So it says a lot that Theon Greyjoy has one of the best character arcs in the entire series.
Theon begins the story as almost everything that's unappealing about this brutal fantasy world, but by the end of the show he's one of the few characters who feels genuinely heroic. What is it about Theon's character that would never fly today, and what aspects of his characterizations resonates well with a modern audience?
Wouldn't: Pet Murder
Although Ned Stark kind of deserves to shoulder most of the blame for this one since he was the person to say that it was better to give a quick death to the direwolves who had just lost their mother, it's also safe to say that Theon's actions weren't doing him any favors either.
The fact that he didn't even have to think about it before he snatched Summer from Bran's arms and was about to kill him before Jon intervened was not a good look.
Would: Daddy Issues
Unfortunately for Theon, many of his worst decisions were driven by the fact that he had a terrible and complicated relationship with his father, Balon Greyjoy. Balon was an abusive jerk who treated Theon awfully, and made Theon feel like he had somehow betrayed his family for something that was not his fault.
Although most people wouldn't do what Theon did because of it, his bad relationship with his father is pretty relatable for a lot of people.
Wouldn't: Treason
Again, Theon makes a lot of terrible decisions throughout his character arc in the series, and while it's easy to sort of understand where he's coming from, this was one of his worst decisions ever.
Robb was his best friend and brother, and Theon swore a vow of fealty to him when he became King in the North. Betraying him wasn't just betraying the person he loved the most, it was betraying his king.
Would: Humbleness
Theon ultimately becomes a humble person after that humility is basically violently imposed upon him, but it's a good change for his characterization.
Most people are much more appreciative of someone who is as humble as Theon became, and honestly it says a lot about his character that he went through the kind of torture that he did and actually became a better person, because it would have been easy to understand why he might become even worse.
Wouldn't: Arrogance
On the flipside, the early era of Theon was one of the most arrogant and grating characters in the entire show. He was rude, crude, and mistreated those who he thought were below him, which was pretty much everyone.
He certainly didn't deserve all that Ramsay put him through, but he did need to be taken down a few pegs.
Would: Feminism
When Theon was young, he didn't seem inclined to defer to pretty much anyone. He was a know it all who treated almost everyone he knew with derision, and he was an extremely entitled young man.
But one of his best changes over time was the fact that he came to realize that women were extremely capable and strong individuals, many of them were better or more skilled than he was, and he had no problem deferring to their authority.
Wouldn't: Misogyny
One of the best aspects of Theon's character arc is that the Theon who dies at the end of the show is a completely different person from the Theon who the audience sees at the beginning. But early-years Theon is kind of a nightmare.
He ultimately came to realize that most of the women in his life were very talented badasses, but at the start he was extremely perturbed at the idea that a woman could be better or more important than him in any situation.
Would: Family Loyalty
A great tragic element of Theon as a character is that he was raised with two families who were enemies of each other, and that conflict led to Theon making some of the biggest mistakes of his life.
But when it comes down to it, he is extremely loyal to his family, especially the people he loves who are actually worthy of that loyalty.
Wouldn't: Child Murder
It's safe to say that Theon is terrible at playing the game of thrones. Conquering Winterfell was a pretty moronic idea to start with, but faking Bran and Rickon's deaths to solidify his claim on the North was an insane idea.
What's worse is that although he didn't have Bran and Rickon, he needed to convincingly fake their deaths, so he had two completely innocent children killed in their place.
Would: itting Fault
Game of Thrones is rife with characters who do absolutely awful things and then never take responsibility for any of it. Hell, the main character massacred an entire city and rationalized that action away as a necessity.
But Theon isn't like that. His life experiences completely transformed him, and he took total responsibility for all of the bad choices that he made and did everything he could to make up for those mistakes.