Sons of Anarchy may have ended in late 2014, but its cast of characters and its compelling story arcs have stayed with fans. The show's wide range of personalities have helped transform the series into a cult classic. From the troubled son of the founding member to a forgetful prospect, SAMCRO has had its share of members. Show creator Kurt Sutter was not above eliminating main characters or transforming them so that they were no longer recognizable.
When the series started, its main protagonist, Jax Teller, wanted to see the club move away from illegal business dealings. By the end of the series, this same character had become the most violent and destructive in the club's history. That being said, fans still rooted for him.
Like any other show, some characters impacted the overall storylines or themes, while others were there to serve as mere support or filler. Because of this, our list will focus on how each member of SAMCRO impacted the show and other members.
Here are the 13 Strongest (And 12 Weakest) Members Of SAMCRO.
Strongest: Jax Teller
The most well-known character of the series is Jax Teller, played by Charlie Hunnam. The series began with Jax struggling to change with the illegal dealings of the club. As vice leader and the son of club founder John Teller, he has earned both the respect and love of the other SAMCRO members. He often finds himself at odds with his step-father and the former club leader, Clay Morrow.
When he becomes the leader of the club, Jax realizes that cannot escape the chaos of SAMCRO.
He is torn between wanting to be a good husband and father, while also wishing to be the leader that the club needs. Jax has the power to deliver either salvation or destruction.
Weakest: Keith McGee
In season 3, the crew heads to Ireland to rescue Jax's son Abel who was abducted. In Ireland, we are introduced to Keith McGee, who is the leader of "AMBEL, the Belfast chapter of Sons of Anarchy. Keith was one of the founding members of SAMCRO in the 1970s.
He traveled with John Teller and Clay Morrow to Belfast in the 1980s to form SAMBEL. This chapter became the club's link to the IRA and the gun smuggling business. Keith's loyalties, however, have changed and we soon discovered that he is a traitor to the club. He pays the ultimate price for this betrayal.
Strongest: John Teller
Though we never meet John Teller, his presence is felt throughout the series. John is the late father of the protagonist of the show, Jax. After returning home from Vietnam after the war, John was saddened by how veterans were treated. He formed the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club along with eight fellow vets. They became known as the First 9.
John passed away in November of 1993 after being struck by a semi. Before this accident, John wrote a manuscript, The Life and Death of Sam Crow: How the Sons of Anarchy Lost Their Way, which detailed the club's downfall and John's attempts to change things before his untimely passing.
Weakest: Eric Miles
Eric Miles was a prospect who the series introduced following the untimely passing of Half-Sack. Prior to this, he could be seen hanging around the clubhouse and shooting pool with another member of the club. Miles stays behind when Jax and the crew head to Ireland to rescue Able.
He is finally patched into the club in season 4 while most of the crew is in prison.
Later in the season, Miles discovers that Juice stole a large amount of substances and confronts him. This does not bode well for Miles, who is ultimately ended by Juice and then blamed for the theft.
Strongest: Otto Delaney
Played by none other than series creator Kurt Sutter, Otto Delaney is a key member of the club. His time on the series is spent behind bars, as he was arrested in the '90s and was given a six-year sentence. This would prove to be a life-long sentence, as Otto became the club's muscle on the inside. He was often called upon by the club to send out violent messages to other inmates.
Even from behind bars, Otto was a strong member of the club. His loyalty to SAMCRO enabled the crew to operate at a much more lethal level.
Weakest: Rane Quinn
Rane Quinn was first introduced as the leader of the nomad charter in season 2. Following its disbandment, Rane becomes a member of SAMCRO. Though he is physically strong, his character does not have much of an impact on the overall story. Rane serves as more of a supporting member who follows the club and its leader.
In season 7, he votes along with the rest of SAMCRO for Jax to meet the reaper. None of the members took this vote lightly, but it had to be done as a result of Jax's actions.
