Ranking Characters Of The Wire: The Streets
2. Russell 'Stringer' Bell
Suave and sophisticated, Stringer was not like the other dealers in the Barksdale organisation. Although he was technically the second-in-command to Avon throughout the first three seasons of The Wire, Stringer felt more like a leader than his childhood friend in the latter two seasons causing incredible friction between the two men.
A visionary in his own right, Stringer saw a path to take their empire legitimate which would prove a more financial and safer enterprise for the two men. Avon disagreed however and wanted to keep things the way they were. They clashed on many issues, most notably Stringer's decision to have Avon's nephew D'Angelo murdered, which resulted in one of the most intense and emotional scenes of the series.
Stringer Bell is one of Idris Elba's very best performances, and he plays the shrewdness of Stringer with great believability. Avon gives him up to Omar in the end who, along with Brother Mouzone, murder Stringer in one of his buildings. Stringer is brave in his final moments but truly enraged and frustrated he couldn't achieve the goals he had set out for himself and his organisation.
Of everyone that the wiretap targeted, no one was as engaging and compelling as the calculated Russell 'Stringer' Bell.