes brief appearances and has little role in the narrative.

Cole

• Ax-Crazy: Downplayed, but definitely there. He enjoys his "work" too much for him not to be. Especially after he grabs a literal ax.
• The Dreaded: Those that know him are fearful of unleashing him. Apparently his penchant for collateral damage isn't new...
• Godzilla Threshold: Ed seems to regard Sean calling him in to be this, showing visible unease and disgust when his name comes up. It's not long before Cole becomes more trouble than he's worth, and Ed puts him down like a mad dog.
• One-Man Army: Cole proves himself to be an exceptionally reliable hitman when he wipes out an entire basement of Kurdish drug smugglers to kidnap a woman and two girls. He's an ace in the hole for the Wallace family, but a dangerously unpredictable one.
• Psycho for Hire: Professional he may be, but Cole is definitely in the game as much for blood and pain as he is the money, and when Elliot intervenes in the kidnapping plot, he goes rogue entirely. The relish he expresses in making Elliot watch him butcher three crying women is almost palpable, and while Sean claims that Cole would never harm Lale's sister and nieces without orders, Cole needs very little excuse to try and kill them; presumably, Elliot attempting to rescue the girls by force convinced Cole that his deal with Sean was over. Cole even shoots a security guard employed by the Wallace family when he arrives on the scene, either because he's just that paranoid or, more likely, because he's in a bad mood.
• The Quiet One: Barely speaks more than twenty words his entire time onscreen. Most of them are threats.

Jack

The Dumanis

In General

Ed Dumani

• Consummate Professional: In contrast to the vast majority of other gangsters, Ed does his best to separate his personal feelings from his professional life, viewing his overseeing criminal activities as simply his job, and to be done through calm and methodical precision.
• The Consigliere: Was this to Finn Wallace and tries to be this to Sean.
• The Chessmaster: Is steps ahead of everyone else, even at the start of the series. It later turns out that he knew almost everything about why Finn was killed, and as season 1 progresses he is the one who gets all the pieces together before everyone else and is thus the one who informs the rest of the characters as it all goes on.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Ed is utterly horrified when he discovers that Sean has hired Cole, making it clear he finds Cole an utterly disgusting human being in general.
  • Whilst he refuses to help, his discussions with Luan make it clear that he finds Mosi’s brutality distasteful.
  • Throughout Season Two, Ed grows more and more disgusted by Koba’s sadism and disproportionate violence, in particular, he despises Koba’s habit of targeting loved ones and family members to force people into obeying him.
• Evil Cripple: Following being shot in the leg by Sean after he reveals the truth about the Investors, Ed spends the rest of the first season walking with a noticeable limp and needs a cane for support. However, by season 2 he’s recovered.
• Non-Action Guy: Noticeably in this World of Badass series Ed is one of the few criminals who rarely gets involved in a fight, with his true strength lying in his intelligence and skills at making sure everything functions. Notably the one time in the series he does try to involve himself in a brawl, despite catching his opponent from behind, he is very quickly overpowered and barely contributes anything to the fight.
• Too Clever by Half: Ed’s biggest flaw. Ed is one of the smartest criminals in the series and easily one of the best operators. The trouble is Ed also happens to know how competent and useful he is, and this causes him to sometimes overestimate how much control he has of the situation, as well as underestimate his opponents:
  • Following Asif making it clear he wants Lale dealt with in retaliation for her stealing his drugs, Ed devises a careful plan to have her assassinated and then quickly dispose of the body, so no one’s left knowing who did it. It never occurs to him until it’s too late that Sean might have his own plans for how to deal with Lale, with him only discovering it long after it's already in motion.
  • Ed goes along with the Investor’s plans to oust the Wallace’s and have Alex take over running the financial side of the company, whilst he handles the criminal side. He very much expects this will mean that he can run it himself and continue his pragmatic business-focused manner, only to be completely blindsided when the Investors instead appoint the sadistic Koba to act as their chief enforcer, with him pretty much stuck in the same position he was with the Wallace’s, only with less power and a much worse boss. Worst still he is in denial about how much the strain of everything (including the betrayal and murder of his best friend) is having on Alex. Ed convincing himself that Alex will just adjust, leaves him blind to how much Alex is sinking until it’s too late.
  • Upon finding out that Luan has been selling guns despite violating the new terms that only Koba is allowed to sell guns, Ed tries to resolve the matter diplomatically setting up a reasonable agreement that both parties can agree to. It doesn’t occur to him that Koba isn’t interested in negotiation and will punish any disobedience with brutal violence to force them to obey him.

