Game of Thrones was a show filled with characters walking the line between good and evil. Many operated in a grey area while others switched sides throughout the series. Jaime Lannister started as one of the most hated characters before becoming a hero. Meanwhile, Daenerys was seen as the savior of Westeros before becoming a villain in one of Game of Thrones' more predictable plot twists.
While there were many complex characters, some were just easier for fans to hate. Whether it is based on some terrible things they did in the show or just the fact that they seemed to drag the plot down, there are characters viewers were hoping would be killed off.
Updated on July 7th, 2022 by Colin McCormick: There is plenty of excitement among Game of Thrones fans with the upcoming release of House of the Dragon and news that there may be a spinoff show with Jon Snow. But while heroes like Jon still thrill fans, Game of Thrones also had plenty of characters who were just as fun to hate. With such a large cast, there are still many other detestable secondary characters that helped add to the show.
Selyse Baratheon
Game of Thrones is a show filled with terrible parents and Selyse Baratheon certainly fits that category. Though her husband set a low bar with his parenting, Selyse often made him look like a caring father in comparison.
She insulted and threatened to beat her kind-hearted daughter Shireen, never offering her a kind word. Selyse's creepy devotion to the Lord of Light didn't make her any more likable. And while she eventually tried to stop Stannis from sacrificing Shireen, the fact that she was initially on board with it was pretty shocking.
Rast
While Jon Snow found some of his best friends in the Night's Watch, they were not all such good guys. Rast quickly emerged as a bully in the group who made up for his own fear and inadequacies by picking on Samwell Tarly.
On his own, all Rast could do was complain, but when some of the other untrustworthy Night Watch brothers staged a mutiny, Rast took the opportunity to stab Lord Commander Mormont in the back. Seeing Rast finally get his comeuppance when he is mauled by the direwolf Ghost was a satisfying end.
Craster
The mutiny on Lord Commander Mormont was horrific, but the one good thing to come out of it was that is meant the end for Craster. This unpleasant old man just became more unlikable with every new thing the audience learned about him.
He owned a small camp Beyond the Wall where he offered shelter to the Night's Watch while also exploiting them. He kept his daughters as his enslaved wives and constantly abused them. He even offered up his newborn sons to the Night King as sacrifices. He was truly a character with no redeeming qualities.
Locke
Roose Bolton and his son Ramsay are two of the most hated villains of the series, so it makes sense that their henchman Locke is equally repulsive. He is such an evil character that he helped fans have a change of heart with Jaime Lannister when Locke chopped off his hand.
His brutal abuse of Jaime was also given to Brienne, including throwing her into a pit with a bear. He was then sent to capture Bran Stark while also plotting to kill Jon Snow. Few secondary characters have been so awful to so many of the show's heroes.
The Mountain
The fact that Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane is considered perhaps the most feared man in Westeros is quite an accomplishment. But while a lot of that certainly comes from his power as a warrior, it is also the fear his reputation inspires.
His evilness began at an early age when he burned his brother's face simply for playing with his toy. He proceeded to brutally murder people throughout his time as Tywin Lannister's henchman and his actions at the Sack of King's Landing are infamous in their cruelty.
Balon Greyjoy
The War of the Five Kings was a crucial and fantastic component to the Game Of Thrones story, but the fifth king, Balon Greyjoy, posed absolutely no threat to the other four, all while believing he was the very best.
There was simply nothing likable about the Greyjoy patriarch. On top of being just an arrogant, unlikeable person, what makes Balon so hated is his stupidity. He believes he can take on all comers for his cluster of vulnerable islands and bring back the "old way," and no fan ever believes he can do anything of significance for even a second. His very random death left little impact.
Janos Slynt
Janos Slynt was the former commander of the City Watch of King's Landing before being hoisted off to the Wall to take the black. Through all of it, he is one of the most frustrating characters in the entire show.
He is a total weasel, with no discernable good qualities. Of course, what sends him over the edge into abhorrency was his cold murder of innocent babies at the order of Joffrey Baratheon. It was easy for Jason, and it was disgusting.
Robin Arryn
There are some characters in Game Of Thrones who do not perform a slew of heinous acts yet are still unbelievably hatable, and that is Robin Arryn.
Robin is just so incredibly creepy, taking sick joy in watching people go out the Moon Door and in general, being a total brat. He is dumb and in charge, blind to any and all manipulation, and there are few characters in the show as annoying as him.
Melisandre
Melisandre is an example of a character who did genuinely try to do what she thought was right — lead Stannis Baratheon to the throne — but did so in such a cruel, questionable manner.
She did, of course, come close to redeeming herself late in the show, but there is nothing she could have done to make up for one of the show's most horrifying scenes, the burning of Shireen Baratheon. Stannis may be more hated for his role in that ordeal, but it was all because of Melisandre, to begin with.
Alliser Thorne
The men of the Night's Watch were a brutal, gravelly bunch but did produce some incredibly likable characters. Alliser Thorne was not one of them.
A significant reason for fans hating Alliser so much was his treatment of Jon. It was so unwarranted and unnecessary in the early parts of the show. With fans adoring Jon Snow so much, Thorne was never going to be liked, but throw in his attitude towards the likes of Sam and his eventual murder of Jon, and Thorne is right up there with the most hated supporting Game of Thrones characters.
