Top 10 Most Hated Game of Thrones Characters
#10: High Sparrow
Top 10 High School Musical The Musical: The Series Performances
He may not have a real name, but the High Sparrow still made us curse his title. A folk religious leader, the High Sparrow is given power by Cersei, which he uses to bring down nobles for their apparent sins; including Cersei herself. Although we had mixed feelings about seeing her get taken down a peg, many of those the High Sparrow persecutes don’t deserve the punishments he inflicts on them. While it could be argued that he might be seeking power for the betterment of the common people, his holier-than-thou attitude and draconian methods haven’t won him many fans.
#9: Olly
While not necessarily a true villain, this boy is still hated. Olly is a Northern boy whose family is killed by wildlings in an attack south of the Wall. Seeking shelter with the Night’s Watch, Olly joins them and even takes part in the battle. However, he kills Ygritte, Jon Snow’s love. Granted, she did kill his dad, and she and Jon were probably doomed anyway, but even so, it was a mark against the boy. But that was nothing compared to Olly’s growing discontent with Jon’s plan for the wildlings. His own experiences with them lead him to take part in the mutiny and murder of Jon; landing the final blow. Does anyone else feel bad about being glad when he was hanged?
#8: Lysa Arryn
While there are plenty of people to lay the blame on for the various awful events that happen in Westeros, one of the main catalysts for them is this woman. The sister of Catelyn Stark, Lysa Arryn is also the widow of Jon Arryn, the murdered Hand of the King before Ned Stark. While she’s an overprotective and somewhat creepy mother to her son Robin, who’s rather hateable too, it’s her love for Littlefinger (more on him later) that gets her most of the hate. Her devotion to the slimy manipulator causes her to attempt to kill her own niece, but it also drove her to poison her husband and blame it on the Lannisters at Littlefinger’s direction; beginning the feud between the two Houses.
#7: Septa Unella
Although the High Sparrow may or may not be a pious man with the best intentions, the same can’t be said for all his followers. Septa Unella is a woman of the faith with an extremely stern and serious disposition. Because of her strength, she’s often charged with handling female prisoners of the faith and physically chastising or humiliating them, a task that she appears to relish more than necessary. Plus, there’s her infamous chant during Cersei’s walk of… what was it again? That’s right! Or maybe it was atonement. Regardless, Unella’s role in the event helped drive Cersei to exact a rather cruel and unusual punishment on the septa.
#6: Ellaria Sand
The paramour of Oberyn Martell, Prince of Dorne and the mother of several of his daughters, Ellaria Sand is sharp-tongued and proud, but not hateable when first introduced. However, after her lover’s death in a duel, she becomes rather bitter and lashes out, looking for someone to blame. She seeks revenge on the Lannisters, and starts by poisoning and murdering Myrcella, Jaime and Cersei’s daughter. Furthermore, she murders Oberyn’s brother for not taking the revenge she thought was necessary; staging a coup in Dorne. Because that’s what Oberyn would’ve wanted: for Ellaria to kill an innocent girl and his own brother… Given that she epitomizes everything the show got wrong about Dorne, it’s little wonder fans relished her punishment from Cersei.
#5: Petyr Baelish
Arguably the most devious character in “Game of Thrones,” Petyr Baelish is one of the most brilliantly evil minds in Westeros. A once minor lord, as evidenced by his nickname, Littlefinger climbs his way to the top by using his wits, bribes, spies, murder, and betrayal to achieve his ends. His directions led Lysa Arryn to kill her husband, and he later killed her. He betrayed Ned Stark, which got him executed. Then there’s everything he put Sansa through! Littlefinger is a character we hate to love and love to hate, so it was immensely satisfying when his lies were brought to an end.
#4: Cersei Lannister
The Lannisters are a much-hated family in general, but Cersei is probably the worst of the lot. Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Cersei retains that title through murder, betrayal, and manipulation. Smug, superior, and incredibly short-sighted, Cersei’s actions frequently lead to grief for both herself and all of Westeros, such as having her husband killed, driving her own son to suicide, her affair with her brother (and cousin), or giving the High Sparrow power. We almost feel sorry for her sometimes, but her intractable spitefulness and the fact that she’s a mass murderer really keep us from being too sympathetic.
#3: Walder Frey
The ancient lord of House Frey, Walder Frey is a minor tyrant who has used his castle’s position over a river to extort anyone trying to cross it. Prideful, lecherous, and cowardly, Walder is just a terrible human being, but his worst deed is perhaps the most infamous in the history of “Game of Thrones” and possibly television in general. After feeling slighted that Robb Stark didn’t honor his word to marry one of his daughters, Walder conspires with others to have Robb, his family, and his men murdered at Robb’s uncle’s wedding, in the notorious Red Wedding. We cheered to see the vicious codger killed at last by Arya. All in all, we think the Blackfish said it best.
#2: Ramsay Snow / Bolton
Joffrey Baratheon Vs Ramsay Bolton
Though we have to “send our regards” to his father Roose, Ramsay Snow, and later Bolton, is the bigger bastard, both figuratively and literally. The illegitimate heir of Roose, Ramsay is… well, just a sick, twisted, abhorrent individual. He delights in torturing and tormenting everyone he encounters, doing unspeakable things to both Theon Greyjoy and Sansa Stark and even murdering his father, brother, and mother-in-law. The honest joy he gets from others’ suffering makes him so incredibly hateable that not even being eaten alive by his own starving dogs gave us even an ounce of sympathy for him. Good riddance! Before we get to our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions: Alliser Thorne Grand Maester Pycelle Theon Greyjoy Selyse Baratheon Craster
#1: Joffrey ‘Baratheon’
Yeah, you all knew this was coming. Cersei’s son and supposed heir to the Iron Throne, Joffrey is a spoiled, cowardly, vicious, sadistic fool whose callous actions cause untold heartache for the land he rules over and for the audience. Joffrey’s sadism and wanton cruelty extends to just about everyone he meets. His lack of tact or spine frequently gets him and the realm into trouble, like starting a riot and a war, and it’s only through luck and his position that he isn’t killed sooner. His luck blessedly runs out eventually, though, and just when we think we can’t hate him anymore, he finally dies choking for air. It’s really a credit to his actor that Joffrey manages to be just so damn hateable!
