The 50 Best Game of Thrones Characters, Ranked
43. Lord Roose Bolton
Roose is the kind of guy who will still get a seat at the popular kid’s table, but will be the butt of the jokes when he gets up and leaves. While he does command a great deal of respect (he is appointed Warden of the North, after all), none of the big sweeping decisions come directly from him. He’s the epitome of a middle man, but one who’ll deliver on a promise, as long as he gets the best deal. And that sometimes means betrayal.
Roose Bolton has Robb Stark’s blood on his hands, and it’s clear from the get-go that karma is going to come back and bite him in the ass for it. But there’s a way Michael McElhatton delivers his lines as Roose that makes him quite likable. He, on the surface, seems like a nice enough guy, if just a bit priggish. But there’s something about his direct, dry manner of speaking that sort of makes me forget all the horrible things House Bolton is responsible for, like flaying people alive.
Of course, all the violence catches up to him, and Roose is stabbed through the heart by his bastard son in the same way he delivered the fatal blow to Robb. The jerk got what he deserved, but nonetheless, he’s still an integral part to the story.
