Too Old To Die Young: 5 Characters Fans Loved (& 5 They Can’t Stand)

Nicolas Winding Refn’s 10-part miniseries Too Old To Die Young is one of the most bizarre, perverse, and hyper-violent TV shows to be released in recent years. Co-created with famed comic book author Ed Brubaker, the Amazon original series follows the sordid exploits of Martin Jones (Miles Teller), a dedicated police detective who moonlights as a murderer of pedophiles.

As Martin weighs the difficulty of his dual identities, he encounters one strange character after another, many of which tow the line between good and evil. Yet, despite the complicated nature of its seedy characters, some remain far more lovable than others.

10 Love: Amanda

The dramatic crux of the story is launched in the first episode when Martin’s police partner, Larry (Lance Gross), is shot to death while taking a selfie for his girlfriend, Amanda (Callie Hernandez).

While fans immediately felt for Amanda’s loss, their sympathies increased when she is later kidnapped by ruthless gang leader Jesus Rojas (Augusto Aguilera). When Jesus tells Martin that Amanda is the one who informed his whereabouts to the Mexican gang, her fate is left in Martin’s hands. While far from the most beloved character, the harsh treatment Amanda receives conjures genuine care.

9 Can’t Stand: The Crockett Brothers

Like many of the unlikeable villains in the show, the odious pornographer brothers Rob (Brad Hunt) and Stevie Crockett (James Urbaniak) also have humorous qualities that make them oddly compelling. However, their ultimate actions are as loathsome as they come.

After killing their colleagues, Martin is chased in an electric car through the desert by the Crocketts. Martin manages to dispatch one of them before the other takes him deep into the desert to locate a girl buried alive. Since fans implicitly root for Martin, their hatred of the Crocketts skyrocket when the remaining brother attacks Martin with a knife.

8 Love: Janey Carter

On the whole, fans tend to love Martin’s teenage girlfriend Janey Carter (Nell Tiger Free). One of the primary reasons for such is that she is an innocent bystander whose genuine love for Martin ends up costing her life in the crime series.

Moreover, Janey seems to be the one ray of light in Martin’s otherwise dark existence and the one person who can offer him spiritual salvation. Her death scene at the beach after walking hand and hand with Martin along the shoreline is both breathtaking and heartbreaking.

7 Can’t Stand: Theo Carter

For as lovable as Janey Carter is, her lecherous father Theo (William Baldwin) is equally loathable. Introduced in the opening episode, Theo never wastes a moment in his attempt to secretly seduce Martin behind Janey’s back.

Whether imitating a sexy tiger in episode 1 or hitting on Martin again in episode 7, Theo’s perverted demeanor is too inappropriate and offputting to conjure anything but ill feelings towards his character.

6 Love: Viggo Larsen

As Martin’s terminally-infirmed and one-eyed partner who helps him eliminate child molesters, Viggo Larsen (John Hawkes) is a top-three lovable character in Too Old To Die Young. He’s not only Martin’s closest friend, but he’s also the most morally conscious character.

When Viggo isn’t hunting pedophiles, he likes to wax poetic about catastrophic global warming and the rise of fascism in the U.S. With a deep philosophical outlook, Viggo believes in preserving the innocence of humanity at all costs.

5 Can’t Stand: Damian

Damian (Babs Olusanmokun) is a detestable mid-tier gangster who catapults Martin’s descent into ultra-violence in the show’s first episode. His loathsome actions include forcing Martin to kill a man in exchange for remaining silent about the fact that Martin killed Jesus Rojas’ mother years prior.

Damian also kidnaps Amanda and forces Martin to decide her fate, making him even more unlikable. When he crosses Jesus later in the show, a tinge of sympathy for Damian is felt when his hands are cut off and he’s swiftly executed. Otherwise, there’s nothing to like about Damian.

4 Love: Diana DeYoung

Beyond the protagonist, the most lovable character in Too Old To Die Young is undoubtedly Diana DeYoung (Jena Malone). The quirky, highly-eccentric activist and magical healer serves as Martin and Viggo’s boss who informs them of which pedophiles to get rid of.

Diana’s playful sense of humor comes in the form of practical jokes she and Viggo pull on Martin, much to his chagrin. She also waxes philosophically about the impending apocalypse and boasts a vengeful retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. If any character deserves their own spinoff, it’s Diana.

3 Can’t Stand: Jesus Rojas

While his vengeful attitude towards Martin is somewhat understandable, Jesus Rojas and his wife Yaritza (Cristina Rodlo) are the chief antagonists of the series. As such, they remain the characters fans cannot stand the most.

Jesus is a serial murderer responsible for taking the lives of countless police officers, as well as killing Damian. When he learns Martin is the man who killed his mother, Jesus will stop at nothing to exact bloody payback. Worst of all, Jesus is the one who decapitated Martin in the shocking antepenultimate episode.

2 Love: Martin Jones

Staying on brand, Winding Refn made a bold move by killing off his lovable protagonist Martin Jones in the eighth episode of Too Old To Die Young. While Martin had his fair share of shortcomings and personal demons, he is clearly the true heart and soul of the show.

Despite the ultra-violent methods he uses to get the job done, Martin’s moral mission of stopping sexual abusers of children remains righteous and commendable throughout the series. His head might not always be on right, but his heart’s in the right place. As the main character fans are meant to identify with the most, Martin is the most beloved character of all.

1 Can’t Stand: Yaritza

Yaritza is by far the scariest, most unpredictable, and downright most detestable character on the show. Her penchant for human bloodshed is only matched by her kinky sexual indiscretions, many of which can’t be repeated.

After massacring her way out of being sold in Mexico, Yaritza teams with Jesus and goes on a killing rampage across Mexico and Los Angeles. At one point, Yaritza admits to killing 23 people before assaulting Janey at a party. However, that she gets away with it all at the end is what really makes her the most hated character.