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You want it to be one way. But it's the other way.
~ Marlo, to a security guard after getting deliberately caught shoplifting.
What the f-ck you know about what I need on my mind, motherf-cker? My name was on the street? When we bounce from this sh-t here, y'all going to go down on them corners and let the people know: Word did not get back to me. Let them know Marlo step to ANY motherf-cker -- Omar, Barksdale, whoever. MY NAME IS MY NAME!
~ Marlo Stanfield displaying his conceited nature.

Marlo Stanfield, also known as Black, is one of the main antagonists of the HBO series The Wire. He serves as a major antagonist in Season 3, and the main antagonist of Seasons 4 & 5.

He was portrayed by Jamie Hector.

Personality[]

Marlo’s introduction into the narrative was subtle. He appears as a young newcomer to the game, and many of the more experienced gangsters do not take him seriously at first. This changes when Marlo abruptly drags his organization into a war with Avon Barksdale’s crew, and ruthlessly eliminating their men. After Avon's arrest and Stringer Bell's death, in addition to inflicting many devastating hits on Barksdale's crew, Marlo takes the crown of West Baltimore's reigning drug kingpin. During his reign, he hid dozens of bodies in vacant homes as a means of avoiding attention from the police.

Marlo is a quiet, cold, calm, and intelligent individual who is taciturn. He rarely loses his temper, and is almost always speaking in a cool, collected voice with a controlled facial expression. Marlo’s body language is typically relaxed and rarely does he attempt to intimidate people physically. Despite this, his silent nature and towering height, combined with the fear he instills in others through his actions, makes him intimidating. He’s an observant, calculating and perceptive individual who continuously learns and grows as a criminal.

Unlike his criminal predecessors, Marlo doesn't care about respect or street code. This makes him capable of committing any act of atrocity to get what he wants and rise to power. Children, women, drug addicts, no one is out of his list of supposed next victims. His brutality goes hand in hand with a brilliant mind that he uses not only to outwit the police, but also to hunt down his enemies without any kind of remorse.

Marlo is the most barbaric, cold-hearted and cruel person in the entire show, committing the most homicides - either indirectly through his minions or personally. Violent, selfish, apathetic, callous, and ruthless, he had no problem murdering absolutely anyone; allies, henchmen, and other rivals. Unlike Russell “Stringer” Bell, who committed murder for pragmatic reasons, Marlo was murderous to the point of sociopathy and rarely hesitated to murder anyone, even for the pettiest and smallest reasons. Despite his nature, he was an intelligent man who used others around him in order to adapt to playing the game.

This intelligence earns him the absolute loyalty of assassins like Chris, and Snoop, who not only respect but venerate him. However, Despite the respect Marlo shows certain members of his group, he is a despotic leader that has no tolerance for those who antagonize his character, betray his organization, or fail to follow his orders. It is highly unlikely that he cares about his members and most likely sees them all as pawns for him to use as he sees fit.

Unlike Russell “Stringer” Bell, who sought to leave the life of drugs and crime behind and rise up, Marlo is very much a gangster. Beneath his calm exterior, he is an egotistical, domineering, vain and narcissistic individual who thrives off of the intimidation, fear and respect he causes to others around him. Though he never actually shows it openly, it is clear that Marlo loves his lifestyle, as well as the image such a life creates for those around him. He is able to recruit even children into his group of criminals, as he took an interest in Michael Lee even though he was just a teenager at the time, as well as letting younger children sell drugs on his street corners. Marlo seemed to respect Michael’s bravery efficiency, and ruthlessness, making him one of his soldiers and providing him with a house. In essence, Marlo can be seen as having the worst traits of Barksdale and Bell, while also having those negative traits magnified. Unlike those two, Marlo had zero redeeming qualities or likeable personality traits.

Marlo was insatiably power-hungry, and show creator David Simon described him as a totalitarian. He vehemently rebuked any notion to share authority, wealth or territory with anyone, consistently lying, manipulating and betraying anyone he had to in his quest for power. He was treacherous and had no loyalty to his allies in Prop Joe’s Co-Op. He worked with Prop Joe in order to drive New York gang members out of Baltimore, gather information on drug trafficking and money laundering, and temporarily cease hostility to prevent interference from law enforcement. However, the alliance was only to further his own goals, and after Stringer Bell’s death, Marlo desired to be the only in control of drugs in Baltimore, and dismantled the Co-Op. Despite Prop Joe mentoring him, growing his wealth, and treating him like a son, Marlo immediately killed him when he no longer had use for him in order to establish dominance over the drug imports with The Greek.

