Baltimore Police Department (Major Crimes Unit | Homicide Unit | Police Commanders | Western District) | Baltimore Underworld (The Barksdale Organization | Omar and Associates | The Greeks | The Stanfield Gang | New Day Co-Op) | Courthouse | Baltimore Docks | City Hall | The Baltimore Sun | Other Characters (Homeless People and Addicts | The Next Generation)
Boys of Summer
Dukie: Remember that day one summer past...?
Mike: I don't.
Mike: I don't.
A collection of adorable children from West Baltimore's projects and rowhouses, who the show uses to examine the school system and how it utterly fails in the struggle with "the corners" for the futures of Baltimore's children. Each child follows a different path, and each one ends up at a different conclusion — although, sadly, it is not always the ending they or the audience hope for.
open/close all folders
Dukie
Duquan "Dukie" Weems
There ain't no special "dead". Just "dead".
Portrayed By: Jermaine Crawford
How do you get from here to the rest of the world?
Eighth-grade student. Living in dire poverty, he is bullied by everyone, including his friends Randy and Namond, and especially Namond's "friend" Kenard. The clothes he is given by the school get stolen and then sold by his parents to feed their drug addictions. He is the one who shows Randy and Michael the bodies in the vacants.
- Descent into Addiction: Dropped off by Michael with nowhere to go but a stable full of junkies, he decides to become one of them, another heroin addict. His addiction consumes him to the point that he swindles his former mentor Prez for drug money.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Phlegmatic (with Namond, Michael, and Randy).
- History Repeats: A likable and intelligent guy victimized by others on the street who winds up a junkie and working by selling aluminum scraps? Sure does sound like Bubbles. He even wears a t-shirt with a picture of bubbles on it in his final episode.
- I Coulda Been a Contender!: Dukie is quite intelligent and perceptive and could have done more with his life if he'd been born into a different walk of life.
- Parental Neglect: His parents don't seem to notice his existence.
- The Pig-Pen: Dirt-poor. Kindly reconstructed by Mr. Prez, who noticing how unkemptness and marginalization go together, takes measures to amend it.
- A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: His relationship with Mr. Prez, his kind mentor, gets terminated when the teacher realizes all too well that Duquan has been deceiving and swindling him for money. A genuine tear jerker both in and out-universe.
- Shrinking Violet: Quiet and shy as a result of being bullied and the subject of mockery from the other kids.
- Tragic Dropout: Despite his circumstances, he shows that he's quite intelligent and has at least the potential to be a talented student. However when faced with a new school he isn't emotionally ready for, a system that does little to help or support him, and the grim reality of Baltimore, he decides to dropout.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Due to a hard life. While Namond, Randy and others come up with elaborate stories of how Chris Partlow is a voodoo master who bewitches people and controls them, Dukie knows the cold truth that Chris simply murders them and leaves their bodies in abandoned buildings.
- With Friends Like These...: Namond, Randy to a lesser degree, and most of the other kids in the neighborhood spend a lot of time picking on Dukie. He's essentially their designated Butt-Monkey. About the only peer never seen picking on or teasing him is Michael.
Randy
Randy Wagstaff
You promise?
Portrayed By: Maestro Harrell
You gonna look out for me?
An eighth-grade student who is an earnest and mostly warmhearted entrepreneur being raised by a tough but fair foster mother. Friends with Namond, Michael, and Dukie. Because he always has his ear to ground about ways to make a buck, he hears about Marlo's fondness for pigeons and traps several so he can sell them to Marlo. The Stanfield gang later use him as a patsy to lure a disobedient dealer to his death. This, combined with the revelation by Dukie that the slain are sealed in abandoned rowhouses, eventually lead to him talking to the police.
