Who is Colin on ‘Succession?’

The following article contains major spoilers for the fourth season of Succession.

Succession has undeniably been on its way to becoming one of the biggest hits on TV in later years. With its satirical storytelling filled with dark comedy, the series’ success has materialized in the form of four seasons greenlit by HBO Max. As the series airs its fourth and final season, fans of the conglomerate patriarchy led by Logan Roy (Brian Cox) are yet again met with game-changing episodes week after week — even after four seasons, the surprise does not seem to cease.

In the most recent episode, the death of Logan Roy caused an uproar of reactions among the characters, as the show skillfully gathered all the characters’ reactions in real-time as they found the news. The 86-year-old mogul finally reached his demise that had been hinted at from the start and, expectedly, all of Roy’s siblings mourned his death. All while Shiv, Roman, and Kendall’s reactions were certainly hard to stomach, it was Colin (Scott Nicholson) and Zerry (Zoe Winters) that completely evoked the most heartbreaking responses to Roy’s passing. But why did Colin have such a strong reaction?

Who is Colin, Logan Roy’s security guard?

Played by The Wolf of Wall Street‘s Scott Nicholson, Colin is Roy’s security guard and fixer, as well as an indispensable presence to the Roy family from the show’s inception. A Jack-of-all-trades, Colin’s role, albeit seemingly minor, has guaranteed all the stoicism necessary to keep all of the Roy shenanigans running smooth and clean. From distributing NDAs to even cleaning manslaughter scenes, Colin’s loyalty and almost nonchalant attitude while performing the most disturbing of duties (i.e. removing an invisible cat hallucinated by Roy) have made him a confidant for all members of the family.

Always carrying his signature Bluetooth piece, Colin is always on the go, ready to work on everything that needs immediate attention. Surely, this character is always lurking in the background, but surprisingly enough, he only has very few lines of dialogue. Nonetheless, he is almost an omnipresent figure around Roy, carrying the weight of his boss’ actions on his back, with unwavering loyalty. In his silence and very few impactful lines, Colin is the true hero in Succession.

Although consistently on the periphery, Colin and Logan Roy have a much deeper connection than most may have noticed – until the third episode aired. Completely shattered by Roy’s passing, Colin’s heartbreaking reaction shows the immediate reaction of someone who just lost all meaning in life. After all, the security guard’s goal in life was to keep Roy safe at all costs, until he suddenly was no longer able to do that, with a lingering sense of failure.

At the time of writing, Colin’s faith is uncertain. Without Logan to take care of, perhaps he is finally free to live his life away from his decade-old duties. Or perhaps, his focus may be directed to any of the Roy siblings, in hopes to bring him the closure he wished to have received from Logan. Regardless, this is surely not the last we’ll see of Colin.

Succession is available at HBO Max.