Omar was Black, gay, held up low-level drug dealers, and he captured the heart of a nation as well as a president. What made Omar Devone Little such a remarkable character in The Wire (besides Williams’ acting) is how effectively the writers played against type. Omar is a Baltimore stick-up man who targets street dealers. Instead of a track suit, he wears a duster and a bulletproof vest. Instead of an M82, he totes a shotgun. Instead of servicing a stable of women, he’s gay—and surprisingly tender toward his lovers. He follows a personal code of ethics, takes his grandmother to church, refers to himself in the third person, and has an irresistible, gimlet-eyed philosophy on life. When Omar strolls toward the camera, you know it’s going to be good.