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Charlie Hunnam’s Jax Teller is the main character of Sons of Anarchy, but the show’s most heartbreaking scene proves that Jax was never the show’s most important character. Sons of Anarchy took the audience to the fictional town of Charming, California, to meet the title motorcycle club, led by President Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) and VP Jax. Throughout seven seasons, Sons of Anarchy followed the many ups and downs of the club and its conflicts with not only other groups but also among its members. Jax and SAMCRO also went through many tragedies, some of which took their stories to darker paths. One of those tragedies showed the importance of one SAMCRO member, proving Jax wasn’t the show’s most important character. Opie’s Death Was The Beginning Of Jax’s Downfall In Sons of Anarchy One of SAMCRO’s members was Opie Winston (Ryan Hurst), Jax’s best friend. Opie was the son of Piney Winston, who, along with Jax’s father, John “JT” Teller, founded the club. This means that Opie and Jax were SAMCRO’s “legacies”, and they grew up together. Opie was one of SAMCRO’s most loyal members, even if that caused him trouble with his wife, Donna. Unfortunately, Opie didn’t make it to the end of Sons of Anarchy, as he died to save his SAMCRO brothers. Opie was killed in Sons of Anarchy season 5 as part of Damon Pope’s payback for the murder of his daughter. Pope’s daughter was killed by Tig (Kim Coates), though not intentionally, but Pope didn’t care about motives. Jax, Opie, Tig, and Chibs (Tommy Flanagan) were in prison, where Pope demanded that one of them be killed, after which the rest would be freed. Jax refused to choose and was ready to offer himself, but Opie stepped in and punched one of the guards. Opie became the SAMCRO sacrifice that Pope demanded, and he was killed in front of Jax, Tig, and Chibs. Jax never recovered from Opie’s death, for which he felt responsible, and it marked the beginning of his downfall. Opie was Jax’s moral compass, always keeping him grounded and preventing him from making impulsive decisions that could have major consequences, and without him, Jax was lost. Sons of Anarchy Constantly Failed Opie Opie was one of SAMCRO’s most loyal members, so much so that he kept coming back to it even after the club abandoned him at a critical time, and his wife asked him to leave outlaw life behind. Opie grew up surrounded by SAMCRO and its lifestyle, and it was the only world he came to know, as it also happened to Jax. Unfortunately, SAMCRO didn’t always have Opie’s back, and the club constantly failed him. SAMCRO turned its back on him after he was released from prison (and he was imprisoned for club-related crimes, by the way), and he had to work as a lumberjack to support his family. Although Opie rejoined the club as he needed money, SAMCRO betrayed him again shortly after when the ATF made Clay believe Opie was a rat. Instead of trusting him, Clay ordered a hit on Opie, but Tig ended up accidentally killing Donna. Later, in season 4, Piney was killed by Clay, as he knew Clay was involved in JT’s death. Opie confronted Clay and was ready to kill him, but Jax stopped him, even though Piney’s death was a reason for Clay to meet Mr. Mayhem, but Opie would have gotten in trouble with the club. Even after all this and more, Opie was still loyal to the club, so much so that he died for it. How Opie’s Survival Could Have Changed The Rest Of Sons of Anarchy Jax’s downfall began with Opie’s death, with tragic events like Tara’s murder and Jax’s final sacrifice happening after it – but had Opie not died in season 5, Jax’s fate could have been different. Opie’s grounding presence could have helped Tara and Jax at a critical moment when Tara wanted to leave, which ultimately led to her death. Had Tara not been killed, Jax wouldn’t have had to die at the end of Sons of Anarchy, as it was Gemma’s lies about Tara’s death that led Jax to make the decisions that led to his death. Supposing that Tara would have still died, Opie could have prevented Jax from making the impulsive decisions he made in season 7.
