The 25 Best Power Players on Game of Thrones, Ranked

21. Jaime Lannister

Jaime Lannister has been a victim of circumstance more than a few times.  His is hated by many for being the man who killed his king, even though he did it to save hundreds of thousands of lives. He was captured and maimed on his way home to King’s Landing, and at nearly every turn, his fickle sister undermines his good intentions. Nevertheless, he’s very resilient, and has proven time and time again that he can scrap through seemingly any doomed encounter.

Perhaps Jaime’s most memorable strategic victory was followed by his biggest failure. Daenerys Targaryen arrived in Westeros looking like an unstoppable force, allied as she was with Olenna Tyrell of Highgarden and the Sand Snakes of Dorne. But Jaime predicted that Daenerys would attack Casterly Rock, leaving Highgarden vulnerable. He attacked Highgarden at the exact right time, eliminated one of Daenerys’ key allies, and made off with a ton of gold.

Then Daenerys ambushed his forces with her full military might, including her biggest dragon, as they were making their way back to King’s Landing, and it was a slaughter. It’s worth noting, though, that Jaime still made some very smart moves during this battle, as when he had Bronn try to shoot Drogon out of the sky and when his men stood firm in the face of the intimidating Dothraki charge, but ultimately there’s just no beating a chick riding an ancient monster.

Jaime might not always be the one calling the shots, but he’s an effective commander who understands how to fight a good fight. Jaime rarely gets involved in the political maneuverings of his siblings, but when he does, he shows surprising potential, as when he helps Cersei talk her way back onto the Small Council after her walk of atonement. Another strategic highpoint came at the siege of Riverrun, where he was able to take back the castle with barely any blood spilled. He also a lot of charisma, which he used when trying to escape Stark imprisonment. What holds him back is his lack of ambition, but hey,  it doesn’t seem like he cares too much about that.