24 Of 24's Most Memorable Characters - Ranked

This woman more than held her own against her male CTU counterparts. Moreover, Michelle Dessler provided a welcome balance in the testosterone-filled air of CTU. However with such strong male leads in both Kiefer Sutherland and Carlos Bernard and aside from personal, catty, minor subplots, Michelle was seldom the focal point in a main plot per se.

She generally shared the limelight with her on/off husband Tony Almeida, which was understandable as they were the golden couple of 24. That rare moment came during season three. When the fatal Cordilla virus gets released into a hotel ventilation system, Michelle’s cornucopia of crises included: having to initially lie to the unsuspecting hotel guests in order to keep everyone calm; shoot dead a civilian who was trying to escape; proffer suicide capsules to anyone who’d rather choose a peaceful passing; initiate a manhunt for someone who had sexual intercourse with one of the now-infected hotel guests; and face an agonising wait as to whether or not she’s immune to the virus.

Michelle and Tony thought they'd achieved the ultimate dream: leaving a dangerous, high-pressured job, not normally conducive to stable relationships, with both their lives still intact. If only it wasn’t for Michelle’s unselfish compulsion to help CTU’s investigation into David Palmer’s assassination.