History Characters / SuccessionMainCharacters

* MultiethnicName: Willa has an American first name and a surname used in both Brazil and the Hispanosphere. This is likely not a case of ActorSharedBackground, though. While the surname Lupe can be of Hispanic origin, Justine Lupe's last name appears to come from an Italian grandparent.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Logan has a type, and Marcia is outwardly genial and polite, but cross her and you might lose an eye.

-----

[[/folder]]

[- '''Main Characters''' ([[Characters/SuccessionLoganRoy Logan Roy]], [[Characters/SuccessionKendallRoy Kendall Roy]], [[Characters/SuccessionShivRoy Siobhan "Shiv" Roy]], [[Characters/SuccessionRomanRoy Roman Roy]], [[Characters/SuccessionTomWambsgans Tom Wambsgans]]) | [[Characters/SuccessionTheRoyFamily Extended Roy Family]] | [[Characters/SuccessionWaystarRoyco Waystar RoyCo]] | [[Characters/SuccessionOtherCompanies Other Companies]] | [[Characters/SuccessionPolitics Politics]] | [[Characters/SuccessionOtherCharacters Other Characters]]-]]]]]

--> See [[Characters/SuccessionTomWambsgans his page]] for more information.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Rava]]
!!Rava Roy
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/succession_rava.jpg]]
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/NatalieGold

Though Rava cares for her estranged husband, Kendall, she has remained separated from him while being the primary caretaker of their children.

[- '''Main Characters''' ([[Characters/SuccessionLoganRoy Logan Roy]], [[Characters/SuccessionKendallRoy Kendall Roy]], [[Characters/SuccessionShivRoy Siobhan "Shiv" Roy]], [[Characters/SuccessionRomanRoy Roman Roy]]), [[Characters/SuccessionTomWambsgans Tom Wambsgans]] | [[Characters/SuccessionTheRoyFamily Extended Roy Family]] | [[Characters/SuccessionWaystarRoyco Waystar RoyCo]] | [[Characters/SuccessionOtherCompanies Other Companies]] | [[Characters/SuccessionPolitics Politics]] | [[Characters/SuccessionOtherCharacters Other Characters]]-]]]]]

[- '''Main Characters''' ([[Characters/SuccessionLoganRoy Logan Roy]], [[Characters/SuccessionKendallRoy Kendall Roy]], [[Characters/SuccessionShivRoy Siobhan "Shiv" Roy]], [[Characters/SuccessionRomanRoy Roman Roy]]) | [[Characters/SuccessionTheRoyFamily Extended Roy Family]] | [[Characters/SuccessionWaystarRoyco Waystar RoyCo]] | [[Characters/SuccessionOtherCompanies Other Companies]] | [[Characters/SuccessionPolitics Politics]] | [[Characters/SuccessionOtherCharacters Other Characters]]-]]]]]

!!Tom Wambsgans
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/succession_tom2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Underneath, we're all just little nudie turtles."'']]
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/MatthewMacfadyen

-->''"Greg, I'm gonna accelerate you. New title, a ton more money, a nice new office. You're movin' up. You can throw away the training bra. A seat at the big table. You like that? Yeah?"''
--->-- '''Tom Wambsgans'''

Tom, Shiv’s boyfriend (later husband), is infatuated with the Roy family’s power and prestige. Employed in a senior position at Waystar, he pursues acceptance from his wife's family, often humiliating himself in the process.

