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I’ll try to make my pitches for each candidate unbiased, but when it comes to the Codys, I have a strong idea of who I think is the best, and I’ll fight for that person until the end.
Not unlike a Cody!
But Animal Kingdom‘s characters are some of the most compelling and, at times, depraved lot onscreen.
As many viewers are discovering or rediscovering this series, it would be fun to see which Cody reigns supreme in the grand scale of things!
The Cody family motto is, “May we all get what we want and never what we deserve.”
But as interesting as these characters are, only one person deserves to be the best Cody of all, so let’s see who will hold that honor in our poll! Let’s get to voting!
Julia Cody – Black Sheep
As Animal Kingdom unfolds, viewers eventually learn that Julia is the impetus behind so many things.
Initially, it’s easy to dismiss Julia as the poor, sad addict who died in squalor blocks away from the other Codys, leaving J to fend for himself.
However, as the series progresses, we learn a great deal about Julia through the eyes of the other characters.
Pope’s fondness for his twin always simmers beneath the surface, leading us to believe there was far more to her than the others implied.
J holds his mother in high esteem and regard, even though her addiction issues and his troubled childhood were a result of them. There is a genuine sympathy and devotion to Julia through J that compels viewers to sympathize with her as well.
As the series progresses, and we learn and suspect how Smurf treated her only daughter compared to how she cherished all of her boys, or even how she may have poisoned her sons against Julia, it adds extra layers to the series.
Eventually, we gain even more insight into Julia during the later seasons, and we learn that she was a fierce, smart, no-nonsense, family-oriented girl who didn’t really stand a chance.
Julia may have arguably been the best Cody of them all, especially from a moral perspective. Still, addiction, trauma, and circumstance make her a tragic character who may not get her proper due.
Baz Blackwell – Honorary Cody
Technically, Baz isn’t a Cody, but Smurf considered him one for a long stretch of time, and in the early seasons, it’s easy to see why.
Baz is the Brains. The Cody boys couldn’t pull off half of the heists without him because the others were of varying degrees of recklessness, impulsivity, and inexperience on any given day.
Suppose they wanted to maximize their profit and minimize the chances of being caught by the police or anyone getting hurt. In that case, it often requires Baz’s methodical planning and strategic thought process.
Some could even argue that Baz is the Mastermind.
Baz is arguably the least screwed up of the bunch for obvious reasons. His charisma helps him blend into society more easily and appeal to others outside his family, and he is always a natural-born leader who sees through Smurf and isn’t afraid to challenge her.
It makes him both dangerous and admirable in a way.
Of course, the downside to Baz is that he is far too arrogant for his own good and safety and far too manipulative to be endearing; it often comes at the expense of others.
And he is always disturbingly emotionally detached and insensitive, which we often see with his wife and daughter as well as J. Baz is great at what he does, but he is also an asshole.
Smurf Cody – The Matriarch
Everything begins and ends with Smurf Cody.
As far as deliciously compelling villains go, Smurf is high on the list. She’s ruthless, badass, manipulative, and she gets things done.
But is she the best Cody? Well, that all depends on you.
As head of a crime family, she’s definitely one of those women who will have viewers saying, “I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs.” She’s an unapologetic baddie and stone-cold when it comes to getting what she wants.
Smurf has almost all of the Codys under a perfectly manicured finger. Baz may mastermind heists, but she’s the Head B*tch in Charge who runs all of the Codys, handles their money, keeps them fed, and otherwise manipulates them to her heart’s content to do all of their bidding.
She groomed all the Cody boys to act as her foot soldiers, knew just what buttons to push with them, and when to reel them in under the pretenses of maternal love and affection.
Smurf is damn good at being bad, and it’s evident that she had to learn a few things along the way and that she’s a survivor who may or may not have carried on a generational cycle of trauma and manipulation.
But Smurf is also morally depraved, rules through control, and is incredibly retaliatory and vengeful, and she’s not even remotely close to a “girl’s girl.” She is also emotionally and mentally abusive and predatory with her own children in ways that make your hair stand on end.
Anthony “Pope” Cody – The Protector
Objectively speaking, Pope may be the most fascinating Cody of them all.
He’s also the most dangerous. If you need something really bad done efficiently, Pope is always the one to do it. He has a reputation for being the most loyal among the Codys.