Alex Dumani

Alexander Dumani

Played by: Paapa Essiedu

• The Smart Guy

Shannon Dumani

• Ms. Fanservice

Danny Dumani

London Crime Families

In General

• Even Evil Has Loved Ones
• Even Evil Has Standards
• Evil, Inc.: It's shown that the crime families under the Wallace regime are businesses like any other, with profit margins, deadlines, and work hours.
• Pet the Dog
• Punch-Clock Villain: For the most part, being a criminal is a normal job. It's even noted that some of these industries are likely to be legalized at some point, so they're just getting a jump on the competition.
• The Clan: True to many organized crime groups, most appear to be structured along familial lines. Relations are trusted more than "outsiders", and the leaders all cultivate a paternal/maternal position to inspire loyalty.

The Travelers

In General

• Butt-Monkey
• Hate Sink
• Rural Gangsters: Led by Kinney Edwards, whilst officially posing as just a community in reality the Travelers make up their own faction in the underworld, with Kinney running a smuggling and arms trade operation, taking advantage of their nomadic status and connections to transport merchandise which illegally arrives in the more rural parts of Wales into London, as well as having their hand in small time murder for hire and body disposal. They likewise all have a distinctly more rural and working-class appearance compared to the other organisation's more sophisticated fronts. Nevertheless, Kinney knows full well they don't stand a chance in direct confrontation against the much more powerful Wallace Organisation, so after his son accidentally kills Finn Wallace and Sean refuses to negotiate he attempts to smuggle him out of the country. Sure enough their organisation is quickly slaughtered by the vengeful Wallace's, and Kinney and his son both end up dying at the hands of the Danish Mercenaries hired by the Investors (albeit after putting up a significant fight).

Kinney Edwards

• Bad Boss: Kinney is quite unpleasant to his underlings, shown in his introductory scene trapping the brother of his son’s best friend under the hubcap of a car. The aforementioned best friend doesn't last too long either once Kinney gets a hold of him, since helping to assassinate Finn Wallace has made him a severe liability.

The Albanians

In General

• Balkan Bastard: Overall downplayed. The Albanians are a ruthless crime syndicate, heavily involved in the drugs and arms trade. However, as the London gangs go, they are generally presented as a bunch of pragmatic businessmen who generally prefer to resolve matters without violence. Thus, whilst Luan’s followers happily torture numerous people for information following Finn’s death, they still come across as better compared to the utterly brutal Nigerians or the sadistic Georgians.
• Mook Depletion: All of Luan’s best muscle get wiped out by Trove during a surprise ambush during a meeting with Sean. This creates problems for him when Mosi turns up demanding money that Luan legitimately doesn’t have. However, by season two he’s managed to restore his numbers.
• We Have Reserves: Luan’s biggest advantage over his rivals is that whilst his men aren’t particularly high quality, he has quite a bit of territory and thus a large pool of manpower to call upon. Several times throughout the season Luan’s men get slaughtered on levels that would be crippling for other gangs. Luan meanwhile always manages to simply replace them with more men given enough time.

