| 1 | [[WMG:[[center:[-''Series/TheWire'' '''[[Characters/TheWire Main Character Index]]'''\ |
| 2 | [[Characters/TheWireBaltimorePoliceDepartment Baltimore Police Department]] ([[Characters/TheWireMajorCrimesUnit Major Crimes Unit]] | [[Characters/TheWireHomicideUnit Homicide Unit]] | [[Characters/TheWirePoliceCommanders Police Commanders]] | [[Characters/TheWireWesternDistrict Western District]]) | [[Characters/TheWireBaltimoreUnderworld Baltimore Underworld]] ([[Characters/TheWireBarksdaleOrganization The Barksdale Organization]] | [[Characters/TheWireOmarAndAssociates Omar and Associates]] | [[Characters/TheWireTheGreeks The Greeks]] | '''The Stanfield Gang''' | [[Characters/TheWireNewDayCoOp New Day Co-Op]]) | [[Characters/TheWireCourthouse Courthouse]] | [[Characters/TheWireBaltimoreDocks Baltimore Docks]] | [[Characters/TheWireCityHall City Hall]] | ''[[Characters/TheWireBaltimoreSun The Baltimore Sun]]'' | [[Characters/TheWireOtherCharacters Other Characters]] ([[Characters/TheWireHomelessPeopleAndAddicts Homeless People and Addicts]] | [[Characters/TheWireTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]])-]]]]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | \ |
| 5 | |
| 6 | ->'''Vinson:''' The prisons and the graveyards are full of boys who wore the crown.\ |
| 7 | '''Marlo Stanfield:''' [[{{Power}} Point is: they wore it.]] It's my turn to wear it now. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | An up-and-coming gang of drug dealers who are dealt a mighty hand when the Barksdale Organization's prime real estate is demolished by the City, leaving them with all the new best territory. Led by the ambitious and utterly ruthless Marlo Stanfield, the Stanfield Gang gradually work their way through the West Baltimore drug hierarchy. When Avon is locked up and Stringer is murdered at the close of Season 3, they end up the new masters of West Baltimore, controlling nearly the whole district. Prop Joe's scheming manages to convince Marlo to join the Co-op, a decision which backfires spectacularly when Marlo murders him and takes over the Greek drug connect. By Season 5, the Stanfield Gang are the center of the entire Baltimore drug trade... at least until [=McNulty=] and Freamon get on their case. |
| 10 | ---- |
| 11 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 12 | |
| 13 | [[folder:General]] |
| 14 | * ChildSoldiers: While the Barksdale Crew had no problem using adolescents and teens for various duties, it was rare for them to be given a gun and told to execute someone. The Stanfield Organization almost reverses this: they ''actively recruit'' children as young as twelve and thirteen, getting them to put in work before molding them into killers. Michael Lee and O-Dog are prime examples -- both not even sixteen and cold-blooded murderers. |
| 15 | * FlatCharacter: Most of them are this. Not to say they don't have defined personalities, but versus the Barksdale Organization's members, the Stanfield Gang's members don't experience significant CharacterDevelopment. There is also little exploration of their interests and daily lives outside of the drug trade. |
| 16 | * TheGoodTheBadAndTheEvil: The generational shift in Season 3 is represented this way, with Marlo representing a darker and edgier amalgamation of Stringer's conservative and calculating nature, and Avon's brutality and pride. Similarly, Chris Partlow is a darker and edgier version of Wee Bey Brice with just a few parallels to Stringer Bell as well, while the Stanfield bit players also seem to be a little rougher around the edges than their Barksdale counterparts. Wee-Bey explicitly points out that back in the day, Marlo's show-offy tactics would have gotten him killed quickly. That he's able to operate at all is a sure sign that things are getting worse for Baltimore. |
| 17 | * VillainousEthicsDecay: While this is a central theme in ''The Wire'', the Stanfield Gang are the poster boys for it. Everything about them, from their willingness to kill civilians not directly involved in the drug game, to their DisproportionateRetribution for extremely minor offenses, shows that they are a more ruthless gang than any that have come before, with virtually no moral qualms about ''anything''. Basically, the Stanfield gang amps up every unsavory, ruthless, or cruel quality seen in the Barksdales, with absolutely none of the [[EvenEvilHasStandards standards]] or PetTheDog moments. |
| 18 | [[/folder]] |
| 19 | |
| 20 | [[folder:Marlo Stanfield]] |
| 21 | ->'''Played by''': Creator/JamieHector |
| 22 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marlostanfield_265.jpg]] |
| 23 | [[caption-width-right:350:''"You want it to be one way... but it's the other way."'']] |
| 24 | |
| 25 | ->''I wasn't made to play the son.'' |
| 26 | |
| 27 | He starts the as an up-and-coming west-side drug kingpin, the head of the eponymous Stanfield Organization. At first he is operating in the shadow of the Barksdale Organization, and fights to supplant them throughout the third season. |
| 28 | :: |
| 29 | In Season 4 after the downfall of the Barksdale Empire, Marlo runs the West Side with an iron fist, complete with a high body count that makes him absolutely dreaded by other drug dealers and the average people living in that part of Baltimore. However, for a long time police fail to find the bodies of Marlo's victims, as his enforcers like Chris and Snoop hide the bodies in abandoned buildings, of which the city has a multitude. Although Marlo initially resists cooperating with other gangs and the New Day Co-op, Prop Joe slowly manages to impart a few lessons and start bringing Marlo into alliance with the Co-op, especially when it comes to repelling the encroachment of syndicates from New York into the Baltimore drug game. The end of Season 4 means big changes, however, as the police finally discover Marlo's many victims and Omar's robbery of The Greek's drug shipment makes Marlo begin considering taking over the Co-op and replacing Joe as the contact for the Greeks. |
| 30 | |
| 31 | :: |
| 32 | At the beginning of Season 5 Marlo waits out a police investigation until the cash strapped department finally gives up and pulls the plug on the investigation. With attention off him, Marlo is quick to fulfill his ambitions, as he once again begins leaving a trail of bodies in West Baltimore, gets the Greeks to accept him as a replacement for Joe, kills Joe, then forcibly takes over the New Day Co-Op and turns it into an extension of his own gang. All along the way he repeatedly works to eliminate not only his enemies and anyone who would betray him, but also anyone who shows him disrespect, or undermines his name on the streets however unwittingly. |
| 33 | |
| 34 | :: |
| 35 | Unfortunately for Marlo, that obsession with his name and his readiness to kill over it earns him enemies in the police department, as several cops (including [=McNulty=], Freamon, and Sydnor) become willing to run an illegal operation to arrest him. Mere weeks after Marlo takes over the Co-op and becomes the undisputed king of the Baltimore streets, he and his operation are brought down. Although Marlo manages to escape justice because of the illegal means used to pursue him, his organization is left in ruins and Marlo is forced to go legit, leaving him free but unable to participate in Baltimore's criminal underworld anymore, which is the only thing he knows. Worst of all, it's shown that Marlo's name and reputation, the things he valued most in the world (by far) are quickly forgotten. |
| 36 | ---- |
| 37 | * AmbiguousSituation: Marlo's story ends inconclusively, being forced to retire from drug trafficking and power brawls, which is all that Stanfield craves. Clearly Marlo still has what it takes to rise again from obscurity, but will he risk police investigation and possible prison time if it means wearing the crown again? |
| 38 | * AmbitionIsEvil: Marlo is practically obsessed with the crown and is nothing but a cold tyrant who enforces his will with an iron fist during his rise and rule. |
| 39 | -->The crown ain't worth much if the nigga wearin' it always gettin' his shit took. |
| 40 | * AnimalLover: He keeps pigeons, even hiring a man to take care of them. |
| 41 | * ArchEnemy: |
| 42 | ** Freamon's. Lester is usually content with doing quality police work and chases whoever Daniels tells him to chase, until the bosses take the MCU off Marlo. Lester takes personal and professional offense from it. |
| 43 | --->'''Lester:''' The motherfucker who put 22 bodies on us! |
| 44 | ** Marlo has a special place in the heart of Herc, who clashes ineffectively with Marlo numerous times until the fiasco of a stolen hidden camera costs him the job. Herc gets back at Marlo (sort of) by leaking his cell number to Carver. |
| 45 | ** To Avon in Season 3 and Omar in Season 5, both of whom he goes to war with. |
| 46 | * AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: His backstory has him rising his way up after murdering a witness and other people. On screen, most of his killings are by proxy and he gains the crown via KlingonPromotion after [[MobWar outlasting his competition]]. While he doesn't look very menacing and never has to get physical, it's demonstrated during a target practice that he's a hitter who knows how to shoot. He shows his badassery in the finale when he easily bests two armed young punks during a petty street brawl. |
| 47 | * AxCrazy: [[BewareTheQuietOnes A very stoic and disturbing one]]. He has shades of SerialKiller and orders people killed for even the slightest offenses towards him. |