* AgeGapRomance: It's never brought up but he seems to be significantly older than Shiv if their actors' ages are any indication (Matthew [=McFayden=] is fourteen years older than Sarah Snook).
* AmbiguouslyBi: He shows no interest in any other woman except Shiv and no men... except he's very, very attached to Greg. The first thing he does when he meets him is try to bully him, asking if he'd kiss him, and he's very jealous when Greg moves in with Kendall. In Season 3, he repeatedly compares their relationship to that of Nero and Sporus[[note]]a slave boy who Nero castrated and married[[/note]], celebrates the news that [[spoiler: he's not going to prison for the cruise scandal]] by kissing Greg's forehead, and acts unhappy and jealous when Greg wants to ask out Comfrey. His invitation to [[spoiler:join Logan against the siblings, betraying his wife Shiv,]] in the finale of Season 3 is also framed more like a marriage proposal than anything, including the fact that he addresses Greg as "Sporus."
* AntiMentor: Played with. He advises his subordinate Greg not to trust anyone (a helpful tip in the cutthroat business world) but doesn't disclose the latter's meeting with Michelle Pantsil, a secret only he was trusted with. Additionally, he uses one of his employees as a physical footstool and successfully encourages a hesitant Greg to join him.
* ArsonMurderAndAdmiration: Responds this way when he realizes that Greg is blackmailing him, using crucial documents that could land him in prison against him. He's genuinely proud that he's showing initiative and savvy, even going so far as to encourage him by offering Greg more than he is demanding.
* AwfulWeddedLife: For as much as they seem to care about each other at times, Tom and Shiv's marriage is marred with neglect, abuse, and passive-aggressiveness from both parties.
* TheBabyTrap: Because of his fear of going to prison, he’s suddenly obsessed with Shiv’s periods. She’s not happy when she figures this out, despite his insistence that it’s a nice thing and not just treating her as a host chamber.
* {{Bridezilla}}: He gets really, ''really'' into figuring out the details of the wedding, and is horrible towards the wedding planner.
-->'''Tom:''' Not to be a groomzilla, but...
* BrutalHonesty: [[spoiler: During his vicious fight with Shiv in "Tailgate Party", he delivers multiple truth bombs about her attitude, mental state, and, most harshly, his belief that she is unfit for motherhood.]]
* BullyAndWimpPairing: With Greg, where Tom is the bully. Even though Tom likes to assert his dominance over Greg, he does care for him, and the two often stick together thanks to their shared [[CommonalityConnection outsider status]] within the family.
* ButtMonkey: To the Roys; he is below everyone except Greg in the family pecking order.
* CampStraight: A (presumably straight) sneering metrosexual with a fondness for dress balls and pastel colors.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He tries to hide it, but Tom is a ''weird'' man, who’ll pepper lines like “bad news about my hymen” in morning breakfast conversation.
* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: It's implied that the side of Tom that plays psychosexual mind games with Greg would be more appealing to Shiv, with the irony being that it's the side of him that never comes out in front of her, causing her to look at him as a boring drip of a husband leading to much of their marital conflict. [[spoiler: This is, basically, proven correct to a point throughout Season 4. Tom begins behaving far more aggressively, explicitly cruel in his quest for power, and Shiv is so infatuated by his ambition that their romance is reignited. Briefly.]]
* CommonalityConnection: He and Greg are both outsiders among the Roys.
* TheConfidant: Shiv was a traumatised mess (she still is, but hides it better) when she met Tom, and he’s the only one - aside from Logan who “sees everything” - who knows some personal stuff she’s told him.
* ConspicuousConsumption: He thinks this is the best way to look rich, when in reality such behavior only underscores the fact that he's "new money".
* CrazyJealousGuy: Shiv admits she’s cheating on him, so his threat to break Nate’s legs is sort of justified, but he also throws water bottles at Greg for attempting to break away from him.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Much like his underling Greg, he seems harmlessly incompetent, but he's a very good schemer when his back is against the wall. [[spoiler: The Season 3 finale rams this home when he outdoes the rest of the Roy children and throws in with Logan, pulling off a heavy victory for himself, even if temporary. And then the show ends with Tom becoming the CEO, albeit subservient to Matsson.]]
* DamnedByFaintPraise: Shiv is very obviously settling for him, as her only reason for being with him is that he's "a good guy". Even on their wedding day, she only says, "You're a great guy, and I like hanging out with you," in comparison to Tom, who is so overwhelmed by his love for ''her'' that he cuts his speech short.
* DirtyCoward: When there’s a shooter, he pushes a woman out of the way because “executives are coming through!”
* TheDogBitesBack: While he allows himself to be run roughshod by the entire Roy family, he has his limits - notably snapping back at and humiliating Shiv's lover at their wedding reception before having him leave the premises. He becomes more tired of Shiv treating him like a pawn in Season 2, even telling her to fuck off when she goes too far mocking him during a dinner. By the season finale, he's had enough with Shiv's antics and even tells her he's considering leaving her. Taken even further in the Season 3 finale when he [[spoiler: outright betrays Shiv by warning Logan of her, Kendall, and Roman's plan to block the sale of the company]]. Season 4 sees Tom [[spoiler:take Matsson's side in the [=GoJo=] deal, ultimately taking over as the new Waystar CEO]].
* DoggedNiceGuy: He behaves this way around the Roys, but takes out his insecurities in an ugly way on anyone who is beneath him in standing.
* TheDragon: He gets in Logan's good graces in Season 4 and becomes his most trusted crony, speaking on his behalf in at least one negotiation. [[spoiler:This does not last, as Logan dies early on in the season. Though Tom finds his way back into this position under Matsson in the series finale by being his puppet CEO.]]
* DrunkWithPower: He loves the thought of being able to fire fifty people from ATN, and being able to use people as human furniture.
* DudeWheresMyReward: Tom is a mirror to Roman in that they both think they can play the being kicked game until it stops and they can be rewarded. But while Roman wants love and a family who can process emotions like normal people, Tom’s angle is getting more power.
* DumbassHasAPoint: He brings up early on that Logan will do the same to Shiv what he did to Kendall, play with her and get bored once she’s in, and while he can’t connect the dots that Logan is like that with everyone, that ends up exactly what happens.
* EffeminateMisogynisticGuy: His malewife status only goes so far, and his sexist side comes out in season three (wanting to use Shiv as an incubator, feeling emasculated by her being his boss, and wanting to show her who the “man” is).
* EmasculatedCuckold: Kendall and Roman both taunt him (though it’s just as much about humiliating their sister) on how likely it is that Shiv will fuck other men when he’s going to jail.
* EntitledToHaveYou: Pissed off about Shiv’s wanting to have an open marriage, he resorts to TantrumThrowing when Greg wants to “see other people”... professionally.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He makes clear to Greg that he doesn't actually believe any of ATN's right-wing rhetoric and sees it simply as a stepping stone. He's also visibly uncomfortable when Mark Ravenhead heavily implies that he's a Nazi sympathizer and Holocaust denier.
-->'''Tom:''' Have you ever read ''Literature/MeinKampf''?\\
'''Mark Ravenhead:''' Ehhhh, yeahhhh? Couple times, I guess.\\
'''Tom:''' Couple times? Were there easter eggs in there you didn't get the first time?
* ExtremeDoormat: He meekly accepts and shoulders much of the criticism that the Roys place upon him, and is especially [[HenpeckedHusband cowed by Shiv]]. By the end of season 2, he's finally starting to push back a little.
* FallGuy: [[spoiler: Though at first reluctant, he eventually clenches his teeth and offers himself up as a sacrificial lion to go to prison in order to save Waystar. He's doing it in the hope it will lead to greater respect and power in the future, but he's still utterly terrified by the prospect and rejoices when he manages to avoid prison time.]]
* FamilyVersusCareer: He misses [[spoiler:Logan's funeral]] for work at Waystar. Matsson is impressed with Tom when he learns this, [[spoiler:thus setting the stage for him crowning Tom CEO in the series finale]].