Strongest: Chibs Telford
Chibs is a fan-favorite character and is often viewed as a protective father figure to Jax. Chibs often acted as a calm presence among SAMCROS other members. His loyalty lied with Jax, who he affectionately called "Jackie" or "Jackie Boy." Chibs is crucial to Jax throughout the series and is appointed vice leader upon Jax's promotion.
Chibs is level-headed and prefers to avoid using violent methods whenever possible.
During season 7, Chibs has a romantic relationship with Lieutenant Althea Jarry, the new head of the San Joaquin Sheriff Department. This relationship becomes incredibly important to the club, as it provides them with a lot of new information. Following the vote for Jax to meet Mr. Mayhem, Chibs becomes the new club leader.
Weakest: T.O. Cross
T.O. Cross becomes a member of SAMCRO in the final season of the series. He first appeared on the show in season 3 as the leader of the Grim Bastards Motorcycle Club. T.O. and his crew had recurring roles and provided security for Mayan substance shipments.
When T.O. was patched over to the Sons, his received the cut of a full member and prospect patches. His character is the first African-American member of SAMCRO. Since T.O. was brought into the club late in series, he had no great impact on the club or its actions. However, he was a valuable ally to SAMCRO before he was patched over.
Strongest: Opie Winston
Opie Winston was extremely close to Jax. In fact, the two characters treated one another like brothers throughout the series. When the series started, Opie was no longer a member of the club following a five-year prison sentence after taking the fall for the crew. He had decided to leave the biker life for his family. However, Jax eventually convinces him to come back to SAMCRO.
SAMCRO has always been a part of Opie's life, as his father, Piney, is also a club member and was one of the First 9. Because of this, Opie is extremely loyal to the club. He even punches an officer so that he can be arrested with Jax, Tig, and Chibs so that he can go with them to jail in order to protect them. However, he pays the ultimate price, as he's forced to sacrifice his own life to save them.
Weakest: Kip 'Half-Sack' Epps
Half-Sack was a good-natured prospect of the club. He was often given the tasks that no one wanted, like removing an unfortunate dear from a car's windshield.
His loyalties are put to the test when he is asked to take a dive in a boxing match because the club bet on his opponent.
Half-Sack had planned to do as he was told.... until he sees Clay and his girlfriend hugging ringside and becomes enraged. He must then pay back the club what they lost, which is about $35k. Half-Sack meets his end in season 2 when Jax's son is abducted. He is posthumously patched into SAMCRO.
Strongest: Happy Lowman
Happy enjoys the violence and mayhem of the SAMCRO lifestyle. His character is an enforcer. He is always ready and willing to torture and eliminate enemies on behalf of the club.
Following each of his fatal dealings, Happy rewards himself with a smiley face tattoo. Though he is violent by nature, Happy is also extremely loyal and caring when it comes to his fellow members. Throughout the series, Happy is seen to have a minimal range of emotions. In season 7, when giving his final farewell to Jax, Happy is overcome with emotion while hugging his brother.
Weakest: Allesandro Montez
Allesandro was a former member of the Reno chapter. He joined the Redwood Charter in season 6. He appears in seasons 6 and 7, though his presence does not impact club in one way or another. Montez is a supporting character who helps the club's main members with their tasks.
Since we didn't see much of his character in the series, we can't really rank him as being one of the strongest of the SAMCRO members. He was recruited by Bobby when their numbers began to dwindle. Montez is still a part of SAMCRO at the end of the series.
Strongest: Alexander 'Tig' Trager
Alexander "Tig" Trager changed over the course of the series as far as alliances go. At first, he was the right-hand man of Clay while he was club president. Tig often dealt with any issue that the club faced on behalf of Clay behind the club's back. This included the taking out Opie's wife, Donna.
Tig often seemed like a loose cannon, as he prefered to live moment to moment.