| 48 | * BadassInANiceSuit: His one personal [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2kWBB7k11Q moment of awesome]] happens when he, dressed in a handsome suit, abandons a high class party and picks a fight with a pair of armed corner dealers. He fights them off easily despite being unarmed. |
| 49 | * TheBadGuyWins: Subverted in a very interesting way. Marlo essentially gets away scot free for everything he's done and ends up inadvertently achieving Stringer Bell's dream of going legit. However, Marlo doesn't want this at all, as it means that he can never go back to being a feared and ruthless drug kingpin, which is all he ever wanted to do. In the end, despite having escaped justice, Marlo's victory is a hollow one as his empire is gone and barely anybody will remember him down the line. |
| 50 | * BerserkButton: Though generally an [[DissonantSerenity eerily]] [[TheStoic calm]] personality, Marlo does ''not'' take kindly to anyone questioning his street cred. |
| 51 | -->[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCaBYEEFTKE MY NAME IS MY NAME!]] |
| 52 | * BewareTheQuietOnes: He's robotic, emotionless, and a murderous sociopath. |
| 53 | * BigBad: For Seasons 4 and 5, as head of the Stanfield Organization that has taken over the Westside. The X in XMustNotWin, as Bodie, Freamon and [=McNulty=] take a personal risk and put their own careers on the line to avoid his victory. |
| 54 | -->'''Bodie:''' But Marlo, this nigga and his kind, man... They gotta fall. They gotta.\ |
| 55 | '''Jimmy:''' Marlo is an asshole. He doesn't get to win. WE get to win. |
| 56 | * BornLucky: Through Seasons 3, 4, and partway through Season 5 Marlo has a way of always getting things to break just right for him. He comes along right as the Barksdale Empire moves almost entirely away from Avon's methods of controlling the street by force, leaving them unprepared to deal with him. The MobWar between Marlo's gang and the Barksdales ramps up as the Barksdale Organization is crumbling under the pressure of being AHouseDivided, and the investigation that Jimmy and Kima forced onto the BPD saves him from being crushed by Avon after Stringer's death. In Season 4 the MCU has wiretaps up on the Stanfield gang and is getting close to being able to bring them down when the MCU is gutted by Rawls and Burrell due to making politically sensitive investigations, giving Marlo a free hand to rule West Baltimore unimpeded by the police. In the first episodes of Season 5, he is able to outwait a police investigation because of the city's huge budget hole, and only gets investigated because a number of police detectives effectively go rogue. Played with in his final fate, as Marlo's luck even extends to allowing him to walk away from prison time and the criminal underworld as a rich man, but Marlo utterly hates that fact and would rather have the option to [[JustAGangster just be a gangster]]. |
| 57 | * CharacterizationMarchesOn: In Season 3, he acts more reckless and outwardly violent. Most notably, he considers violently resisting when Herc and Carver try to force him and his crew to go to Hamsterdam. He also directly commits a murder. Season 4 has him become colder and more pragmatic, never thinking about resisting police or committing any murders himself for the rest of the series. Likely justified, as he learned how to properly act with his newfound power. |
| 58 | * ContrastingSequelAntagonist: To Avon Barksdale. Marlo's younger, colder, more calculating and a lot more ruthless, without any of Avon's sympathetic traits. |
| 59 | * CorruptionOfAMinor: He's impressed by Michael's refusal to accept his money and has him groomed into his model young soldier -- loyal, capable, beholden, [[spoiler:and ultimately expendable.]] |
| 60 | * CreepyMonotone: He's the scariest drug dealer in the city, and his voice is almost always flat and unemotive. |
| 61 | * DeathGlare: Seemingly his default facial expression. |
| 62 | * DeceptiveDisciple: A mix with BastardUnderstudy. Technically speaking, Joe is teaching Marlo criminal ways so Stanfield can become ''less'' evil and violent. When Marlo learns -by his own- how to import the drugs from the Greeks, he decides to retire Joe with a bullet to the head. |
| 63 | * DiscOneFinalBoss: In an odd way, he's this for both Season 5 and the series. Despite being the primary target of Seasons 4 and 5, he and all his lieutenants are arrested in the penultimate episode of the series. Levy ends up being the final threat to ensure Marlo is punished for his crimes, since Levy is able to immediately pick up that the case is based on an illegal wiretap. Rhonda Pearlman has to blackmail Levy with a compromising phone call to force Marlo to retire from the drug trade. |
| 64 | * DisproportionateRetribution: One of his major tools to make himself feared, often having people and usually their family as well murdered for extremely petty reasons. Bites him in the ass when Omar starts calling him out in the streets. As Michael explains to Chris and Snoop if Omar can call him out like that and get away when innocents civilians got killed for less then Marlo is just a bully preying on the weak instead of a gangster not taking shit. Chris and Snoop try their best to keep Marlo in the dark about those call outs because Marlo would do something stupid when the police are watching him. |
| 65 | * DissonantSerenity: Goes with his emotionless calm but ruthless personality. |
| 66 | * TheDreaded: By Season 4, just about everyone in his sphere of influence fears getting on his bad side, lest they end up getting a visit from Chris and Snoop. However he loses this soon as shown in the final episode when he tries to intimidate two corner boys who have no idea who he is and don't care. |
| 67 | * DullSurprise: This was a deliberate acting choice to make him seem detached and cold. It makes his breakdown all the more shocking and powerful. |
| 68 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: His reptilian, barely humane nature is made evident in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0vgw-PeSFc his first scene]]. When Bubbles and co. accidentally run afoul of one of Marlo's mooks, Johnny Weeks is held at gunpoint in front of Marlo's door. Stanfield walks by indifferently and just tells the mook - his ride - : "Do it or don't, but I have someplace to be." |
| 69 | * EvilPowerVacuum: The decay of the Barksdale organization and some luck are big factors in his rising; under normal circumstances he'd have [[MobWar been killed by Slim Charles]]. Wee-bey points out that back in the day, Marlo wouldn't have lasted long. |
| 70 | * EvilIsPetty: Marlo's favorite tool of intimidation is to have the people who slight him killed to MakeAnExampleOfThem. He quickly starts ordering people killed for even minor slights or merely if he happens to hear a rumor that they might have slighted him. It is eventually made clear that at some point this has turned into less of a tool of intimidation, and more something Marlo does ForTheEvulz, because he ''enjoys'' having the power over people's life and death and the ability to kill with an order alone. |
| 71 | ** Even beyond murder, he intimidates Old Face Andre into handing over his ring simply for complaining about being robbed by Omar. When Marlo later spots Michael with it, having previously been robbed of it by Omar, he lets Michael keep it so clearly he didn't care that much about it in the first place. |
| 72 | * ExcellentJudgeOfCharacter: He's very good at figuring out what other players are up to. When schemers try to rope him in, he plays along until he is a position of force. |
| 73 | * FatalFlaw: {{Pride}} – any insult to his name, even ones that exist only in rumour, are met with [[MurderIsTheBestSolution savage reprisals]]. Interestingly, his underlings pick up on this later in the series and keep it from putting Marlo in danger by choosing not to report certain insults spoken against their leader, such as Omar's slanderous public challenges. Marlo, of course, doesn't see it this way and is absolutely furious for perhaps the first time in the show when he learns the truth. |
| 74 | * {{Foil}}: |
| 75 | ** To [[PragmaticVillainy Stringer Bell]], Marlo keeps his cards close to his chest but is insanely ruthless whilst Stringer arrogantly brags about his business acumen in the hopes of 'spreading his knowledge'; but wants to avoid violence for business reasons. Stringer goes out of his way to avoid contact with the police and even orders Wee-Bey to take out Little Man for [[spoiler:Kima's shooting]] whilst Marlo is willing to pick a fight with Herc and his {{Pride}} is more important to him than not going to prison. Stringer is killed and unable to reach his utopia whilst Marlo gets the chance at a legitimate life that String always wanted and considers it his personal hell. When Stringer pitches the Co-op to Marlo, Stringer thinks Marlo will come around to his pragmatic thinking, but all Marlo takes from his whole speech is, "Don't hurt me". |
| 76 | ** Also to Omar. Omar is a street-level, independent warrior who lives by his own code, handles things personally and avoids [[PragmaticVillainy killing people unnecessarily]], while Marlo is the king of the pack, has no morals whatsoever, and [[DisproportionateRetribution orders the deaths of random people for no reason]]. Even their names are similar. Their final fates are basically exact opposites: Omar gets abruptly [[DroppedABridgeOnHim shot in the head by some nobody kid]] but his deeds are so famous that his name [[LivingLegend enters the halls of legend]], while Marlo [[KarmaHoudini gets off scot-free]] and becomes a legitimate businessman, but craves the criminal lifestyle and his [[TheDreaded former reputation]] so desperately that he [[PyrrhicVictory can find no happiness]] in his newly attained freedom. And despite the sheer breathtaking brutality of Marlo's rule, in his final scene he confronts two dealers who have no idea who he is, indicating that unlike Omar, Marlo's name will quickly die and be forgotten. |