- Break the Cutie: He may have been a mischievous and somewhat naive teen, but he's also a sweet and likable person that no one wanted to do bad things to. When Randy tells a teacher about the vacant house murders. everyone in the neighborhood gets wind of what Randy said and things start getting really bad for him, very fast. It's mild at first, with the kids at his school not wanting to associate with him, then it escalates into daily fights; enough to the point that his legal guardian forcibly withdraws him until he can be transferred to another school. Unfortunately, that never happens, because several nights later, two people toss Molotov cocktails into his guardian's house and set it on fire. Randy is intact, but his guardian gets horribly burned and is unable to care for him anymore. So Randy has to go to a group home with other volatile neighborhood kids who beat him up everyday for what he did, despite Carver trying to adopt Randy to avoid that fate. When Randy briefly reappears in season five, he has become a hardened, violent individual.
- Create Your Own Villain: The police fail Randy, and to survive in a group home he has to become just as hardened, tough, and violent as the troubled street kids he's rooming with. Given this environment and how unlikely it is that he will be taken in by a good guardian or family again, odds are that at some point he turn to operating in the criminal underworld to get by.
- Demoted to Extra: He's a central character in season 4, but only makes a single appearance in season 5.
- Disappeared Dad:
Word of God states that Cheese is his father, yet they have no contact with each other. - Four-Temperament Ensemble: Choleric (with Namond, Michael, and Dukie).
- High-School Hustler: This is Randy's M.O. during the fourth season. He buys candy from stores outside the schools, then sells it inside at a markup because it can't be acquired during school hours. To facilitate his sales, he steals a mound of hallway passes so he can move freely about the school, has a collection of different school uniforms (his school color codes the students, with each year wearing a different color shirt) so he can go to the cafeteria any time and sell to any grade level, etc. With Prez' help, he even plans to start buying his candy at a discount online so he can buy cheaper and in bulk.
- History Repeats: A kid who loses his mother figure early in life, whose talents go mostly overlooked and unappreciated, is repeatedly screwed over by the system, and winds up adopting a harsh attitude. Sounds like Bodie, although we don't see if he ends up the same way.
- Missing Mom: According to the show's website, Randy lost his real mother to the streets at a young age.
- Protagonist Journey to Villain: Goes from a clever and entrepreneurial youngster with a good heart to a jaded, angry young man who seems certain to get involved in the drug trade or other criminal activity.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: By the time we see him in season 5, he has lost all of the kindness and decency he had in the previous season. He has nothing but disdain for the police (understandably) when Bunk tries to interview him, and bullies younger kids, seemingly just to maintain his reputation/spot in the group home's hierarchy.
- Tragic Villain: Randy is the poster child for the inability of police to defend citizens, and how society's lack of care for its worst off members winds up creating criminals.
- Trauma Conga Line: Starts off mild. In the Wham Episode, his house gets burned down, his foster mother gets badly injured, and eventually he is sent back to a group home where is mercilessly bullied and beaten until he becomes just as cruel and hardened as his tormentors.
- Young Entrepreneur: Is the most enterprising and business-savvy of kids focused on in season 4, with dreams of opening up his own convenience store as adult.
Namond
Namond Brice
"I love the first day, everybody all friendly and shit."
Portrayed By: Julito McCullum
We do the same thing as y'all, 'cept when we do it, it's "oh my God these kids is animals!" Like it's the end of the world coming. Man that's bullshit, alright? That's like, what's it...hypocrit-hypocritical.
An eighth-grade student and the son of Wee Bey and De'londa Brice. Friends with Randy, Michael, and Dukie. The money given by the Barksdale Organization as a reward for Wee-Bey taking the fall means he is (relatively) well off... except that his mother spends it almost as quickly as it comes in, because she is sure that there will always be more money coming from the Barksdales. When the Barksdale organization disintegrates, however, Brianna cuts De'londa off and as a result De'londa promptly begins trying to push Namond into the game as a drug runner. When placed in Bunny Colvin's experimental classroom, he is one of the most disruptive students, but is soon recognized to be considerably smarter than he acts.
