HBO's House of the Dragon is a show filled with political scheming, manipulation and outright treachery. With so many factions warring in pursuit of power, it is practically impossible to see where each politician's motivations will lead them, now that the fighting has finally started. Of course, there were numerous schemers in House of the Dragon who managed to incite war.
In the show's predecessor, Game of Thrones, there was one central figure at the heart of almost every conflict: Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish. While Littlefinger is largely despised in the Seven Kingdoms, fans have embraced him, and they've made tons of memes that sum up the master manipulator well.
Not The Worst Motivations
Since he can be summed up as Littlefinger Light, Larys Strong has often been compared to Baelish. Both deftly manipulated their surrounding situations to bring about a deadly war, begun by the attempted murder of a child.
Yet Littlefinger's motivations happened to be somewhat more understandable. Larys was hoping to get a glimpse at Alicent's feet. Littlefinger, at least, was trying to gain power for himself. Very different motivations, though it led Westeros in the same direction.
Horrible To The Tullys
The Tullys are one of the most important Houses in Westeros, as they rule as the Lords Paramount over the Riverlands. Yet, despite being powerful and benevolent rulers who took Littlefinger in as a ward, he systematically planned the downfall of their House, after Lord Tully refused to allow him to marry Catelyn.
Littlefinger manipulated Lysa, so that she would get Catelyn into a risky and deadly situation. He even worked to have Catelyn's husband killed, before murdering Lysa and selling Catelyn's daughter to Ramsay Bolton. It was horrific behavior, and it certainly would have made Lord Hoster regret ever agreeing to foster the young Petyr — if he ever had the chance to know what Littlefinger would do.
Very Different Between The Books And The Show
Source: Reddit
The book and show versions of Littlefinger are practically different characters entirely, which stunned viewers. In the books, Baelish is a friend to all, and none would expect him to be working against them until it was far too late. His plans were well-thought-out, complex, and incredibly effective.
In the show, he married Sansa to a monster and was utterly shocked that he would treat her poorly for it. He was openly manipulative and disrespectful, and he had few friends among the lords. It was a very different portrayal of the character, and one that made his actions early on in the show much less believable.
Caused The War Of The Five Kings
Of every character in Game of Thrones, Littlefinger was the most important. He orchestrated the events of the War of the Five Kings by setting Stark against Lannister and by betraying Ned Stark. It was a brilliant play that destabilized the realm for years to come and right before winter too.
While his enemies warred, Littlefinger became Lord of Harrenhal, then Lord Protector of the Vale and Regent over Lord Robin Arryn. It was a series of brilliant plans that helped propel him higher than anyone of his class should have been able to reach in Westeros.
Confusing Plans
While Littlefinger was brilliant in the first half of the show, in the latter half, many of his actions contributed to his downfall. He made the mistake of trusting the notoriously untrustworthy Ramsay Bolton, despite the fact that there was little material benefit for him.
By betraying Sansa's trust, he completely eliminated her as a potential ally going forward. He could have had complete control over the ruling Stark in Winterfell. Instead, he infuriated Sansa, made an enemy of Arya, and even left the lords of the Vale looking to post his head on a stick.
Helped Kill Sansa's Entire Family
Littlefinger loved Sansa as much as he could love anyone. That, of course, is not saying much. He orchestrated the murder of her father, her brothers, her mother, and even thought that he helped to get her sister killed. To make matters worse, he gave her away to Ramsay.
So, when it came time for Sansa to seek revenge, she did so happily. She took Littlefinger off the board, and Baelish joined the ranks of everyone else that he influenced in Sansa's life. As a member of the dead, he even had the chance to fight alongside them for once, as the White Walkers marched into Winterfell.
Ran Out Of Plans
Littlefinger was a political mastermind who would have dominated during the reign of King Viserys. Unfortunately, he reached his peak in the aftermath of the War of the Five Kings, when the realm slowly began to restabilize before the arrival of Daenerys Targaryen.
Having failed to fully solidify his plans, since he often worked through improvisation, rather than careful planning, Littlefinger tripped at the finish line. He didn't plan ahead with Sansa, and it led to his execution. Had he been more careful to keep Sansa on his side, he might have lived longer.
Taught Sansa Well
While many characters in Game of Thrones took on proteges or served as advisors, Littlefinger decided to turn his attention to Sansa. Having trained her in the arts of political scheming, he actually proved to be an excellent mentor, if still a horrible advisor.
Yet Littlefinger wouldn't get to see Sansa complete her journey to become a brilliant politician. While he was forced to see her political wiles turned to him, during his execution, he wouldn't see her betray Jon in the same way that he betrayed Catelyn. It was unfortunate, as he would have been very proud.
Believed Chaos Is A Ladder
Littlefinger's philosophy was that chaos was king. If he could orchestrate enough chaos in Westeros, then he could use that chaos to climb an invisible ladder that could grant him more power than he could ever dream of. In time, he could even take the Iron Throne.
While Littlefinger was not a character who deserved the Iron Throne, he was still hopeful that he could create that chaos. in many ways, he did. Unfortunately, even Littlefinger failed to realize that, if he failed to navigate the chaos well enough, the rungs would fall out beneath him.
The Plans Ended Poorly
Littlefinger's last plan led him to Winterfell, where he casually tried to manipulate Sansa into murdering her own sister. When she, Bran, and Arya realized that they were being played, they worked together to come up with a plan to publicly execute their father's betrayer.
Littlefinger's last moments finally saw his mask of arrogance slip away, revealing a powerless and terrified man desperately clinging to any hope he had of survival. Unfortunately, vengeance had the day, and Littlefinger lost his life at the hands of Ned Stark's daughters.