| 77 | * FishOutOfWater: Marlo is a corner boy who lives and breathes for the street game. When he's put in some other social situations such as talking with a bank clerk, laundering money or interacting with white-collar businessman, he's way out of his element and needs teachers like Proposition Joe and Levy to walk him through. |
| 78 | * ForTheEvulz: Prone to small acts of petty cruelty, such as when he goads a security guard into confronting him just so he can order Chris to murder him later. |
| 79 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: Starts as another small-time dealer, by the end of the story he is responsible for over 30 murders. |
| 80 | * FreudianExcuse: Implied. It's possible Marlo was molested in his backstory given his insecurity over being called a cocksucker and the fact that his best friend Chris beat a child molester to death. |
| 81 | * GodzillaThreshold: He has racked up such a high body count that the brass stopping the investigation into his organization is enough to make Jimmy [=McNulty=] and Lester Freamon conduct a fraudulent wiretap (i.e. commit several felonies) to bring him down. |
| 82 | * GlorySeeker: All Marlo wants is to be feared and respected, even if it means he's likely to be killed by the next drug kingpin that wants to take it. |
| 83 | * TheGoodTheBadAndTheEvil: His ascendancy steers ''The Wire'' towards BlackAndGrayMorality; he's a greater evil than Bell & Barksdale. |
| 84 | * GoodScarsEvilScars: He has a large scar on his left cheek, which adds to his intimidating appearance. |
| 85 | * HiddenDepths: He loves and takes care of pigeons. About the ONLY other living things he shows any sort of affection towards. Ironically an indicator of his latent sociopathy, that he apparently only has any kind of empathy for a particular bird species and none for his fellow man. |
| 86 | * HistoryRepeats: Being the "king" of the Westside, he faces some of the same problems and issues encountered by the Barksdales, such as Omar being a force of nature, potential weak links inside his crew, a prideful need for respect and the police threat. His response is not much different in principle, just much harsher and meaner in execution. Levy's criminal counsel is another element that connects Avon and Marlo. When Marlo is introduced to Andy Krawczyk, he has little interest in the real estate business being proposed and leaves the conversation, just like Avon did during his homecoming party. |
| 87 | * InSeriesNickname: He is also known as "Black", although he's never actually called it on the street. He more or less abandons that nickname in Season 4 and goes by his real name. |
| 88 | * InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Marlo is a deeply insecure man who has a entire immediate family murdered just because the father [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain supposedly called Marlo a cocksucker]]. This is emphasized when he hears that Omar has been calling him out and he roars "MY NAME IS MY NAME!", which contrasts with the more experienced Spiros saying, "but my name is not my name". |
| 89 | * {{Irony}}: Marlo actually wins the game and can retire with Stringer's utopia at hand; become a legitimate businessman who has risen above the street pettiness, but for Stanfield, this is a personal hell. |
| 90 | * JustAGangster: Marlo only cares about the streets and his reputation in them. |
| 91 | ** During a Co-Op meeting, another kingpin is telling the others how he's managed to make more money legitimately than he does selling drugs by buying up cheap property and then flipping it when the area starts to gentrify. Marlo is visibly annoyed at the conversation moving away from drug trafficking, demonstrating that he's not even in The Game for the money, he just likes being a crime lord. |
| 92 | ** In his final scene, Marlo leaves a high society party bored to hell with his new businessman role, and as he walks down the streets, he picks up a fight with a couple of corner boys because that's all he knows and relishes. |
| 93 | * KarmaHoudini: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]]--Marlo "wins," but in a PyrrhicVictory sense. He manages to avoid going to jail in the end but he's not allowed to go back to drug dealing, which all Marlo wants. In getting off scot-free, Marlo gets to keep his money and his life, but loses his reputation--''the'' most important thing to Marlo. It's also implied that if he does stay legit he'll be slowly bled dry of his money by scheming types like Andy Krawczyk and Clay Davis. |
| 94 | * KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Implied. The DA's office makes it clear that if Marlo ever goes back to the game, the case against him will be reopened; Marlo can't even last a week before he tries returning to the streets. Police aside, everyone who was loyal to him is either locked up or dead. With Slim Charles rapidly consolidating power, Marlo will be fighting some formidable enemies as a lone wolf if he chooses to come back to the drug trade. |
| 95 | * KarmicShunning: By the end of the series, Marlo Stanfield is able to retire as a drug kingpin with enough liquid to reinvent himself as a businessman as his lawyer Maurice Levy introduces him to the upper tiers of Baltimore, but Marlo finds himself to be a fish out of water. He goes outside and finds some corner boys to fight, who don't even know who he is. With his old associates either dead or in prison and the New Day Co-Op gangsters running the show without him, Marlo is practically a ghost. |
| 96 | * KickTheDog: Many, many times. |
| 97 | -->'''[[TheRemnant Bodie]]:''' [[TheSociopath This motherfucker]] be killing niggas just to [[VillainBall do it]]. You see? Nigga kills motherfuckers just [[ForTheEvulz 'cause he can]]. Not cause [[TheStoolPigeon they snitching]], not cause [[NothingPersonal it’s]] [[DirtyBusiness business]], but just because this shit comes [[LackOfEmpathy natural to him]]. Man, Little Kevin is gone! This nigga don’t feel nothing! And all them motherfuckers in the row houses...[[TheUnfettered nobody means a fucking thing to him!]] |
| 98 | * KlingonPromotion: Personally attends to the execution of Joe, done by Chris in Joe's own house, which marks the moment that Stanfield usurps the crown from the Co-Op. Although it's clear he's enjoying it and in ecstasy, nobody unfamiliar with him could tell, given [[TheStoic his strange expression]]. |
| 99 | * LackOfEmpathy: Immensely cold and aloof, he "ain't much for sentiment". Criminal sociopathy aside, one prominent example has Marlo shooting down the anguished 9/11 analogy of Old Andre, who works for him guarding a stash, but gets no sympathy anyway. |
| 100 | -->Omar ain't no terrorist. He's just another nigga with a gun. And you ain't no Delta Airlines neither. You just a nigga who got his shit took. |
| 101 | * LaserGuidedKarma: A really weird variation mixed with KarmaHoudini. At the end of the series, Marlo basically gets OffOnATechnicality and suffers no legal repercussions whatsoever, but he's lost almost everything that he actually ''[[PyrrhicVictory cared]]'' about - namely, the chance to make a criminal empire enforced violently through fear and respect. He goes from TheDreaded whose name everyone knows to such a nobody that two random dudes pull their guns on him, and when they run away, Marlo doesn't even bother chasing them down. He ends the series right where he began - just some thug on the street corner, who nobody knows or cares about. |
| 102 | * LonelyAtTheTop: Unlike most of the other drug lords, Marlo is unamicable, [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes doesn't really have loved ones]], and although he does get laid from time to time, he's not very interested in women. The closest thing to a companion he has is Chris, a complex example as Chris is always on the clock guarding Stanfield. |
| 103 | * ManipulativeBastard: Subtle but there: after chafing at Proposition Joe's control both within the Co-Op and under his personal mentorship, Marlo sows the seeds of discontent among the Co-Op, and among Joe's enforcers. While the Co-op balk at the thought of undermining Joe and Slim Charles easily rebuffs his attempts, he is successful with Joe's ambitious nephew Cheese, who sells his own uncle out and takes over the East Side drug territory. |
| 104 | * MurderIsTheBestSolution: Marlo is a killer who displays some cunning beyond immediate violence during his ascension (after Chris counsels against it, Marlo refuses to wipe out Lex's crew [[PragmaticVillainy because he has nothing to gain from that poor corner]]), but time and again he prefers to take the deadliest route when dealing with perceived problems. Only Chris raises some minor objections to that. |
| 105 | * MysteriousPast: His background prior to his drug empire is largely unexplored. |
| 106 | * MirrorCharacter: |
| 107 | ** To Cedric Daniels. Both are quiet, both have a strict chain of command, and both try to be as efficient as possible. They both end up as the leaders of their respective organizations, which they both wanted, for a short time, and get forced out for reasons beyond their control. The only difference is that Daniels chooses to walk out of being police commissioner rather than juke the stats, while Marlo doesn't have a choice in leaving his criminal life. |
| 108 | * NegatedMomentOfAwesome: Downplayed. Marlo gets to wear the crown, which is a moment of awesome from his point of view, but his reign is so short-lived that he doesn't even distribute his first shipment from The Greeks. Marlo has so many enemies among the police that he makes his own bed and is forced to retire. |
