FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” has viewers rooting for a motorcycle gang that peddles guns, slaughters their enemies and crushes societal rules under their collective boot.
And viewers can’t get enough of it.
The show, now in its seventh and final season, has matched the MC with some powerful “villains” through the years. Using scare quotes is more than appropriate. Some of the group’s adversaries are simply trying to uphold the law and stay out of Jax and co.’s cross hairs. More than a few bend and break the rules to get their way, though.
Here are the five most electrifying opponents the club has battled up until now. (mild spoilers ahead)
- Lincoln Potter (Ray McKinnon): The Assistant DA who gave the MC fits in season 4 is the epitome of cool under fire. Smart, resourceful and willing to lure people to his side by any means necessary, McKinnon’s character showed how “Sons” blurs the line between good and evil.
- June Stahl (Ally Walker): The scourge of the show’s first few seasons also epitomized its early flaws – Walker’s performance teetered over the line toward camp. The show’s creative team deployed her in such effective ways it was impossible to resist. She remains the show’s most hissable villain.
- Galen O’Shay (Timothy V. Murphy): Where would “The Irish” be without their main man, the stateside leader brimming with confidence and a mean hook? Handsome, devious and ice-cold of heart, Murphy made illegal gun running look chic.
- Lee Toric (Donal Logue): The character appears at the end of season five and isn’t around for very long. Still, the fury he brings as a former law enforcer seeking revenge for his sister’s murder is palpable. For a short spell, he’s the straw that stirs the “Sons of Anarchy” drink. How many actors can say the same?
- Damon Pope (Harold Perrineau): It looked like the “Sons” met an immovable force when Perrineau’s character dominated the show’s fifth season. This well dressed crime lord had power, ambition and enough intelligence to know when to partner with an enemy and when to strike without mercy. Perrineau evoked a Fortune 500 CEO turned sour, which made his attempts to snuff out the MC electrifying.
DID YOU KNOW: “Sons of Anarchy” creator Kurt Sutter displays a framed letter from a Fox lawyer savaging Sutter’s professional demeanor in his office.