* FlippingTheTable: An unusual example. After he finds out [[spoiler: he's likely not going to prison]], he violently overturns Greg's desk in joy, not anger.
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Averted. When Shiv arranges a threesome with another woman, he's not enthusiastic.
* GoldDigger: While he does love Shiv, he from the very start wants to get in good with her father, disappointed when Connor initially offers to walk her down the aisle, and part of the reason why he's dreading prison is because he's become accustomed to the nicer things in life.
* HenpeckedHusband: He is henpecked ''hard'' even before he marries Shiv.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Definitely has shades of this with Greg, though his behavior throws into question just how "heterosexual" his attachment to Greg is.
* {{Homoerotic Subtext}}: Tom's aggression toward Greg is often sexually charged. While this isn't unusual behavior for straight men in a juvenile or college fraternity sense, Tom is somewhat obsessed with Greg in ways he'd clearly rather deny. This starts nearly climbing out of subtext in Season 3. Most notably, he tells Greg the story of Nero and his lover Sporus out of nowhere, then immediately tries to start a physical playfight (despite Greg's resistance), and later refers to Greg ''as'' Sporus while making an intimate business proposal in romantic lighting (as two waiters in the background snap each other's rears with napkins).
** He also engages in questionable behavior with other male underlings, as seen when he uses Jonah as a footstool. Using others as "human furniture" is a sexual fetish.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Tom is uncomfortable with Ravenhead’s obvious fascist views, but has a whole conversation with Shiv defending him, using all the usual excuses like “who wasn’t salty when they were twenty one”/”your dad likes him”/”fascism is a loaded word”.
* IFightForTheStrongestSide: Tom does know on some level that Logan is abusive, even making incest jokes about it, but as he tells Kendall, he’s seen him get fucked over and over, and - well - he’s with the fucker.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: The man uses people as human furniture to try and get over how emasculated Shiv and the other Roys make him feel. Noted by Greg early on, explaining to Ewan why Tom insulted him so much with "he's scared and lonely".
* ItsAllAboutMe: Although Tom tries to put up a facade of working as a husband-wife team with Shiv while working for Waystar, it's clear that he only really cares about himself.
** When Shiv is offered the the title of CEO of Waystar in Season 2, Tom barely tries to feign excitement and explicitly notes that he was hoping ''he'' would get the job instead. He's also deluded enough to think that he was the target when a shooter attacks the building in "Safe Room", due to his status as head of ATN.
** Later on in Season 3, he's constantly fearmongering about the idea of going to prison, while also trying to convince Shiv to have a baby with him, but only wants it so that a part of him will always be with Shiv if he's incarcerated, much to her complete disgust.
** Taken up to eleven by the Season 3 finale, where he [[spoiler:works with Logan to backstab the main Roy siblings (and by extension, his own wife) to get himself and Greg top positions in Waystar before it's successfully merged with Matsson's company]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Though he can be very abrasive, self-serving and bullying, he really does care for Shiv and wants to be part of the family, and is genuinely hurt when he realizes she's cheating on him and refuses to admit it. Even Logan tells Shiv he's a good man.
** Despite his abuse, he also grows to care for Greg's well-being. In what is Tom's most selfless act on the show, he protects Greg (at actual detriment to his own position in the family) from Logan's wrath after Greg inadvertently betrays his great-uncle to a biographer writing a tell-all book. In Season 3, when Greg asks Tom if he would absorb his personal part of the blame in the cruise papers scandal for him since it seemed as though Tom would be going to prison anyways, Tom simply agrees to, with nothing to suggest he has ulterior motives in doing this for Greg. Even Greg is surprised. [[spoiler:When Tom ascends to become Waystar's CEO in the finale, he opts to bring Greg along with him in a position of power, noting that while Mattson may have issues with Greg, Tom is aware enough of Greg's loyalty to him and rewards him for it.]]
-->'''Greg:''' No quid pro quo? Just… that's… that’s incredibly kind of you.
** He chooses to learn about Waystar's illegal activities — when not doing so would have kept him off the hook in a potential scandal — and is then the only character who contemplates doing "the right thing" and making the information public. Also, in marked contrast to Shiv, he is backing Sanderesque presidential candidate Gil Eavis out of idealism.
* JustJokingJustification: Tom's modus operandi is to pretend that he's joking because he struggles with his own emotions and emotional outbursts, especially with Greg and Shiv, especially as she's much more hard-nosed than him in general.
* KickTheDog: When he tasks Greg with firing dozens of ATN employees over video call, Tom smugly mocks the people's upset reactions and inevitable tears for a cheap laugh.
* LargeAndInCharge: Inverted. He's the tallest character in the show after Greg but the two are at the bottom of the pecking order and are regularly reminded of that fact.
* LargeHam: He can be quite over the top when he wants to be, screaming and spouting off downright insane statements when trying to assert dominance in a conversation or let off some steam when he's stressed.
* LikeASonToMe: In “Retired Janitors of Idaho”, a piss-mad Logan calls him “son” and asks him to take him to the bathroom. It’s assumed that Logan thinks he’s Kendall, but Tom still takes the opportunity with both hands.
* LoveForgivesAllButLust: Downplayed. Throughout Season 1, Tom worships Shiv. While it is also accompanied by her realization that she would like to take over Waystar-Royco which pushes Tom further from her, he is deeply wounded that she asked for an open marriage [[KickTheDog on their wedding night]], and when he finally vents how he really feels to Shiv for once, he emphasizes that, with the implication that was when she went too far with him.
* {{Manchild}}: Tom tries very hard to come across as a suave professional, but his natural immaturity ends up coming through a lot, whether in his trying way too hard to prove he belongs to the ultra-wealthy elites or his tendency to throw tantrums when things don't go his way.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Where Shiv is ruthless and calculating, he is, at heart, soft and sentimental. He also likes pastel colors, and his ultimate childhood dream was to attend a fancy ball.
* MeanBoss: Greg mentioning that Tom can be abusive professionally is the first step in him getting some respect from Logan.
* MinnesotaNice: He grew up in St. Paul and is saddled with the requisite Midwestern politeness, with a lot of his jabs cloaked in passive aggression (although he does let loose with Greg). His behavior is obviously passed down from his parents, who brush off apologies for being late to pick them up at the airport by saying that they had "great fun" sitting around for hours.
* MirrorCharacter: He's more like Logan than Shiv knows about, showing off his darker side by abusing Greg, and puts his hands on her shoulders after [[spoiler: betraying her]] like her dad does in the credits.
* MoralityPet: He's not a good person at all, but he and Shiv have a dog called Mondale, and Tom is the only one affectionate to it.
* MyGirlIsNotASlut: He grudgingly accepts Shiv's offer of an open marriage, but that doesn’t mean he wants to hear any of her past experiences.
* NiceToTheWaiter: Inverted. Tom's internal scumbag sadist shows through his mild facade whenever he's given power over others.
* NotWithThemForTheMoney: Zig-zagged; he's a SocialClimber and very obviously enamored with the Roy wealth, but his feelings for Shiv are genuine. [[spoiler:In Season 4 he very blatantly spells out that a big part of his attraction towards her was for power and money, and that while he sincerely cares for her, he still values those material things almost as much.]]
* OddCouple: He's in a ThoseTwoGuys duo with Greg, as both are relative outsiders to the rest of the Roys.
* OriginalPositionFallacy: He's on neither Kendall's nor Shiv’s side because he’s seen them get fucked repeatedly, but assumes the best place to be is on the side of the person doing the fucking, thinking it won't be him next.