| 109 | * NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: His surname and habits came from Timmirror Stanfield, a Baltimore drug kingpin in the 1980s whose 50-member gang controlled large sections of West Baltimore and committed a string of murders in their quest to maintain power. His name also comes from another Baltimore dealer, Marlow Bates. |
| 110 | * NobodyCallsMeChicken: While Marlo cultivated a fearsome reputation in which he met personal slights with the most brutal reprisals, its attacks on that same reputation that he takes very personally. When Omar was roaming around assaulting his depots and associates, he let it be known to them that he was calling out Marlo as a "bitch" and a "punk" who didn't have what it takes to confront him. His inner circle caught on and decided to withhold this from Marlo until they could figure out [[DeadlyEuphemism a permanent solution]] to Omar, [[spoiler:but when Omar is killed in an unrelated incident]], the problem seemingly goes away. When Marlo finds out because one of his men lets it slip, he is '''furious''', and what follows is Marlo [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness at his most emotive that he had ever been up to that point]]. |
| 111 | * NoLoveForTheWicked: Marlo shows no interest in sex with men or women, and there's no hint of him being in any kind of relationship. He does briefly "date" a woman sent by Barksdale to infiltrate his organization, but only long enough to make sure she's a HoneyTrap, after which he murders her. Also, although the murder is slightly sexualized (he shoots her through both breasts and then [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything puts his gun]] in her mouth) it doesn't appear he's deriving sexual pleasure from the act of killing either. |
| 112 | * NoSocialSkills: He often comes across as more of an alien than a human and it's clear he's completely unable to function in a formal setting, or really any setting that isn't The Street. |
| 113 | * NotAfraidToDie: Vinson warns Marlo that trying to be the king of the streets will likely get him killed or put in prison. Marlo seems to understand and doesn't care. He just wants to wear the crown. |
| 114 | ** In Season 3, he considers getting into a firefight with Herc and Carver, which would have likely led to his death there or down the line if Carver didn't back off. |
| 115 | ** When Omar robs him at the poker game, Marlo still tries to act defiantly and make threats. He does capitulate, though mostly to try to get revenge later. |
| 116 | ** This culminates in an ironic way in his fate. Marlo is forced out of the game into the mundane life of a businessman, when he likely expected to die in a shootout or go to prison. He ends up attacking some armed corner boys for not recognizing him, which could have easily got him killed. |
| 117 | * NotSoHarmlessVillain: When he first came on the scene in early Season 3, he was viewed by many as a glorified punk and a wannabe. After he identifies Stringer's peaceful strategy as a sign of weakness he proves his detractors ''very'' wrong. Meanwhile, the cops almost universally viewed him as a two-bit nuisance, until the bodies start showing up. |
| 118 | * NotSoStoic: While normally soft spoken and unemotive, he goes absolutely ballistic when he finds out about Omar bad-mouthing him on the street in the penultimate episode. |
| 119 | * OlderHeroVsYoungerVillain: The younger villain to practically everyone else's older hero. His enemies on the street often slur him as "boy" on account of his youth compared to his more established rivals and predecessors. |
| 120 | * OrcusOnHisThrone: Marlo rarely directly participates in the murders his gang commits, letting Chris and Snoop handle all the action on the street. However, he's not a NonActionBigBad, we see him to be a pretty accurate shot and in his final scene he runs off a couple of armed corner boys in a fist fight very easily. |
| 121 | * ObfuscatingStupidity: Marlo knows what he knows, but he knows it well and has good counselors. He doesn't show off and likes to downplay his deep knowledge of the street game to hide his cards or bide his time. |
| 122 | -->Oh, I know you would, Joe. You smart like that... Me? |
| 123 | * PetTheDog: |
| 124 | ** Keeps a roof coop for pigeons and even hires a guy to take care of them. In his case, his unique affection for animals is an indicator of sociopathy, as he most likely sees them as property to manage and not actual living beings. |
| 125 | ** Minor example with Prop Joe. He still had him killed like most other people Marlo no longer had use for, but instead of leaving it purely to Chris and Snoop he stays with Prop Joe to the end. He even gives him the chance to make peace with his death. |
| 126 | ** Another minor example, but he expresses a genuine fondness for [[OnlyFriend Chris's]] wife and kids and is shown giving a rare genuine smile as he watches the family interact. |
| 127 | * PragmaticVillainy: While otherwise a CardCarryingVillain who regularly indulges in brutality and bloody revenge just because, on one occasion he declines an opportunity to be as evil and bloodthirsty as possible in favor of a less evil but more practical alternative. When Lex kills Marlo's lieutenant Fruit, a member of Marlo's crew floats the usual Marlo response; to kill everyone in Lex's crew, take over their corner, and make a statement to the entire underworld. While Marlo has Lex killed as an obvious payback for killing one of their own, he declines starting a bloodbath simply because that corner is not worth the cost of going to war. So rather than butchering everyone he has Chris and Snoop discretely take out Lex and then a few threats enables him to assimilate the corner into his organization. |
| 128 | * ProperlyParanoid: Very good at counter-vigilance, Stanfield has a network of spotters in place that promptly tips him if a camera has been planted in the park where he holds court or if the police have climbed up to a rooftop to do surveillance. Marlo makes sure Chris is on top of these kind of things, and in a broader sense, his murderous nature also prevents the appearance of potential [[HeKnowsTooMuch witnesses or leaks]]. Proposition Joe schools him to be even more careful, and while late in the series he goes back to using a cellphone - provided by The Greeks - he doesn't become sloppy despite Lester's expectations. |
| 129 | -->'''Sydnor:''' Marlo's been the hardest to follow. Too paranoid, too much counter-surveillance. |
| 130 | * PyrrhicVictory: At the end of the show, Marlo is one of the few people to arguably "win" the game. His crimes have been stricken from the record, he's able to retire from the game and live a comfortable life as a wealthy, legitimate businessman. Too bad this fate had to befall [[LaserGuidedKarma the one guy]] in Baltimore who's such a total psychopath that a ''criminal'' lifestyle is the only kind [[JustAGangster he can ever enjoy.]] To rub salt in the wound, he attempts to reestablish his cred by intimidating two corner dealers, only to find out that they don't know who he is and couldn't care less, showing that he has gone from the biggest drug kingpin in the city to a faded memory almost instantly. |
| 131 | * RecruitTeenagersWithAttitude: He's on the lookout for local talent and recruits Michael for this reason. |
| 132 | * ReluctantRetiree: Marlo seems at first glad to get out of the game, but then he goes back to the corner in his final scene. |
| 133 | * RuggedScar: Has one which, like Michael K Williams' scar, is real. |
| 134 | * ScaryBlackMan: The scariest one in the show, being cold, robotic, and very prone to murder. Additionally, his street name during the case around him was "Black". |
| 135 | * SerialKiller: Repeatedly called this by Jimmy and Lester, after ordering dozens of murders. And they are not wrong; it is all but outright stated that Marlo feels the same perverse thrill from taking a life that a serial killer would, the main difference being that he has people to do the actual killing for him. Problem is, ghetto victims are dead where it doesn't count. |
| 136 | * SignatureMove: Apparently had one he used to employ on people who testified, we see him use it on Devon: Two shots to the chest and one in the mouth. |
| 137 | * SixthRangerTraitor: [[SixthRanger He joins the Co-Op in Season 4, a season after it was formed]], but plots to take it over. [[spoiler:And for a short while, he succeeds.]] |
| 138 | * SmallNameBigEgo: Devolves into this towards the end of the series. He tries to intimidate two corner boys by asking if they know who he is, but it's clear they neither know nor care. |
| 139 | * TheSociopath: A remorseless, power-hungry tyrant with ego issues. It is evident that he [[ForTheEvulz likes]] instilling fear in people and having them killed at the slightest excuse simply for no other reason than he can. |
| 140 | -->"[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id8My4ib6dM You want it to be one way, but it's the other way]]." |
| 141 | * SoftSpokenSadist: Barely ever raises his voice above a CreepyMonotone, but remains intimidating regardless. |
| 142 | * SoreLoser: Marlo responds to losing a game of poker by deliberately shoplifting in front of a security guard, egging the other man on, then later killing the guard for having "talked back". All done just to bolster Marlo's ego after losing a game. Also, when talking about beating the other poker player in a rematch, Marlo briefly, semi-humorously contemplates simply having Chris kill the other player and take his money back if he can't find a way to beat the guy at poker. |
