The Absolute Worst Thing Jax Teller Did On Sons Of Anarchy

Let's get one thing straight: Jax Teller was not a great guy.

It's been years since FX's hit series Sons of Anarchy rode off into the sunset (or into oncoming traffic, as the case may be), but there are still things that we think about when it comes to the fictional biker gang from Charming, California. Specifically, there are things regarding Jax (Charlie Hunnam, in his post-Undeclared, pre-King Arthur days) that just can't be ignored. Although Jax was portrayed as a sort of antihero throughout the show's seven-season run, he got away with some really awful things. But the worst thing Jax Teller ever did was take control of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original (a.k.a. SAMCRO) in the first place — which led to a whole lot of trouble. Let's get into it. 

Stepping up to the plate to preside over SAMCRO meant Jax had to look out for himself, his family, and the whole club, keeping them safe by whatever means necessary. Those means usually involved murder — warranted or not. We're certainly not going to downplay the deaths that Jax was directly responsible for, and it's worth noting that at least a few of these were completely unnecessary and kind of heartbreaking. Take, for instance, Wayne Unser (Dayton Callie). Charming's Chief of Police and SAMCRO ally for most of the club's residents in town, Wayne had terminal cancer and was already on his way out when Jax shot and killed him on season 7. The reason? Wayne was going to arrest Jax's mother, Gemma (Katey Sagal), in order to prevent Jax from killing her, too. 

Then there was Jury White (Michael Shamus Wiles), the President of SAMCRO's Indian Hills, Nevada charter. A longtime friend of Jax's father, John, Jury was nothing but loyal to the club... up until Jax had his son killed in order to cover up another crime. Jury confronted Jax about not only what happened to his son, but also about the man that Jax had become. So, of course, Jax shot and killed him. 

When it comes down to it, Jax should have never made a play for SAMCRO to begin with. And had he just let Clay (Ron Perlman) run the club — which, granted, the guy wasn't the best president either, but at least he was able to maintain relationships with other gangs and Charming PD — the fictional California town wouldn't have experienced with the complete and utter catastrophe that Jax left in his wake. 

To put it bluntly, Jax wasn't cut out to be a gang president. He went into it with high hopes about turning the club legit, but ultimately, he just dragged it further into criminal activity. Maybe that wasn't entirely his fault — it can't be that easy to turn a criminal organization into a law-abiding business venture when everyone else involved is pretty all right with being criminals. But Jax went ahead and tried anyway, and since the only way he knew how to accomplish anything was through illegal measures, there's really no chance he would ever be successful doing anything else.

But more than the fact that Jax didn't have what it took to be a true leader, he lived by his own moral compass — and he used it to excuse every bad deed he ever committed because he somehow felt it was for the greater good, or something like that. Jax became so obsessed with honoring his father's legacy that he wound up completely bastardizing it. The best thing he could have done for his father would have been to leave SAMCRO himself, to raise his kids outside of it, and to just let Clay have it. 

Obviously, Jax didn't do any of those things, even though he had the opportunity to, as well as a woman in his life who encouraged him to follow his own path outside of his father's shadow. Jax's high school sweetheart Tara (Maggie Siff) would still be alive if he hadn't taken over SAMCRO. A lot of people would still be alive if Jax hadn't taken over SAMCRO. While we recognize that he maybe had noble intentions in doing so, the fact of the matter is that Jax wasn't cut out for a leadership role, and the people around him suffered greatly for it.

Moral of the story? Don't take over a biker gang if you have an incredibly strict sense of morality.