* PetTheDog:
** For all his flaws, he does come to like and care for Greg and the two have probably the only genuine friendship in the whole series (in relative terms, as it's still laden with verbal abuse and intimidation from Tom).
** [[spoiler: When Logan dies, Tom is ''desperately'' doing his best to console the Roy kids, offer them a chance to final goodbyes, and using overall extremely kind, empathetic language throughout the situation. Despite his current estrangement from Shiv, Tom shows that he is capable of putting that aside to give the kids some closure.]]
* PlausibleDeniability: Tom runs into this when a key member of his staff retires and reveals that he's been covering up extremely illegal activities by the company. Tom has to choose whether to learn about the activities so he can keep them covered up, or to avoid learning about them so he has plausible deniability when they come to light. He ultimately chooses to learn about them...and promptly [[CorruptTheCutie involves Greg]] in the whole mess as well.
* ProfessionalButtKisser:
** His very first scene is wanting to get in good with Logan, and that never stops even when he’s horrified about what goes on in the company.
** This pattern continues in Season 4 with Matsson, as Tom continues to be submissive to Matsson even as the latter is [[KickTheDog openly talking about wanting to fuck Tom's wife to his face]] as a SecretTestOfCharacter. [[spoiler:It all finally pays off for Tom in the series finale, when Matsson makes him CEO of Waystar]].
* PowerOfTrust: Zig-zagged. When asking Greg to go to the office on Thanksgiving, he claims that he wants to be able to trust Greg and vice versa. Come Season 2's "Hunting", he goes back on his word and warns Greg to trust no one and that even he can only be trusted to a certain extent. Despite this, he keeps Greg's meeting with author Michelle Pantsil a secret.
* PungeonMaster: His best-known line might just be "You can't make a Tomlette without breaking some Greggs".
* PuppetKing: [[spoiler:Tom ends up with Waystar in the end, but it's clear this comes with Matsson's strings attached.]]
* PyrrhicVictory: Tom ends up getting what he theoretically wanted at the beginning of Season 1: he's married to Shiv, he has the pick of jobs...and Shiv ends up chipping away at his love for her to the point where he considers leaving her, and he's deeply unhappy with the knowledge he's gained about Waystar.
** [[spoiler: In the series finale, Tom is made CEO of Waystar. Hooray! Except it becomes clear right away that he is only being kept in the position to be a lackey for Matsson who accurately sees Tom as [[PuppetKing someone he can push around who has almost no real authority]]. He also reunites with Shiv but it becomes clear neither wants to be in the marriage but feel obligated.]]
* RagsToRiches: Not "rags" exactly, given his middle-class background, but Tom is currently in a family with billions of dollars to its name, and often feels uncomfortable due to the vast differences in his and Shiv's upbringings.
* RankUp: A plot point, as his ascension up the corporate ladder early in the series (to Head of Cruises) saddles him with the highly unwelcome knowledge of Waystar's crime coverups.
* TheResenter:
** He’s aware of the IncestSubtext between Logan and Kendall, and he can be seen in the background when they interact looking jealous, so he takes the opportunity in season three to be a replacement, Kendall identifying with it being no fun being the last eunuch in the forbidden city, promising Logan he won’t “wriggle”, and helping piss-mad Logan to the bathroom, being called “son” while his hand is on the man’s dick.
** He's also resentful towards Shiv for her own ambition and for her manipulation of him.
* TheScapegoat: It becomes apparent that Logan (and the Waystar-Royco board) plan on Tom being this for the cruise ship scandal. [[spoiler:The only reason it doesn't happen is that Shiv finally stands up for him.]]
* SexGod: According to Shiv's text messages, he's actually a very skilled and selfless lover. The SexWithTheEx she has with him is described as "orgasm Olympics" and she jokes she "lost count" of how many orgasms he gave her in a single night.
* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: When Greg expresses discomfort with ATN, he yells at him to man up and act like he doesn’t have any principles.
* {{Slimeball}}: Overtly sycophantic, sneaky, manipulative, and not as sophisticated as he thinks he is.
* SocialClimber: Shiv's ex notes that he's some nobody from the Midwest, and he's very interested in climbing up the ladder of the company and even considers taking Shiv's last name for reasons obviously unrelated to equality (though he is marrying for love).
* SoProudOfYou: He is actually impressed with Greg when the latter blackmails him, although Greg is [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame not happy with this reaction]].
* StepfordSmiler: It's made repeatedly clear that he isn't as happy in his marriage to Shiv as he likes to seem and is deeply resentful of her treatment of him as an afterthought. He admits to Greg, after the bottle throwing and learning that the shot was a suicide, that he also has a lot of self-loathing.
* TheSvengali: ''Attempts'' to be this to Greg, taking him under his wing in both business and social mentorship, but mainly keeping him around as a resource to exploit for his own goals. However, he does at times seem to be genuinely misguided in [[UnwantedAssistance thinking that he's also helping Greg]] out by doing this.
* SympatheticAdulterer: Shiv treats him badly, so even though he treats Greg badly too, the psychosexual mind games mixed with care aren’t seen as awful as they could be.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: He's got the looks for this (fitting as his actor once played Mr Darcy who was this trope incarnate), though his personality is the opposite of what this trope usually entails.
* TantrumThrowing: When Greg wants to break up with him (professionally), Tom takes it very badly, first tearing up and then pelting Greg with water bottles while shouting at him.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He becomes increasingly cruel and merciless as he ingratiates himself with Logan, especially in regard to Shiv, who he treats more like property that he has ownership of because she's carrying his baby and blames for all his failings just because she left him. He cruelly tells her that she's incapable of love, [[spoiler: unfit for motherhood, and too 'damaged' while she's pregnant.]]
* TrappedInVillainy: Once he learns about the company's dark secrets, Tom's first instinct is to come clean about the situation as a way of producing reform while saving the company's reputation. He is stopped, however, once it becomes clear to him that elements within the Roys' inner circle aim to shut down the possibility, and the second season has him frantically scrubbing any trace of evidence about it while actively helping the cover-up.
* WardrobeFlawOfCharacterization: Much like his ConspicuousConsumption tendencies, Tom's wardrobe is too try-hard — his shoes are too shiny, and his ties match his pocket squares. The Roys insult him by mocking his boxy suits and calling him "a divorce attorney from the Twin Cities."
* WhosLaughingNow: Tom to Shiv's lover at his wedding. After a season of the latter mocking him both behind his back and in front of it, Tom takes no little pleasure in utterly humiliating him at the reception before having him escorted out.
* WithFriendsLikeThese: He and Greg come to think of each other as friends, which doesn't stop the mutual wariness, deception and blackmailing.
* WolfInSheepsClothing: While he does care about Greg, his asshole side comes out when Shiv and the other Roys leave, and he uses human furniture to make up for his own inadequacies.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: Prostrates himself in front of Logan, offering to be the FallGuy who won’t wriggle like Kendall did, so Logan will appreciate it and take care of him.
* WrongAssumption: On some level he knows that his wife and her brothers are abused, but on another he can’t really comprehend it, laughing hysterically when Caroline throws another insult at Shiv, thinking it’s just a joke and not an abusive mother.
* YesMan: After Logan blames Shiv for being in on the vote of no confidence plan (she wasn’t) and apparently talks to her worse than normal, Tom still asks her if she’s okay with him sucking up to her father. He gets into trouble with Cyd for assuming she’s the same, and will just say whatever Logan thinks.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Rava]]
!!Rava Roy
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/succession_rava.jpg]]
->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/NatalieGold

