Slim Charles

Slim Charles, a criminal enforcer, played by Anwan Glover

Slim Charles is an enforcer for hire in the Baltimore drug trade played by Anwan Glover.

Biography

Charles is physically imposing, with a deep, gravelly voice and 6'9 1/2" stature. His last name is never mentioned or revealed.

With Wee-Bey Brice in prison, he becomes the Barksdale Organization's chief enforcer, working directly under Stringer Bell, who runs the crime family while Avon Barksdale is imprisoned. He objects to Stringer putting product before territory after the loss of the high rise projects. When Avon is released, Slim Charles becomes his chief enforcer in the war with Marlo Stanfield. Although Charles proves himself a capable soldier on many occasions, the support he gathered around himself was not up to the task.

Charles was pleased to work with "Cutty" Wise as he remembered his reputation as a soldier to be feared. The two gelled well together, co-ordinating assaults on Stanfield territory, but they were let down by their driver Tater, who failed to follow their instructions. Several of Barksdale's crew were killed and Slim was forced to retreat. Slim and Cutty attacked one of Marlo's crews alone; Slim killed a young drug dealer, but Cutty allowed the crew chief, Fruit, to escape. Initially Slim Charles thought that he had ruined Cutty's shot, but Cutty admitted to him and Avon that he had been unable to take the shot and was retiring from his role. Charles and Avon agreed that Cutty was leaving "the game" with his reputation intact.

Slim Charles and Avon oversaw an operation to assassinate Marlo. They tried to ensnare him using a girl, Devonne, as bait. Stanfield realized that it was a trap, and had his soldier Chris Partlow attack Avon and Slim Charles while they waited. Avon was wounded and another soldier was killed, though Charles escaped unharmed. Marlo later shot and killed Devonne in retaliation.

Stringer ordered Charles to kill Clay Davis after Davis scammed Stringer out of a large sum of money. Charles immediately expressed reluctance at the logistics of assassinating a high-profile politician, in contrast to a typical street hit. Stringer angrily told Charles that he was not to question orders, at which point Avon appeared, agreeing with Charles and overruling the order.

Slim Charles was responsible for consoling Avon after Stringer's death. When Avon told Charles that he had lost heart for the war and that Stanfield was not responsible for Bell's death, Charles, now the second-in-command, reminded him that they were in a war with no way to back down, and they must blame Stanfield in order to rally their troops.

Slim Charles saw another opportunity to kill Stanfield when he found him at Vinson's tire rim shop with minimal protection. He phoned Avon, who went to get weapons from a stash house, and was promptly arrested along with most of his men in a police raid. Slim Charles escaped arrest and prosecution because he was waiting outside the rim shop rather than the weapons stash house.

As Season four commenced, Slim was working for Proposition Joe, supplying the remains of the Barksdale drug dealers with narcotics. With their product as a firm foundation, Bodie Broadus built a successful operation, until Marlo tried to take over his corner. Bodie came to Slim Charles, who advised him not to stand up to Stanfield. Charles raised the problem at the next meeting of the Co-Op but they decided to negotiate with Stanfield and focus on problems with an incursion of New York dealers on the East side. Charles was doubtful that Stanfield would talk to them based on the Barksdales' experience. During the meeting Charles explained to the Co-Op how Stanfield has been hiding corpses in vacant row houses. When Joe's first meeting failed to convince Marlo he has Charles approach Partlow to arrange a second sit down, which Charles also attended. Though he never says it directly, it is implied that Charles doesn't approve of Marlo's murderous enforcement. This is shown when Marlo has Little Kevin killed for being taken in and interrogated by the police.

By the fifth season of The Wire, Slim Charles was Proposition Joe's most trusted lieutenant. When Marlo Stanfield tried to sow divisions among Co-Op members during a meeting, Charles warned his boss of Marlo's sinister intentions. Joe disregarded the warning and was murdered by the Stanfield Organisation, with the assistance of Cheese, Joe's nephew.

Marlo quickly asserted control of the Co-Op and offered Charles the chance to control the drug supply in East Baltimore. Charles declined, and Cheese was promoted instead. Charles later avenged Joe's murder by killing Cheese at a meeting of the Co-Op in the final episode. In the montage at the end of season 5, Charles was shown alongside prominent Eastside dealer Fat Face Rick at a meeting with the Greeks who supply the Co-Op's heroin, indicating that Charles held a senior position with the Co-Op.

Behind the scenes

Anwan Glover is a real-life member of the Washington D.C. Go-go band, The Backyard Band.

Appearances

Season three

• "Time After Time"
• "All Due Respect"
• "Dead Soldiers"
• "Amsterdam"
• "Straight and True"
• "Homecoming"
• "Back Burners"
• "Moral Midgetry"
• "Slapstick"
• "Reformation"
• "Middle Ground"
• "Mission Accomplished"

Season four

• "Boys of Summer"
• "Home Room"
• "Alliances"
• "Unto Others" (uncredited)
• "Misgivings"
• "A New Day"
• "That's Got His Own"
• "Final Grades"