| 143 | * TheStarscream: Soon after Proposition Joe brings Marlo into the co-op, Marlo begins scheming to overthrow Joe and take over the co-op, and turning it from a collaboration among the different drug kingpins to [[TyrantTakesTheHelm his own personal kingdom]]. In Season 5, [[TheUsurper he succeeds]]. Though only briefly before his arrest. |
| 144 | * TheStoic: He acts robotic and emotionally dead. |
| 145 | * StraightEdgeEvil: Marlo doesn't smoke, do drugs of any kind, or even drink that much. The one time he's in a pub, his glass contains a transparent beverage and remains full. He seems to prefer bottled water, as seen when he plays poker or when dissolving the co-op. He seems to only have limited interest in sex as well. |
| 146 | * ThisIsGonnaSuck: One of the few times he shows actual concern is when Omar escapes his assassination attempt, guaranteeing that the one of the Game's most fearsome players will come for him with everything he has. |
| 147 | -->We missed our shot. Now he's gonna be at us. |
| 148 | * TheThreeFacesOfAdam: The Hunter. Young, hungry, ambitious, building his empire, taking big risks, making big moves. |
| 149 | * TranquilFury: Actor Jamie Hector comments on striving for a performance of "power and economy" using "minimalist movement and speech". It's said he can talk a whole sentence whilst barely moving his lips and relies on the silent, deadly power. |
| 150 | * TyrantTakesTheHelm: Deposes the old order with violence and some luck, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT7TxMaZ4eM dismantles the Co-Op]] and its assembly, assuming an autocratic rule over the drug trade and mirroring the classic takeover executed by many tyrants in the history of mankind. |
| 151 | * UncertainDoom: It's up to the viewer to interpret if Marlo will relapse back into the drug game, and what kind of fate he would face if he did so, especially with all his muscle gone. At best, he would likely get caught by the police and go to prison. At worst, the Co-op under Slim Charles would kill him. |
| 152 | * UnderestimatingBadassery: When he first comes on the scene this is done to Marlo constantly. In the 3rd season he is mostly referred to as "The Boy Marlo", due to being considerably younger and newer at the game than Stringer Bell and Prop Joe, dismissed as a wannabe and even the MCU for a long time thinks he's nothing but a lieutenant for the Barksdales, and even later think it's inevitable that he'll be crushed as he challenges Barksdale to a bloody war for control of West Baltimore. Because Marlo has a ruthlessness and complete lack of compassion that belie his years, everyone comes to learn just how wrong they were about him. |
| 153 | * TheUnfettered: Stops at nothing to gain respect and maintain his power. Marlo doesn't rely on heart and emotion like Avon, and doesn't share Prop Joe's desire for partnership and coexistence. When Herc tries to take him to Colvin's meeting, Marlo simply refuses saying "ain't gonna happen" and faces Herc down until Sgt. Carver withdraws the task force upon noticing the Stanfield gang is ready to use violence against ''the police''. Marlo is the only character who stands up to the police in a face-to-face confrontation. While most of the underworld knows the danger of hurting or killing a cop, Stanfield is too proud to back down from a challenge. |
| 154 | -->Let them know Marlo step to any motherfucker... Omar, Barksdale, whoever! |
| 155 | * UngratefulBastard: After Marlo joins the citywide co-op, Proposition Joe starts to mentor the younger kingpin and teaches him more intricate ways to launder his money and avoid the police. Marlo almost immediately starts to undermine Joe, approaching his suppliers to cut Joe out and manages to get Cheese to turn coat. He eventually executes Joe and takes over his territory. |
| 156 | * TheUnsmile: On the rare occasion he smiles, it's more of a sneer. |
| 157 | * VictoryIsBoring: Despite getting away with facing charges and keeping his millions, Marlo quickly finds out that the straight-and-narrow life isn't for him, feeling like an outsider at the fancy events. |
| 158 | * VilerNewVillain: Avon Barksdale was a criminal who nonetheless had redeeming qualities like love for his family and friends. Marlo had no such qualities and was just a cold-hearted bastard who prioritized power above all else. |
| 159 | * VillainousFriendship: Cold as he is, he has a rare but somewhat affectionate relationship with Chris. |
| 160 | * VillainRespect: Marlo esteems Slim Charles and treats him almost as an equal, despite the difference in status. Marlo, due to his corner mentality, has respect for quality muscle and competent street enforcers like Slim, whom he calls "tall man" in praise. This is contrasted by Marlo's real, low opinion of Proposition Joe, who is often called "fat man" derisively behind his back. |
| 161 | * WhiteDwarfStarlet: Marlo went from the most feared man in Baltimore to a nobody in the span of a month. |
| 162 | * WorthyOpponent: Eventually gains some praise from Avon and Lester, after being underestimated too often. He never gets any from [=McNulty=], who came to respect Stringer greatly, and thus just considers Stanfield an asshole. |
| 163 | * YoungConqueror: He's in his mid-to-late twenties throughout the show and enjoys a stint as drug overlord of Baltimore. His youth in comparison to his predecessors (and opponents) is frequently commented upon, sometimes in praise, sometimes in derision, and in the end he outdoes or outlives them all. [[spoiler:By the time he "passes the crown," he's in a position to rub shoulders with the wealthy and enjoy a legit, comfortable retirement from crime -– [[AddictedToEvil which isn't what he wants at all.]]]] |
| 164 | [[/folder]] |
| 165 | |
| 166 | [[folder:Chris Partlow]] |
| 167 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chris_partlow.jpeg]] |
| 168 | [[caption-width-right:350:''"Don't fret boss, I got you covered"'']] |
| 169 | ->'''Played by''': Creator/GbengaAkinnagbe |
| 170 | |
| 171 | ->''Don't matter who he is, or what he's done. You can look him in the eye now.'' |
| 172 | |
| 173 | Marlo Stanfield's NumberTwo and chief enforcer. It's hinted that they are long time allies, as the enormously paranoid Marlo trusts Chris completely and Chris is the only one who feels free to question Marlo's orders and decisions, although he only does so rarely. Although Chris is much less bloodthirsty than his boss, due to Marlo's orders he murders many, many people for Marlo, and as such he is a major reason why the Stanfield gang is so feared on the streets. |
| 174 | |
| 175 | :: |
| 176 | Chris takes the lead in Marlo's attempts to recruit the young Michael Lee into the Stanfield gang, and Michael winds up coming to Chris to slay his abusive stepfather. After that he and Snoop are responsible for tutoring Michael in the ways of the Game and turning him into muscle for the Stanfield gang. Chris is also the leader of the gang's war against Omar, setting multiple attempts to kill or ambush Omar. |
| 177 | |
| 178 | :: |
| 179 | Eventually his murder of Michael's stepfather is what does him in, as DNA evidence from the scene becomes the only thing that ties him to the killing. Chris is sentenced to life without parole, and quickly makes friends with Wee-Bey Brice in prison. |
| 180 | ---- |
| 181 | * AffablyEvil: Chris isn't particularly outgoing or charming, but he's always quite polite and pleasant even when committing a murder, always making an effort to comfort his victims and ease them through the process. Ironically for someone who's killed as much as he has, Chris is probably the most reluctant to commit violence of the higher-ups in Marlo's crew, and takes little pleasure in his work. When Marlo decides to have Bodie and later Michael killed, Chris is the only one to speak against it, albeit only briefly. |
| 182 | -->'''Victim:''' Chris, ''please''!\ |
| 183 | '''Chris:''' Don't fret, boss, I got you covered. Quick and clean, I promise. |
| 184 | * AntagonistInMourning: He does ''not'' look happy upon learning that Omar was shot and killed by some random kid. |
| 185 | * BerserkButton: He ''does not'' like child molesters, as evidenced by his flipping out and beating Michael's stepfather to death. WordOfGod confirms it was because he was molested as a child himself. |
| 186 | * BoomHeadshot: His preferred move, quick and somewhat clean. He also trains his soldiers to shoot either for the head or the groin in order to counter a BulletProofVest. |
| 187 | * ConsummateProfessional: As implied above, Chris prefers to do his killing "quick and clean", ideally with the body disposed of or hidden afterwards. Aside from Devar, he never seems to derive any pleasure from murder, seeing it as just a dirty but essential part of the game, and thus one you do ''well'' or don't do at all. |
| 188 | * ContrastingSequelAntagonist: To both Stringer and Wee-Bey. |
| 189 | ** To Stringer, as TheDragon to his [[BigBad drug lord boss]]. Stringer is a charismatic business minded underboss while Chris is a cold enforcer and soldier at heart. Additionally, instead of being TheStarscream, Chris is TheCreon being perfectly happy acting as a gangster under Marlo, with no higher business aspirations. |
| 190 | ** To Wee-Bey, as the top enforcer and muscle of the organization, with a mountain of victims serving that organization. While Wee-Bey has a friendly and boisterous personality, Chris is cold and unemotional. Both also show a lot of unexpected humanity in Season 4 regarding their relationship with one of the boys, Namond for Bey and Michael for Chris. Wee-Bey gradually pushes his son out of the drug game and into a normal life once it became clear to Bey and Colvin that his son really wasn't hard enough for the streets. Conversely, Chris drags Michael into the drug trade and turns him into a killer but does so while also saving him and his brother from an abusive home. |