Meryn Trant was a character who seemed to exist for the sole purpose of hating him. Trant was a lackey for Joffrey Baratheon, quite easily the most hated main character on the show. Trant first made an impression when he attempted to capture Arya and seemingly killed Syrio Forel.
However, as detestable as he was, as a member of the Kingsguard, the full extent of Trant's evilness was revealed when he visited Braavos. Arya follows Trant into a brothel where he seeks out incredibly young girls and beats them for his own pleasure. Arya's punishment of him might have been brutal, but it's hard to say it wasn't deserved.
Euron Greyjoy
With the deaths of Joffrey Baratheon and Ramsay Bolton, the show seemed to be lacking an over-the-top villain in the later seasons. Then came Euron Greyjoy, possibly the most cartoonish character in the series.
Euron was introduced in season 5 but failed to make much of an impression. When he was reintroduced in season 6, he got a makeover as a rockstar pirate. While he provided some laughs, he was too ridiculous to take seriously, and the show stretched plausibility to present him as a real threat; he was nothing more than a pointless annoyance. Euron was the worst of the Greyjoy house, which says a lot.
Ros
There are countless characters to take from George R.R. Martin's books, yet the show still thought it necessary to invent the occasional character. It didn't always work out so well. Ros was introduced in the very first episode as the most popular sex worker in Winterfell before moving to King's Landing and working for Littlefinger and Varys.
Ros was given a fairly substantial role in the first few seasons, much to the annoyance of the audience. Perhaps because she was a creation for the show, fans were never very interested in her story and saw her inclusion as a distraction. Eventually, the series seemed to realize this and abruptly killed her off in Season 3.
The Waif
Arya Stark's adventures in the House of Black and White were not embraced by fans the way the show had hoped. One unfavorable aspect of that storyline was the Waif, a member of the Faceless Men who becomes a rival to Arya.
While the concept of the Faceless Men was interesting, the nuance and intrigue of the group are largely undone by this poorly written character. She is a cliched rival, and her actions seem to contradict everything the audience learned about the Faceless Men. And presenting her as a Terminator-like assassin was just silly.
Littlefinger
Littlefinger was a tough character to get a read on during the first season. It was clear he was a schemer, but he seemed to be helping Ned Stark. However, once he put a knife to Ned's neck and had him arrested, fans immediately started fantasizing about Littlefinger's death.
Littlefinger continued to work in the shadows for much of the series, playing the "game of thrones" expertly, proving himself to be one of the smartest villains in Game of Thrones. But despite helping to kill Joffrey, he did too many awful things that fans couldn't forgive. After trying to turn Arya and Sansa against each other, he finally went too far, and the game was over for him.
The Sandsnakes
The Sandsnakes actually represent three characters, the bastard daughters of Oberyn Martell, but since the show gave them so little individual personality, they can be counted as one. Book fans were excited by their inclusion but were disappointed to find they were made to be clichéd, thinly written characters.
It didn't help that the Dorne storyline in season 5 was one of the show's worst. The potential of these characters was squandered, and the show seemingly abandoned them shortly after their debut due to the poor fan reception.
Lysa Arryn
Family relationships are explored a lot in Game of Thrones. The Starks seem to be a pretty normal and loving family, but some of their extended family are another story. Lysa Arryn is Catelyn Stark's younger sister, whom Catelyn visits after capturing Tyrion Lannister.
Lysa is introduced while breastfeeding her eight-year-old son and it is revealed she is in love with Littlefinger. The latter detail alone is enough to make fans roll their eyes and wish her off their screens. After admitting to killing her previous husband and helping to start the war, Lysa is pushed to her death, with many fans thinking "good riddance."
Ramsay Bolton
Joffrey Baratheon was a fittingly sadistic villain for the first few seasons, but he was small-time compared to Ramsay Bolton. The son of Roose Bolton, he inherited his father's evilness but lacked his restraint. Ramsay tortured, raped, and killed for the pure fun of it all.
His torturing of Theon Greyjoy actually made viewers feel bad for Theon. Also on the list of Ramsay's crimes is having his infant brother and stepmother fed to his hounds and kicking Rickon Stark. And Ramsay's treatment of Sansa remains one of the most controversial things to happen on the show. Seeing him being fed to his dogs was a cheer-worthy moment.
Olly
Olly was introduced as the adorable orphan boy who is taken in by the Night's Watch and becomes a squire for Jon Snow. It's strange to think then that he managed to become so hated.
Murdering Jon Snow, though, is enough to turn any Game of Thrones character into a villain, even Olly. Olly's actions were at least a little sympathetic. He did see his parents brutally killed by the Wildlings, so Jon's mission to save them surely confused him greatly. But fans felt no sympathy for the young man, and even after Jon was resurrected, they cheered for Olly's death.
Walder Frey
Part of what made Walder Frey easier to hate than even the likes of Joffrey and Ramsay was that he did horrible things but didn't even have the courage to do them himself. Walder was known to be a man of inaction and indifference, and he took that approach to the Red Wedding as well.
Just as Robb Stark seemed on the verge of avenging his father, Walder staged a petty, cowardly, and brutal revenge plot of his own. Killing Robb would have been enough to make Walder a monster, but he also killed Robb's pregnant wife, his mother, his dire wolf, and his army. Walder's arrogant reaction to it all made him even more grotesque.