Ironically, while he was able to avoid prison and stay alive, his organization ultimately fell apart. The one thing he valued above all else, the recognition of his name, was ultimately scrubbed. When he asked two corner boys what his name was, neither of them recognized them. His name no longer meant anything.

All of this makes Marlo the series' ultimate nemesis, as well as one of television's greatest villains.

Biography[]

Season 3[]

Marlo Stanfield began his reign by occupying corners along Eastern Avenue in West Baltimore. Marlo soon initiated war with the Barksdale Organization over territory.

The Barksdale Organization approached Marlo through lieutenant Preston Broadus to discuss exchanging the sharing of territory for a share of their high quality supply of drugs. Bodie had set up his own crew within Stanfield's established territory. Marlo refused to acknowledge Bodie and insisted that he move his crew away. Later Marlo had his dealer Fruit and his crew beat Bodie's team with baseball bats to prove that he wasn't going to lay down and let the Barksdale organization move into his territory. Stringer Bell visited Marlo personally to try to convince him to join the co-op; a group of Baltimore drug players who buy packages of narcotics together to receive discount and try to reduce the violence of their trade to avoid police attention. Marlo listened to Stringer without comment, and shortly after Stringer left, he warned Partlow to prepare for war.

Lieutenant Daniels' major case unit caught on to Marlo when he met with Stringer. Initially they were unsure if he was working with the Barksdale organization like many other crews in the West side. The unit went to the homicide division to learn more about Stanfield and found that he had been investigated for a murder. The police had built a case against him using a key witness who they even put under protection with a tracking device. The case disintegrated when the witness was murdered and the body found using the tracking device, which was still attached to the corpse. The investigating detective, Vernon Holley, believed that Marlo killed the witness. Holley described Marlo as "the spawn of the devil." When a failed Barksdale assault on a Stanfield corner resulted in the deaths of two Barksdale soldiers, the police realized the two gangs were at war.

The assault had been triggered by the parole of Avon Barksdale who took a more confrontational approach to the turf war than Stringer. Marlo believed that the failed assault showed a lack of strength in the Barksdale organization and discussed this with Partlow and his advisor Vinson. He organized retaliatory assaults against Barksdale territory. His soldier Snoop killed Barksdale soldier Rico in a drive-by. Avon responded by hiring a woman named Devonne to seduce Marlo and lure him to a meeting. While Marlo had sex with Devonne he did not go to their arranged meeting. Instead, he had Snoop surveil the location while Partlow waited nearby. Snoop spotted Devonne reporting to Avon, whowas waiting in a parked car. Partlow drove by the car and shot and wounded Avon and killed another Barksdale soldier. Marlo and Partlow later tracked Devonne to her home and Marlo murdered her personally as she was leaving one night. The violence continued to escalate and Marlo's lieutenant LaTroy was killed.

When Stringer Bell was murdered, the police and drug gangs thought it was Marlo who had him killed. In reality, Avon had facilitated his death by giving Brother Mouzone and Omar Little information about his whereabouts. At the end of season 3, Avon was arrested for parole violation, weapons charges and drug crimes. Marlo and Chris attended his sentencing hearing. Avon acknowledges Marlo; thus conceding that the crown has been passed.

Season 4[]

Marlo protected his newly acquired territory through top enforcers: Chris Partlow and Felicia "Snoop" Pearson. When murders are committed on Marlo's behalf, they hide the bodies in vacant row houses. When Marlo's crew chief, Fruit, is killed by a dealer, Lex, from Bodie Broadus' independent crew, he is quick to order Lex' death, which is carried out by Partlow and Snoop. The two continue their clandestine operation and hide Lex' corpse in a vacant house.

