There are so many great characters in Billions. What I love is that they have
their own arc and you really get to know each of them. I thought it'd be
interesting to rank them as players in the great financial game to understand their
strengths and weaknesses, based on the what matters in the financial industry.
We will start with the main man Bobby Axelrod.
He has to be among the top tier.
His build has infinite memory and super-fast analytics.
He can write big checks.
He can also ask for the help of shady characters.
He is a very offensive player, but he keeps opening himself to danger for no reason.
Like he does in season 5 with the banking obsession.
His ego and his stubbornness are major weaknesses.
Once he has set his mind on something, he can’t change track, and that’s a major weakness.
The ranking is not just about the character himself.
It’s where he sits in the game. Axelrod has made too many enemies.
For all these reasons, I am only going to put him in B.
I know this is controversial, but if I told you he’s arrested tomorrow,
it wouldn’t be a huge surprise, so would you put your money on him?
Now let’s look at Chuck. In many ways, he matches Axelrod
with his special networking skills and intellect.
He derives huge powers because of his position as an official.
Within his office, he has a huge defense power. He could sit there and lay low.
He would have a long career in the administration and may go to the public to make extra money.
But we know he’s not going to do that.
He’s a character that always goes on the offense and puts himself in a position of vulnerability.
He also made many enemies, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they bite him back.
He goes in B with Axelrod.
Many characters can’t be rank too high compared to the topic ones. But how low do we rank them?
Maffee has not demonstrated intellectual strength.
His defense is weak as he’s demolished by Wendy or Taylor even when Taylor was just an intern.
Even physically. You’d think he’s quite fit, but he can’t beat Dollar Bill, who looks much older.
There’s something trustworthy and reliable about him, which means he can move jobs.
Ben Kim has sharper intellect. He’s shown brilliance.
But in the hedge fund world, it’s not about being smart. It’s about leveraging it to
make more money, and Ben didn’t even manage to get a raise after he had his moment of glory.
Dollar Bill is older, wiser, not physically strong, not super smart but well connected,
and has access to insider knowledge. In terms of ability to make money, his build ranks much higher
than other Axe Capital employees. But again, he has no defense and can quickly crumble if exposed.
Taylor is a player that has the intellectual power of the major characters. Taylor lacks experience,
but they are not just a trader. We saw how they set up a new firm
with strong organizational intelligence, as we’ve seen from her company. And
they know when to stop fighting rather than suffering defeat. People want to be their ally.
Their super rationale puts them in A.
Now, who’s the Apex player that stands above all the rest.
That player would need to be smart, of course. But also connected. With
a great position in the game so that none of the other major players can hurt them.
The only player that can create alliances with others and unite them or make them fight against
each other is Wendy. She’s super smart, rich. None of the players can harm her. In fact, others are
longing for her friendship. Even if she doesn’t have the great attack and earning power of Bobby,
she’s a much safer place. The worst she could do is lose her doctor title, which would not have
a major impact, but anyway, it’s not happening because other characters will come to rescue her.
With plenty of opportunities to rebound if things don’t go well
while still maintaining upside whatever happens.
She deserves the top spot on the list.
Who have you got - let me know your rankings on the comments below
Thanks for watching