Succession Main Characters, Ranked By How Evil They Are

Contains spoilers for "Succession" Season 4 and all previous seasons

Away from the beautifully observed performances and multi-layered dialogue, one of the most prominent critiques leveled at Jesse Armstrong's seminal "Succession" is that none of the characters are likable. On a personal level, they are all monstrous. What Armstrong and his writers have deftly accomplished is creating people who are largely abhorrent, and putting them in situations that bring out universal feelings of rejection and appeals to parental approval that we all recognize and identify with. Logan Roy's (Brian Cox) family and their various competitors, advisors, and lackeys are a self-serving, cynical bunch of hopelessly entitled near-sociopaths, but what makes them so compelling is that despite their moral failings, they are full of all-too-human traits and flaws.

Are any of the Roy family truly evil, though? Maybe not. But callous, hard-hearted, and unscrupulous? 100%. The only thing preventing most of these characters from being Machiavellian arch-manipulators is that most of them are just too inept. As we near the end of "Succession," what better time to take a look at how the main characters compare in terms of sheer ruthlessness — after all, it's what Logan values most.

There's a bit in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" when The Judge — a demon who can burn the humanity out of anyone he touches — incinerates a vampire lackey with the words "This one is full of feeling. He reads" — the implication being that reading is in itself indicative of a soul. If this is true, Frank Vernon (Peter Friedman) is one of the few main characters in "Succession" to emerge with his soul intact, if his habit of dropping Shakespearean references into any conversation is an indicator.

Of the three enduring members of the old guard — Frank, Karl (David Rasche), and Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) — Frank is the one who seems both the most benevolent and reasonable, despite being perhaps the most old-fashioned. His paternal instinct toward Kendall (Jeremy Strong) makes him endlessly likable, especially since most of his machinations are on behalf of Kendall, or at least will benefit him. This relationship has become even more poignant in the wake of Logan's death. The moment where he calls Kendall "son" while calmly telling him that no, the pilot can't come to the phone, is one of the most quietly devastating moments of an episode packed with them.

If nothing else, Frank is a survivor. He's fired in the very first episode and yet keeps getting rehired, managing to find new ways to make himself essential to the company's success in all of its different forms, no matter who is at the helm.

It's a testament to the level of character development on display in "Succession" that Roman (Kieran Culkin) has emerged as the least cutthroat of the Roy siblings, especially since he is introduced in the first episode taunting a child with a $1 million check, only to callously rip it up in front of him. Roman's established as perhaps the family's most antisocial member. He has no boundaries, and is unwilling (or unable) to make meaningful connections with anyone outside the clan — the one exception to this is Gerri, with whom he has a relationship that is both characteristically warped and perhaps the warmest of the entire series.

Culkin himself has said that his approach to the character is someone who is just not concerned with suffering any consequences, and as such, he plays Roman as impulsive, apathetic, and emotionally immature. And yet, this abrasive, almost nihilistic outlook to everything and everyone covers a wealth of vulnerability, and despite the veneer of indifference, he might be the most sensitive, empathetic member of the Roy family. 

He shows genuine concern for his siblings throughout the series and is the one most affected by the backstabbing, as demonstrated in the Season 3 finale, where he visibly crumbles after being cut off by his father, and even more painfully, Gerri. It's apparent in every interaction he has with Logan that he is desperately seeking validation, and this yearning doesn't dissipate after his father's death. It's evident in the final negotiation with Matsson, where he finally unloads all his grief in a focused tirade at Matsson's inhuman negotiation tactics.  

Hugo hasn't been a part of the comms team for as long as Karolina (Dagmara Dominczyk), but Fisher Stevens' communications advisor represents the more cold-blooded side of the business. Brought in to help manage the cruises scandal, he's the embodiment of the vindictive, cynical side of comms and is always the one to proffer the most repellant, hurtful media campaigns and offer up solutions that involve throwing someone under the figurative bus.

Most of his scheming happens in the background (or in snatches of seemingly throwaway dialogue), but from his very first appearance, he comes out swinging. He undermines Karolina at every opportunity, and even strongly hints that Logan fires her when looking for a blood sacrifice — Logan immediately sees through this though, and calls Hugo out for what he is, "a nasty b***ard."

Crucially, in the wake of Logan's death, it's Hugo who first floats the idea of releasing stories of Kendall and Roman steering the Waystar ship over the months prior, saving the company from Logan's ailing health and weakening mind. It's initially shot down — vehemently by Roman — but later approved by Kendall, and Hugo gets to keep his hands clean because it's not his decision.

Perhaps the best encapsulation of one of the show's recurring themes: characters thinking that they are much cleverer than they actually are. Siobhan "Shiv" Roy (Sarah Snook) is clearly the smartest, and most media-savvy of Logan's children, but she has ill-deserved confidence and a sense of superiority over her brothers, despite lacking Kendall's business brains and Roman's instincts. She's the most unsentimental of the Roy siblings, having inherited her father's cold, calculating streak, and it's a testament to Snook's performance that we still feel for her despite her endless machinations. 

On paper though, her actions seem much worse than her brothers — she repeatedly cheats on Tom, tells him she wants an open marriage on their wedding night, coerces a former employee and sexual assault victim into reversing her testimony, and writes a damning letter detailing all of Kendall's faults when he splits from Waystar. She even attempts to pressure Connor and Roman to sign it — something they both refuse to do, with Roman calling it horrible. When Roman is the moral arbiter in the room, you know you've gone too far.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

On the surface, Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) might seem less ruthless than Shiv, given his status as an underdog, his warmth towards Shiv, Greg, and Logan, and his generally bumbling nature. However, as someone who wasn't born into wealth, his ambition knows no bounds, even exceeding that of the Roys. After years of doing whatever it took to remain on Logan's good side, even going so far as volunteering to be the fall guy for the cruises scandal, his heartless side is beginning to surface.

