Maybe they need the make believe .” However , “ Clarifications ” asserts that McNulty ’ s motivations are in fact purely selfish rather than serving any greater good , thus subverting the outlaw hero archetype . The FBI profiles the killer based on McNulty ’ s fabricated evidence , unknowingly providing a near-perfect profile of McNulty that highlights his character flaws , all of which are tied to McNulty ’ s macho masculine identity :
[ The suspect ] has a problem with authority and a deepseated resentment for those that have impeded his progress professionally … He may be struggling with lasting relationships and potentially a high functioning alcoholic , with alcohol being used as a trigger in the crimes . The suspect ’ s [ crimes ] may simply be an opportunity for the killer to assert his superiority and intellectual prowess .
McNulty ’ s plot is eventually revealed to his superiors , finally resulting in his termination in the series finale , “ -30- ” ( 3 / 09 / 08 ). For McNulty , who “ disintegrates when his identity is not fixed by his job ” ( Meaney 12 ), this is a punishment worse than incarceration , leaving him aimless and metaphorically emasculated . Near the conclusion of “ -30- ,” McNulty finally abandons his previous delusions of heroism , and concedes that he is “ a fucking joke ,” both personally and professionally .
Ultimately , macho masculinity essentializes several specific qualities , including sexual charisma , alcohol consumption , and resistance to authority . Ultimately , McNulty ’ s masculine identity does not deviate or progress from traits typical of a white , working class heteronormative alpha male , which are designed to compensate them for shortcomings in other areas of masculine validation :
[ Working class men ] who ostentatiously pursue drugs , alcohol , and sexual carousing are constructing a compensatory form of masculinity . Such behavior is worn like a badge of masculinity in the work and social environments inhabited . … This exaggerated masculinity compensates their subordinated status in the hierarchy of their everyday work worlds . ( Pyke 538 )
However , The Wire , as with other series of the current Golden Age , deconstructs such archetypal notions of masculinity . In particular , The Wire deromanticizes McNulty ’ s macho masculinity and instead exposes it as emotionally stunted and ultimately selfdestructive . Contrastingly , while McNulty displays stereotypes of white macho masculinity , Omar wholly rejects conventional macho masculinity , black or otherwise , and deviates entirely from popular societal expectations .
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