24's Best 25 Characters, Ranked!

Jack Bauer has had some reeeally bad days.

Over the course of nine seasons (plus the TV-movie Redemption), 24's seemingly indestructible CTU agent (iconically played by Kiefer Sutherland) has accumulated a swarm of enemies. While Bauer was busy conquering terrorism and chasing down bad guys (most likely while screaming "Dammit!" at the top of his lungs), the series delivered a high-stakes world of nuclear bombs and deadly viruses that was chock-full of colorful characters. Despite the fact that many of Bauer's adversaries wanted him dead and buried, some of them have rightfully earned their spots on this very list.

But Jack also met loads of ride-or-die colleagues who helped our hero thwart danger along the way.

Here, TVLine has broken down the 25 best characters, spanning friends, foes and everything in between. From conspiracy heads (including one diabolical U.S. president) and lethal femme fatales, to Jack's many loves (Audrey Boudreau and Renee Walker) and those who always had his back (Bill Buchanan and Chloe O'Brian), we're celebrating the heroes, villains, government officials and others who kept us glued to our screens, soaking in the action-packed sagas (and sometimes-soapy drama).

Yes, we included Kim... sans her infamous feline co-star, of course. But we did exclude from consideration the one-and-done 2017 spinoff 24: Legacy (#SorryNotSorry).

Miss Jack Bauer and the gang? Still pining for more 24? Take a trip back to CTU: Los Angeles with this ranked list of our favorite characters — WARNING, SPOILERS APLENTY! — and then hit the Comments and tell us who we forgot or misplaced.

Though Mandy only popped up sporadically — including as part of the pilot's first explosive cliffhanger! — and was never a Big Bad, she was a devious and deadly assassin whose appearance always raised the stakes and worsened Jack's day. Not only was she involved in two conspiracies to kill President David Palmer, but she also served as Habib Marwan's most badass mercenary. Despite her limited episode count, she sneaks onto this list for two reasons: 1) Mandy is still the only multiple-season antagonist in the show's canon to remain at large and 2) Mia Kirshner's performance and screen presence always left us wanting more.

Dennis Hopper held a commanding presence over 24's first season as Drazen, a former Serbian military leader and war criminal. "The Butcher of Belgrade" held Jack personally responsible for the death of his family during the President Palmer-sanctioned Operation Nightfall, a secret mission aimed to eliminate Drazen for his crimes against humanity. Though presumed dead at the time, he lived long enough to make Jack's life hell, kidnapping Teri and Kim Bauer before Jack finally ended him once and for all. Hopper's Drazen was exactly what the fresh new series needed to jump-start its franchise: a dastardly, vengeful bad guy with absolutely nothing left to lose.

After raiding the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles, Jack earned himself a life-long enemy in Cheng Zhi, a former Chinese official who certainly enacted his revenge on the U.S. Not only did he abduct and torture Jack, he then did the same to Audrey, using the woman as leverage in his sick revenge fantasy against Jack and the United States government. Like with most of the series' villains, Bauer eventually caught up with ol' Cheng in Live Another Day. (Show of hands if katana sword slice is one of your favorite 24 kills of all time.)

Kim, Kim, Kim. What can we say? It wasn't actress Elisha Cuthbert's fault that the writers didn't quite know what to do with her. Despite stumbling into a snare and being hunted by a cougar, Kim survived a hellacious kidnapping and pulled off some stealthy undercover work during her short time on the CTU floor. But after nearly being killed by nerve gas during a totes caszh visit to daddy's workplace in Day 5, she again wanted nothing to do with Jack. (Can you blame her?) In sum, we're glad Kim existed. She served as the main love of Jack's life and his constant motivator. But we're also kind of glad she took a couple seasons off.

Jack Bauer's allies are our allies — at least that's how it always felt when Jack's colleagues finally started listening to him. Curtis was a reliable director of Field Operations and loyal friend of Jack's who really stepped up once Michelle Dessler and Tony Almeida were out of the picture. While Curtis played a huge role in helping containing the Sentox nerve gas in Day 5, Jack was forced to kill his friend when Curtis threatened the life of Hamri Al-Assad, a former Islamic terrorist leader who was in L.A. to help foster a peace treaty. It was a tough loss to endure for both Jack and us.

If ever there was a formidable partner for Jack, Yvonne Strahovski's Kate Morgan was close to it. Following the series' four-year hiatus, the CIA's London-based Agent Morgan was the perfect new blood to add to the Live Another Day installment. Warner not only assisted Jack in stopping an assassination attempt on President Heller, she also played a huge role in thwarting Margot Al-Harazi's ploy of commandeering government drones. Although Kate resigned after Audrey was shot and killed on her watch, we still long for the alternate universe where she could've taken over where Jack left off, adding her own Legacy to the ticking-clock mix.

