The 50 Best Game of Thrones Characters, Ranked
50. Lord Tywin Lannister
When Tywin Lannister speaks, you listen. Ruthless, cunning, and showing very little warmth towards anyone, Tywin is a force to be reckoned with. He may be Hand of the King, but he’s the one pulling the strings. In our very first interaction with him, we see him skinning a massive stag, a symbol of the impending war over the rule of King’s Landing. Tywin is a fierce defender of his family, and has shown he will use any means necessary to keep their reputation as sharp as a lion’s claws. In Season 3, we learned that he single-handedly wiped out the entirety of House Reyne, after they rebelled against his father Lord Tytos. If that doesn’t say “Hear Me Roar,” we don’t know what does.
Tywin holds his three children in an endless loop of submission, using cunning manipulative tactics that manifest in either flattery or threat of violence. He actively despises his son Tyrion for killing his beloved wife Joanna during childbirth, and never lets him forget it. But we actually get to see his paternal side when Arya Stark acts as his cup-bearer at Harrenhal.
He has what’s probably the least dignified death in the Game of Thrones-verse: Shot with a crossbow while sitting on the privy, by his own son’s hand. And thanks to a masterful performance by veteran character actor Charles Dance, we loved every minute of it. Tywin had many, many moments of badassery, and he did it without having to lift a finger. Anyone who can send a king to bed without dinner deserves an ounce of respect.