Ozark Characters Ranked From Most To Least Likely To Survive Season 4

"Ozark" has come a long way since Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) dragged his family from Chicago to the vibrant Missouri Ozarks to launder $500 million –– in five years! –– so a drug lord wouldn't murder him. Fast forward to Season 4, Part 1 and Marty is a huge player in the cartel's business, whether his family accepts that or not. Despite his present-day involvement in money laundering for a criminal organization, he's still just in much danger now as he was when the series first premiered. In fact, no "Ozark" character is safe entering the final seven episodes of the series.

The conclusion of Season 4, Part 1 featured Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) and Wyatt Langmore (Charlie Tahan) getting whacked by freshly minted Navarro Cartel boss Javi Elizonndro (Alfonso Herrera). To that end, we took up the *honorable* challenge of ranking each "Ozark" main character from least to most likely to survive Season 4's eventual carnage. Agent Trevor Evans (McKinley Belcher III), bodyguard Nelson (Nelson Bonilla), Sheriff Leigh Guerrero (CC Castillo), and Sam Dermody (Kevin L. Johnson) only played minor roles in Season 4, Part 1, so their fates are anyone's guess (not to mention their screen time). It's important to note Omar Navarro's (played by Felix Solis) sister, Camila (Veronica Falcón), who's also the mother of Javi, has yet to make an appearance –– but very well could play an integral role in the final lap of the series.

Though any of these characters could meet their demise in the final episodes of "Ozark," their destinies remain up for debate –– and based solely on speculation at the time of this writing. Here's each main character's chances of survival heading into the final seven episodes –– based on where they ended Season 4, Part 1, and possible obstacles ahead.

Erin Pierce (Madison Thompson), the daughter of Helen Pierce (Janet McTeer), who was the Navarro cartel's lawyer before being killed by the very same people she was legally protecting, didn't play a huge role in Season 4, Part 1. But after an extended absence, she appeared when Charlotte Byrde (Sofia Hublitz) visited her in Chicago to hint that her mother had been killed –– and then Charlotte proceeded to threaten her for good measure.

Erin isn't even in the Ozarks, so she's perhaps the furthest from danger out of all the characters. She's an afterthought in the crime world, and in no way is that a bad thing. That said, if she decides to avenge her mother's death, then that would place her directly in the crosshairs. But Erin would also have to be pretty confident to believe she could go head to head with the cartel –– up until this point, doing so would be totally out of character. As long as she stays put, she should survive.

Unlike Wyatt and Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner), Three Langmore (Carson Holmes) has largely been kept out of criminal activities –– and he also hasn't been vital to the plot. Yet all of that could change if the "Ozark" creators decide that they want Three to enter the ring. Entering Season 4, Part 2, Three isn't in danger due mainly the simple fact that no one really knows about him. But if he decides to get revenge alongside Ruth for his brother Wyatt's death, then his fate is up in the air just as much as the rest of the characters.

Three could also decide to leave the Ozarks out of fear, but that's based on speculation. Though we'd love to see Three play a larger role in the final lap of "Ozark," doing so would also place him in the action, where no one's safe. Three's best bet is to stay away, right where the creators have kept him up to this point.

Clare Shaw (Katrina Lenk), the CEO of pharmaceutical company Shaw Medical, entered the storyline in Season 4, Part 1 when she joined forces with the Byrde family. Though she's now doing business with the cartel and is also meeting face to face with the vicious Javi, it would be a total shock if she were taken off the board by the hands of the cartel — or anyone, for that matter. Clare, after all, has entered the "limelight" thanks to her scandal-ridden pharmaceutical company.

Nevertheless, Clare is in deep with not only the cartel but the Byrdes as well –– and both parties have been surrounded by death throughout "Ozark." She's a major player in the pharmaceutical world and her possible demise would put a lot of heat on the perpetrator. But it still doesn't help her cause — she's working side by side with Javi, a cold-blooded killer who's ready to murder anyone at any given time, if it benefits him in any way.

Frank Cosgrove Jr. (Joseph Sikora) has recently taken a back seat to more pressing enemies of the Byrdes, yet Ruth brings him back into the picture when she buys drugs from him for a business deal. This event leads to Darlene killing Frank Jr.'s dad (John Bedford Lloyd), who was the Kansas City Mafia boss until his death. Frank Jr. doesn't need to get any more involved in the main storyline. Perhaps his reintroduction to the plot served simply to set up the deaths of Darlene and Wyatt, leading to Ruth going on a rampage? Given this factor, his existence and well-being could be relatively safe entering the last batch of episodes. Then again, would anyone be surprised if Frank Jr. became a casualty in the war between the Byrde family and the consequences of their actions?

