Created by David Simon, The Wire is, arguably, the greatest drama series of all time, although The Sopranos and Breaking Bad might have something to say about it. The series changed the landscape of television showbiz, showcasing stunning storylines, with the help of detailed characters.
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The first couple of seasons of The Wire saw Baltimore in splits, as Avon Barksdale, Stringer Bell, and their crew rang ragged in the whole city. With the Major Crimes Unit on their backs, the criminals had to step up their game and in this list, we are going to rank the ten best characters from Barksdale's crew that dominated the streets of West Baltimore.
Bird
One of Barksdale's trusted soldiers, Bird is a foul-mouthed man, who does what is asked of him, without asking any unnecessary questions. He worked on the direct orders of either Avon or Wee-Bey and he did a lot of killings for them.
He is a professional, who knows how to play the cops if he is ever caught by them. Also, he took the fall for the William Gant murder, without hesitation, telling everyone just how much he respected Avon.
Poot
One of the corner boys, Poot, is someone who adapted to survive in a vicious area. Even though he is just a pawn in the game, he knows his limitations and never steps out of line. Poot is a very good friend to both Wallace and Bodie, but he knows he shouldn't develop an emotional connection with them because you never know what will happen in this dangerous drug game.
Wallace
The kid who was never made for the cruel nature of the drug game, Wallace paid the price for not being as tough as people expected him to be.
At first, he acts as a professional, working under D'Angelo on one of the corners but when he saw the dead body of Brandon (a man he helped identify) near his house, he couldn't handle the trauma. He changed and started showing his weak nature in a place where they do not expect you to be weak.
Cutty
Dennis "Cutty" Wise is first introduced in the series inside the jail, as Wee-Bey and Avon ask him to rejoin the game. And when he got out of jail, he tried his hand in it but he knew he didn't have it in him anymore. So, he decided to make an honest living, instead, and built a boxing ring, with a gym to teach the young kids on the corners. He turned his life around, showing everyone that people coming out of jail can, indeed, change.
D'Angelo Barksdale
Avon's nephew, D'Angelo Barksdale is someone who is strong enough to be in the drug business, but he has a soft side to him, which you cannot afford to have in this aggressive market. He loved being around kids, who would listen to him, and almost always, he gave them tips to get out of this business and go to college. While he was ready to go to jail for his family, he wasn't rewarded for it, as he was killed by people close to him.
Bodie Broadus
Another one of Barksdale's soldiers, Bodie Broadus is one of the smartest boys on the corners, who knows exactly what needs to be done in almost every precarious situation. He stands tall for himself, as well as his friend but if he doesn't like someone, he makes sure to let them know.
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While Bodie survived the fall from grace of the Barksdale crew, he couldn't do anything but join Marlo Stanfield. He didn't like doing the job for him, though, and till the very end, he stood up for himself.
Slim Charles
Slim Charles, till the very end, was one of the most trusted people of Avon's as he not only did whatever was asked of him but also made sure to keep everyone around him in check.
He led Barksdale crew's charge against Marlo and even though they didn't come out on top, Slim made a name for himself on the streets, which prompted Proposition Joe to hire him when Avon got the Barksdale organization came crashing down.
Wee-Bey
Roland Brice aka Wee-Bey is one of the most entertaining characters in the entire series and, arguably, the second most feared man on the streets behind Omar Little. Besides Stringer, Wee-Bey is Avon's most trusted man, who does the task in hand quite perfectly.
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But he made one mistake, that is, he shot a cop, which meant he had to flee from Baltimore. And when he was caught, he didn't give anything to the police and accepted almost every charge.
Stringer Bell
Avon's right-hand man Stringer Bell is like family to the Barksdales but he never felt to be one of them, which can be made out of the fact that he gave the order to kill D'Angelo. Stringer wanted more than just a drug empire, so he went into unchartered territories and paid for it. He was exploited by Clay Davis, a corrupt politician, and that was the final nail in the coffin for him. After that, he completely turned on Avon.
Avon Barksdale
The one truly in charge, Avon Barksdale's name ringed around West Baltimore as he sat on top of the drug empire he built from scratch, right beside Stringer. He is an old fashioned man, who uses violence as the primary source to spread fear but he never used it just for the sake of it.
While Avon was as tough as people get, he had a nicer side to him. He even helped Marlo from the inside of a jail cell.
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