The 25 Best Power Players on Game of Thrones, Ranked

25. Missandei

On her own, Missandei isn’t as a strategist isn’t terribly special. She is, however, a great adviser who helps Daenerys Targaryen inch ever closer to the Iron Throne.

Missandei starts from nothing. She’s a slave who happens to speak a lot of languages. She’s saved when Dany rages into Astapor and makes her big show with the Unsullied. While it seems at first glance that Missandei is freed by freak chance, it’s actually her choice to be honest with Daenerys that earns the Dragon Queen’s trust, and boosts Missandei from nobody-slave to right-hand woman. She knows how to play the cards she’s dealt.

And Missandei doesn’t squander the opportunity, in time becoming her queen’s confident. When Daenerys is flummoxed over how to handle the worsening situation in Meereen, she turns to Missandei for advice, Missandei who can provide insight into the lives of the slaves Daenerys is trying to free. Then, when Daenerys is gone from Meereen, Missandei plays a key role in helping Tyrion keep peace in the city, since the slaves know and listen to her, whereas they’re unfamiliar with him.

Many of the great Game of Thrones strategists get ahead by compromising their morals or stepping on the little guy, so it’s pretty refreshing to see Missandei doing the exact opposite. She’s risen in the world, and she’s never had to get herself dirty to do it.