As long as Frank Jr. stays away from the drama, which isn't exactly in his hot-headed and violent nature, he should survive the events of "Ozark." But on the other hand, he is still part of the Kansas City mob ... which comes with its own potentially lethal risks, with or without the Byrdes.

As viewers have witnessed in the past, being a lawyer on "Ozark" is a high-risk job. Take Helen, who was seemingly untouchable only to get gunned down by the very same cartel she was protecting. That brings us to Jim Rattelsdorf (Damian Young), who's heavily in the thick of things at the end of Part 1. Jim, a wealthy ally of the Byrdes, has already been threatened by Javi –– a threat he faces in person when Javi uses him to lure Marty to his home.

Though he insists he works for the Byrdes, not the cartel, Jim was doomed the moment he started doing business with Wendy. Now that Javi is in town and knows where Jim lives, Jim very well could be at risk. He might be small potatoes compared to Marty and his more directly involved allies, but audience members have come to learn that those types of characters are often the ones who are in the most danger.

Charlotte Byrde has been one of the show's most likable characters from the beginning. Her biggest flaw isn't her fault: She just so happens to be Wendy and Marty's daughter. With that said, Charlotte has taken a bigger role in the family business –– to the point where she's thinking about skipping college and joining the business full-time during Part 1 of Season 4. She also proves that the apple doesn't fall far from the Wendy Tree when she threatens Erin in a total power move. Though it would be heartbreaking to see Charlotte perish, she isn't in a great spot as she's still heavily involved in Marty and Wendy's mess. However, out of all the Byrdes, she appears to be the safest given her intelligence, not to mention her relatively tangential involvement in the family's crimes. Her best bet is to flee to Chicago, but we're afraid she's already too wrapped up in everything to make a clean break in time.

All of the Byrdes are going to be involved in a horrific car accident that was depicted in a flash-forward at the beginning of Part 1. Time will tell if any of the family members survive –– not to mention when the crash takes place. At this point, we have more questions than answers and all fates remain a mystery.

At the end of the day, FBI Agent Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes) is just trying to do her job in the name of justice for all. Yet her latest move –– going over the heads of her superiors to arrest Omar –– likely put a target on her back. Where Omar and the rest of the cartel are concerned, this move undermined the FBI, since they had a deal in place. Maya's play also makes Javi, perhaps one of the most ruthless characters on the show, "untouchable" because he's taking Omar's place in the plea bargain.

Former cop turned P.I. Mel Sattem (Adam Rothenberg) also reached out to Maya to congratulate her on this arrest. It remains to be seen if the two will team up to take down more bad guys and gals. If this duo comes to fruition, it will likely put Maya in further danger — although she's an FBI agent, Mel is relentless, irritating, and has a habit of asking dangerous people too many questions. And Javi is well aware of Maya's presence, which doesn't bode well for Maya as he doesn't play by the rules and will seemingly kill anyone who gets in his way, no matter how much legal authority they might have. Case in point: Javi already murdered Sheriff John Nix (Robert Treveiler).

Tracking down a family member so you can get their signature on some divorce papers is not for the faint-hearted. And when someone sets out to do this on "Ozark," a series that features turmoil, murder, and treachery on a regular basis, the job becomes downright dangerous. Private investigator Mel Sattem is searching for Helen, ostensibly on her estranged husband's behalf, so he can finalize their divorce. The more he digs around, the greater danger he's likely in, as he's unaware of what's really going down in the Ozarks.

To make matters worse for himself, he could team up with Maya, who put a big fat target on her back by arresting Omar. This possible duo could end up uncovering certain secrets, such as what happened to Ben Davis (Tom Pelphrey) or Helen, while sinking the Byrdes in the process. On the other hand, the more involved they get, the more at risk they are. It remains to be seen whether Mel will get his signature — or if his relentless pursuit will irritate the wrong person.

Not only is the ruthless Omar Navarro virtually untouchable given his status in the cartel, but he's still in jail. If he were to be released, then he very well could be in mortal danger, but Javi is unpredictable — he could just as easily protect his uncle as have him murdered. Nevertheless, it wouldn't be a surprise if Omar and Javi have a duel at some point, and it also wouldn't be surprising if the creators left him in prison, essentially ending his reign as the biggest threat to the Byrde family.

As odd as it seems, the greatest benefit Omar might have going for him is that he's being monitored by the FBI, whether he's in jail or walking free. Though his deal with the FBI went up in flames the moment Maya decided to take matters into her own hands and have him arrested, until Omar is released from jail and sent back into the wild that's the Ozarks, he's relatively safe, despite always having a target on his back due to his status as a leading member of the cartel.

