3. Omar Little - The Wire
Of all the characters in The Wire, Omar Little is a clear fan favourite. Although he's a notorious stick-up man, he has a strict moral code which prevents him harming innocents. His masculine front strips away in private as he is very tender to those he loves, and the viewer is given plenty of opportunity to see the positive aspects; not just the crimes. Played by Michael K. Williams who has seen success in a number of other shows recently, chief among them Boardwalk Empire Omar is a magnetic screen presence thanks to the actor's charisma and dramatic capability. The fact that the character is based upon a real person (Donnie Andrews) probably helped in researching and bringing Omar to life. His arc through the show is one of tragedy, with him slowly becoming embroiled in conflicts with the larger gangs including the Barksdale and Stanfield crews. Although it's easy to sympathise with the character, he did bring this on himself by committing robberies against their people. There could only be one outcome from rattling so many cages and sadly Omar is unceremoniously shuffled off the mortal coil by a young boy called Kenard. In the aftermath of his death it is made clear that he has has a profound impact on his community by the way people exaggerate the circumstances surrounding his shooting, glorifying him as an outlaw.