Without a shadow of a doubt, you know that whatever he does, he does it for the family, even if it means sacrificing himself and his desires to do it.
Pope is the Cody you want on your side, for one, because he’s terrifying, and you never want to be his enemy, but also because he’ll go to the ends of the earth and hell itself to protect those he cares about.
If we’re talking about the most badass Cody? There’s a strong argument that Pope is taking that crown, adept at fighting, killing, and getting the group out of sticky situations.
He’s the muscle, the clean-up man (quite literally), and the eerie calm in a crisis.
But Pope is also highly volatile and mentally unstable. To outsiders and even insiders, it’s always evident that he’s a bit “off,” which makes him unpredictable emotionally.
He’s always been the most susceptible to Smurf’s manipulations, even when he doesn’t want to be, likely because he spent the most time under her spell. And he often grapples with guilt and the weight of his actions and choices.
Much like Julia, he’s the living embodiment of someone who probably didn’t stand a chance because of Smurf, as he is emotionally stunted and serves as a loaded weapon she aims wherever she deems fit, meaning he often lacks identity and agency.
Craig Cody – The Hothead
If the Cody family has a hothead, Craig fits the bill.
He’s often reckless, the one most likely to land everyone in some trouble, and he’s incredibly impulsive.
Craig has a lot of heart and passion; he is never one to mince words or hold his feelings and opinions to himself. He’s also temperamental, which sometimes interferes with their jobs.
Most people can usually respect that with Craig; what you see is what you get. He’s arguably the most transparent and upfront, with no bullshit. Whether you like him or hate him, you always know where you stand with him.
Craig can be a jerk often, but he also has a big heart. It especially comes through with his relationship with Deran and, later on, his child.
On the flip side, Craig often lets his emotions overrule logic and strategic thinking.
He often has the reputation of being the “dumb muscle” because he excels at the physical aspects of the job, but not at the masterminding.
He’s a thrill seeker who runs headfirst into any danger, has an addictive personality that often costs everyone around him (and highlights the hypocrisy versus how the Codys regarded Julia), and is explosive.
Deran Cody – The Evader
The youngest Cody sibling is the one who, out of everyone, always wants to get out of the lifestyle.
Deran is someone who often tries to evade the confinement of the Cody crime family and its ways. He usually seeks a normal life, opting for a professional surfing career or starting a business rather than letting the crime lifestyle suck him in.
But as much as Deran often tries to escape, he never really can, especially with Smurf’s influence.
Deran’s loyalty to his family often tethers him to their lifestyle despite his desire to escape it, leading to him seemingly living two conflicting lives, especially as a gay man in the “hyper-masculine” crime world that often has others challenging him.
He’s also the most realistic of the bunch, not ruled exclusively by hunger and power but actually striving for a simpler, more grounded lifestyle.
And as much as a Cody can have a moral code, Deran possesses one that he rarely strays from and struggles often when he has to, which in its own right makes him compelling.
But Deran is also conflict-avoidant. He’s always opinionated, emotional, and reactionary, but he rarely has a way of getting ahead of problems or resolving them once they arise.
Despite detesting anyone controlling him, he’s not a born leader, and he often lacks initiative.
Joshua “J” Cody – The Wildcard
As our gateway character to the Codys, J is one of the most fascinating of the series.
If it were a matter of who is the smartest, Cody, J, is taking that win easily. He’s brilliant, deceptively so, in multiple areas. Not only is he book smart, but he’s also street smart, which often makes him a double threat.
And he gets to hone in on the latter skill the longer that he spends time with the other Codys. J is strategic, often steps ahead of those around him, and he’s a difficult read, too.
You never know what he’s thinking, but you can always see the wheels turning when it comes to him, and that often appears threatening to the others.
It’s also something that Smurf both admires and relates to in J and finds intimidating and threatening, too.
J is efficient and a whiz with the books and finances, making him a huge asset to the Cody family.
He’s not overtly moved by emotion, incredibly calculated to startling levels, and he’s always willing to play the long game. His experience growing up makes him a decent assessor of others, and he treats them accordingly.
But J is also the most difficult person to read. He has no real allegiance or loyalty to anyone, and he’s cold and ruthless.
He rarely displays any signs of remorse, is alarmingly emotionally detached to the point of raising questions of narcissism and sociopathy, and is a lone wolf.
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