A Tournament to determine The Wire's greatest character - Omar vs. Stringer in the Final pg. 5

troymcclure · Mar 12, 2012

Omar over Avon

McNulty over Stringer

Omar over McNulty in the final.

QFT

mronegative · Mar 12, 2012

but half of that's false....

-Red- · Mar 12, 2012

Originally Posted by airmaxpenny1

Avon is so overrated to me, never got the fascination over him as a character.

Marlo>>>Avon

I don't really understand how you could not "get" it. Avon embodied the old-school gangster in the best sense possible... Marlo embodied the new-school gangster. One particular situation should make it clear why so many people liked and respected (as much as you can respect a TV character) Avon and disliked and didn't respect Marlo.

Think about the scene when Cutty told Avon that he messed up the hit on Fruit and that he was leaving the game. Not only did he fail to take out one of Marlo's lieutenants as he had been instructed, but he was leaving Avon at a crucial time when Avon desperately needed muscle to fight Marlo. Avon told Cutty that they were straight and shook his hand and hugged him. When Slim Charles said, "He was a man in his day, you know?" Avon replied, "He a man today..." Later when Cutty needed money for the boxing gym and asked Avon for $10,000, Avon gave him $15,000 on the spot and laughed that Cutty thought he would have to convince him to donate the money.

Marlo would have just killed Cutty as soon as he told him that he blew the hit. That's the difference. Avon respected history... tradition... elders. He didn't judge people's value solely on the basis of their immediate utility to him. Marlo, on the other hand, only respected power and intimidation. If someone wasn't actively doing something for Marlo's benefit, he didn't give a @%+% about them...