Victims and Accomplices: Which Recurring ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Character Is Which?

In “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” The Gang’s exploits affect a multitude of characters. Throughout the show, a healthy roster of associates, acquaintances, satellite characters, antagonists, and priests (more on that later) have been dragged, sometimes willingly, into the same depths of depravity we expect from our protagonists.

Some characters end up much worse off than others when it comes to dealing with the havoc created in The Gang’s wake. Here are all the recurring characters we think are victims, as well as those we feel are accomplices.

The poor, unnamed Waitress (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) wants to be left alone. Charlie (Charlie Day) stalks The Waitress obsessively, and we see her caught up in various schemes, plots, and sexual rendezvous involving The Gang. She’s slept with Frank (Danny DeVito) and Dennis (Glenn Howerton) and has done “hand stuff” with Mac (Rob McElhenney).

We’ve seen her driven to an alcoholic relapse multiple times. The Gang manipulates her into some humiliating behavior, like grinding on a homeless man to get Charlie to quit a dance contest and sleeping with Frank to get back at Dennis.

The Waitress lives as disastrously as the rest of The Gang but is only a victim of their shenanigans — not a willing participant. If there’s any singular, main victim of their exploits, she’s firmly in the running for the honor.

After Dennis broke her heart, Maureen Ponderosa (Catherine Reitman) started to lose touch with reality. Her obsession with cats turned from “awkward and likely unhealthy” to “unhinged and definitely unhealthy” as she began to transition into a cat. While Maureen would’ve likely been an odd person without The Gang’s influence, she seems to be one of the characters left far worse off for having been in their proximity. It takes a lot to make a grown person start using a litter box.

Matthew Mara, aka “Rickety Cricket” (David Hornsby), was, at the beginning of the series, a Catholic priest who harbored an unrequited love for Dee (Kaitlin Olson). As the series progresses, he becomes homeless, addicted to cocaine, crack, and PCP, has his throat cut, both legs broken, is blinded in one eye, disfigured by a dog, and covered in burn scars.

As of his most recent appearance in Season 14, he’s completely unrecognizable from the first season. His life has completely fallen apart due to his involvement with The Gang, who are responsible for many of his grotesque injuries. One could consider him The Gang’s version of “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” who becomes increasingly grotesque in tandem with The Gang’s behavior.

Avant-garde theater buff and actress Artemis DuBois (Artemis Pebdani) has been involved in many of The Gang’s schemes (tangentially and as a core participant), like when she helped Charlie put on “The Nightman Cometh.” Artemis is one of the few characters who can handle interaction with The Gang and remain unscathed, because she’s at least as strange — if not more so — than they are. What sets her apart from the rest of The Gang is that she isn’t willfully malicious like they are. This lack of malice seems to protect her from the brunt of their consequences.

If the rest of The Gang went to therapy (and listened), they might turn out like Artemis.

Like The Waitress, The Lawyer (Brian Unger) has an unknown name. We do know, however, that he absolutely despises The Gang and frequently uses his knowledge of the law to get one over on them. The Gang, in turn, hates him back, insulting him with antisemitic remarks (he isn’t Jewish) and otherwise wreaking havoc in his life.

However, because of his standing and knowledge as a lawyer, he leaves many situations involving The Gang having benefited himself — usually at their expense.

Bill Ponderosa (Lance Barber), brother of Maureen Ponderosa, rarely ends up on the receiving end of The Gang’s shenanigans, but rather serves as a catalyst. His behavior is as erratic as The Gang’s. We see Frank and Bill developing a drug-fueled friendship at least once (“Pondy’s the coolest,” Frank tells us, in “Being Frank”), Bill drugging wedding punch with bath salts (like in “The Ponderosa Wedding Massacre”), and a general disregard for his sister’s well-being. He claims his sister died years ago when she actually decided to identify as a cat and go by “Bastet.”

If you’ve ever wondered what type of person would look up to The Gang, look no further than Dennis and Dee’s cousin (and de facto family whipping girl) Gail the Snail (Mary Lynn Rajskub). She earned the nickname “Snail” as a child when Dee and Dennis would pelt her with salt to get her to leave them alone at family parties. Despite this, she still tries to maintain a relationship with them and participate in The Gang’s schemes, plots, and antics, like when Dee attempts to beat the Wade Boggs drinking record in Season 13.