| 191 | * TheCreon: Marlo's number two with a unique voice, but unlike what Stringer Bell was for Avon Barksdale, Chris displays UndyingLoyalty to Marlo, always giving him honest advice and executing his orders, however ruthless, to the letter and displaying no agenda or ambition whatsoever. |
| 192 | * DarkAndTroubledPast: Though it's never shown in-series, according to WordOfGod, Chris was a victim of child molestation. |
| 193 | * TheDragon: Marlo Stanfield's top enforcer, adviser and clear NumberTwo. |
| 194 | * DragonInChief: Downplayed. Chris is much more active than Marlo, who prefers the role of a NonActionBigBad. Several instances indicate that Chris is the real power of the gang, as Marlo rarely makes a decision without consulting him first and often seems to be seeking a nod of approval or confirmation from Chris rather than his counsel. Despite this, Chris is fiercely loyal to Marlo and always allows him the final word. |
| 195 | * TheDreaded: Just the sight of Chris makes Lex realize he should PrepareToDie. The boys also speculate that Chris might be a "Zombie Master." |
| 196 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: There's no one he won't kill under Marlo's orders, but child molesters absolutely disgust him. |
| 197 | * EvilMentor: With Snoop, teaches Michael and the other "pups" the ways of the game. |
| 198 | * FamilyValuesVillain: |
| 199 | ** He takes good care of his family, even after he is arrested and sent away to prison for life. |
| 200 | ** Other than the murder of Michael's step-father the only time Chris loses his cool is when he's forced to stay away from his family for an extended period of time due to the war with Omar. We get a short scene where we see him pacing, repeatedly throwing a knife into the floor, and angrily snapping at Snoop. All of this is ''quite'' out of character for him. |
| 201 | * FromCamouflageToCriminal: Heavily implied, based on how he carries himself in combat, his tactical skill, and his overall trigger discipline, though it's never confirmed outright. |
| 202 | * MoralityPet: |
| 203 | ** Michael at first seems to be this to him, with Chris going out of his way to help him, and continues to have positive feelings towards him even when Snoop sours on him. It's ultimately subverted when [[spoiler:Marlo orders him killed on suspicion of him being a snitch and Chris only briefly voices disagreement, instead of making any real effort to defend the boy.]] |
| 204 | ** His actual family is this, played straight. Chris ends up going into hiding during Marlo's war with Omar to keep them safe and becomes extremely angry when he fails to kill Omar since [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes it would mean he can't go back to his family]]. |
| 205 | * NeighborhoodFriendlyGangsters: He's too feared around the community for this to be in effect for him, but he did try to invoke this at one point for Marlo's benefit. Early in Season 4 Marlo's enforcers and dealers approach children before the first day of school, giving them money for clothes and books. We then cut to Marlo and Chris watching the scene, where Marlo looks unhappy at just giving away money while Chris tries to convince Marlo that it'll "make his name ring out". |
| 206 | * NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: The one unabashed good thing he does (Killing Michael's pedophile stepfather) is what finally gets him caught. Instead of his usual, relatively clean kills, Chris is so [[EvenEvilHasStandards disgusted]] that he beats the stepfather to death in an alley before he and Snoop even get to the kill site, which creates all sorts of DNA evidence for Bunk to find. |
| 207 | * OnlyFriend: Seemingly the only person Marlo has any genuine bond with. |
| 208 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: All of his kills are quick, clean and unemotional except for Devar, Michael's pedophile stepfather, who he beats to death in a rage. Snoop is caught off guard by it and looks shocked the entire time. |
| 209 | * PayEvilUntoEvil: When he finds out that Michael's stepfather is a pedophile, Chris beats the man to death with only his fists and [[PistolWhipping the butt of his gun]] right in the middle of the street. |
| 210 | * ParentalSubstitute: Becomes a father figure to Michael, as he sympathizes greatly with his history as a victim of abuse to the point of brutally murdering the man responsible. He's also incredibly hesitant to believe that Michael was a snitch (he wasn't) but ultimately can't stop the rest of the gang from hunting his protege down. |
| 211 | * PopCulturedBadass: The ruthlessly efficient killer just to happens to love Baltimore club music and is an aficionado of the local music scene. Chris weaponizes this to neutralize New York Drug Dealers when they are unable to identify Baltimore tunes that he name drops. |
| 212 | * PetTheDog: Takes a few minutes in the middle of a brutal gang war with Omar and his associates to visit his girlfriend and his kids, to whom he is warm and affectionate. |
| 213 | * PlatonicLifePartners: Has this dynamic with Snoop. |
| 214 | * ProfessionalKiller: Definitely not his [[NumberTwo only role]] in the organization, but when it comes to eliminating problems, rivals, and potential leaks, Chris is the man dispatched to handle it. |
| 215 | * RedOniBlueOni: The calm, focused, and unemotional Blue to Snoop's hot tempered, BloodKnight Red. |
| 216 | * ScaryBlackMan: Not the only one, but as the most prolific killer in the entire series he deserves special mention. Because he doesn't look like the stereotypical scary black man, he is occasionally able to interact with normal society without anyone being any wiser, most notably the time when he goes into the courthouse and asks Rhonda Pearlman, Rupert Bond, and Cedric Daniels for directions on where to go without them ever realizing who he is. |
| 217 | -->'''Donut:''' Chris, he different. You can tell by them coon-ass country clothes that nigga be wearing. |
| 218 | * SpitefulSpit: To Michael's stepfather. It comes back later as a [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's smoking gun]]. |
| 219 | * UndyingLoyalty: The vicious and paranoid Marlo trusts him completely, and when Chris is rounded up by the police Marlo says that Chris will never talk as long as Marlo takes cares of Chris' family. |
| 220 | * VerbalTic: Addressing victims as "boss." |
| 221 | * VillainousFriendship: Treats Marlo with affection and it's clear that they go way back. |
| 222 | [[/folder]] |
| 223 | |
| 224 | [[folder:Felicia "Snoop" Pearson]] |
| 225 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/snooppearson_4760.jpg]] |
| 226 | [[caption-width-right:350:''"Deserve got nothing to do with it. It's his time, that's all."'']] |
| 227 | ->'''Played by''': Felicia Pearson |
| 228 | |
| 229 | ->''We will be brief with all you motherfuckers. I think you know.'' |
| 230 | |
| 231 | A crucial soldier under Marlo Stanfield. She and Chris are the most skilled and feared assassins of the organization, and throughout Marlo's reign the two operate as a team, eliminating rivals and serving as a death squad for anyone that crosses the Stanfield gang. Notably, she and Chris are the ones who kill people inside vacant houses, pour quicklime on their bodies, and seal the homes back up to prevent their discovery. She also serves as a teacher alongside Chris for Michael, tutoring the young man in how to be a soldier for the Stanfield gang. |
| 232 | :: |
| 233 | When Marlo is arrested, Snoop is a key enforcer still on the street. When Marlo comes to suspect Michael may be a police informant, she is dispatched to assassinate him. Michael suspects that something is up and uses the very skills she taught him to get the drop on her and kill her instead. |
| 234 | ---- |
| 235 | * AffablyEvil: Probably the most outgoing, and jovial member of Stanfield's organization. She likes to crack jokes and seems genuinely friendly. With all that said she wont hesitate to murder at the drop of a hat should Marlo order it. |
| 236 | * AlmightyJanitor: Unlike Chris, Snoop is just an enforcer that has no responsibility managing any other people. That said, she is almost as much TheDreaded as he is, and is one of the deadliest combatants in the series. Ultimately, her lack of an actual powerful position in the organization seems to be due to her [[DumbMuscle lackluster intelligence]]. |
| 237 | * AssassinOutclassin: On the receiving end from Mike, who figures out that their so-called target who snitched on Marlo was BS and that HE was the real target. |
| 238 | * BloodKnight: Almost [[MurderIsTheBestSolution always suggests murder as a solution]] to the crew's problems, and in Season 3 Chris notes how eager she is to get involved in the gang war and carry out hits on targets. |
| 239 | * TheBrute: Of the Stanfield Organization, despite her small size. |
| 240 | * ButchLesbian: In both personality and looks. She confirms it to Bunk when [[spoiler:she is arrested]] and he tells her he's thinking about pussy. "Yeah, me too." |
| 241 | * DissonantSerenity: Part of what makes her such a terrifying villain. |
| 242 | * TheDreaded: Along with Chris, it's well known they are the ones that put Marlo's victims in the vacant homes. |
| 243 | * DumbMuscle: She kills people Marlo wants dead and that's it. She takes a disliking toward Michael for thinking for himself and gives eight-hundreds dollars to a store worker partly because she can't bother going to the cashier or count the money. |