A fan favorite character, Jonah Byrde (Skylar Gaertner) is headed down a dark path. Not only did he help the opposing team launder money in Part 1, but he told Ruth that Javi killed Wyatt and Darlene against his parents' wishes. Jonah has a rebellious streak and a temper to match. Although it would be tragic for him to die, he's putting himself in danger by defying his parents, assisting Ruth, and laundering money. And all that being said, even if he's doing nothing but sitting meekly at home, he's not necessarily safe while in the presence of Wendy and Marty.

It's a shame that Jonah's parents dragged him into a life of criminal activity, but Jonah is leaning into money laundering as a profession ... despite only being a teenager. Perhaps worst of all is that he believes he knows everything, yet probably doesn't totally grasp the danger he's in by being associated with his parents. If he were to go all-out defiant in Part 2 by joining Ruth, that only hurts his case for surviving. We also can't forget that he's involved in the car crash, and the audience still needs to find out when it takes place and whether any of the Byrdes survive.

Entering Season 4, Part 2, Wendy Byrde is arguably in more danger than ever. Not only is that car crash looming large, but at this point, she's leaning fully into the dark side (and she seems to be loving it). Though Omar is behind bars, Wendy has disappointed him — and cartel bosses have to be high on the list of individuals you don't want to let down. And, of course, there's the Javi of it all. Javi is erratic, violent, and is shadowing the Byrde family during their day-to-day operations in the Ozarks.

The deeper Wendy gets into her political career, the more laws and moral gray areas she's willing to bend, break, or blur. Audience members might want the entire Byrde family to survive, but given everything they've been through, it would be a miracle if all of them make it out alive. Wendy's fate seems pretty grim, but there's one Byrde family member who appears to be in even more trouble than she is heading into the final batch of "Ozark" episodes.

Considering Marty got his family into this mess to begin with back in Season 1, it would only be poetic justice for him to take the fall to save his family. Marty and Wendy might be at odds with one another and it remains to be seen whether their marriage will stay intact, let alone if the family will return to Chicago together, but above all else, he loves his family. Unfortunately, he's the family member who's closest to Javi, who beat him up in the Part 1 finale. Marty also isn't on the best terms with Omar, who could make some calls in prison if he so desires. Despite being associated and/or allied with Ruth in previous seasons, Marty is on her bad side now, too –– and she appears to be on a warpath, ready to take out anyone who gets in her way.

It would be an understatement to say that Marty is facing a variety of threats as we head into the final stretch of the series, and it'll take some real finagling –– and a whole lot of luck –– for him to make it out alive. At the very least, he seems destined to fall for one or several of his many crimes. After all, the season's tagline is "No one gets out clean."

Ruth Langmore, by all measures, is in a terrible place entering Season 4, Part 2. Not only was Wyatt murdered by Javi, as well as their business partner Darlene, but she threatened the Byrdes at gunpoint. She then presumably went after Javi after Jonah told her that the new cartel boss killed Wyatt. It doesn't help her cause that she isn't afraid to stand up to anyone who crosses her — a hot-headedness that has previously gotten her into trouble.

If Ruth actually proceeds with her rampage, either she or Javi will presumably go down. That said, taking out a cartel boss doesn't typically put you in good standing with the rest of the cartel, whether you win a battle or not. Ruth's best bet would be to flee town and never come back, but even that doesn't guarantee her safety –– yet it's still an arguably more sensible route than going guns blazing against Javi. To make matters worse, Marty told Ruth that Javi is untouchable given the current deal with the FBI that's also linked to their freedom –– and if he feels like Ruth is going to jeopardize that deal, he could warn Javi of her arrival, or even end up in his own showdown with her.

Javi is an unpredictably lethal and very hands-on cartel boss, all of which seems likely to put him in the line of fire. He has also killed multiple people in the Ozarks, which he may or may not go down for. Ultimately, villains as corrupt as Javi don't usually make it out alive in crime dramas like "Ozark," though stranger things have happened. Javi is pretty much everyone's greatest enemy, including the Byrde family, Ruth, the authorities, and even his uncle Omar. Given he's an impatient hothead who lets his temper get the best of him, and he's not afraid to kill people in cold blood, Javi isn't in the safest place heading into the final episodes of "Ozark."

But as the audience is well aware at this point, anything could happen in Season 4, Part 1. Although many characters are in grave danger entering the last batch of episodes, it remains to be seen what will ensue, not to mention everyone's fate. Only time will tell, but fans are certainly in store for a wild –– and perhaps lethal –– ending.