Though Rava cares for her estranged husband, Kendall, she has remained separated from him while being the primary caretaker of their children.
----

* WickedStepmother: The siblings consider her this, seeing her as a gold digger who's entrapped Logan, especially when she refuses to let them see Logan while he's recovering from his stroke (though Shiv finds out the hard way that she has good reason for this).

* UndyingLoyalty: She has her own problems with Logan, and doesn't appreciate being treated like his children, but is far more likely to be on his side and decry them as ungrateful brats.

* OnlySaneMan: As eccentric, immature and egotistical as he is, he's arguably the most well-adjusted of the Roy siblings, lacking Roman's immorality and desperation for approval, Shiv's cutthroat attitude and Kendall's serious mental health issues. This is no doubt due to Logan viewing Connor as a harmless fool who will never be of real value but is also unlikely to ever do real damage or betray him, so he is content to simply leave him be. For all his kooky ideas and own pretensions (such as his presidential run), he's also the only one who just seems content to enjoy the life of privilege and luxury he already has without desperately trying to stab everyone in the back in an endlessly futile quest for more and more and more. And while his relationship with Willa is clearly transactional, it's also turned out to be easily the happiest, most stable and successful relationship on the show by far (which admittedly is not saying much).

* DisappointingOlderSibling: He is, technically, the oldest Roy child, but he is so dimwitted, weird and useless that a lot of people forget he factors into the family at all, and the Eldest Child responsibilities have thus been passed onto Logan's second son, Kendall.

[[Characters/{{Succession}} Back to the Character Index.]]

* ProfessionalButtKisser: His very first scene is wanting to get in good with Logan, and that never stops even when he’s horrified about what goes on in the company.

* MeaningfulName: Tom shares the same last name with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Wambsganss Bill "Wamby" Wambsganss]], a second baseman who famously pulled off an unassisted triple play--making all three outs single-handedly--during the 1920 World Series. [[spoiler:Tom outwits the three Roy siblings not once, but ''twice''. And the latter gambit ends with him being appointed as the new CEO of Waystar.]]

** Before Kendall gives the presentation on Living+, Karl asks for clarification about last-minute updates Kendall was making, and when Kendall stonewalls him, Karl threatens to squeal and reminds Kendall [[spoiler:they have a MutuallyAssuredDestruction relationship as Co-CEO and CFO.]]

** Despite his abuse, he also grows to care for Greg's well-being. In what is Tom's most selfless act on the show, he protects Greg (at actual detriment to his own position in the family) from Logan's wrath after Greg inadvertently betrays his great-uncle to a biographer writing a tell-all book. In Season 3, when Greg asks Tom if he would absorb his personal part of the blame in the cruise papers scandal for him since it seemed as though Tom would be going to prison anyways, Tom simply agrees to, with nothing to suggest he has ulterior motives or a hidden agenda in doing this for Greg. Even Greg is surprised. [[spoiler:When Tom ascends to become Waystar's CEO in the finale, he opts to bring Greg along with him in a position of power, noting that while Mattson may have issues with Greg, Tom is aware enough of Greg's loyalty to him and rewards him for it.]]

