Some shows just seem destined to become a part of the Game of Thrones might have seemed like a bit of a long shot, it soon reached stratospheric levels of success.
Now that a year has ed since the final episode aired, it’s time to look back at some of the characters that the show created, focusing both on those that characters loved and those they hated.
Likable: Margaery Tyrell
As soon as she appeared as the bride of Renly Baratheon, Margaery Tyrell became a fan favorite. Perhaps this is because she is so ably portrayed by Natalie Dormer, who has a particular brand of charm that cannot be denied.
Again and again, Margaery showed herself a keen and canny political operator, making sure that she married not one, not two, but three different kings. It’s just too bad that she couldn’t quite outwit Cersei.
Can’t Stand: Petyr Baelish
It’s hard to estimate just how many deaths can be laid at Petyr’s doorstep. He is a man, after all, who cares about almost nothing but his own advancement, no matter how many people he has to hurt or climb over in the process.
As he once says outright, chaos is a ladder. He is truly a disgusting character, and there’s no question that no few fans of the show celebrated when he was finally done in by Arya.
Likable: Ser Jorah Mormont
As frustrating as he can be sometimes, Ser Jorah is also a deeply honorable and noble man, cursed to love a woman who cannot ever return his affections in the same measure.
Time and again, he showed how much he truly loved Dany, even going so far as to sacrifice himself in order to save her life. It’s no wonder that he was and continues to be a favorite among fans, for there is much to ire in him.
Can’t Stand: Ramsay Snow
Though the show became rather infamous for creating characters that it was easy to hate, Ramsay Snow stands head and shoulders above the rest. The bastard son of Roose Bolton, he seems to be motivated by nothing more than pursuing his own cruel pleasures at the expense of everyone else.
There really isn’t much depth to this character, and so it was easy to both hate him and feel a bit of savage joy when he was devoured by his own hounds.
Likable: Lyanna Mormont
Most people probably didn’t think that a young girl that abruptly showed up in Winterfell was fated to become one of the show’s breakout stars, but that’s exactly what happened with Lyanna Mormont.
She has the verve and the sass that we expect from the ruling family of Bear Island, and she is also steadfastly loyal to House Stark and to the salvation of the North. She even makes the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of Winterfell.
Can’t Stand: Stannis Baratheon
It wasn’t obvious at first that Stannis was going to become one of the most loathed characters in the series, but as time went on it became clear that his stubborn sense of honor and his own rightness was going to drive him to do truly terrible things.
Unfortunately, this included burning his own daughter as a sacrifice, one of the most horrifying events in a show known for its brutality. Stannis definitely deserves his status as one of the most loathed characters in Westeros.
Likable: Oberyn Martell
From the moment that he waltzed onto the screen, Oberyn Martell attracted a devoted following. Perhaps it was his smoldering good looks, or maybe it was just the absolute sexual confidence that he seemed to exude with every step he took.
Whatever the case, there probably wasn’t a person in the audience that wasn’t horrified at the terrible way in which he met his death, with his skull crushed by the brutal strength of the barbaric Gregor Clegane.
Can’t Stand: Euron Greyjoy
This character has the dubious distinction of being one of the most unpleasant creatures to have ever lived in Westeros. The deranged brother of Balon Greyjoy, his narrative function seems to mostly revolve around him making crazy eyes at Cersei and engaging in various strange behaviors that make everyone around him wonder about his sanity.
There was at least some potential that his character would do something interesting, but most fans found him more off-putting than compelling.
Likable: Samwell Tarly
What’s not to love about Samwell Tarly? Of all the characters in this series, he’s one of the few who seems to have a care for someone not himself, whether that is his good friend Jon Snow or the many people of Westeros.
He takes his duties seriously, and it’s hard not to feel a lot of affection for both him and his relationship with Gilly. He’s a genuinely good person, a beacon of light in an otherwise very dark fictional world.
Can’t Stand: Lysa Arryn
The sister of Catelyn Stark and thus the aunt of the various Stark children, Lysa is about as different from her sister as it is possible to be.
Her years of living in King’s Landing, followed by her time holed up in the lofty Eyrie, have clearly led to her being more than a little mentally unstable, as evidenced by the fact that she continues to dote on her son in some very unfortunate ways and the fact that she threatens to throw her own niece Sansa out of the Moon Door.