Luan

• Affably Evil: To the point that it’s possible to forget that he’s a murderous drug kingpin, Luan is overall a cheerful, easy-going pragmatic individual, a supportive boss, and a loving family man, who generally tries to operate his criminal activities with as little violence as possible. His first response to situations is always negotiation and discussion, and even when refusing to help, he is nevertheless polite and sincere even when talking to his rivals.
• Cornered Rattlesnake: Luan is by nature not a violent man, his interactions with other gangsters often come across as peaceful bordering on flat-out submissive, and he generally prefers to avoid violence at all costs. However, when forced to fight Luan will quickly remind people exactly how he rose to be the boss in the first place, with him capable of killing entire groups of hardened gangsters with his bare hands.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: After seeming rather cowardly and submissive compared to the other gangsters of the show, Luan shows exactly why he's the boss after Mosi threatens his family. Less than a minute later, everyone else in the room is dead and Mosi is missing his eyes.
• Family Man: Luan is a devoted father and husband. The main goal of his desire to break into the lucrative world of building skyscrapers is that it will guarantee his family's wealth.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: Luan is the undisputed leader of the Albanians, and is likewise in the running for one of the toughest fighters in the entire show.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Pretty much Luan’s defining code. Luan is in organised crime to ensure his family's future and security. As such his primary goal is to make as much money as possible, with as little pointless violence as is necessary. Best demonstrated in the season two final, despite Ed having just shot dead several of his men, he still agrees to Ed’s proposal of taking a moment to see how the night’s activities play out before committing to any more action.

The Kurds

In General

• Elite Mooks: Compared to the other gang’s general muscle, a large portion of Kurd’s enforcers are former soldiers or partisans. This puts them on a considerably higher level compared to the competition. Sean even persuades Singer to release Lale by arguing he needs her troops and their expertise to retake London.
• Token Good Teammate: Downplayed. There are still ruthless gangsters who are heavily involved in the drug trade. However, unlike the other gangs it's made clear the Kurds are motivated by political ideology (namely supporting gaining a homeland for their people) rather than profit. Likewise, the Kurds overall come across as one of the more pragmatic factions, preferring diplomacy and subterfuge to violence.
• Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: Willing to commit murder, orchestrate bombings, and traffic heroin, but all in the service of securing a homeland for their people. How good of an excuse/reason that is, depends largely on the viewer.
• We Have Reserves: A variation. Unlike the other gangs, Season Two makes it clear there is absolutely nothing tying the Kurds to London beyond the profit opportunities. As such when Koba’s extortionate rates mean they no longer are making any, several of the elders feel it would be better to pack up operations and set up in another city, as they have contacts in multiple ones where they could easily restart their entire operation without losing anything. This is a big problem for Sean who requires their support in his war to take back London and must agree to act before he believes they're ready to ensure they keep supporting him.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Compared to all the other criminal gangs the Kurd's entire goal is to raise funds for the cause of gaining a homeland for their people, as such unlike most gangs they don’t keep almost any of the profits of their criminal activities. Everything beyond expenses goes to the cause. This causes them big problems in season two as Koba’s extortionate rates mean they no longer are making enough to continue supporting the cause.

Lale

• Archenemy: Lale utterly hates Asif Afridi, as many years previously Asif set up an ambush that led to their entire group being wiped out, with her beloved husband being brutally tortured to death, for which Lale was the only survivor. Afridi for his part considers Lale a mere nuisance and can barely remember the event, that is until Lale murders his son Nasir.
• Cool Aunt: Has this relationship with her two young nieces, who she happily dotes on. She’s overall very sad when her sister forbids her from ever seeing them again after Lale’s actions indirectly almost get them killed.
• Dark Action Girl: A former soldier, Lale is one of the strongest fighters in the entire series. A flashback shows her killing several Turkish soldiers singlehandedly when caught in an ambush.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Lale reveals that she never was allowed to be a child, having been forced to fight for her people and her homeland since her earliest memories. Whilst overall quite well adjusted, it nevertheless ties into her devotion to the cause, with her desire to ensure the next generation of Kurds does not have to go through the same.
• Frontline General: As well as coordinating the numerous different attacks to retake London, Lale personally leads her section of troops on one of them, with her personally casually killing several rival gangsters in the fighting.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: The leader of Kurds in London, Lale is the most dangerous of them all, having single-handedly killed numerous opponents.
• The Strategist: Having had formal military and insurgency training, Lale is a brilliant tactician. During Sean and her attack to retake London from Koba, she is the driving force behind no less than eight separate ambushes, with her coordinating every single attack. They proceed without an absolute hitch, killing numerous rivals and stealing massive amounts of merchandise, all whilst escaping before any of the gangs can launch any sort of retaliation.
• Statuesque Stunner: Easily one of the tallest women in the series (made even taller by her habit of regularly wearing heels), Lale is acknowledged by multiple people to be very attractive.

