The stubborn patriarch of the Roy family and billionaire media mogul, Logan Roy is arguably the crux around which Succession revolves. Logan embodies everything that is wrong with corporate culture in the world today – he treats his employees like expendable pawns, covers up horrendous human rights violations, and spreads misleading political propaganda.
However, it can be argued that Logan’s behavior towards his children is far worse than anything he does with Waystar Royco. Logan may not have had a peaceful childhood, but that doesn’t mean he should subject his children to the same torment.
10 Logan Has Zero Memories Of Their Childhood
Logan is so deeply immersed in the running of his company that he has no time for parenting activities. In fact, he views the concept of nurturing children to be a complete waste of time.
Succession‘s opening credits sequence highlights Logan’s absence quite effectively, revealing just how little he partakes in domestic responsibilities. This characteristic is fleshed out in Season 3, when Roman mentions that his dad once took him “fly-fishing in Montana,” only to reveal that it had been Connor.
9 He Tries To Skip Shiv’s Wedding As A Petty Tactic
Logan doesn’t shy away from using every weapon he has at his disposal, whether it’s brute force or legal intimidation. Against his children, however, he resorts to borderline childish mind games. When Shiv discusses her job with Gil Eavis, Logan tries to convince her that her political affiliations might jeopardize her wedding.
Shiv isn’t swayed by his feeble arguments, so her father drops a few vague threats. Logan chooses to skip his daughter’s wedding to prove his point. However, he later attends the ceremony, but only to avoid any negative press.
8 Logan Mocks Tom For Not Being Worthy Enough
The Roys visit Austerlitz, Connor’s New Mexico ranch, where they intend on having a family therapy session. Logan doesn’t even pretend to be interested – he shifts blame, dodges questions, and finally offers a meaningless apology.
The night takes a turn for the worse after Logan takes his anger out on Shiv, claiming that she’s “marrying a man fathoms beneath [her] because [she] doesn’t want to risk being betrayed.” Kendall unleashes a justifiable torrent of rage at his father, accusing him of being “jealous of what [he’s] given his own kids.”
7 He Bullies Roman Into Changing His No-Confidence Vote
Kendall is terrified of losing Waystar Royco to Logan’s wayward choices and inadequate relationship. He sets up a vote of no-confidence to pull the corporate rug out from under his father, so to speak.
Unfortunately, a badly timed terrorist threat leaves Kendall out of the voting process, during which time Logan browbeats his would-be usurpers into submission. Although Roman raises his hand against Logan, the latter bullies his youngest son until he changes his vote.
6 Logan Sends Cryptic Pastries To Terrify His Kids
Kendall pulls off a major coup in the Season 2 finale, openly revealing Logan’s guilt to a crowded room of reporters. Shiv, Roman, and Connor clearly don’t have the guts to agree with their brother’s stance, at least not under their father’s constant vigilance.
The siblings eventually meet up with Kendall, who nearly manages to obtain their support, but Logan’s box of doughnuts throws everything into flux. Connor, Roman, and Shiv are terrified because they don’t understand their father’s “message,” which is exactly what Logan wants. As a result, Kendall is once again singled out and left to fend for himself.
5 He Uses Kendall’s Guilt To His Advantage
Kendall is rigidly focused on overthrowing his father for most of Season 1. Backed by Stewy and Sandy, he initiates a “bear hug” designed to make Logan capitulate. Kendall then decides to mix ketamine into his power trip, a reckless decision that costs the life of an innocent wedding waiter.
Unlike Logan, Kendall actually has the capacity for guilt, something his father gleefully recognizes as yet another opportunity to twist the situation back in his favor. Logan curates his game plan with borderline sociopathic theatrics in order to ensure that Kendall drops out of the takeover bid.
4 Logan Forces His Family To Turn On Each Other
Logan has been pitting his kids against each other, gladiator-style, for as long as they can remember. He has no fixed favorite; whoever serves his needs at any given time is given precedence over the others. This is a dangerous level of psychological meddling.
On one hand, Logan’s divide-and-conquer method frequently bears fruit. On the other, it binds his children to his will, thereby preventing them from leaving their billion-dollar nest egg. With a single word, Logan can shatter every emotional bond that holds the siblings together.
3 He Backhands Roman & Iverson In The Jaw
Logan is deeply frustrated at losing the Pierce deal, mostly because he hates the idea of losing anything to anyone. He is further irritated by Roman’s playful taunts about Shiv “tortur[ing] the old dinosaur,” so he whacks Roman in the jaw with enough force to knock a tooth out.
In a separate incident, Logan does the same thing to his grandson, Iverson, proving that the man is willing to abuse and assault his own family. Interestingly, Kendall stands up to Logan on both occasions, implying that it’s happened before.
2 Logan Basically Orders Kendall To Go To Prison “For The Family”
With pressure mounting from every quarter, Logan realizes that he needs to throw someone under the bus. He picks Kendall to inherit all the blame, building a brutal argument in defense of his decision.
Logan even relates a feeble anecdote about sacrificing children to “make the sun rise again,” almost as if he wants his son to go to prison. Thankfully, Kendall opts to take the opposite route and save himself, an act of killer-like courage that Logan has no choice but to admire, even if he would never admit it.
1 He Dangles The Succession Carrot In Front Of His Kids
Abdicating his corporate throne is a thought that Logan simply cannot even fathom. He shrugs off his illnesses and continues to micromanage Waystar Royco, despite having several potential successors. Logan refuses to groom them properly, explaining why his kids are woefully incompetent at running the company.
More importantly, Logan dangles the CEO carrot in front of Kendall, Shiv, and Roman, not to motivate them as much as to keep them in line. The only way his children are getting the metaphorical carrot is if they pry it from Logan’s cold, dead hands.
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