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: He accidentally escalates the conflict between Kendall and Logan on two separate ocasions:

* PunchClockVillain: Frank serves evil ends as part of Waystar-Royco, but seems to be one of the few members of Logan's inner circle that neither personally enjoyed it nor participated in the fraud or mass abuse.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: Frank is Kendall’s godfather and was a ParentalSubstitute for him. When Logan uses him to get Kendall to come down to see Josh (and plan being getting beaten down again and shutting up), Kendall’s angry at him. In the season three finale, when the kids are begging Logan and Caroline to not leave them in the dust, neither he, Gerri or Karl do anything to help.

* OnlySaneMan: She's one of the smartest and most put-together characters on the show.

* ButtMonkey: Karl is often uncomfortable with his less-than-ideal circumstances. And while everyone is the target of verbal abuse, Karl is never very good at fighting back against it.

* BadBoss: She and Hugo loathe each other, and they spend Season 4 undermining each other in the hopes that the other will get fired. When Hugo is seen to be giggling over Kerry's embarrassing audition tape with Gerri, she discreetly forces Hugo to expose his actions in front of Logan.
* ButtMonkey: She has seemingly the most stressful job in Waystar-Royco, having to navigate numerous scandals for the public while privately having to walk on eggshells around volatile personalities like Logan who can and ''will'' blame her when things go wrong. To make matters worse, her underling Hugo is working in subtle ways to undermine her with an eye to taking her job.

* BrutalHonesty: He’ll at least tell you you can’t trust him on anything, though if you’re Kendall, he’ll also try and make it up to you.

* TheDragon: To Sandy Furness, who uses Stewy as his primary string-puller.

** [[spoiler: In the series finale, Tom is made CEO of Waystar. Hooray! Except it becomes clear right away that he is only being kept in the position to be a lackey for Matsson who accurately sees Tom as [[PuppetKing someone he can push around who has almost no real authority]]. He also reunites with Shiv but it becomes clear neither wants to be in the marriage but feel obligated. And while Tom manages to convince Matsson to keep Greg on Waystar despite attempting to backstab both of them, it's clear what's left of their relationship is also irreparably damaged, leaving Tom utterly alone.]]

* RomanticFakeRealTurn: Implied throughout Season 2. Although firmly subverted in Season 1, where Connor seems to hope this will happen, but it doesn't, and he has to wheedle her to move in with him, she refers to him as looking "hot" in his campaign video, and she shows genuine concern in his welfare. Finally, they share a genuine and honest moment at their wedding in Season 4 where they mutually accept that they're satisfied with their relationship, even if it's less than ideal. They ultimately seem one of the happiest and most stable couples, surprisingly.

* MirrorCharacter: To Roman. Both more on the Republican side of things (Roman wanting a fascist as president, Connor having an interest in phrenology) and having HatesBeingTouched and sexual issues. They seem to understand each other, like Shiv and Kendall band together, with Connor going to comfort Roman after Shiv goes too far with the sex jokes.

** [[spoiler: In the series finale, Tom is made CEO of Waystar. Hooray! Except it becomes clear right away that he is only being kept in the position to be a lackey for Matsson who accurately sees Tom as [[PuppetKing someone he can push around who has almost no real authority]]. He also reunites with Shiv but it becomes clear neither wants to be in the marriage but feel obligated. His friendship with Greg is also irreparably damaged, leaving Tom utterly alone.]]

** [[spoiler: In the series finale, Tom is made CEO of Waystar. Hooray! Except it becomes clear right away that he is only being kept in the position to be a lackey for Matsson who accurately sees Tom as someone he can push around and he has almost no real authority. He also reunites with Shiv but it becomes clear neither wants to be in the marriage but feel obligated and his friendship with Greg is irreparably damaged, leaving Tom utterly alone.]]

* BigBadWannabe: He smugly boasts that he'll eat Kendall and the Roys one by one. This never comes to fruition, with the only time he's shown to hurt anyone being a passive example of not siding with Kendall's vote of no confidence. In fact, it's later shown that Lawrence's company isn't as hot as it first seems to be, which causes it to be gutted quickly into Season 2 much to his chagrin.

* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: In the first episode, he is the one to tell Kendall that his father has just had a brain hemorrhage. While Kendall reels in shock, Lawrence delivers the kicker: "You invited me into the chicken coup, and without Daddy involved, I'm going to eat you one by fucking one."

** Remember: it's not true he [[IdleRich hasn't worked a day in his life]]! He is a hard working rancher on the verge of setting up a podcast on Napoleonic history!

* DesperatelyCravesAffection: He pays for Willa's affection, and can't help falling for Logan's emotionally blackmailing "you're number one" after Kendall breaks free of the leash. Alan Ruck refers to it as Connor is on the inside looking in, both with :the golden trio" and his father.

* {{Foil}}: To Logan, as he’s the oldest sibling, Roman especially makes fun but they have a good relationship, and he tries to be the father figure to the three of them when Logan can’t and has never bothered. He also dates much younger women like Logan does, but controlling aside, treats Wila better than Logan does to any woman he’s with (as low bar as that is).

** Connor is the least relevant of the Roy siblings and the family as a whole treats him like a joke. But in season 3 [[spoiler:he actually shows some depth when Kendall attempts to bring the siblings on his side. He calls them out for ignoring what the family and company were doing on the cruises. His exit from the meeting is followed by the others right after.]]

* IJustWantToBeLoved: He explodes in the season three finale, ranting that he’s the eldest son, and that he’s tried his best with the trio but they just take advantage of him.

