Summary

• No character was safe in Sons of Anarchy, adding to the nail-biting tension of each episode.
• Some fan-favorite characters surprisingly survived the violent biker gang drama.
• Despite the high death toll, a few key players, like Tig and Nero, made it out alive.

With all the deaths in the show, it is surprising to look back and see who survives on Sons of Anarchy — and many viewers like to indulge in a recap after wondering if the likes of Wendy, Jax, or Tig died in SOA. No character was ever safe in the FX series, and even the key antihero Jax Teller didn't quite manage to escape the Grim Reaper. Sons of Anarchy focuses on the violent lives of the titular biker gang, their close allies, and their deadliest enemies, so it's no surprise it featured some memorable and crushing deaths.

Although many of these kills were just random side characters, a few were heartbreaking and completely changed the series. However, the fact that no character was considered safe was part of what made the show so great. It was never easy to tell who'd be next, which made every new SOA episode nailbiting. Plenty of fan-favorite characters died, but a few lucky ones survived too. Even though Sons of Anarchy sometimes had unneeded deaths, many people unexpectedly made out alive. Whether they deserved to, all of these major players made up the rare ones who survived on Sons of Anarchy.

Ernest Darby Left In Season 3

Played By Mitch Pileggi

Darby was introduced at the very beginning of Sons of Anarchy. He was a white supremacist drug dealer and manufacturer, and he immediately got on Jax's bad side when he found out that Darby had been selling meth to Wendy while she was pregnant with Abel. They continued to have a contentious relationship until Darby finally retired from his life of crime and went straight, ironically settling down with one of the Hispanic women that he used to employ.

Darby even helped the Sons track down a new Aryan gang they've been warring with. Though they offer him protection, Darby insists he can take care of himself, and as far as the audience knows, he is right. While Darby left Sons of Anarchy, he didn't die in the show.

Tig Trager Lives On SOA

Played By Kim Coates

Many viewers wonder does Tig die in SOA, since he seemed one of the likeliest characters not to survive until the end of the show. Considering his penchant for violence, it was a surprise that he survived the whole show. Given the number of senseless murders Tig Trager committed, viewers probably predicted that karma would come for him, but that never happened. Tig survived, and as per the events of the spinoff Mayans M.C., he is still SAMCRO's current Vice President.

Season 7 was particularly good for Tig. He had a fruitful relationship with Venus Van Dam, and after the club voted for Jax to "Meet Mr. Mayhem," Chibs was promoted to President while Tig was made Vice President.

Wendy Case Was Left With Jax's Kids

Played By Drea De Matteo

Most viewers expected that Tara would survive over Wendy and remain standing at the end. Sadly, Tara was killed by Gemma. Wendy is introduced in the series as Jax's former lover and mother of Abel, but her drug addiction makes her unfit, causing tension. In the final season, Jax confessed to Abel that Wendy was his mother. After that, Jax tasked Nero with taking care of Wendy, Abel, and Thomas. He then told both Wendy and Nero that he was going away. Wendy was left with the kids after Jax's death.

Ima Lived Despite Antagonizing Jax & Gemma

Played By Kristen Renton

Ima was introduced in Sons of Anarchy season 1 as an adult film star who has an intense crush on Jax, going so far as to mess with Tara in the hopes of winning him over. Her attempts to interfere have no real effect, but when she gets involved in Opie and Lyla's relationship, Jax horrifically assaults her to get her to back off.

Aggression towards Ima runs in the family, because the last time she is seen, Gemma also assaults her for setting Lyla up to go to a dangerous video shoot in season 6. Despite this though, Ima didn't die in Sons of Anarchy.

Chibs Telford Became President Of SAMCRO

Played By Tommy Flanagan

Chibs is introduced as the only non-American member of the Sons and is often calmer and more level-headed than the other SAMCRO members, so his survival wasn't that surprising. After losing the previous love of his life thanks to Jimmy O, Chibs finally found romance in the final season. He briefly dated Eli Roosevelt's replacement, Lt. Althea Jarry.

They later broke up, but fate was still kind to Chibs since he ended up being President. He even made a brief appearance in season 2 of Mayans M.C. to help the Mayans broker a weapons deal.

Ethan Zobelle Escaped The Country

Played By Adam Arkin

A common cliché in most shows and movies is that the villain ends up dead, though that wasn't always the case in Sons Of Anarchy. Ethan Zobelle — one of the show's best antagonists — survived. In seasons 1 and 2, Zobelle terrorized SAMCRO and even organized for Gemma to be assaulted and raped.

It looked like the Sons would finally get their revenge when they cornered him at a store. Unfortunately, Jax got a call that Abel had been kidnapped, so they all had to leave. Zobelle thus got a lucky break and fled the country, but Gemma got her revenge by killing his daughter. Viewers wondered what happened to Zobelle on Sons of Anarchy, but the revenge they wanted never came.

Chucky Marstein Moved On To Mayans MC

Played By Michael Omstein

Chucky was introduced in the series as a compulsive masturbator. He paid dearly for his habit, as the Triads cut off four fingers on each of his hands to make it impossible for him to attend to his urges. He was then given a bookkeeping job at Cara Cara since someone only needs two fingers to type.