- Boisterous Weakling: He's all bark and no bite. Namond will talk a lot of trash, but whenever something happens that requires facing up to adversity or danger, he either makes an excuse to back down, gets scared, or in the best case scenario, somehow ruins it some other way, as he does with setting off his own water balloon filled with piss on himself.
- Break the Haughty: Starts off as a kid who constantly runs his mouth and pretends to be a lot tougher than he actually is, but being confronted by the reality of life in the underworld, seeing Michael steadily become colder (and getting slapped around by Mike) and being taught in a class guided by Colvin for problem-students really turns his attitude around.
- Demoted to Extra: Is a central character in season 4 but only appears briefly in one episode of season 5.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Sanguine (with Michael, Randy and Dukie)
- The Friend Nobody Likes: He's kind of The Load to Bodie's independent drug crew; he's lazy and not a very good dealer when he bother to show up for work, but because he's Wee-bey's son Bodie puts up with him and tries to take care of him nonetheless. Meanwhile, his friends put up with him partly (if not entirely) because he seems well off in comparison.
- Freudian Excuse: Look at both of his parents. His father; a professional hitman who cannot be there for him due to being locked up in prison, his mother; a completely self-absorbed, verbally and physically abusive shrew who sees him as a meal ticket after she wastes the money that could have set them up for life. If he wasn't picked up by Colvin (thanks to his father being capable of Even Evil Has Loved Ones), things would not have turned out well for him.
- Happily Adopted: From the end of season 4 onwards.
- Heel–Face Turn: When we see him in season 5 Namond has turned his life around and become a good student, winning an urban debate championship.
- Hidden Depths: Colvin notices that he has real intellectual potential below his obnoxious behavior and overcompensation. The fact that he manages to win a statewide debate championship as a high school freshman in Season 5 indicates he must possess a rather astounding intellect.
- History Repeats: Namond takes elements from two figures. First, he comes from a family noted for their connection with the drug trade and it's assumed that he will take up that mantle as well despite having no heart for the game. Sounds like D'Angelo, but he gets a rare happy ending because Wee-Bey realizes the drug trade isn't right for him and allows Namond to be adopted by Colvin instead. Second, he uses the exact same line as Clay Davis "I'll take any motherfucker's money if he's giving it away!" and shows an interest in politics and debate after being adopted by Colvin.
- Kick the Dog: His treatment of Dukie, who Namond looks down on and treats him with contempt. This behavior is completely unprovoked and backfires horribly when he tries to do it after running away from having Michael get his package back from Kenard. He calls Dukie the same insults Kenard called him, and Michael promptly delivers a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown that leaves Namond in tears.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Nay desperately overcompensates as he tries to live up to his father's rep, but is a very different sort of person from his father.Dennis: He got the same blood but not the same heart.
- Paper Tiger: Textbook example of a preteen who talks tough and gives off an over-confident vibe only to bitch out whenever push comes to shove and it's time to put his money where his mouth is.
- The One Who Made It Out: The only kid from his group of friends who is able to escape the doomed background of a troubled childhood, a dysfunctional family — at best — and the notion that crime is the only way to earn a living. Sadly, it only happens thanks to Howard Colvin, a remarkable, extremely unusual and unique white knight.
- Significant Haircut: He is enormously fond of his huge, frizzy ponytail, but is repeatedly encouraged by multiple people to cut it because the distinctive hairstyle makes him easily identifiable to the police. He tries to make himself cut it but ultimately can't, choosing instead to restyle it into cornrows. After being adopted by Colvin, he returns to the frizzy ponytail style.
Michael
Michael Lee
"Everything so serious now."
Portrayed By: Tristan Wilds
Yo look, I'm not tryin' stand around and let some chump ass niggas think I'm shook, I ain't.
Another eighth-grade student. Friends with Dukie, Randy, and Namond. Deeply introverted, he lives with his junkie mother and little brother, who he has to take care of because his mother isn't up to the task. Shortly into season 4 his stepfather gets out of prison and moves back in, and it is strongly implied that his stepfather sexually abused Michael when he was younger.