* NotSoAboveItAll: Though he claims to not be confrontational and prefers to be neutral, it doesn't take much to get him involved in petty drama. He also is a ControlFreak with his own agenda, despite framing himself as the most calm, mature sibling. Plus he calls out his dad for misogyny, and does generally love Willa, but still pimps her out to further his political ambitions and he's not above making blowjob jokes about his little sister when he wants something from her.
* OnlySaneMan: As eccentric, immature and egotistical as he is, he's arguably the most well-adjusted of the Roy siblings, lacking Roman's immorality and desperation for approval, Shiv's cutthroat attitude and Kendall's serious mental health issues. This is no doubt due to Logan viewing Connor as a harmless fool who will never be of real value but is also unlikely to ever do real damage or betray him so he is content to simply leave him be. For all his kooky ideas and own pretensions (such as his presidential run), he's also the only one who just seems content to enjoy the life of privilege and luxury he already has without desperately trying to stab everyone in the back in an endlessly futile quest for more and more and more. And while his relationship with Willa is clearly transactional, it's also turned out to be easily the happiest, most stable and successful relationship on the show by far (which admittedly is not saying much).

* ParentalSubstitute: They rag him about it, but was far more of a father figure for Kendall, Roman and Shiv than Logan.

* PowerfulPeopleAreSubs: Asks Wila to slap him out of nowhere, and when she does he calls her the best girlfriend in the world.

* TheUnfavorite: Due to his rather... odd demeanor and ambitions, as well as the age gap between him and the rest of his siblings, he's usually [[ButtMonkey completely forgotten about]], and tolerated at best. Despite being Logan's firstborn son, Logan considers him [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg a complete nonfactor]]. Strangely enough, this means that Logan tends to treat him more kindly than his other children since he's so clearly harmless. [[spoiler: The finale supports interpretation when the siblings watch a video of Logan relaxing and enjoying the company of the people who are closest to being actual friends; Connor is the only one of the siblings who is present. Weirdly enough, the fact that Connor is the unfavorite child may somehow make him the favorite.]]

** In Season 1, he mistakenly assumes that Kendall intends to announce Logan's retirement at the RECNY gala, and informs Logan of the fact. Logan then usurps Kendall's speech and announces that he's staying on as CEO. Kendall, who had merely wanted to make a "he will never retire" joke, is upset at the turn of events and his father's general lack of trust in him, which leads him to try and stage a coup several episodes later.

* {{Blackmail}}: He turns out to have quite a talent for this. He successfully uses it on not only Tom, repeatedly, but also on multiple other characters who ''should'' be smart enough to plan for it, but fail to because Greg is just so below their radar that they never think he'd have the capacity to manipulate them.
* BrilliantButLazy: He starts as a twentysomething who can't even hold on to a low level job but he proves himself surprisingly smart and crafty when he needs to be.

* AmbiguouslyBi: He shows no interest in any other woman except Shiv and no men... except he's very, very attached to Greg. The first thing he does when he meets him is try to bully him, asking if he'd kiss him, and he's very jealous when Greg moves in with Kendall. In Season 3, he repeatedly compares their relationship to that of Nero and Sporus[[note]]a slave boy who Nero castrated and married[[/note]], celebrates the news that [[spoiler: he's not going to prison for the cruise scandal]] by kissing Greg's forehead, and acts unhappy and jealous when Greg wants to ask out Comfrey. His invitation to [[spoiler: join Logan against the siblings, betraying his wife Shiv,]] in the finale of Season 3 is also framed more like a marriage proposal than anything, including the fact that he addresses Greg as "Sporus."

* CrazyJealousGuy: Shiv admits she’s cheating on him, so his threat to break Nate’s legs is sorta justified, but he also throws water bottles at Greg for attempting to break up with him.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Much like his underling Greg, he seems harmlessly incompetent, but he's a very good schemer when his back is against the wall. [[spoiler: The Season 3 finale rams this home when he outdoes the rest of the Roy children and throws in with Logan, pulling off a heavy victory for himself, even if temporary. And then the show ends with Tom becoming the CEO, albeit subservient to Mattson.]]

* {{Homoerotic Subtext}}: Tom's aggression toward Greg is often sexually charged. While this isn't unusual behavior for straight men in a juvenile or fratty sense, Tom is somewhat obsessed with Greg in ways he'd clearly rather deny. This starts nearly climbing out of subtext in Season 3. Most notably, he tells Greg the story of Nero and his lover Sporus out of nowhere, then immediately tries to start a physical playfight (despite Greg's resistance), and later refers to Greg ''as'' Sporus while making an intimate business proposal in romantic lighting (as two waiters in the background snap each other's rears with napkins).

* LikeASonToMe: In “Retired Janitors Of Idaho”, a piss-mad Logan calls him “son” and asks him to take him to the bathroom. It’s assumed that Logan thinks he’s Kendall, but Tom still takes the opportunity with both hands.

* {{Manchild}}: Tom tries very hard to come across as a suave professional but his natural immaturity ends up coming through a lot, whether in his trying way too hard to prove he belongs to the ultra-wealthy elites or his tendency to throw tantrums when things don't go his way.

* NiceToTheWaiter: Inverted. Tom's internal scumminess shows through his mild facade whenever he's given power over others.

* OriginalPositionFallacy: He's on neither Kendall's or Shiv’s side because he’s seen them get fucked repeatedly, but assumes the best place to be is on the side of the person doing the fucking, thinking it won't be him next.

* PowerOfTrust: Zig-zagged. When asking Greg to go the office on Thanksgiving, he claims that he wants to be able to trust Greg and vice versa. Come Season 2's "Hunting", he goes back on his word and warns Greg to trust no one and that even he can only be trusted to a certain extent. Despite this, he keeps Greg's meeting with author Michelle Pantsil a secret.

* {{Slimeball}}: Overtly-sycophantic, sneaky, manipulative, and not as sophisticated as he thinks he is.

* TookALevelInJerkass: He becomes increasingly cruel and merciless as he ingratiates himself with Logan, especially in regards to Shiv, who he treats more like property that he has ownership of because she's carrying his baby, and blames for all his failings just because she left him. He cruelly tells her that she's incapable of love, [[spoiler: unfit for motherhood, and too 'damaged' while she's pregnant.]]

* WardrobeFlawOfCharacterization: Much like his ConspicuousConsumption tendencies, Tom's wardrobe is too try-hard — his shoes are too shiny and his ties match his pocket squares. The Roys insult him by mocking his boxy suits and calling him "a divorce attorney from the Twin Cities."

