Matching 50 Game of Thrones characters with 50 European countries

Russia: Roose Bolton

I’ll admit it: I’ve got a major thing for villains. They often make for fascinating, layered and surprising characters. While I’m a Tywin Lannister girl at heart, Roose Bolton is another bad guy that I just can’t help but kind of love. He’s cold and calculating right down to the bone, and probably a good fit for — dare I say it? — modern Russia.

For starters, his personality fits. Russia, whether it’s deserved or not, has a reputation for being a harsh, unforgiving place, cold and bleak and wide, not unlike the North. Then there are the reports of rampant corruption in the government; it’s no secret that Russia has been in the news lately for trying to tamper with the elections of other countries. Likewise, Rosse doesn’t mind doing some backroom dealing if it means he and his will rise in the world. Why couldn’t you just leave the Starks alone, Roose?

Finally, similarly to how Brienne of Tarth just looks like a good fit for Norway, Roose fits the physical bill for Russia. Stereotypically, its citizens wear muted colors and somber faces, and has Roose ever smiled on camera? Roose checks all those boxes. With his hairline and sharp eyes, you could even argue that Roose Bolton resembles Russian president Vladimir Putin.