- Assassin Outclassin': Does this to Snoop, who had orders to kill him for being a suspected CI in the case against Marlo but tells Mike they're going to kill someone else for that reason. But he gets suspicious when Snoop first tells him not to bring a gun, then while driving to the supposed target says she'll give him a gun when they get to the location. Mike ultimately gets the drop on her by pretending to need to pee so she'll pull into an alley.
- Badass Adorable: A middle school student who stares down Marlo Stanfield. Marlo is suitably impressed and starts looking to recruit Michael afterward.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Michael's a good and loyal friend who rarely starts trouble and is mostly The Quiet One, but he's vicious in a fist fight and becomes skilled with firearms after becoming part of the Stanfield gang.
- Big Brother Instinct: He diligently takes care of his brother and protects him from his sexually abusive stepfather.
- Combat Pragmatist: He's only able to get the drop of Snoop cause Snoops was least expecting him to sense his imminent execution.
- Dark and Troubled Past: He was molested by his step-father and grew up with an Addled Addict of a mother. As a result, Michael have problems with being open about his emotions, and he greatly distrust authority figures in general, and older men in particular.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Melancholic (with Namond, Randy, and Dukie).
- Hates Being Touched: A consequence of having been molested by his step-father. With the exception of a few people like his brother, just about any time that someone goes to touch Michael he jerks away from it or becomes visibly uncomfortable.
- History Repeats: Becomes a stick up man like Omar. In fact, the last thing we see him do is shoot Vinson in the knee while robbing him, just like we saw Omar shoot a resisting target in the knee during Omar's first robbery in Season 1.
- Horrible Judge of Character: He distrusts the reformed Cutty because he finds him "too friendly", as a result of his backstory. Rather than go to a responsible adult with his problem, he falls in with the sociopathic Marlo Stanfield.
- I Coulda Been a Contender!: Michael showed early promise as a boxer. However the circumstances of his life meant that he never really had a chance and had to get out of training to support himself and Bug.
- I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy: After the Stanfield Organization turns on him, he sends his brother Bug off to their aunt along with all the money he has, (with the promise of more to come) so that Bug will be safe and away from the game.
- Kick the Dog: Kenard may be a little shit, but seeing Michael pound on a kid half his size over and over again is still disturbing.
- Nerves of Steel: Despite the many stressful situations he's put under he only shows fear once in the series, when Omar visits his corner for a friendly chat at gunpoint. (He is nervous that Omar will recognize him from being part of a Stanfield ambush and likely is also fearful about forced into close contact with a Gayngster due to his childhood molestation.) Still doesn't break, though.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: On Kenard, when Namond catches Kenard trying to steal Namond's drug package. Namond is so disturbed by the sight that he refuses to take the package from an unconscious Kenard afterward.
- Pet the Dog: Diligently takes care of his little brother and Dukie, and he stands up for Randy when a couple of kids accuse Randy of being a snitch.
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Set up by Snoop:Snoop: How my hair look, Mike?
Michael: You look good, girl. - Promotion to Parent: Michael was essentially functioning as a parent to his younger brother when he first appeared on the show because his mother was consumed by her addiction. This goes up another couple of notches when he moves Bug out of his mother's house and they start living on their own in Season 5.
- Properly Paranoid: Ultimately lets him kill Snoop before she can kill him, since she told him not to bring a gun when she pretends to take him along to kill another target.
- Protagonist Journey to Villain: Most likely Journey to Anti-Villain, since Michael appears to be taking over Omar's role as a Karmic Thief, but he moves from a tough but good hearted schoolboy to a hardened thief with blood on his hands.
- Rape as Backstory: Michael is implied to have been molested by his stepfather. It surfaces several times in his social interactions, where he clearly has an exceptionally hard time trusting and even just being emotionally open around adult men.