* AmbiguouslyJewish: Natalie Gold is Jewish, Sophie has a menorah on her stand, and Kendall is self-absorbed about the causes he can stand up to Logan for, anti-semitism being one of them, so it would make sense if some of his family was.

* CommutingOnABus: Despite being a big part of Kendall's life in the first season, she's entirely absent from the second aside from an occasional mention by Kendall. She comes back in the third season because her ex wants to use her house as base, and tries to wish him a happy birthday.

* GoldDigger: A more obvious example than usual as Connor literally pays her to be his girlfriend. However subverted later on, as she is ''not'' down with marrying Connor for his money, only accepts his proposal in a moment when she feels that she at least somewhat likes him as a person, and clearly has second thoughts about going along with the wedding. On the day itself, however, she finally admits that while money and security is part of her attraction to him, she's also satisfied with the happiness she has with him, and they do marry without regrets.

* RomanticFakeRealTurn: Implied throughout Season 2. Although firmly subverted in Season 1, where Connor seems to hope this will happen but it doesn't, and he has to wheedle her to move in with him, she refers to him as looking "hot" in his campaign video, and she shows genuine concern in his welfare. Finally, they share a genuine and honest moment at their wedding in Season 4 where they mutually accept that they're satisfied with their relationship, even if it's less than ideal. They ultimately seem one of the happiest and most stable couples, surprisingly.

Logan’s longtime confidant and chief operating officer of Waystar Royco.

* AffablyEvil: Frank is easily the most personally pleasant employee of Waystar Royco; he's mild-mannered, cultured, honest and witty. He's also loyal to a media monster and is willing to enact his wishes regardless of the ethical considerations.

* ButtMonkey: Frank really does ''not'' have the best time working for Waystar Royco. After being a loyal advisor to Logan for decades and someone who considers Logan a friend, he's fired unceremoniously in the very first episode to make way for Roman, who he got stuck babysitting for months and who now irrationally hates Frank. From that point on, he's trapped in the orbit of the Roy family, seemingly unable to cut himself loose.

* DistaffCounterpart: To Gerri. Both are the closest members of Logan's inner circle and both have a special relationship with one of the Roy sons (Kendall in Frank's case).

* UselessBystanderParent: Godfather, and it’s not like he can do much, but with what happens in “All The Bells Say” (Frank, Karl and Gerri work like nothing is happening while Logan scorns his children), Roman’s hatred of him seems to stem from knowing full well Logan’s abuse, but doing nothing to stop it.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: Kendall’s godfather and was a ParentalSubstitute for him. But when Logan uses him to get Kendall to come down to see Josh (and plan being getting beaten down again and shutting up), Kendall’s angry at him. In the season three finale, when the kids are begging Logan and Caroline to not leave them in the dust, neither he, Gerri or Karl do anything to help.

General counsel to Waystar Royco.

* AffablyEvil: So affable that it's easy to forget about the "evil" part, but while Gerri can be nice, levelheaded, and she's extremely intelligent, she is also one of the main participants in the Roy coverup of serial sex offences, and she compiles some of the most evil ideas (such as the collateral against rape victims).

* FakeGuestStar: J. Smith Cameron is credited as a guest starrer in Season 1 although she's in every episode except the pilot.

** To Logan. She degrades Roman in a consensual affectionate way and he asks her to protect him when he’s fearing being guilty on manslaughter, while Logan “protects” Kendall after the waiter death in a way that leaves him no choice, and dehumanizes his son so much that Kendall makes regular trips to the roof.

* MayDecemberRomance: Her mentorship with Roman [[WillTheyOrWontThey ambiguously]] crosses into this territory, with him being aroused by Gerri's criticism. When she realizes Roman is masturbating during their phone call, [[NotSoAboveItAll she is taken aback but nonetheless consensually plays along]].

* OnlySaneMan: She‘s one of the smartest and most put-together characters on the show.

Waystar Royco's Chief Financial Officer and a member of the company's legal team.

Head of PR for Waystar Royco and a member of Waystar Royco's legal team.

* BadBoss: She and Hugo loathe each other and spend Season 4 undermining each other in the hopes that the other will get fired. When Hugo is seen to be giggling over Kerry's embarrassing audition tape with Gerri, she discreetly forces Hugo to expose his actions in front of Logan.
* ButtMonkey: She has seemingly the most stressful job in Waystar Royco, having to navigate numerous scandals for the public while privately having to walk on eggshells around volatile personalities like Logan who can and ''will'' blame her when things go wrong. To make matters worse, her underling Hugo is working in subtle ways to undermine her with an eye to taking her job.

A senior communications executive and a member of Waystar Royco's legal team, occupying a position directly below Karolina.

* AmoralAttorney: Hugo's just doing his job at the end of the day, but he's pretty merciless when it comes to executing that job. He advises on how to cover up a huge scandal, tries to get Tom through the hearings by using stall tactics, and readily suggests sacrificing loyal employees of Waystar Royco to the media frenzy.

** He spends all of Season 4 in a rivalry with Karolina, which sees both of them subtly trying to get the other fired. [[spoiler:He sides with Kendall in order to make Kendall the CEO and kill the deal with Mattson (given Mattson's kill list involved retaining Karolina and firing him), but in the end, Mattson wins out and Hugo is let go in favor of Karolina.]]

Kendall's longtime [[VitriolicBestBuds frenemy]]: a financier who becomes a member of Waystar Royco's board.

* MouthOfSauron: For Sandy Furness, who rarely appears in person. Stewy is trusted to communicate Sandy's wishes and make deals on his behalf.

* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Always giving Kendall little touches. Touch starved that he is, Ken doesn’t seem to mind.

* WickedStepmother: The siblings consider her this, seeing her as a gold digger who's entrapped Logan, especially when she refuses to let them see Logan while he's recovering from his stroke (though she has good reason for this).