Euron Greyjoy will become a bigger player in season 7, with a new alliance

Euron Greyjoy is one of the X-factors heading into Game of Thrones season 7. He was introduced pretty late in the game — the second episode of season 6, where he killed his brother Balon — but he’s being set up for a pretty big role. So just who is he?

In the novels, Euron is a near-Satanic presence, a malevolent figure who doesn’t give a second thought about murder, rape, or tearing the tongues out of the people who crew his ship. Actor Pilou Asbæk has previously said that Euron will make Ramsay Bolton look like “a little kid,” and continued to provide insight into his character in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly.

"Ramsay was a great character and to me was 100 percent evil. I think Euron is not. I’m more like a hooligan. The guy you met at the Kingsmoot is not the guy you will meet on his ship — he’s different with different people to get what he wants."

He’ll get a bit of a makeover, too, with closer cropped hair and some billowy black robes. We haven’t seen a lot of Euron in the marketing, but we did get a glimpse of him raging in battle in the second trailer for the season:

“He’s much more just f—ing enjoying himself this season,” Asbaek said. “He’s more charming. He takes himself seriously, but not too seriously.”

The show’s writers talked up Euron, too. Dave Hill said that Asbaek developed a perfect “resting maniac face” for the character, and Bryan Cogman said that Euron “brings a different energy to the show…He’s the kind of guy who will kill you and steal your girlfriend.”

It’ll be interesting to see what the show does with Euron now that he’s moving into the spotlight. As “probably the last major character” to join the series (EW’s words), and a villain at that, it’ll be important to distinguish him from the likes of Joffrey Baratheon and Ramsay Bolton, who are tough acts to follow.

We’ll see more of Euron on July 16, but before that, Asbaek gave a hint about where his character fits into the plot. Beware minor SPOILERS below.

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We’ve wondered for a while whether Euron might try and team up with Cersei Lannister is season 7. His original plan was to propose to Daenerys Targaryen, but now that she’s allied herself with Euron’s nephew and niece, both of whom want him out of office, that doesn’t seem likely. Asbaek pretty much confirms that’s where the story’s going in this interview:

"For Euron, the question is, ‘Who gives me the best odds?’ Is it the dragon mother? No. Is it with Cersei? I think it is. Dany is still trying to be a good, decent, honest person. Cersei sold her soul many years ago. Maybe that’s why Euron likes the idea of her."

I wonder if those crazy kids will make a go of it.