| 244 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Even Snoop is taken aback by Chris' messy NoHoldsBarredBeatdown of Mike's pedophile step-father, mostly because Chris didn't, "even wait to put the motherfucker in the house". |
| 245 | * EvilCannotComprehendGood: Her conversation with a hardware store clerk shows she has no comprehension of life outside the drug trade. |
| 246 | * EvilSoundsDeep: Has the same husky voice of the real Snoop Pearson. |
| 247 | * FaceDeathWithDignity: When held at gun point by Michael she remains defiant and doesn't even attempt to talk her way out. When they both realize the time has come for him to kill her, all she does is turn her back and ask him "How my hair look?" |
| 248 | * HairTriggerTemper: As Chris puts it, "Sometimes she get a little hot", she tends to get angry and berate people over minor things. |
| 249 | * LadyLooksLikeADude: Mistaken for a man on some occasions. |
| 250 | * MurderIsTheBestSolution: A firm believer in this. It is practically her go-to-suggestion for almost everything. |
| 251 | * NiceToTheWaiter: Gives a hardware store worker an extremely generous tip after he advises her about the right nail gun to use. |
| 252 | * ObliviouslyEvil: Appears to genuinely believe that killing people isn't wrong because it's "their time" to go. One telling scene has her trying to buy a power tool and explaining in detail to an employee how she could use it to kill someone, completely oblivious to the fact that he finds this unnerving. |
| 253 | * PlatonicLifePartners: Has this dynamic with Chris. |
| 254 | * PsychoForHire: Has absolutely no joy except for murder. When Chris devises a way to identify New York dealers - asking them to name Baltimore club tracks and artists - Snoop reveals that she does not listen to music at all, and that her entire life revolves around killing. Chris - ''Chris!'' - is shocked. |
| 255 | * RedOniBlueOni: Red to Chris's Blue, being much more hot headed than him. |
| 256 | * TheSociopath: Absolutely no comprehension of right and wrong; she simply believes that death comes to people at their "time", and it never crosses her mind that it might be immoral to be "time"'s instrument. |
| 257 | * StealingTheCredit: She tries to take credit for Stringer's murder at the hands of Omar and Brother Mouzone, making up a story where she and Chris had Stringer dead to rights and forced him to beg for his life. |
| 258 | [[/folder]] |
| 259 | |
| 260 | [[folder:Monk Metcalf]] |
| 261 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_wire_monk.jpg]] |
| 262 | ->'''Played by: ''' Kwame Patterson |
| 263 | |
| 264 | A top lieutenant in the Stanfield organization. Works as an enforcer, coordinates the drug trade, the phone communications and several details unrelated to violence. |
| 265 | ---- |
| 266 | * TheBait: He is used as bait by Marlo to draw out Omar, who was staking out all the lieutenants he could find (while Chris and Snoop remained in hiding). Monk almost ruins it by wearing a very visible bulletproof vest before Marlo makes him take it off to not tip off Omar. Monk does his job and they do get the drop on Omar, but the latter gets away injured. |
| 267 | * TheBully: Monk is a bully at heart, rude and vile towards those weaker than him and a coward when it comes to anyone stronger than him. Monk constantly threatens and belittles people who are beneath him like Michael and Cutty. He becomes scared at the thought of being TheBait for Omar (though he tries to hide it), and deflates his boisterous rage when Chris gives him a threatening stare when he accidentally tells Marlo something Chris was trying to keep from him. |
| 268 | * EvilSoundsDeep: A belligerent, hardened criminal with a deep voice. |
| 269 | * EvilGenius: Downplayed, he's still "a product of Baltimore city schools" after all, but he's apparently the most literate and tech savvy of the gang, and is a key figure in keeping it running and operating smoothly. |
| 270 | * ImpersonatingAnOfficer: He briefly does this after Omar's SuperWindowJump, pretending to be a detective by dressing up in a suit and questioning people around the neighborhood about a non-existent rape case as an excuse to check if anyone has seen Omar. He almost blows his cover due to his {{Jerkass}} attitude, though. |
| 271 | * {{Jerkass}}: |
| 272 | ** Highly aggressive and rude, even by Baltimore drug dealer standards. Somewhat stands out from his peers, since most of the other Stanfield soldiers are still cold and ruthless, but not particularly vitriolic in everyday conversation. Monk, on the other hand, leans more towards being HotBlooded, angry, and prone to act on that anger. He puts a bullet in Cutty's leg, just for talking back to him ''once'', for example, which takes Cutty by surprise. |
| 273 | ** When he disguised himself as a detective to try to find Omar, Monk almost reveals himself because he stops listening to a woman as soon as she indicates she hasn't seen Omar, blowing off her concerns about the rape victim he's supposedly investigating. |
| 274 | * MinorMajorCharacter: Downplayed compared to Eton for the Greeks, but Monk is basically the Number Three in the gang and it is reliant on him to run properly. Despite this, he gets very few scenes where he's the focus and he has few lines. |
| 275 | * MeanBoss: He ''really'' doesn't like Michael. He's probably jealous over the esteem Marlo and Chris had for him. At least until Marlo suspected Michael of being snitch anyway. |
| 276 | * MookLieutenant: The most high profile drug lieutenant under the main Stanfield leaders. |
| 277 | * SayingTooMuch: While locked up, he angrily complains about Michael but accidently lets slip that Michael was talking about Omar's challenges to Marlo in the street, which Chris took a lot of effort to insulate Marlo from. Upon hearing this, Chris shoots him a DeathGlare and Monk goes silent and averts his gaze, putting his head down. It doesn't stop Marlo from his meltdown. |
| 278 | [[/folder]] |
| 279 | |
| 280 | [[folder:Old Face Andre]] |
| 281 | |
| 282 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/oldfaceandre_7628.jpg]] |
| 283 | [[caption-width-right:350: ''Shoulda gone to New York or Philly...'']] |
| 284 | ->'''Played by: ''' Alfonso Christian Lover |
| 285 | |
| 286 | ->"Problem with niggas today, they always see the narrow view..." |
| 287 | |
| 288 | A West side convenience store owner whose store serves as a stash house for Marlo Stanfield. After Marlo is robbed, Andre is included in a plan to get revenge on Omar. Chris Partlow murders a delivery woman in Andre's shop and Andre has to tell the police that Omar did it. The ruse works at first, mostly because the detectives investigating the killing ''want'' to be able to put Omar away and either consciously or unconsciously turn a blind eye to the holes in the story. Once Bunk sees through Andre, however, and he officially becomes a liability for the Stanfield gang, he tries to get Prop Joe to protect and relocate him. Joe, who can get far better returns out of being an ally to the Stanfield group, promptly turns Andre back over to them. |
| 289 | ---- |
| 290 | * ButtMonkey: His misfortunes start when the stash house he runs for Marlo’s crew gets ripped by Omar. As payment for this “failure”, Marlo takes from him his silver ring, which he attached a high sentimental value towards. When Chris Partlow murders a convenience store delivery woman, he is bullied into helping frame Omar for the murder by giving a false witness statement. Eventually, the police begin to suspect that Omar was in fact innocent of this crime, and haul Andre into court with a subpoena. Knowing that he either faces up to 10 years in prison for perjury if he sticks with his original story, or ends up in a vacant if he cooperates with the police, he runs to Proposition Joe in the hope that he will smuggle him out of Baltimore in exchange for a $2,000 payment. By this point Joe has already set up a co-op with Marlo’s crew, and gladly hands Andre over to them after having accepted payment. |
| 291 | * FalseReassurance: Joe betrays him, and then Slim delivers him to Chris. |
| 292 | -->'''Andre:''' Prop Joe said you was my escort out.\ |
| 293 | '''Slim: '''[[FromACertainPointOfView In a manner of speaking that be true]]. |
| 294 | * MacGuffin: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpKpMtLioUU His ring changes owners]] a lot, primarily to function as {{Foreshadowing}} for Michael's eventual involvement in the game. Just as Omar steals the ring from Marlo during a stick-up, Michael eventually steals the ring from Officer Walker, and ultimately joins Marlo's crew. Later on, Michael [[spoiler:goes on to follow in Omar's footsteps as a stick-up boy]]. |
| 295 | * NeverFoundTheBody: The guy is mortified by this prospect. His anguished voice and denied plea not to be killed in a vacant, where his people won't find him, makes his demise rather poignant. |
| 296 | * ThePawn: Used and abused by Marlo and Proposition Joe. |
| 297 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Attempts to but makes the mistake of taking refuge in East Baltimore under Proposition Joe, who points out he should have gone to New York or Philadelphia, and then sells Andre down the river to Marlo. |
| 298 | * TooDumbToLive: Takes "refuge" in East Baltimore instead of making himself scarce and out of reach for real. |
| 299 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Before finally being [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dttpWoFA-hs walked down an alley by Chris and Snoop]], Proposition Joe tells him so, obliquely, with a marvelous, allegorical explanation on how he's just another expendable pawn. |