Marlo furthers his reputation around the neighborhood by giving away money to children during the back-to-school period through his lieutenant, "Monk" Metcalf. He keeps his own skills and his soldiers sharp by organizing shooting practice sessions in the woods.

The major case unit targets Stanfield and begins to infiltrate his organization using wiretaps, but fail to link him to any murders because of the hidden bodies. They do manage to get Marlo on tape when he uses Monk's phone to talk to a subordinate known as "Old Face" Andre.

After Proposition Joe engineers a conflict between Marlo and Omar, Marlo agrees to join the New Day Co-Op purely to learn more about both Omar and the mounting police interest in him.

When Marlo's plan to have Omar killed in county lockup fails, Omar, newly freed from jail, retaliates by stealing not only Marlo's package, but also the entire shipment of the New Day Co-Op. Marlo is suspicious of Proposition Joe's claim that the shipment has been stolen, and insists on some kind of satisfaction. Joe then decides to set up a meet between Marlo and Spiros Vondas in order for Marlo's fears to be allayed. Marlo is satisfied by Vondas' explanation, and begins having him followed in order to learn more about his role in importing the drug supply into Baltimore.

Marlo is impressed with 14-year-old Michael Lee for standing up to him and believes that he will make a good soldier. He orders Chris and Snoop to recruit Michael into his organization. When Michael's step-father comes home from prison, Michael, after realizing no one else can help him, goes to Marlo for help and begins looking up to him once Marlo has Michael's step father killed. Marlo sets up Michael and his brother Bug in an apartment, and gives him his own corner, with Dukie, Donut, Poot, and Kenard working for him.

When Lester Freamon finally discovers Marlo's murder victims in the vacant houses, a massive police investigation into the vacants begins, and the re-established Major Crimes Unit begins investigating Marlo once again. By the close of the season, the MCU has discovered more than 17 bodies hidden by Partlow and Snoop.

Season 5[]

Marlo was under reduced police surveillance as the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) was shut down due to budget cuts. Having been extremely cautious up until this point, Marlo and his crew relax their routine. Marlo is confident that the police have given up on him, and orders Chris and Snoop to kill a dealer named Junebug who allegedly spread rumors about Marlo being a "dicksucker". He also has them shoot up a corner of rival dealer Webster Franklin in order to force him to give up his package. Snoop kills one of his soldiers during the assault.

Marlo uses Proposition Joe in order to learn more about laundering money and also about keeping money in offshore accounts. But once Marlo has no further use for Prop Joe, he has him murdered by Chris right in front of him. Marlo takes over The Greek connection from Joe and to disbands the New Day Co-op.

The method of communication (cellphone pictures) between Marlo and the Greeks allows the major case unit to track where and when a meet is going to take place, which allows them to catch Marlo's crew taking the very first resupply of Marlo's tenure as overall drug king. This in turn leads to the arrests of most of his crew including himself, Chris Partlow, Monk and Cheese, Prop Joe's traitorous nephew. However, because of technicalities in the way the phone taps were set up (under the guise of tapping the made-up homeless killer), Marlo and Cheese both walk free. Marlo however, cannot take anymore part in illegal activity or he will be prosecuted regardless of the technicalities. After he is released, he is first seen at an event with Levy, his lawyer, who tries to introduce him to important developers and investors in order to establish him as a legitimate young businessman. Marlo, however, is clearly uninterested and leaves after excusing himself to go the bathroom. He is then shown taking a corner with his bare hands, causing the two corner boys to run off, suggesting that he may be unable to resist the lure of the drugs game. However, after he physically forced the boys away, he realizes that his arm has been cut by a pocket knife, which is seen laying on the ground after the scuffle.

Trivia[]

External Links[]

Navigation[]

           The Wire Villains

The Barksdale Organization
Avon Barksdale | Russell "Stringer" Bell | D'Angelo Barksdale | Malik Carr | Marquis Hilton | Preston Broadus | Wallace | Wee-Bey

The Stanfield Organization
Marlo Stanfield | Chris Partlow | Cheese | Fruit | Monk Metcalf | Savino Bratton | Snoop

The Greeks
The Greek | Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos | Sergei Malatov | George Glekas | Sailor Sam

Others
Clay Davis | Kintel Williamson | Maurice Levy | Omar Little

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