Game of Thrones would be nothing without its villains. Each and every character that they have introduced in the show have been amazing, and most of the villains have been no different, with some of them invoking such a profound sense of hatred and disgust from the fans that they will forever live in our memories.

Some villains we may love for being cunning, some for being ruthless, some we may hate for being disgusting or just pure evil. The fact of the matter is, there are very few other shows that make villains as compelling as those found in Game of Thrones.

And so, let's take a look at all the major villains in Game of Thrones and rank them in terms of least to most compelling!

10. Masters of Slaver's Bay

These villains, while not the most entertaining villains in the whole show, are an instrumental part of Dany’s storyline. They don’t even have much screen time but are always posed as an insufferable and incessant thorn in Dany’s side that always seeks to overthrow her rule any chance that they get.

Dany starts off as a fairly lenient ruler for them. Although she takes their lands, she still allows them to live largely as they used to, only if they stop torturing and treating people like slaves. They refuse to listen and rebel, causing Dany to eventually kill them. Though they aren’t super memorable, each scene they are in enforces a certain tone that is great, and they also serve to bolster Dany’s strength as a leader, making her realize that as a ruler, sometimes cruelty is necessary to set an example.

Most evil act: when they showed the entire path to Meereen being pointed at by crucified slave children who had died at the cross. The act itself may have been done off-screen but it was enough to make every single viewer upset and angry. 

Best scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIGavfUdW8A

9. Walder Frey

How I hate this man. Without getting into too many spoilers, Walder pledged his support to Robb Stark in the War of the Five Kings. He did start helping Robb but one stupid mistake caused a cascade effect for so many things to go wrong for him, chief of which was that it weakened the Frey’s support for his cause.

Walder was the architect of one of the most infamous moments in the history of the show. He then chose to side with Tywin Lannister and ensure the safety of his house that way, destroying Robb’s entire military campaign through one, unforgivable act.

Most evil act: he was the brain behind the Red Wedding. Enough said.

Best scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuNidAQnR7k

8. Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane

Gregor Clegane is often referred to as being more of a monster than being a man. This absolute demon is close to 8-feet tall and is often called the lapdog of Tywin Lannister, as he and his house are both loyal to the Lannisters. He will do anything Tywin says without a question, even if it is the most heinous and inhuman act imaginable. In fact, he takes a grotesque pleasure in doing so.

He’s a rabid dog that enjoys absolutely destroying whoever and whatever he wants, whichever way that he wants. This ranges from killing them to doing unspeakable things which are far worse. Though many would argue that he isn’t a main villain as he only does what Tywin tells him, his cruelty and depravity and role in the overall story definitely puts him up there for me.

Most evil act: what he did to Elia Martell and her children. Sure, that was upon the orders of Tywin but Tywin only said to kill them. The way it was done, as well as everything else, was all on Gregor.

Best scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQoC0E-Abm4

7. The Night King

The Night King was built up to be the big bad since the very first scene of the very first episode of the very first season. The White Walkers were a mysterious and unforeseen threat that no one really knew anything about; mysterious enemies who also had the ability to bring anyone back to life to be a part of their army. The leader of these terrifying ice zombies was the powerful Night King.

Hardhome is one of the best episodes in the entire series and it really shows how truly terrifying and strong this character really is, with the odds to beat him being almost impossible. He is the true villain of the series. There are, however, 2 reasons that despite his importance for the overall story why isn’t ranked higher.

He doesn’t have any nuance aside from being evil, which definitely makes him more mysterious and infinitely cooler but doesn’t flesh him out as a character. The second and more pressing reason is that the writers of the last season absolutely destroyed him as a threat. He absolutely destroys the North but gets killed in the stupidest way by Arya, just to appeal to a small contingent of fans. The Long Night was over in 1 episode, barely even making the Night King a threat at all.

Most evil act: was the killing of every resident of Hardhome and turning them into wights to be a part of his army. It showed just how hopeless fighting against him would be and how terrifying his power truly is.

Best scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpSu11n2OKw

6. The High Sparrow

One of the most frustrating and infuriating characters that have ever been made for a TV show. The High Sparrow was just a deadbeat nobody that appeared out of nowhere and appointed himself as some sort of religious leader for the Faith of the Seven in King’s Landing. Upon appearing here in the story, he uses his influence for holier than thou acts and starts to act as some sort of saint.

He is super frustrating because he tries to come off as someone who is doing everything that he is for spiritual reasons, but it is just very clearly being done as a means to grasp power in King's Landing. However, his followers are just too stupid to realize this and inadvertently enable his ascent to power. He makes the entire royal family do exactly what he wants and has them dancing around his fingers. To me, this guy is probably the most infuriating villain in the whole show.

Most evil act: was parading Cersei naked through the streets of King’s Landing with people throwing rubbish at her. His goal isn’t to make people repent for their sins, it’s for him to use his condescending piety in order to feed off the misery and shame of the people that he judges.