It takes until Season 3 for Tom's pragmatic side to come out in earnest, as he finally pushes back against Shiv in his own way by informing Logan of the siblings' planned coup. He throws his wife under the bus in a naked attempt to grab more power. Even now, he is scrambling to attach himself to whoever is going to come out on top, shamelessly exploiting his relationship with Shiv and throwing platitudes at both Roman and Kendall. He might even be Logan's true successor himself.

The one apparently warm relationship he has is built on his own insecurity. He takes Greg under his wing not out of altruism, but because he feels threatened by this new addition with blood ties to Logan. So Tom keeps Greg close, ostensibly as his assistant, but primarily to keep Greg in his place and insulate himself from any blowback.

I can't be the only person who let out a little cheer when I noticed Hiam Abbass' name in the opening titles of a Season 4 episode, can I? Aside from briefly turning up in Season 3, Logan's estranged wife hasn't made a significant onscreen appearance since confronting Logan for his affair with Rhea Jarrell (Holly Hunter) back in Season 2, demonstrating that she isn't to be trifled with.

Upon her husband's death, she has made her presence felt once again, not-so-subtly solidifying her claim to her share of Logan's wealth, and once again setting the cat among the pigeons.

She may have an outwardly gentle, soft-spoken demeanor, but she is possessed of a will of iron and will not back down without a fight. It's there in her confrontations with both Rhea and Kerry (Zoe Winter) — pointedly questioning the former on whether she is regularly tested for STIs, and having the latter unceremoniously removed from Logan's wake, and sent back to her "little apartment."  

Her delivery of the line, "I have fought and I have lost and I have fought and won, but when I lose, the other one will generally lose an eye or a soul" drips with menace and illustrates exactly who she is. She's a fighter, and utterly determined to get what she is entitled to. Marcia was Logan's greatest ally, but in the wake of his betrayal and death, she is out for herself. And we are here for it.

Don't let the hail-fellow-well-met demeanor fool you. The matriarch of the Pierce family (Cherry Jones) is a shrewd, formidable opponent, and one of the few characters who isn't intimidated by Logan in the slightest.

The smug, pompous Pierces make the dysfunctional Roys seem like normal people, which is quite an achievement. The first scene with both families is supremely awkward, with Nan oozing faux humbleness as she refers to "our funny little house" while the Roys visibly cringe in discomfort.

Nan herself is the biggest hypocrite of all. She tries to depict herself as somehow above the pettiness of all the corporate wrangling, talking about money as a "social construct" from a position of incredible privilege. Her affected moral superiority always feels more performative than anything — she outwardly views the negotiations as distasteful, but still holds out for as high an offer as possible. She also takes the credit for the roast dinner while the family chef stands ignored at the back of the room, which might be the worst thing anyone has done in the entire run of the show.

Harriet Walter has carved out quite a niche playing variations on the same cold, calculating characters — portraying similar roles in "Killing Eve," "This Is Going to Hurt," and "The Last Duel." As Logan's ex-wife and the mother of Kendall, Roman, and Shiv, she makes Caroline a truly horrible character; self-centered, bitter, and utterly lacking in any maternal instincts. 

Her lack of moral conviction or any warmth for her children makes her a truly abhorrent character. She plays on her children's affections, twisting the knife when they come to her to ensure her loyalty to Wayster. She gives them a vindictive deal to take to Logan, that all but forces him to acknowledge that he would rather save a buck than spend time with his family. At the same time, she manages to see past her hatred of Logan if it means she gets a little bit more money, when she betrays her kids at the end of Season 3, and then simply doesn't engage when they hold her to account.

The worst thing she does is be so non-committal when her eldest son is clearly suffering and going through a severe crisis of conscience. Kendall wants to confess about the dead waiter, but she first puts off listening to him, and then simply leaves before he wakes up the next morning. She simply doesn't want to be a mother to her kids, and in her own way is just as damaging to them as their father.

Well, who else, really? 

The patriarch of the Roy family is first introduced as irascible and business-focused but with a set of values and decency lacking in his offspring. Yet, as the series goes on, the veil lifts on an unfeeling, capricious, and brutal character.

Kendall isn't far off the mark when he accuses Logan of being jealous of the life he has given to his children. He constantly pits his kids against one another, leading each of them to believe that they are his chosen successor, but even when he gets them onside, he makes them destroy the things they love. He orders Kendall to gut Vaulter and severs Roman's one positive relationship by making him fire Gerri. And yet, in his final scene with his children, it's apparent that he doesn't think any of them have what it takes — dismissing them all with the words, "You are not serious people."

His treatment of each of his children is appalling (it's heavily implied that he beat Roman as a child), but especially so in the case of Kendall. He twists the knife with his knowledge of the waiter's death at every opportunity to ensure Kendall remains under his thumb and then reprimands him for not being "a killer," the only kind of businessman he respects. Indeed, the one acknowledgment he gives to his son is that half-smile when Kendall finally turns on him.

Even his final act — shunning Connor's wedding so he can close the deal with Matsson — is indicative of his nature. If he'd gone to his son's wedding, he would have died surrounded by people who love him unreservedly. But he chooses to put business first again, and as such dies alone.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.