10 ‘Game of Thrones’ Villains We Love to HateBy Julian Roman
June 14, 2014
As ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 4 comes to a close on HBO, we look back at the baddest, most vile warriors and kings Westeros has to offer in this hit fantasy series from George R.R. Martin.
Game of Thrones has become HBO’s biggest hit of all time with a staggering 18 million gross viewers per week. These are titanic ratings, surpassing The Sopranos as the cable channel’s most watched show. Adapted from George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy opus – A Song of Ice and Fire – by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Game of Thrones enthralls audiences with its lurid tales of intrigue, deception, and violence. The level of brutality and carnage in a television show is unmatched. Viewers reel in horror as beloved characters meet their untimely fates at the hands of the seriously wicked. As Game of Thrones Season 4 closes out its brilliant run, we decided to rank the worst villains on a show chock full of despicable baddies. The list below explains each character in full, so be warned of spoilers a plenty if you’ve not kept up with the show. The list is also based solely on the show to date and doesn’t reveal anything upcoming from the novels.
10 Karl Tanner
Burn Gorman slimes up the screen as Karl Tanner, a member of The Night’s Watch, who guards the ice Wall of The North. He betrayed his commander – Ser Jeor Mormant and took command of Crastor’s Keep. Audiences were shocked as Tanner and his men brutalized the women of Crastor’s Keep. Sexual violence is nothing new to Game of Thrones, but these scenes caused a storm of controversy. Tanner’s evil run came to a satisfying conclusion when he is stabbed through the skull by Jon Snow.
9 Styr the Magnar of Thenn
Styr is the huge, bald headed, and ritualistically scarred leader of the Thenn; a wildling tribe loyal to Mance Ryder’s army. He savagely kills with his axe, then eats his victims with relish. A homicidal cannibal, Styr also meets his fate at the hands of Jon Snow. Styr is played by Yuri Kolokolnikov.
8 Theon Greyjoy
Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) grew up in the House of Stark as the ward of Lord Eddard ‘Ned’ Stark. Taken hostage because his father sided with The Mad King. Theon was loved and treated like a son by the Starks. He betrayed Robb Stark, killed the citizens of Winterfell – the Stark Castle – then burned it down. He also hung and burnt children to fake his killing of the younger Stark brothers. Theon does get his comeuppance. He is tortured, castrated, and psychologically rebuilt as the sniveling Reek, at the hands of the sadistic Ramsey Snow.
7 Gregor Clegane
Ser Gregor Clegane is a knight and bannerman for the House of Lannister. Called ‘The Mountain’ because of his monstrous size, he is the primary killing tool of Tywin Lannister. Shown in only a few episodes, but constantly referenced for his murderous and heinous acts. He is infamously known for raping and murdering Elia Martell. Then killing her children with her blood still on his hands. The Mountain meets his fate at the hands of The Viper – Prince Oberyn, Elia’s brother, in an epic duel. The Mountain does get the last laugh by crushing Oberyn’s skull with his final breath. Gregor Clegane has been portrayed by Conan Stevens (season 1), Ian Whyte (season 2), and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (season 4).
6 Walder Frey
Walder Frey (David Bradley) is the head of House Frey and The Lord of the Crossing. He has Robb and Catelyn Stark murdered at the series defining ‘Red Wedding’, the episode entitled The Rains of Castamere in Game of Thrones Season 3. Frey allies himself with Tywin Lannister, lures the Stark army into his castle, then slaughters them with the help of Roose Bolton. Frey was upset because Robb Stark reneged on his promise to marry his daughter. Watching Frey’s men slaughter Robb Stark and his pregnant wife was the most shocking development in the series so far. The Red Wedding, as it is called in the novels, was arguably the most horrific event seen on a mainstream television show.
5 Roose Bolton
Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton) is the Lord of the Dreadfort. An initial ally of Robb Stark, he betrays him to Tywin Lannister and Walder Frey. Bolton deceives the Starks into believing Walder Frey would join their cause. He is named The Warden of the North by Tywin Lannister for his murderous deeds. His psychopathic bastard son, Ramsey Snow, is his chief operative in dispatching enemies.
4 Ramsey Snow
Ramsey Snow is the bastard son of Roose Bolton. His sadism and savagery makes his father’s actions look angelic. Ramsey was first tasked with finding Theon Greyjoy, who he tortures, mutilates, then turns into a whipped servant. Ramsey then ferreted out the Greyjoy army from the North by capturing Moat Cailin. Flaying the men after promising a safe surrender. He was generously rewarded by his father, given land, and officially recognized as his son and heir. Thus Ramsey Bolton is born. Played brilliantly by Iwan Rheon.
3 Joffrey Baratheon
Joffrey Baratheon was the vile, arrogant, adolescent King of Westeros. A product of incest between his mother – Cersei, and uncle – Jaimie, Joffrey took great pleasure in the suffering of others. He started The War of the Five Kings by executing Ned Stark, after promising him clemency. Then spent years torturing Ned’s daughter Sansa, killing all the bastard children of his supposed father – Robert Baratheon, then running like a coward when King’s Landing was attacked at The Battle of Blackwater. Joffrey, probably the most hated character on television at the time, gets his just due when he is poisoned and dies horrifically at his wedding; known as The Purple Wedding in the novels. Jack Gleeson was so underrated as Joffrey.
2 Tywin Lannister
Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) is the Lord of Casterly Rock and the head of House Lannister. A ruthless pragmatist, Tywin stops at nothing to preserve the legacy of House Lannister. Wiping out enemies en masse by any means. Unable to defeat Robb Stark on the field of battle, Tywin schemed with Roose Bolton and Walder Frey to destroy the Starks. He then became The Hand of the King for Joffrey and then his brother, Tommen. Tywin is the true ruler of Westeros. He presided over the trial of his dwarf son, Tyrion, framed for murder of Joffrey. Tywin is a terrifyingly adept leader, but continues to underestimate the abilities of Tyrion; who has a few surprises in store for his evil father.
1 Petyr ‘Littlefinger’ Baelish
Lord Petyr Baelish, known as Littlefinger, is the biggest villain in Game of Thrones. Branded the most dangerous man in Westeros, Littlefinger is a master of Machiavellian tactics, a duplicitous force willing to destroy everything to achieve his goals. This season brought to light the scale of Littlefinger’s orchestrations. He was responsible for the death of Jon Arryn, which brought Ned Stark to Kings Landing, and separated the Stark family. He also betrayed Ned Stark to Joffrey, thus enabling his execution, and starting The War of the Five Kings. Littlefinger kills primarily by proxy. He was responsible for Joffrey’s poisoning and the framing of Tyrion. While every move is part of a calculated scheme to gain more power, Littlefinger had one singular, driving goal; his unrequited love for Catelyn Stark. He turns against the Lannister’s when they murder her, focusing his twisted affection on her daughter, Sansa. Littlefinger shows that he is not afraid to murder by his own hands when he kills Lysa Arryn, after she threatened Sansa’s life. In Star Wars parlance, he is The Dark Lord of the Sith, a truly villainous puppet master with no boundaries. Aidan Gillen is fantastic as Littlefinger.
Game of Thrones leads up to an eventful season finale this Sunday night. Let us know if we botched the ranking or if anyone is missing from this list! Follow me on twitter @realjulianroman