Best scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I_TN7oAA_U

5. Ramsay Bolton

What a villain. Ramsay is one of the most insane and unhinged characters we have seen on TV, but not in the same way that The Mountain is. Though he does enjoy messed up things such as killing and torturing people, he is also a brilliant tactician and is just a very  cunning man, always having thought out and well devised  plans.

What he does to Theon Greyjoy is easily one of the cruelest things someone can be put through psychologically, and in doing so, he completely breaks Theon down mentally. He is also the one who, through masterful manipulation and strategy, takes over the walls of Winterfell upon his fathers orders. We all hate him, but Iwan Rheon certainly brings a charm to this psychopath and trust me, he’s FAR worse in the books.

Most evil act: there are far too many to count such as murder, torture and flaying people alive. However, him forcing himself upon Sansa in front of Theon after torturing him for so long probably takes the cake. Theon and Sansa grew up together and were practically siblings, so this was especially hard to watch.

Best scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikV6I92JbJk

4. Joffrey Baratheon

I hate him, I hate him, I hate him. Joffrey is quite possibly the most insufferable character in the entire show and that is in no small part to do with Jack Gleeson’s incredible portrayal of the spoiled prince. This character is the embodiment of entitlement and cruelty and would use his role as king to do all sorts of depraved things.

He was especially fond of torture and was very quick to temper. He was hated by pretty much everyone, even those on his side except for his mother, whose orders he defied and unwillingly started the War of the Five Kings. This brat also mentally and physically tortured Sansa, which is made even worse due to the fact that she was in love with him and completely shattered her positive world-view.

Honestly, everytime Tyrion slaps him just feels so much better.

Most evil act: honestly it is very difficult to tell. It is definitely a toss up between Ned Stark’s unjust beheading, the things he did to Sansa, getting Micah killed by the Hound or inciting a riot in Kings Landing which led to the deaths of so many innocent people. 

Best scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW6wfXPeJTw

3. Cersei Lannister

Now we get into the more nuanced villains. The story never makes Cersei out to be a good person, but we do get to see why she’s the selfish and ruthless queen when she needs to be. She is not really a character that many people like but she is definitely one that has her reasons for being the way that she is. Though she isn’t exactly one to be sympathized with, she does go through her fair share of trials and tribulations.

For all the bad things that can rightfully be said about Cersei, one good positive trait about her is that she loves her children, to the point where she will do absolutely anything and everything to keep them safe. This gives her an extra layer of depth because while she undoubtedly does very evil things, she does them for some good reasons.

However, after the death of her children one by one in the story, you can see her gradual shift to craving power more than anything else. This is very important to her overall character arc because it gives some insight as to who she is. It makes the viewer think that maybe she never really cared about her children at all and was only convincing herself of this. This very act of thinking about this is a sign of a very well written character.

Most evil act: blowing up the Sept of Baelor is a pretty nasty thing to do, especially considering the Tyrells were in it along with a great deal of innocents and even her own uncle. This showed that Cersei was willing to do anything to stay in power.

Best scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHYL-uiLJ14

2. Petyr Baelish

My friends and family usually give me weird looks when I tell them that Littlefinger is one of my favorite characters in the entire show. Though it is arguable whether or not he actually is a villain, he certainly isn’t a hero. He is one character that, from the very start of the show, has only ever been on the lookout for himself and proved to be so intelligent that he was always 5 steps ahead of everyone else.

Other characters on the same intellectual level as him were Varys and Tyrion, but Baelish always set himself apart with just how calculating truly was. He was one person that always had something planned for every situation and always knew what to do to get out of it, no matter what it was.

Unfortunately, like most characters, his character was also completely ruined in the last season of the show because the writers didn’t know what to do with him. He went from the smartest character in the show to the dumbest, all in one scene.

Most evil act: was using Sansa as a political pawn. She had grown to trust him but he still betrayed that trust by selling her to Ramsay. Not as outright evil as the others, but still pretty bad.

Best scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rc6CHH-E-4

1. Tywin Lannister

Could it have been anyone else? Tywin is the quintessential bad guy in the story, and even then, he isn’t outright evil. Much like Littlefinger, Tywin’s entire motivation is to keep himself and his family safe and in power, and to make sure that they are never to be taken advantage of. Legacy and destiny are Tywin’s biggest drivers and the things that really make him the favorite villain (and often favorite character) of many viewers.

Tywin is played by the legendary Charles Dance and honestly, if the role went to anyone else, it wouldn’t have been as loved. Dance brings a charisma and presence that cannot be matched by anyone else in the entire show and makes every single scene he is in so memorable. Tywin is cold, calculating, intelligent and ruthless, but he is one who will always put the needs of his house before everything else.

He steals the show. No character is written quite like him and he is one that will always be remembered as being the best villain in the series by most people who have watched the show. Oh, and his scene opposite Peter Dinklage in Tyrion’s trial remains the greatest scene in TV history, no question.

Most evil act: was the one who gave the orders for most of the deaths of main, heroic characters on the show.

Best scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCcDm2fGKXI

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