Chucky would go on to help SAMCRO with conducting numerous illegal activities without having to hold a gun. Surprisingly, aside from his compulsive behavior, he never got into anyone's bad books, last seen as a loyal ally to the club. He also appears in several episodes of Mayans M.C. where it is revealed that he was won from the Sons in a card game, adding to the comedic nature of the character.

Nero Padilla Survived To Watch Out For Jax's Kids

Played By Jimmy Smits

Surprisingly, Nero is one of the characters who survived in Sons of Anarchy. As soon as Nero began dating Gemma, there was always the likelihood that Clay wouldn't allow the romance to last for long. Given Clay's long history with Gemma, he would have killed Nero. But fortunately for the escort agency owner, Clay's past caught up with him, and he ended up getting killed by Jax.

Nero would grow to be a likable character. He was a father figure to Jax, and he also proved to be a very good partner to Gemma. When Jax was planning to take his own life, there was no one he trusted more to take care of Wendy and the kids than Nero. So, despite being at the heart of all the club violence, Nero survived.

Marcus Alvarez Moved On To Mayans MC

Played By Emilio Rivera

Marcus Alvarez had an interesting evolution in his relationship with Jax and SAMCRO throughout the story. When he was first introduced, he was an adversary of the Sons as president of the Mayans M.C. and he is first seen burning down their weapons warehouse. But they became allies, and Alvarez even had a hand in protecting the club when they were in prison. Jax's final act as president of SAMCRO was giving Alvarez a source for the weapons business. Marcus lived on and even made it to the spinoff, Mayans M.C.

Lyla Winston Survived After Opie's Death

Played By Winter Ave Zoli

Dating or marrying a SAMCRO member often felt like a death sentence. Many wives ended up dead. But Opie's second wife, Lyla, made it to the end. Lyla was initially a porn star who was employed by Luann. After the death of Opie's first wife Donna, Lyla and the SAMCRO member grew close.

Other club members initially had reservations about Opie dating a porn star, but he loved her, and so they stayed together. Sadly, Opie was killed and Lyla had to suffer to take care of the kids. She was last seen in the Season 7 episode "Black Widower," where she was working as a producer for Red Woody Productions.

Happy Lowman Became Sergeant-At-Arms At The End Of SOA

Played By David Labrava

Happy Lowman started as a member of the Tacoma, Washington charter before becoming a Nomad. He was eventually patched over to SAMCRO in the third season. Happy didn't speak much. And whenever the other SAMCRO members hesitated to commit a violent act, he'd gladly do it. Happy was last seen in the series finale episode, "Papa's Goods," seen crying as Jax says his final farewells.

By that time, Happy had been promoted to Sergeant-At-Arms. He later appeared in the first season of Mayans M.C. where he was seen mentoring a new prospect. He was then singled out by Ezekiel Reyes as a suspect in his mother's death.

Venus Van Dam & Tig Had A Happy Ending On SOA

Played By Walton Goggins

Walton Goggins gave an outstanding performance as the transgender sex worker Venus Van Dam. She made her first appearance in the Season 5 episode "Orca Shrugged," where she helped the club blackmail Allen Bicone. Soon, she became a close friend to SAMCRO, and Venus eventually fell in love with Tig.

She was often given various tasks by the club, including locating the family of the deceased preacher Jonathan Haddam, who SAMCRO had accidentally killed. Venus was last seen cuddling with Tig in the series finale as she consoled him over the death of Jax.

Thomas Teller Survived As Jax & Tara's Child

Played By Multiple Actors

Thomas Teller was so young throughout Sons of Anarchy that he never really developed as a character. Luckily for him, he was still a baby by the time Nero and Wendy left Charming with him, so he likely wasn't hugely affected by all the horrors that surrounded his early life. And, although allowing one of Jax's infant sons to die seemed unlikely, given how dark of a series the show was, it wasn't a guarantee that he'd make it to the end.

Tyne Patterson Was A Rare Law Enforcement Official Who Lived

Played By CCH Pounder

Being a law enforcement officer in Charming was a dangerous job. Almost every cop and agent that got involved with the Sons ended up dead. From Police Chief Unser to Deputy Chief David Hale to the sly Agent Stahl, no one was spared. However, San Joaquin County District Attorney Tyne Patterson came out of all the chaos alive.

Patterson investigated the murder at the Cahill Warehouse in Charming as well as the school shooting in which the teenage shooter had used a gun sold by SAMCRO. She handled things more amicably and even managed to make a deal with Jax. She was last seen in the series finale "Papa's Goods."

Abel Teller Lived On With Wendy & Nero

Played By Tyler Silva, Ryder Londo, & Evan Londo

Abel didn't make it through the series emotionally unscathed, but surprisingly, the boy whose death had been predicted in the pilot episode of Sons of Anarchy survived the entire show. Jax Teller's story begins with his discovery of his father John's dreams for a better life outside the chaos that the club brings with it, and although Jax had to give up his life in the end, it seems that he managed to get his sons out of the criminal world for good.