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In the world of TV series, many characters from the Game of Thrones Universe unarguably dominate the list of most hated TV characters.
The period series has not only given us the best of TV battles and some of our most loved characters, but it has also produced some of the most brutal and manipulative characters of all time, whose wickedness has made it impossible for us to distinguish between their onscreen and off-screen persona.
There are levels to the Game of Thrones universe contempt. There are characters whose deplorable behaviour made the show more enjoyable, and whose questionable behaviour was necessary for the storytelling.
In the same vein, there are ones who were just plainly annoying and too manipulative for their good without bringing any form of mastery to the show. You see them on the screen and want to kick their asses because of their questionable behaviour.
From 2011 to 2024, here are characters from George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones universe that have had viewers boiling with hatred.
Criston Cole
Ser Criston Cole is one of the most hypocritical and cowardly characters of the Game of Thrones universe but before he became one of the most hated characters, he was loved immensely. Parading as a man of virtue and standards, he crept into viewers’ hearts and Rhaenyra’s with his good looks and calm charismatic disposition.
All that love soon turned into hatred, when he switched allegiance to Alicent out of spite because Rhaenyra had refused to relinquish her position as the heir to the Iron Throne to run away with him after a one-night stand.
For the next 20 years, instead of taking responsibility, he chooses to blame Rhaenyra for leading him on while continuing to slut shame her. If that’s not a villain, tell me, who is?
Read also: REVIEW: House of the Dragon II and its first 4 episodes of fire, blood, and betrayal
Ramsay Bolton
Ramsay was a psycho and arguably the cruellest character in the Game of Thrones universe. Unlike other characters, who had moments where they reflected on themselves, Ramsay had no conscience and was brutal to the point of his death. Which, might I say, was very satisfying.
The satisfaction he got from torturing and dehumanising Theon Greyjoy and Sansa Stark was horror movie kind of scary. In between that, he killed family members for unjustifiable reasons. In another one of his sick games, he kills Rickon Stark while using him as bait to lure Jon Stark into a fight.
Known as the Bastard of Bolton, Ramsey was wickedness personified which makes him top on this list.
Joffrey Baratheon
There are actors who we can never look at the same again because of the character they played, Jack Gleeson is one of those actors. His role as Joffrey Baratheon was so infuriating to viewers that the whole community celebrated his death during the Purple Wedding in Game of Thrones Season 4 Episode 2.
In plain terms, Prince Joffrey was a horrible person. From his ludicrous attempts to woo Sansa to making her stare at her father’s dismembered head on a spike and physically and emotionally assaulting everyone who had the horror of gracing his presence, he was a mad king whose tantrums led to horrible things for his companions.
Euron Greyjoy
Euron is capable of anything. Aside from brazenly killing his brother to secure the Salt Throne for himself. He further tries to kill his niece and nephew to hold on to his power. His lack of empathy was one that particularly irked fans as he murdered people with joy, tormented everyone in his company, and worst of it all, killed one of Daenerys’ dragons.
In Game of Thrones, if we were to rank the vilest characters in order, he’d undoubtedly make the top 3 list because of his brutality.
Cersei Lannister
Cersei was as loved as she was hated. She was one of those characters you could not help but applaud despite their despicable behaviour. Dubbed the ultimate Game of Thrones villain, Cersei was psychotic. Her thirst for power led her to commit some of the most horrendous acts on the show, one of which led to the execution of a fan favourite, Missandei.
Although most might argue that her dedication to her three children fuelled her actions, her bitterness was almost next to none. It became worse when she lost all her children, as she no longer had anything to lose. She simply wanted the throne to remain in House Lannister.
Queen Alicent
There’s no greater hypocrite in House of the Dragon than Alicent. The queen will constantly instigate hatred towards Rhaenyra but hide her hands when her minions carry out her inner thoughts of violence. From Ser Criston to Aemond, her son, their views of Rhaenyra and her family were shaped by what Alicent has fed them over the years, but when they carry out her wishes, she feigns innocence.
It’s particularly infuriating that after years of castigating and publicly shaming her supposed best friend, Rhaenyra, for ‘defiling’ herself by exploring a sexual relationship with Ser Criston, she goes on to do the same, while still holding hatred for someone who personally did her no wrong.
She did not only strategically position herself to be queen per her father, Otto Hightower’s request, but she used her position to take away the one thing Rhaenyra always wanted – the throne. She simply deserves a spot on this list.
Larys Strong
Unlike Little Finger who simply caused chaos with his advice, Larys Strong took it a step further by becoming Alicent’s executioner. Known for his political foresight, Larys warmed his way into the hearts of the Hightowers while brutally murdering his brother and father to form an alliance with Alicent, the queen.
With the thought that Larys was executing people at her (Alicent) slight inconvenience, Larys gets the opportunity to gain more power. If there’s one character in House of the Dragon who could possibly be labelled evil, Larys will take the crown effortlessly.
Petyr ‘Little Finger’ Baelish
One of the most satisfying parts of Game of Thrones was watching Little Finger at the mercy of Arya and Sansa Stark. He was simply an aider of chaos. Although he was not going around Westeros murdering people, his schemes led to major damage to the Stark family. He did not only betray Ned Stark but he facilitated Sansa’s wedding to Ramsay Bolton and went on to try to create enmity between Sansa and Arya.
His calm demeanour and cunningness took him far into the show but later led to his satisfactory demise as Sansa sentenced him to death and Arya cut his throat.
King Viserys I Targaryen
Some of Viserys’ crimes in House of the Dragon include his passiveness and docile nature. Sitting at the highest seat of power anyone at Westroes could, he allowed his passiveness to lead to a war that marred House Targaryen. Besides the obvious, he particularly made his way to this list for how he conducted his personal affairs.
From marrying Alicent to feigning love for his first wife, Aemma Arryn – This is after choosing to kill her for a male child that eventually died. He obsessed over the throne much more than he did anything meaningful while he was king. He was malleable and easily influenced by the forces around him, especially Otto Hightower, his hand.
Aemond and Aegon Targaryen
Aemond is on Daemon’s wave of ‘dangerous’. Considering he has a dragon as huge as Vhagar at his disposal, he has stuck to exerting dominance by threatening to burn everything down for vengeance which is exactly what he did when he killed Lucerys Velaryon, Rhaenyra’s second son. That singular act further worsened the enmity between House Targaryen.
As impulsive as Aemond is, his brother is worse. From raping women to caring little about his immediate family, Aegon like his father, Viserys, has made a name for himself as one of the most incompetent kings of the seven kingdoms.
Are you a fan of House of the Dragon? Catch new episodes every Monday on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) or stream on Showmax. New to the show? Catch season 1 of House of the Dragon and the entire Game of Thrones collection on Showmax.
Also, as a DStv subscriber, you can enjoy Showmax at discounted rates of up to 100% when linking it to your DStv package. You’re simply getting two for almost the price of one. Don’t miss out. Find more on https://www.dstv.com/en-ng/watch/showmax.
