Sons of Anarchy follows the story of an outlaw motorcycle club in Charming, California. In a series filled with motorcycles, violence, drugs, and sex, it seems a bit strange to think about something like the intelligence of each of the main characters.
However the more fans paid attention, the more they realized that some of these outlaws and the people they care about were actually pretty smart. Most of them made mistakes and poor decisions at times, but they also had some impressive skills and came up with genius plans. It’s harder than it looks to keep a motorcycle club functioning.
Juice Ortiz
Juice is hard to pin down in terms of intelligence. Early in the series, he is described as a hacker and an intelligence officer for SAMCRO, but other than these skills he kind of seems like an airhead.
He makes some pretty dumb mistakes, like giving a guard dog crystal met, and he is often the brunt of the other guys’ jokes. In the later seasons, his poor decisions to betray the Club land him in hot water. Although Juice might have some strong computer skills, he really doesn’t seem like a very bright guy.
Opie Winston
Opie is a perfectly capable guy, but probably nothing exceptional in terms of intelligence. He keeps things in order for the Club when most of them are in prison for 14 months and never seems to make any huge mistakes with the orders he is given.
However, Opie makes some questionable decisions, like going back to SAMCRO in the first place. Opie is loyal and brave, but intelligence maybe isn’t his strongest quality.
Wendy Case
Wendy struggles with addiction throughout the series, but of course, that doesn’t make her unintelligent. She checks herself into rehab and by the end of the series seems to have finally gotten her life back on the right track. Wendy also proves to have a calculating mind.
She makes a play for custody of her son Abel, telling Jax and Tara that as a woman who has turned her life around, she might appear the more stable parent in a custody battle. At the end of the series, Wendy seems perfectly stable and capable of being a great mother to Abel and Thomas.
Clay Morrow
Clay is able to function as the president of SAMCRO for many years, and at times he shows strong leadership skills. However as the series goes on, it becomes apparent that Clay is making terrible decisions for the Club, like getting involved with the Galindo Cartel.
He also seems to think that his past of murdering John Teller will never catch up to him, which obviously is not true.
Gemma Teller-Morrow
Gemma is nobody’s fool. She has a conniving mind and comes up with some pretty genius, albeit shameless, ways to get what she wants. She is fearless in her willingness to take a gamble on a risky solution and threaten others to get what she needs.
However, on occasion Gemma’s boldness borders on stupidity. The most glaring example was when she killed Tara. She was impulsive there and should’ve known that it would come back to bite her.
Jax Teller
Jax Teller has plenty of street smarts. He is the vice president of SAMCRO at the beginning of the series and eventually rises to the rank of president through his own cunning. Jax’s intelligence as a leader, however, is a bit of a mixed bag.
At times he comes up with some really great plans, like figuring out how to get rid of Agent Stahl and noticing that a bomb was planted in the clubhouse. At other times his emotions seem to cloud his judgment. He fails to see Gemma for what she truly is until Juice literally lays all the facts in front of his face and he puts the Club in danger with his quest for revenge.
Nero Padilla
Nero is a very wise character and has managed to turn his life around by the time he is introduced in Sons Of Anarchy. He co-owns Diosa, an escort service that he and his half-sister Carla have been running for years, so he definitely has business savvy.
Nero also exhibits other knowledge, such as when he helps save a heavily drugged-up Juice. At the end of the series, he is one of the few characters who get out of Charming alive and well. He takes Wendy, Abel, and Thomas to his uncle’s farm, which he was finally able to purchase.
Chibs Telford
Chibs has a very solid head on his shoulders and is able to keep calm under pressure. He is observant and astute about a lot of things, even noticing that Juice tried to kill himself when the other members of the Club did not.
Chibs is also a former British Army Medic and his medical knowledge comes in handy when Cameron Hayes is shot. Jax also trusts him to become the new president of the Club after he dies, and he certainly wouldn’t do that if he didn’t think Chibs was intelligent.
Bobby Munson
Bobby is the voice of reason amongst the Sons of Anarchy. He served as the Club’s vice president under Jax and often gave valuable advice to him and many of the other Club members.
Bobby was also previously the Secretary of the Sons of Anarchy, which meant that he had to be smart enough to handle all of the Club’s financial matters. Bobby was frequently the voice of reason who kept tensions from boiling over amongst his friends.
Tara Knowles
Tara is by far the smartest main character in the series. She graduated medical school at the top of her class and became the attending surgeon at St. Thomas Hospital. At a young age, Tara appears to be at the top of her field. She is a skilled surgeon and an incredibly intelligent woman.
Tara’s only lack of judgment comes from her involvement with SAMCRO. It was undoubtedly a mistake for her to return to Charming and get back together with Jax. However, Tara likely knew this and simply chose to ignore logic and follow her heart instead.
