Theon Greyjoy had one of the wildest characters arcs in Game of Thrones. Fans went from having mixed feelings about him in season 1, to hating him in season 2, pitying him as Reek, and then rooting for him in the later seasons as he found redemption and gained agency.
Actor Alfie Allen did a phenomenal job portraying the character in his many different stages of development. Theon is therefore a character worth taking a closer look at, particularly the moments where he elicited strong reactions from fans. Here are 5 times we felt bad for Theon, and 5 times we hated him.
Felt Bad: Mistreated By His Father
As retribution for the ironborn rebelling against the Iron Throne, Balon Greyjoy's eldest and only surviving son Theon became a ward of House Stark. The Starks raised him well and treated him fairly, but Theon was still proud and felt connected to his ironborn heritage.
When Theon returned to Pyke, his father treated him with nothing but scorn and disdain. Balon used every moment to mock and demean his son. This cruel treatment made Theon want to prove himself, which led to many of his unwise and self-destructive decisions.
Hated Him: Taking Winterfell And Betraying Robb
Robb Stark had been like a brother to Theon and even entrusted Theon with an important mission. Instead of being a faithful brother in return, Theon betrayed Robb's trust and took over Winterfell.
Bran and Rickon had also been like brothers to him, and many of the adults at Winterfell helped raise and train Theon. It was infuriating to see Theon make them suffer and turn his back on the people who actually cared about him and treated him like family.
Felt Bad: Ramsay Turns Theon Into Reek
Everyone hated Theon after the selfish and dark path he went down in season 2. That hate soon turned to pity as fans saw Theon be physically and psychologically tortured throughout season 3. Eventually, he transformed into a shell of his former self, who Ramsay named Reek.
Reek obeyed all of Ramsay's orders and lived in perpetual fear of Ramsay and the punishments he could create. Despite what Theon had done in the past, he didn't deserve the extensive torture and loss of agency that consumed and destroyed him for so long.
Hated Him: Executing Rodrik
Rodrik Cassel was Winterfell's Master-at-Arms and was always loyal to House Stark. Rodrik not only trained and defended the Stark children, but he also trained Theon and had fought beside him in the past.
Given this history, Rodrik was rightfully furious when Theon captured Winterfell and betrayed the trust of those who raised him. Rodrik spat in Theon's face, and Theon became convinced he had to kill the Master-at-Arms in order to command the respect of the ironborn. Theon killed Rodrik himself, but he botched the execution and it took several blows until Rodrik was dead. Rodrik needlessly suffered and he only died because Theon wanted to save face with the ironborn.
Felt Bad: Learning Of Robb's Death
Ramsay reveled in psychologically torturing Theon. One such moment came when he casually mentioned Robb Stark's death at the Red Wedding. Theon was unaware of Robb's death at the time. Theon deeply regretted how he betrayed Robb, who had been like a brother to him.
Not only was this devastating for Theon to learn, but he also learned it in a moment where he had to prove his loyalty to Ramsay. If Theon failed to show his value, he would face severe consequences. Ramsay knew exactly what he was doing by sharing this information in a moment where Theon had no choice but to swallow his pain and be obedient.
Hated Him: Killing The Farm Boys
When Bran and Rickon escaped and Theon was unable to track them down, he killed two farm boys instead. He burnt their corpses beyond recognition and strung them up for all to see.
It was despicable that Theon killed two innocent boys just because he didn't want to be seen as weak. He also devastated Maester Luwin, who at the time believed Bran and Rickon were dead. The news of their supposed demises traveled across the realm and Catelyn Stark died believing that her youngest sons were killed.
Felt Bad: Mocked By Euron
By season 6, Theon was finally on a redemptive path. He was determined to right his many wrongs, one of which was helping Yara, who he'd turned his back on in the past. He stood up for Yara and supported her claim to sit on the Salt Throne and rule the ironborn.
When Euron arrived at the Kingsmoot, he mocked and belittled Theon in front of all the ironborn. They chose Euron over Yara, which forced her and Theon to flee with the men loyal to them. When Euron's Iron Fleet attacked in season 7, he took Yara captive and yet again mocked and belittled his nephew.
Hated Him: Refusing To Escape With Yara
Yara defied her father and took a group of men to liberate her brother from Ramsay Bolton. She was able to reach Theon, but he refused to escape with her. Theon's fear of Ramsay and his obedience to him was too deeply entrenched at this point.
Many of Yara's men were killed in the attempt to rescue Theon. She risked everything to defy her father, but it was all for naught when Theon insisted on staying with Ramsay.
Felt Bad: Theon's Sacrifice
Theon's redemption culminated at the Battle of Winterfell where he chose to defend Bran against the Night King and the Army of the Dead. He fought until his last breath, and even sacrificed himself to try and save Bran.
This was incredible growth from the character who earlier in the show had betrayed House Stark and captured Winterfell for himself. It also showed growth from his days as Reek. Fans respected Theon's final choices, but it was still heartbreaking to see him lose his life after he found redemption and became his real self again.
Hated Him: Ratting On Sansa
Sansa tried to break free of Ramsay's torment by placing a lit candle in the broken tower at Winterfell. Brienne of Tarth would see the candle and then help free Sansa.
There were too many eyes on Sansa, but Theon had a better chance of moving the candle and going unnoticed. Sansa entrusted him with this task, but when Ramsay confronted him, Theon ratted out Sansa and revealed what he was up to. He cost Sansa her best chance at escape, which also led to the death of the woman who told Sansa to light the candle in the first place.