- Real Men Hate Affection: Much like Hates Being Touched, as a result of being sexually abused by his stepfather. As a result of the molestation and the whole thing being covered up by his mother, Michael has a difficult time handling or expressing affection for others, particularly other men. He eventually leaves Cutty's gym in part because Cutty's attempts to be kind and mentorly to him make Michael uncomfortable, and even with Bug and Dukie, Michael sometimes has a difficult time being truly openly or affectionate. He does have a romantic relationship a girl at one point, but it's implied to be a one-night stand.
- Staring Down Cthulhu: Stares down Marlo in one of his earliest scenes.
- Surpassed the Teacher: Michael manages to see through Snoop's plan to kill him, by way of the lessons he has learned about setting up an assassination from her and Chris, leading him to instead turn the tables on her and kill her instead.
- The Stoic: Michael tends to keep his feelings to himself and seldom show what he's thinking or feeling.
- Took a Level in Badass: Started off as just another kid on the block. He toughens up with boxing and Marlo's tutelage so much he becomes the "new Omar".
- Two First Names: "Lee" can also be used as a first name.
- Underestimating Badassery: One of the reasons why Michael constantly succeeds and gets the better of others is that people around him underestimate his toughness or his intelligence, often because of his youth and seldom speaking/expressing himself. Snoop and Vinson pay the highest price for doing so, as Michael sees through Snoop's plan to kill him and kills her instead, and Vinson gets kneecapped when he dismisses Michael as a threat.
- Unwinnable Training Simulation: Part of his training is facing off with experienced professional killers Chris and Snoop with paintball guns that look like real handguns. Despite his complete lack of experience at that point, he wins anyway.
- Young Gun: His training session with Chris and Snoop shows that Michael has the ability to be quite a dangerous fighter, he just needs experience and to become hardened to it. By the end of the series, he's got both of those, and is on his way to acquiring a reputation reminiscent of Omar's.
- Would Hurt a Child: 14-year old Michael is technically a child himself, but the fact that he would pound Kenard again and again is an example, due the latter's smaller size.
Kenard
Kenard
"Ain't no school can hold me if I wanna leave."
Portrayed By: Thuliso Dingwall
It's my turn to be Omar!
Very young "friend" of Namond Brice. Torments Dukie every chance he gets. He joins the Stanfield Organization as a dealer in Season 5, and goes on to assassinate Omar Little. Last seen in the final montage of the series being arrested by the police, presumably for Omar's murder.
- Boisterous Weakling: Talks a lot of shit and has a lot of attitude, but whenever he actually gets into a fistfight, he either gets his ass kicked or needs someone else to step in for him. Even Dukie managed to beat him. Of course, size and fist fighting ability don't matter if he has a gun in his hand...
- Bratty Half-Pint: Rare genuinely evil variant.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Kenard first appears as one of the children re-enacting Omar and company's shootout outside the Barksdale stash house in season 3.
- Enfant Terrible: The youngest character of the cast to get noticeable attention in the story with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
- Expecting Someone Taller: Kenard is obviously disappointed when he finally sees Omar, who had been limping around with a crutch due to a severe leg injury after a Super Window Jump.
- Hate Sink: Foul-mouthed and a total Jerkass, he never shows a single redeeming quality at any point.
- History Repeats: He shows the text-book signs of being a sociopath and has dreams of becoming a great street legend. Sounds like Marlo Stanfield, who himself is a sociopath that had dreams of becoming a street legend and saw his chance to act on it after the Barksdale crew was brought down. Kenard saw his chance by killing Omar Little, knowing the Stanfield crew was looking for him. It's suggested Crutchfield arrests him for Omar's murder, but it's not known if he'll get charged as an adult and convicted. Given that he's very young, there's a chance he might just get sent to a behavior correctional center, which in a way is a Karma Houdini example, just like Marlo. In addition, Marlo was already in the system with his first ever charge being a murder, which looks to be the same for Kenard, yet Marlo had been on the streets for a decent amount of time afterwards suggesting that he too wasn't charged as an adult.