President Charles Logan was one of the most infuriating characters in the series... but he was also one of the best. Not only did he support the selling of nerve gas to terrorists, but he also was responsible for the assassination of David Palmer, one of TV's greatest fictional presidents ever. Logan was an indecisive weasel unfit to lead who fell into office following President Wheeler's Air Force One crash. We were shocked to see Logan remain in office at the start of Day 5 and were just as perplexed when he was revealed to be a traitor to these United States. (Is it too late to demand a recount?) But that drama with his unstable wife, Martha? We're still living for it.

Jean Smart playing an emotionally unstable First Lady who hates her husband, but loves to drink and sometimes stab people. One could call Martha melodramatic, but we like to think of her as perfect.

James Heller held many hats in the 24 'verse. A former serviceman turned congressman, and later one of the show's better Commanders in Chief, Heller was no stranger to near-death experiences. He was kidnapped with his daughter Audrey in Day 4, targeted by Margot Al-Harazi in Day 9 and even drove his own car off a cliff to avoid being shot and killed by Christopher Henderson's sniper! Heller was exactly the kind of leader you could rally around — stalwart, strong and full of conviction. Minus points (and plus eyerolls) for that whole memory loss thing, though.

Who didn't have a soft spot for Edgar? The CTU intelligence analyst was even able to warm the icy Chloe's heart with his caring nature and savvy computer skills. Following his untimely death in the CTU nerve gas attack (insert silent clock here), Bill Buchanan gave Chloe a picture he found of Edgar and Chloe smiling next to each other. Over 14 years later, Edgar's death is still one of 24's greatest losses. RIP.

Jack and Audrey's relationship was very sweet, finally filling Jack with hope for a better future years after the loss of his wife, Teri. We really thought that Audrey was going to be Jack's happily-ever-after, even after he let Audrey's estranged husband die during a crisis with the Chinese. Following that oh-so-small bump in the road, they were both (separately) abducted by Cheng Zhi, causing Audrey to have a completely debilitating mental breakdown. And then she died (because 24). These two lovebirds just couldn't catch a break.

In the short time that we knew Teri, she proved to be calm in stressful situations and a fierce protector of her daughter, Kim. She was caught up in the middle of a feud between Jack and Victor Drazen's cronies, only to survive the hostage crises and be offed by one of CTU's most wicked moles ever. (Keep scrolling!) We suppose she had to die in order for Jack to go completely off the rails come Day 2, and sadly, Teri wouldn't be the last of Jack's loves to fall victim to his job.

Like many other 24 characters, Karen Hayes held many positions in her two-season tenure. She was known for being on the right side of many political scandals (helping expose Charles Logan in Day 5), and later staying loyal to President Wayne Palmer and her future husband Bill Buchanan. She wasn't afraid to go to bat against any opponent and never let any man intimidate or threaten her (like Tom Lennox and Noah Daniels... ya big jerks).

Renee Walker is living proof that the 24's Powers That Be never had any intention of letting Jack Bauer be happy. At the start of their relationship, Renee was horrified at the lengths Jack would go to follow a lead that could very well affect national security. And yet it didn't take long for her to realize there was (and always is) a method to Jack's madness, so she quickly followed in his footsteps to help take down Day 7's head hooligan, Alan Wilson. As is so with 24, she and Jack fell in love... therefore, she had to die, abruptly felled by a sniper as she and Jack enjoyed a Morning After.

Cherry Jones' President Allison Taylor was a worthy successor to the presidency, proving to be a leader who was unwilling to cave to terrorist demands. She faced extraordinarily difficult decisions in Day 7, leading to a murdered son, jailed daughter and a husband who would never forgive her. Yet, despite the unfortunate destruction of her family unit, she still made the best choices she could for the country. In a moment of weakness, she unfortunately covered up the Russians' involvement in the death of Omar Hassan, but later came clean about the whole shebang, once again sacrificing her own interests for what's right. Man, Fictional TV President sounds like a tough gig.

CTU's district director was a tough boss who split his time between yelling at Jack for his out-of-the-box methods and pressuring Jack to get results. He was a hardass who led with an iron fist, but far from the worst bosses sent down from Division. While hunting down a nuclear bomb in Day 2, he was exposed to lethal amounts of plutonium and saved the day (and Jack's life) when Bauer tried to carry out a suicide mission to explode the bomb over the Mojave Desert. George: We thank you for your sacrifice.