| 300 | -->'''Proposition Joe:''' You know the problem with these here machines? They too cheap to begin with. Some people think for what it's worth to fix it, make the shit work right, you might as well dump 'em and get another. |
| 301 | [[/folder]] |
| 302 | |
| 303 | [[folder:Vinson]] |
| 304 | [[quoteright:189:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hqdefault_39.jpg]] |
| 305 | ->'''Played by:''' Norris Davis |
| 306 | |
| 307 | ->''The prisons and the graveyards are full of boys who wore the crown.'' |
| 308 | |
| 309 | Advisor and fence of Marlo Stanfield. He runs a rim shop used by the Stanfield gang as a meeting place. |
| 310 | ---- |
| 311 | * TheConsigliere: Counsels Marlo during his turf war with the Barksdales. |
| 312 | * EvilMentor: Acts as this to Marlo. |
| 313 | * {{Foil}}: Seems to act as one for Butchie, who fulfills much the same role for Omar, Marlo's self-determined nemesis. He gives Marlo sage advice about the game, and the risks of playing it for too long. Difference being, he has no qualms about helping an outright sociopath, despite knowing full well that's what Marlo is, while Butchie had at least some sense of code and honor. |
| 314 | * UnderestimatingBadassery: Dismisses [[spoiler: Michael]] as "just a boy" when he sticks him up. [[spoiler: Gets a shotgun shell in the kneecap for his mistake, likely crippling him.]] |
| 315 | [[/folder]] |
| 316 | |
| 317 | [[folder:Little Kevin]] |
| 318 | [[quoteright:213:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thewire_little_kevin.jpg]] |
| 319 | ->'''Played by:''' Tyrell Baker |
| 320 | |
| 321 | A young hopper working for Bodie and his independent operation, which is absorbed by the Stanfield gang early in Season 4. |
| 322 | ---- |
| 323 | * AlasPoorVillain: His death is shown in a tragic light, especially since the last time he's seen on screen, he silently begs Slim Charles for help before the car's trunk closes. |
| 324 | * AscendedExtra: A background dealer briefly seen during Season 3 and in the pilot, he becomes a regular character in Season 4. |
| 325 | * BadLiar: When Marlo asks if he told Randy about what happened to Lex, Kevin unconvincingly says "No! I swear it." and quickly rubs his nose after, which is possibly the most obvious tell he could have done. |
| 326 | * BoisterousWeakling: When he is leaving from talking to Marlo, he notices Monk and someone else following him, and yells at them "Ain't nobody walkin' with me nowhere!" before they quickly subdue him and stuff him in the trunk of their car. |
| 327 | * IronicName: The guy is anything but little. His obesity fools Herc when he comes to his corner looking for him. |
| 328 | * TheSlacker: It ends up being his FatalFlaw. The whole reason he doesn't tell Lex to go meet the "girl" and has Randy get involved is because he doesn't want Bodie chewing him out for ditching work that day. |
| 329 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To Little Man in Season 1, as an incompetent heavyset gangster with an IronicNickname relating to his weight. Both are killed because they screwed up their part in carrying out a hit, though Little Man was more physical and actually partook in the killings. |
| 330 | * TooDumbToLive: Killed in a vacant after he tells Marlo that he used Randy to deliver the message to Lex, instead of telling Lex directly. Introducing needless loose ends is not a good idea with an organization as paranoid and obsessed with secrecy as the Stanfields. |
| 331 | [[/folder]] |
| 332 | |
| 333 | [[folder:Fruit]] |
| 334 | [[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/273324_100002716531779_3043959_n.jpg]] |
| 335 | ->'''Played by:''' Brandon Fobbs |
| 336 | |
| 337 | -->''Look: we grind, and y'all try to stop it. That's how we do. Why you gotta go and fuck with the program?'' |
| 338 | |
| 339 | A mid-level dealer who runs one of Marlo's corners. |
| 340 | ---- |
| 341 | * AssholeVictim: After ripping off Cutty and being an overall unpleasant guy, his death is not exactly tragic. |
| 342 | * BoomHeadshot: Lex kills him with a point-blank shot to the face. |
| 343 | * BringMeMyBrownPants: Seems to have this reaction when Cutty visits some of the hoppers on his corner, and Fruit realizes that ''this'' is the man that came a breath away from putting a bullet in his head. |
| 344 | * CheatedDeathDiedAnyway: Cutty chooses to spare his life rather than kill him even after Fruit ripped him off, but he is unceremoniously killed barely a year later in a non-drug-related murder. |
| 345 | * {{Jerkass}}: Rips off Cutty and sleeps with Lex's woman. |
| 346 | * MookLieutenant: He's in charge of a group of Marlo's dealers, and his death is important enough that a group of Marlo's lieutenants want to respond by wiping out Bodie's entire crew as revenge. Marlo chooses the less extreme option of retaliating only against Lex. |
| 347 | * MurderTheHypotenuse: Lex kills him because Fruit is dating Patrice, Lex's baby mama. |
| 348 | * SmallRoleBigImpact: A catalyst of Dennis' change of heart about the game, as Cutty spares his life during a hit. In Season 4, his murder makes Marlo retaliate against Lex, which is a major event for Randy and ultimately helps lead to the police discovering the 22 bodies in the vacant houses. |
| 349 | [[/folder]] |
| 350 | |
| 351 | [[folder:Savino Bratton]] |
| 352 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/savino_bratten.jpg]] |
| 353 | ->'''Played by:''' Chris Clanton |
| 354 | |
| 355 | ->''I can do the three. Ain't no thing.'' |
| 356 | |
| 357 | A low ranking enforcer in the Barksdale Organization who was involved in the shooting that nearly killed Kima, his role being to drive Orlando and Kima to the scene, then get clear for Wee-bey and Little Man to do the shooting. He surrenders himself to police custody afterwards, although thanks to Levy's legal magic he only gets sentenced to several years. After getting out of prison the Barksdales have fallen apart, so he joins the Stanfield crew. Is killed by Omar as part of his feud against Marlo. |
| 358 | ---- |
| 359 | * BackForTheDead: Gets locked up at the end of Season 1 and vanishes for the next three seasons – his first and only scene where he speaks in Season 5 ends with his death. |
| 360 | * BoomHeadshot: Executed in this way by Omar for his association with Avon and Marlo and in revenge for the torture-murder of Butchie. |
| 361 | * ButtMonkey: A fairly minor case, but he is called "the runt of the litter" when it comes to Barksdale's muscle in Season 1 to the point of Stringer and Wee-Bey delegating him as the FallGuy, then he gets out of jail just in time to join the Stanfield crew when Omar is pursuing vengeance against them... |
| 362 | * FallGuy: He was meant to be the only one in Kima's shooting, since the Barksdales tried to protect Wee-bey and the other shooter, Little Man, was killed for shooting someone who wasn't supposed to be there (Kima) without attempting to identify her or get approval from Wee-bey. |
| 363 | * HonorAmongThieves: Omar doesn't target Savino because he was not directly involved in the murder of Omar's boyfriend Brandon. In Season 5, Savino tries to invoke it again, pointing out he had no part in Butchie's demise, but Omar is out for blood. |
| 364 | -->'''Savino:''' When they did the old man like that, I wasn't there.\ |
| 365 | '''Omar: ''' Bein' that you muscle for Marlo, what you was gonna do if you was there, huh? Riddle me that. (Savino says nothing) Yeah. You know what, yo? ''(Omar shoots him in the head)'' |
| 366 | * JustFollowingOrders: Savino tacitly admits this would be his response to being told to torture or kill an innocent. While he wasn't present at Butchie's torture and murder, when Omar asks him what he would have done if he was, Savino doesn't answer. (This is in contrast to Slim Charles, who says that if Joe had anything to do with Butchie's death he would have helped Omar avenge it.) |
| 367 | * MamasBoy: Implied. When the police go to his mother's home looking for him, she's utterly shocked by the idea of them being after Savino and calls him "My baby!" |
| 368 | [[/folder]] |
| 369 | |
| 370 | [[folder:Michael Lee]] |
| 371 | |
| 372 | See Characters/TheWireTheNextGeneration |
| 373 | |
| 374 | [[/folder]] |
| 375 | |
| 376 | [[folder:O-Dog]] |
| 377 | |
| 378 | A young enforcer of the gang |
| 379 | ---- |
| 380 | * FallGuy: He takes the firearm charges of Chris and Snoop, as he is expendable and has a broken leg. |
| 381 | * GanglandDriveBy: In the 5th Season, he convinces Snoop to try this out when attacking a rival gang. It goes terribly; the group's accuracy is completely thrown off by shooting from a moving car, and all of their targets would have escaped if Snoop hadn't taken very careful aim at a fleeing member of the rival gang. |
| 382 | * {{Mook}}: A lowly soldier. He kills Bodie nonetheless while Chris and Snoop keep Bodie busy. |
| 383 | * ProfessionalKiller: While not as professional as Chris and Snoop, O-Dog is one of Marlo's soldiers and enforcers who was taught by the pair, and has carried out or aided in several killings for the group. |
| 384 | * TheQuietOne: He rarely speaks. |
| 385 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: He is last seen when he and Snoop learn of Marlo's arrest, asking if he still has to take the phony firearm charge. It is not shown if he did, but since Chris and Monk ate their own charges in exchange for Marlo supporting their families, it's a reasonable assumption. |
| 386 | * YouWatchTooMuchX: He cites how cool drive-by shootings looked in ''Film/BoyzNTheHood'' when he urges the group to do one. After it fails he gets a reaction like this from Snoop. |
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