At the start of Game of Thrones, most fans wouldn't have expected Sansa Stark to even be one of the characters who managed to survive to the very end of the series, and even fewer would have thought that she would win the titular game of thrones and become the queen of the independent North.
But, over the course of the show, Sansa transformed from a seemingly helpless child into one of the most powerful characters in Westeros, and she managed to win over her detractors and become a true fan favorite.
Won Fans Over: Because She Was Right About Daenerys
Although support for Daenerys Targaryen waned as time went on, Sansa was the first protagonist to very outwardly display her lack of support for Dany's invasion.
And while she couldn't have known how bad things were going to get, it's impossible to deny that Sansa, a certified expert in power-hungry people that know how to put on a facade of benevolence, clocked Dany for exactly the danger she was from the very moment that they met.
Took So Long: Because Everyone Thought Daenerys Was Still A Hero
But unsurprisingly, because Game of Thrones had spent so much time building Daenerys up as a hero, most fans were reluctant to see the change in her, even though forcing the North into submission in exchange for her help despite the fact that they didn't want her as their queen was clearly a non-heroic thing to do.
When Sansa initially started being cold towards Daenerys, many fans actually assumed that Sansa was the villain, not Dany.
Won Fans Over: Because She'll Fight For Her Family
Sansa spent most of her character arc being a helpless hostage to someone else, but it was inspiring to see that as soon as she got a taste of freedom and power, the first thing that she wanted to do was to fight for her home and family.
She pushed Jon towards retaking Winterfell and she looked out for House Stark's interests from that moment on, and fans were thrilled to see Sansa fight so hard for the Starks.
Took So Long: Because She Didn't Seem Connected To Her Family
From the beginning of Game of Thrones, the show portrayed Sansa as a bit of the odd man out in House Stark, and after Ned Stark was killed, Sansa was almost completely disconnected from her family.
Viewers often saw her as the least Stark-like Stark, so despite the fact that the Starks were supposed to be the heroes of the story, many fans felt like Sansa wasn't a part of that heroic arc or that she didn't really count as a Stark.
Won Fans Over: Because She Wouldn't Let People Use Her Anymore
Sansa's story is truly a tragic one. She lost her father because he lied in a confession in an attempt to save her life, and from that moment on, she was a hostage being used as a means to control the North, first by the Lannisters and then by Littlefinger and then by the Boltons.
As soon as Sansa actually started working towards her own aims, had her own power, and no longer let others control her, she started winning people over.
Took So Long: Because She Was A Pawn For So Long
Although Sansa did get the rare opportunity to express herself or actually have an impact on the world around her, the fact is that many fans never took a liking to her simply because they never got to see who she was as a character.
She was on survival mode for years and she didn't get to make her own choices or display her true personality, which unsurprisingly led to many viewers either not caring about her or straight-out disliking her.
Won Fans Over: Because She Was Brilliant At The Game
Sansa spent a very long time being afraid to act out against her captors or even think for herself, but once she was home, free, and unafraid to be who she really was, the brilliant political mind in her emerged.
She outfoxed many of the best players of the game of thrones, and her understanding of who people really were and what their goals truly were made her stand out in the later seasons.
Took So Long: Because She Didn't Even Play The Game Until Later Seasons
Again, Sansa didn't really get the opportunity to show her true colors up until around season six of Game of Thrones, simply because she was being so tightly manipulated and controlled by the people around her.
She occasionally demonstrated some awareness of the political situation she was enmeshed in, but she did almost nothing to influence it until she felt completely safe to do so, so fans weren't even aware that she was becoming a political mastermind for most of the series.
Won Fans Over: Because She Was A Great Queen
Sansa might not have had magical abilities or been a miracle worker like some of the people around her, but what stuck out about her towards the end of the series is that she was a legitimately good leader.
She made sure that her people were being taken care of and that their interests were being fought for, which is exactly what anyone should want in a good queen, and is also something that unfortunately differentiated her from every other king and queen by the end of the series.
Took So Long: Because She Spent So Long Letting Others Take The Lead
To be honest, Sansa might have been a more popular character earlier on if she didn't let other people have so much control over things.
At the start she had no choice, but as time went on she often deferred to Littlefinger, Tyrion, Dany, or even Jon when she should have fought harder for her point of view instead of just making her displeasure and distrust known but still letting everyone else take the lead, because ultimately her thoughts and ideas wound up being right.