Why did everyone we love have to die?! Dessler was a crucial member of the CTU team throughout Days 2-4, and we'll never forget her poise and dedication to the job when she was trapped inside the contaminated Chandler Plaza Hotel with the virus. We 'shipped Michelle and Tony hard, even when the couple struggled through a tricky divorce and complicated past traumas. Though Michelle's death was beyond tragic (she was pregnant at the time!), it did propel tons of story in subsequent seasons, so fiiiiine, we guess we understand why she had to go. But we don't have to like it!

Not all 24 villains are terrorists. Case in point: Sherry Palmer, President Palmer's cunning, ruthless ex-wife. A one-time supportive First Lady, Sherry went from politely disagreeing with some of her husband's policies to actively working against him, joining forces with Roger Stanton for Day 2's nuclear attack conspiracy (...so maybe she is a terrorist, after all). Her Lady Macbeth-like lies and manipulative tactics caught up with her on Day 3, which she didn't make it out of alive, but Sherry's drama — and to be frank, B.S. — always put extra pressure on some already high-stress hours.

Fan favorite Aaron Pierce is beloved for many reasons. Not only was he tasked with protecting David Palmer, but he loyally stuck by the President's side after his unseating. He also saved Martha Logan and the Suvarovs from a motorcade ambush, once again showcasing his expert detailing skills. On top of being an ace at security, Pierce played a big role in dismantling multiple conspiracy attempts, including the shenanigans of President Logan (Day 5) and Olivia Taylor (Day 7). Pierce was that familiar, dependable face fans grew to love throughout the series' first seven seasons, and as far as we're concerned, Pierce has done no wrong.

"You're the most ethical, dedicated person I have ever known," Nadia Yassir once told Bill Buchanan. And you know what? She was right. Like Karen Hayes and Allison Taylor, Buchanan was bound by strong ethics. Even when he was forced to step down from the director position at CTU, he still worked tirelessly alongside Chloe and Tony to help expose a shady governmental plot to aid African dictator General Benjamin Juma. Then, Buchanan gave his life so the FBI could save President Taylor's. You can't get any more honorable than that.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better 24 villain than Nina Myers. In fact, we're going to declare her the series' most twisted baddie ever. The deep cover! The lies! The OG CTU mole! Nina, originally second in command at CTU: L.A., had everyone fooled, us included. She sold classified government information right under everyone's noses, and even attempted to buy the Cordilla virus for a client after receiving a presidential pardon. And, oh yeah: She killed Teri Bauer! Jack fought many bad guys over the course of his government career, but this one was painstakingly personal.

How can we explain the greatness of David Palmer in just a few short words? (We can't, but we'll try anyway.) The greatest fictional TV president ever? Survivor of multiple assassination attempts (and one ca-razy ex-wife)? An honorable man who repeatedly placed his trust in Bauer? The respect Palmer and Jack built throughout the years always gave us feelings of great joy, and we will forever mourn Palmer as one of the most shocking TV deaths ever. That Day 5 premiere still hurts like hell, even after all these years.

From CTU director to behind bars at a maximum security prison, Tony Almeida has been through the wringer. Who can blame the guy? He lost his job and was accused of treason for protecting Michelle during the hotel fiasco. He went through an awkward period of unemployment and divorce. But once the guy finally got his lady back and was expecting a child, his whole world was once again snatched from him when she was murdered! (Bonus: Tony was actually a cool villain, too.) While his story arc covered the full spectrum, we'll always remember Tony as Jack's go-to guy and one of his dearest friends.

The lovably blunt (and hilarious) misanthrope Chloe was one of CTU's best intelligence analysts. As one of Jack's closest confidantes, she played a key role in averting several major terrorist attacks, helping Jack with whatever probably-illegal scheme he coughed up hour-to-hour. Chloe was sulky, rude and easily annoyed, but she was also extremely trustworthy, and if we've remembered anything about 24 while revisiting the characters in this list, trust and loyalty are hard to come by when so many people are constantly trying to kill you. In Live Another Day, when Jack handed himself over to the Russians in exchange for Chloe's life, you can feel the weight of their relationship and the love between them. As for her silver medal ranking here, there aren't many characters in this series who stuck around as long as Chloe did. There was a reason for that.

There is no one else who could possibly snatch the crown for the single best 24 character ever. Jack Bauer sacrificed everything he had for the national security of the United States, and every time he thought he was out, his conscience or country pulled him right back in. Although his dedication to the job put every relationship he ever had at risk (to the point where a loooot of bodies dropped; see above list), Jack kept fighting the good fight, even when it broke him mentally and physically. He never gave up on those close to him, and for whatever flaws he may have (most of which grew as a result of job-related post-traumatic stress, mind you), he constantly put others' well-beings ahead of his own. For these reasons and so much more, Bauer will forever be one of TV's greatest action heroes of all time.