After a recent tweet referred to Sophie Turner's Sansa Stark as a Game of Thrones villain, fans are rising up to defend the character. Based on George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Game of Thrones first aired on HBO in 2011. The wildly popular fantasy series ran for 8 seasons before eventually coming to a close in 2019, with the ending infamously sparking a strong backlash from fans. Game of Thrones chronicles opposing families in Westeros who compete for the coveted Iron Throne, with the major players including House Stark, House Baratheon, House Targaryen, House Lannister, House Tyrell, House Tully, and House Greyjoy, among others.Although Game of Thrones follows dozens of characters over the course of its 8-season run, the Starks quickly became a fan-favorite. Ned Stark (Sean Bean) famously dies at the end of season 1, but his children, including Sansa, Arya (Maisie Williams), Robb (Richard Madden), and Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) all live past him. Although starting the show as a relatively young and naive teen, Sansa eventually becomes a force to be reckoned with. After almost marrying Game of Thrones' tyrannical King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) and later marrying the equally reprehensible Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), Sansa concludes the show as a strong and formidable leader serving as Queen of the North.After a tweet from @daenartist called Game of Thrones' Sansa a "heartless and cruel" villain, while also likening her to Joffrey, Ramsay, and House of the Dragon's Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), fans have rallied to the character's defense. The original tweet seems to be born from a love of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), whom Sansa opposed in the show, and Twitter users have been quick to flock to Team Stark in the matter. Check out some quote tweets below:
Why Sansa & Danaerys Are Pitted Against Each Other In Game Of Thrones
Danaerys spends much of Game of Thrones separated from a lot of the action going on in Westeros, but later seasons finally see the Targaryen Queen-to-be meet characters like Jon and Sansa. From the moment Danaerys arrives in Winterfell, it's clear that she's not entirely welcome, with Sansa's disdain for her clear from their first meeting. Sansa is reluctant to bend the knee to Danaerys and the relationship between the two characters is mired in distrust and jealousy. While there's certainly reason for Sansa to be skeptical of Danaerys, the dynamic between the two characters could also be seen as a casualty of season 8's larger issues.
While reviews of the show started to become more negative in seasons 6 and 7, Game of Thrones season 8 famously dropped the ball in the eyes of many fans. Viewers disagreed with some crucial plot points and criticized the show for rushing character arcs and the larger storylines that had been brewing for many seasons. Although previous seasons of Game of Thrones had built Sansa up to be a strong and intelligent leader, the feud with Daenerys in season 8 ultimately felt out of character in many respects. Although viewers may be divided over Sansa as a character in Game of Thrones, the recent response on Twitter suggests that most agree that she doesn't deserve to be lumped in with the likes of Joffrey and Ramsay.
Source: @daenartist / Various (see above)