The Pakistanis

• But for Me, It Was Tuesday
• Hate Sink
• Villain with Good Publicity: Somewhat, since while Nasir does his best to distance himself completely from the family heroin trafficking operation and actually tries to cut ties with it, he still takes the money. Asif chides him more than once at how hypocritical he's being.

The Nigerians

• An Arm and a Leg
• The Dreaded: Everyone is terrified of these guys, and for good reason. Their idea of "negotiation" is to start torturing and go from there.
• Hate Sink
• The Yardies

The Algerians

General

• The Clan: Whilst multiple gangs are organised along family lines, the Algerians are perhaps the straightest example, with multiple branches of the Soundani family (including the children of their leaders four siblings) making up a large portion of the gang.

Basem Soudani

• Affably Evil: Whilst a powerful gangster with strong ties to the arms trade and drug dealing, Basem overall comes across as a decent and caring family man, who prefers to avoid violence wherever possible.
• Cool Uncle: Is this to both Saba and Faz, with him having long been a supportive figure in both of their lives.
• Parental Substitute: Saba is closer to a daughter than a niece for him. It is Basem who raised her since his brother’s death and he making it clear that he considers her safety more important than anything, hence him reluctantly deciding to agree to Koba’s terms and thus ensure she isn’t the target of his reprisal.
• Remember the New Guy?: As the leader of the Algerians, it’s made clear that Basem is one of the most powerful gangsters in London, yet he was nowhere to be seen during season one.
• Surprisingly Sudden Death: The first three episodes of season 2 build him up as an important figure, with a clear ongoing story of his struggles with dealing with the death of his nephew Afrim and his struggles with Koba forcing him into accepting his brutal terms to continue operating in London. Only for him to be unceremoniously murdered by Sean.

Saba Soudani

• Break the Cutie: The second season is not kind to her. First, her cousin is murdered, and then her beloved Uncle is killed right before her eyes. On her first job for the family, she is lured into an ambush and must watch as the rest of their gang is slaughtered by Sean and his men (with Saba and Faz only surviving because Sean picks them to deliver a message to Koba). Then Saba is forced to work for the man who killed her uncle, she is given a chance to let him get killed but gets cold feet at the last moment, and her reward is to be exposed and nearly brutally tortured by Koba. Then she discovers her remaining cousin is a traitor and almost murdered by him. By the end of the season it's clear she’s utterly burnt out.
• Like Brother and Sister: Has this relationship with her cousin Faz, with the two regularly acting more akin to siblings. Saba is the one who notices how much Faz is struggling following Afrim’s death and tries to offer her support. The two even huddle together like frightened children after being caught in Sean’s ambush. She likewise ends up killing Hakim in the second season final to save Faz from him.
• Mafia Princess: Saba is completely aware of her uncle’s criminal activities, but at the start of the series is not involved with them as her uncle will not allow it.
• Nice Girl: Saba is overall a friendly, polite, and easygoing individual. Even when on the job she tries to maintain a playful attitude and happily jokes with her cousin.
• Took a Level in Badass: After starting as an ordinary young woman who was allowed to be involved with the family business and spending the entire season being put through the ringer, in the second season final Saba rescues Faz from Hakim and ends up killing her treacherous cousin
• White Sheep: Deliberately so, her Uncle Basem refused to let her be involved with his criminal proceedings. However, following Afrim’s murder she pushes to be more involved to help her family. After Basem’s demise, Hakim agrees to let her work as a low-level dealer for the family.

The Investors

The Danish Mercenaries

In General:

• Outside-Context Problem: To the London gangs. Fierce and cunning as they may be, the Danes are operating on a level of skill and technology that is beyond them. Their lack of ties to the established underworld means the gangs also have almost no way to even know who is gunning for them, let alone why and for whom.
• Private Military Contractors
• Punch-Clock Villain
• The Worf Effect: Get rather brutally mauled by a band of badly-armed, untrained, hard-as-nails Travelers. All but two of them are killed (albeit when their own outrageous ordnance is turned against them).

Tove Fransen