- Jerkass: An irredeemable little shit who deserves every beating he takes.
- Kids Are Cruel: His treatment of Dukie, not to mention a scene where he is dousing a cat with lighter fluid until Omar passing by distracts him and allows the cat to get away.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: He has an absolutely filthy mouth.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Constantly talks about how big of a street legend he wants to be, yet the one notable thing does, killing Omar, nobody on the streets even knows he did. In fact, it's implied that only the police know.
- The Sociopath: Strongly hinted to be one.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Despite the large age difference, with Kenard's constant swearing, homophobic slurs and conflict with Omar it's not difficult to see the parallels between him and Omar's hated nemesis Bird...who himself seemed pretty determined to take down Omar.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Even among the other street kids he's notable for this; he's significantly younger than most of the cast yet we see him pouring lighter fluid on a cat, and he later shoots Omar in the head.
Donut
Tyrell "Donut"
Portrayed By: Nathan Corbett
A sixth grade student who occasionally hangs out with the group of Namond, Michael, Randy and Dukie. He's both very talented at and obsessed with stealing cars, despite the fact that he doesn't try to make any profit off it and never seems to drive them far before crashing them. This has gotten him into some trouble, most notably when the corrupt Officer Walker broke several of his fingers after crashing into multiple cars during a joyride.
- The Artful Dodger: A skilled car thief despite his young age; the final scene of season 4 is Namond seeing him with joyriding with another stolen SUV.
- Lovable Rogue: Donut's a friendly kid who doesn't show any real maliciousness. He just really likes stealing cars.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Provides some decent laughs in an otherwise bleak and frightening season.
- Running Gag: His car thefts.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: What became of Donut is never shown.
Bug
Aaron "Bug" Manigault
Portrayed By: Keenon Brice
Michael Lee's younger half-brother. Michael shows concern in taking care of Bug; he helps Bug with schoolwork and has Dukie look after Bug.
- Children Are Innocent: When his father comes back into his life, he is delighted to see him again and doesn't pick up on the predatory vibes he gives off. It's possible that he just isn't aware of what Devar does to Michael, or doesn't understand it.
- The Quiet One: As he gets older, he becomes a bit more withdrawn and quiet. He doesn't even speak when he has to say goodbye to his older brother, but this has more to do with the fact that he may never see him again.
Zenobia
Zenobia Dawson
Portrayed By: Taylor King
A student at Edward Tilghman middle school who often disrupts classes, in particular she is disruptive in Mr. Prezbo's math class.
Crystal
Crystal Judkins
Portrayed By: Destiny Jackson-Evans
Crystal is a keen student at Edward Tilghman middle school and often helps her teachers outside of school. She works with assistant principal Marcia Donnelly over the summer to prepare the school for the new year. She delivers clothes to her impoverished peer Duquan "Dukie" Weems on Donnelly's behalf. She is in Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski's math class with Dukie and advises Prez about Dukie's home circumstances.
Albert
Albert Stokes
Portrayed By: Jason Wharton
A small, yet boisterous eighth grade student at Edward Tilghman middle school who often uses profane language and disrupts classes.
- Boisterous Weakling: Albert's aggressive isn't proportionate to his size.
- Freudian Excuse: Part of the reason he becomes such an asshole is because his mother died on the couch, and nobody came for her for days.
- Mouthy Kid: He's a resolute asshole to more-or-less everyone.
Darnell
Darnell Tyson
Portrayed By: Davone Cooper
A student at Edward Tilghman middle school who has a drinking problem and often disrupts classes.
- The Alcoholic: He has a serious drinking problem, even at his young age.
Karim
Karim Williams
Portrayed By: Jeffrey Lorenzo
A student at Edward Tilghman middle school who hopes to become an NBA basketball player and sports an afro.