Tig suffered from depression throughout the series due not only to his past but also to his current actions as well. Tig was ultimately responsible for Opie's passing, since Opie was forced to sacrifice himself because Tig had taken the life of Veronica Pope.
Weakest: Frankie Diamonds
Frankie Diamonds was a member of the Nomads who transferred to SAMCRO in season 5. During his time with SAMCRO, he hires two people to end Jax permanently. He also holds Nero hostage for a time, and steals $130k along with some gold watches. Frankie even forces Chibs to be his getaway driver, then hits him on the back of his head with his gun.
After learning the full truth of Frankie's actions, the crew take a vote to strip him of his patch and introduce him to Mr. Mayhem. Frankie only thinks about himself and is never loyal to the club.
Strongest: Robert "Bobby Elvis" Munson
Bobby Munson acted as another father figure to Jax. He constantly looked out for him and supported Jax's desire to redirect the club's actions away from gun running and other illegal activities. Bobby was extremely intelligent and became bookkeeper for Cara Cara, to the dismay of Luann Delaney. He was often seen the voice of reason and Jax often looked to him for advice.
In season 7 Bobby is aducted by August Marx and is tortured tirelessly in an attempt to get information. Bobby, however, stays strong in the face of pain and dismemberment. He meets his ultimate end putting the club and Jax first.
Weakest: Philip 'Phil' Russel
Phil was brought on as a prospect following the passing of Half-Sack. As a prospect, he stayed behind while the club members went to Ireland. Phil helped around the clubhouse with odds and ends. He was patched in as a member in season 5.
Phil was another member who served as support for the rest of the crew.
His actions and inactions did not have a heavy impact on the club, however, at least in comparison to other members. Phil met his end in season 6 at the hands of Galen O'Shay. This was in response to Jax's decision to break SAMCRO's partnership with the IRA.
Strongest: Clay Morrow
Clay Morrow was the previous leader of SAMCRO and the stepfather of Jax. His need to be in control of everything caused him to make decisions that were kept from the club. Clay conspired with Gemma to take the life John Teller and hide this from Jax.
Under Clay's reign as leader, SAMCRO became more heavily involved in illegal activities. He also ordered the hit on Opie and seemed to have zero remorse when it was Donna whose life was taken instead by accident. Behind Gemma's back, Clay also ordered a hit on Tara. When Gemma confronted him, things turned violent. It is also revealed that Clay was responsible for Piney's passing. His actions had a huge impact on the whole club.
Weakest: GoGo
GoGo was a member of the Nomads who was patched over to SAMCRO in season 5. Along with Frankie Diamonds and Greg the Peg, GoGo committed a series of break-ins in Charming. This, of course, was something that the club would not stand for, as SAMCRO always protected their town.
GoGo, like Frankie Diamonds, only thought about himself and did not care about the club or others. He meets his end after being set up by Clay in season 5. The existence of his character added nothing to the overall series. He served as a side character and as an antagonist.
Strongest: Lenny Janowitz
Lenny Janowitz was the third member of SAMCRO. When he is introduced in season 3, he is in prison serving a life sentence for the demise of three ATF agents. Janowitz was crucial in the club's dealings with Russia even though he was incarcerated.
Lenny was arrested and incarcerated in 1989. However, he continued to be loyal to the club no matter how much time had passed.
He was last seen in season 4, though we're surethat he continued to be an asset to the club even after this. By the end of the series, Lenny is the last remaining founding member.
Weakest: Greg the Peg
Greg the Peg patched over to SAMCRO in season 5. Along with Frankie Diamonds and GoGo, he is tasked to discredit Jax's leadership. Clay directs the three of them to terrorize the people of Charming. This, of course, is something that Clay does in secret.
When this secret crew is discovered to be the guilty of the break-ins, they realize that they have been set up by Clay. This ensures that no one can attest to Clay's responsibility in their actions. Greg the Peg meets his end in season 5 thanks to the treacherous Clay.