Where every major character ended up on the 4th and final season of ‘Succession’
- Warning: There are spoilers ahead for the season four finale of “Succession.”
- The series finale, which aired on Sunday night, finally revealed who will take over Waystar Royco.
- Keep reading to see what happened to every major character, from the Roy siblings to other power players.
The GoJo deal went through, much to the delight of Lukas Matsson.
The fourth season had been leading up to the momentous vote on the sale of Waystar Royco to GoJo, the company owned by Swedish tech mogul Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård). Throughout the 10 episodes, various alliances were formed and broken.
In the wake of patriarch Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) death on episode three, Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) became interim co-CEOs of Waystar Royco. They spent the subsequent episodes trying to block GoJo’s acquisition of the company that their father built his media empire on.
However, during the big decision, the board voted 7-6 in favor of the merger.
Lukas was last seen signing the paperwork and smiling for the cameras alongside his team.
Tom Wambsgans came out on top as US CEO of Waystar Royco.
Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) had been aligning himself with powerful people, sometimes at the expense of his relationship with Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook), going back to his betrayal of her in the season three finale, when he gave Logan a heads-up about the siblings’ attempt at a coup, therefore proving his loyalty.
After Logan’s death, Tom’s future as chairman of broadcast news at ATN felt like it was in jeopardy without his father-in-law looking out for him. Being on the chopping block resulted in Tom being constantly stressed and sleep deprived.
In the finale, Tom continued trying to get in Matsson’s good graces — and it worked. Over dinner, Tom pitched himself to Matsson by highlighting his managerial skills, his simple approach to the business, his hustle, and his “high tolerance for pain and physical discomfort.”
All season, Shiv had been vying for the CEO position. Matsson was in agreement that an American needed to be the CEO, but his confidence in Shiv had wavered for a multitude of reasons, including her lack of experience and pushiness on business decisions. Plus, the boundary between their professional and personal relationship was becoming too blurry, with Matsson even admitting to Tom that he wanted to have sex with Shiv.
Tom, who’s compliant and a people-pleaser, quickly moved to the forefront as a contender for the position.
“I’m not looking for a partner,” Matsson told Tom. “I’m looking for a frontman.”
After Tom assured Lukas that he could be his “pain sponge,” he secured his position as the new CEO.
Greg Hirsch betrayed his best friend Tom, but he still ended up safe.
After Greg (Nicholas Braun) learned that Matsson was planning on nudging Shiv out in favor of Tom, he shared the valuable intel with Kendall in the hopes that he could “quad up” with his team.
But the plan blew up in his face when Shiv told Tom that she heard from Greg that Matsson was stringing her along or must have switched lanes. After Tom told her that he was Matsson’s new top choice, she stormed off and convened with Kendall and Roman to figure out a new strategy.
Furious, Tom pulled Greg into a bathroom and reprimanded him for potentially jeopardizing his new job and giving Shiv’s team the chance to pull their opposition together.
Despite the fight, Tom seemingly forgave Greg. At the end of the episode, after he was named CEO, Tom playfully insulted Greg before telling his buddy that he got him “just enough capital.”
“I got you,” he said.
Kendall lost the job he’s wanted since he was a child.
When Kendall was 7 years old, Logan promised him the company. While Logan would go on to say similar things to Shiv and Roman at various stages of his life, Kendall was adamant that he deserved the crown.
After Shiv learned that Matsson was icing her out, she sided with Kendall and Roman to take him down. Kendall insisted that he was the best option to be presented as the CEO because he had the experience, disposition, and desire to be the head of the company.
After much discussion, Shiv and Roman finally agreed and gave Kendall their blessing, anointing him king while visiting their mom Caroline (Harriet Walter) in the Caribbean.
But when the siblings returned to New York for the day of the merger vote, Shiv got cold feet and changed her mind as the final tiebreaking vote, which infuriated Kendall and led to an explosive argument.
Even though Kendall repeatedly said that he was good for the company and him being CEO would mean that control would still be within the family, Shiv ultimately voted in favor of the sale.
In the final moments of the episode, Kendall was seen walking along the waterfront before sitting on a bench and staring at the waves, with Colin (Scott Nicholson), Logan’s former bodyguard, watching over him.
Shiv turned on her siblings and still ended up losing.
Season four wasn’t kind to Shiv, and she consistently faced hardships.
Her relationship with Kendall and Roman was fraught after they nudged her out to become interim successors of the company. To compound the stress, while estranged from Tom, she learned that she was pregnant with his child.
Shiv formed an alliance with Matsson and became his confidant, but he ultimately chose Tom over her as the CEO. When it came time for the board meeting, Shiv walked out of the room when the vote was tried 6-6 and the deal rested on her answer.
In the argument that ensued between her and Kendall, Shiv reiterated that she didn’t think her brother would be good at the job. Even though she loved him, she couldn’t bear to vote in Kendall’s favor.
Even though Shiv and Tom started the season heading for divorce, the finale indicated that they’re staying together, for now at least. But this time, dynamics are completely different — for once, Tom is the more powerful one in the relationship.
After the sale, Shiv and Tom left together, holding hands in the car but not making eye contact.
Roman was last seen drinking alone at a bar.
Prior to Logan’s death, Roman had secretly become closer to his father — to the point that the patriarch told his son that he wanted him to take over and reinvent ATN.
When Logan died, Roman was left powerless, with no one truly believing in him or seeing his potential.
At Logan’s funeral on episode nine, Roman broke down crying and was unable to read his eulogy, leading Kendall to step up and do damage control. At the end of the episode, as Roman continued spiraling, he jumped into a crowd of protesters and got beaten up.
On the finale, as the siblings squabbled about who should be presented as the new CEO, Kendall pointed out how ill-equipped Roman was for the position. Plus, he added, Roman didn’t really want the job anyway, he just couldn’t bring himself to admit it out loud.
When Shiv flipped and voted yes to the merger, Kendall kept trying to think of alternate ways to win. But Roman had already made peace with their loss, declaring that “it’s all fucking nothing.”
Cut to: Roman at the bar, drinking as the slightest hint of a relieved smile breaks across his face.
Connor Roy and Willa Ferreyra spent the finale cleaning out Logan’s townhouse.
Marcia Roy (Hiam Abbass), Logan’s wife, sold the property to Connor (Alan Ruck) for $63 million in episode four after the patriarch’s death.
For most of the final season, Connor was preoccupied with his futile attempt at running for president of the United States, going so far as to spend $100 million on his campaign. He and Willa (Justine Lupe) also got married, though their nuptials were overshadowed by the news of Logan’s death.
On the finale, Connor summoned Kendall, Shiv, and Roman to Logan’s home to label the possessions they wanted to keep after he took first dibs on some of the items. It was necessary for the house to get cleaned out because Willa wanted to get rid of everything to make way for cool new additions, like a cow-print couch.
Connor and Willa also revealed that they’re planning on making a long-distance relationship work since she has a play reading in six to eight weeks and he’s still hoping to become an ambassador of Slovenia.