The Wire: The Main Characters, Ranked By Intelligence - Screen Rant

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HBO's acclaimed series The Wire is a compelling story of the war on drugs in Baltimore depicted from various points of view in the city. Though the storylines are often brilliant, it is the cast of characters that really bring the story to life as the show plays around with the expectations of good guys and bad guys.

Unlike some crime shows, the police in this series are not always the most elite individuals. Likewise, The Wire portrays many of the criminals as resourceful and intelligent people. It makes for a complex and realistic world within the show where a character's intelligence is often more than it seems.

10 Herc

Herc is a detective assigned to the Barksdale case who becomes a prominent figure in many of the investigations in the show. But when it comes to doing police work, Herc is more of a blunt instrument than a strategic thinker.

He is bored and frustrated by all the menial tasks of the surveillance jobs and would much rather just go bust heads. Nearly every sentence out of his mouth shows how ignorant and simplistic he is compared to even the most reckless of his colleagues.

9 McNulty

Dominic West As McNulty in The Wire, Standing Outside

Without a doubt, McNulty is one of the most talented detectives in Baltimore. He has a real talent for solving crimes and is very dedicated to his job. However, the world outside of a crime scene is a disaster zone for him.

McNulty is a man who cannot seem to help himself. Be it with his relationships, his destructive behavior, or his professional standing, McNulty just makes a mess of everything. By the time he decides it would be a good idea to create a fake serial killer, it's clear McNulty has lost it.

8 Bunk

McNulty's trusted partner in the homicide department is Bunk Morland. Like McNulty, Bunk is a natural policeman and shares his partner's talent for working a crime scene. However, he also shares many of McNulty's bad habits.

While he is far from the train wreck McNulty can become, Bunk is also capable of incredibly poor decision-making. Despite all the good police work viewers see him do, it's hard to see him as an intelligent man with all of his drunken antics.

7 Bubbles

Bubbles is certainly one of the most sympathetic characters of the show and represents all of the lives destroyed by drugs. Bubbles is an addict living on the streets and trying to survive from one day to the next.

Despite his dire lifestyle, Bubbles shows that he has real intelligence within the world he lives in. His addiction is crippling, but he keeps a clear mind when needed and is quite effective at solving his own problems. While he makes the occasional foolish mistake, the way he pulls himself up takes more brains than it seems.

6 Kima

The Wire Kima Greggs At Desk Wearing Lanyard

Kima is another talented detective who is brought into the Barksdale investigation. Very early on, she shows that she is dedicated to rising through the ranks and even studies pre-law in her spare time. While those studies don't come easy for her, she puts in a lot of effort.

Over time, Kima is shown to be a talented cop while also sharing some of the poor qualities of her colleagues, like McNulty. But she eventually sorts herself out and is smart enough to know that her colleagues go too far.

5 Daniels

The Wire displays a lack of interest in good police work by the people in charge. Daniels is a rare example of a superior officer who actually cares about doing the job right and not just delivering numbers that will allow him to keep his paycheck.

Daniels is a rational and level-headed man who knows how to play the politics of his job in a way that allows him to keep doing good work. In the end, he decides he's not living up to his full potential on the force and becomes a lawyer.

4 Omar

Omar Little is certainly one of the most beloved characters on the show. He is a hustler who makes a living robbing drug dealers. The fact he survived in this world so long with a profession like that speaks to how intelligent he must be.

Omar is often able to outwit his enemies at every turn. When he goes to war with various crime figures, he is very strategic with everything that he does. When he is put on the stand at a murder trial, a lawyer makes the mistake of assuming he is smarter than Omar, only to look like a fool.

3 Stringer Bell

The Wire Idris Elba As Stringer Bell Wearing Glasses Button Shirt

Within Avon Barksdale's criminal organization, Stringer Bell is the real brains behind the organization. While all the other members of the crew are concerned with being gangsters, Stringer treats his work as a business.

He does a lot to grow the organization and begin to move it towards a more legitimate operation. He even goes to business school on the side to get a better sense of how to succeed in this world. However, Stringer also thinks he is smarter than he actually is and ends up getting scammed by some white-collar crooks.

2 Marlo Stanfield

While Marlo Stanfield didn't go to business school, he proves that he is an intelligent criminal just by how carefully and strategically he approaches his work. He puts extensive measures in place to separate himself from the actual crimes and also makes some big plays against his rivals that allows him to become the most powerful criminal in the city.

Marlo's downfall is that he is still preoccupied with his reputation on the street. Still, when all of his associates are arrested, he was able to stay out of jail and hold on to most of his money.

1 Lester Freamon

The Wire Lester Sitting At Desk Wearing Glasses

When Lester Freamon is introduced as part of the Barksdale investigation team, he is viewed as a "hump" — a useless cop. However, Lester's quiet manner only hides the fact that he is a brilliant detective and probably the strongest asset to the team.

Like McNulty, Lester is completely dedicated to the job and doing good police work. Unlike McNulty, Lester keeps the rest of his life from falling apart. He looks at a problem and sees the solution before anyone else while remaining calm, cool, and collected at all times.

NEXT: Which Character From The Wire Are You Based On Your Zodiac Sign?

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Colin McCormick (1197 Articles Published)

A writer and film fan. I always enjoy keeping up with the latest films in theaters as well as discovering some hidden gems I may have overlooked. Glad to be a part of Screen Rant's positive and fun community and have the opportunity to share my thoughts with you.