The 50 Best Game of Thrones Characters, Ranked
45. Melisandre
The Red Woman is a tough one for me. One the one hand, she’s obviously in touch with some kind of higher power, but the Lord of Light demands human sacrifice in order to be appeased, which doesn’t sit right. That’s why her spot on this list is kind of low.
We found out in the most recent season that Melisandre is actually centuries old. That means she’s been at this game for a very long time. And while she’s good at her job, her devotion to the Lord of Light is clearly one that demands unflinching service (and the occasional shadowbaby).
There’s a reason the fire god isn’t widely worshiped throughout the Seven Kingdoms: Dark magic frightens people. There are times Carice van Houten plays Melisandre like she doesn’t believe in her own powers, either. Faith can get shaken, and I couldn’t help but feel a smidge bad when Jon Snow banished her in the Season 6 finale. She’s dedicated her entire life to a belief and it’s slowly but surely letting her down.
However, all the Red Priests and Priestesses that exist seem to be very hard to kill off, even for George R. R. Martin, so it’s more than likely we’re not done with Melisandre yet.