5 Game of Thrones villains who are better than the heroes

Daemon Targaryen

Oh, the complex feelings I have for Daemon Targaryen. He’s cruel, he’s ruthless, and he’s unforgiving. He’s impulsive, he’s selfish, and he’s totally out of touch with his emotions. If he was a guy I knew in real life, I’d think he was a f**k boy and would never speak to him. But in the Game of Thrones universe… I have no problem admitting that I love him! And I know I’m not alone in this feeling.

Daemon is on Team Black in House of the Dragon so he is fighting on the right side in my opinion, but he’s still a villain. I mean, he kills his wife so he can marry his niece who he groomed as a minor. It’s evil! Like Cersei, Daemon will do anything he can to protect his family and assert his dominance, even if that means killing innocent people.

I understand why he’s disliked by many people in the Game of Thrones fandom, but he’s just such an intriguing character that I can’t help but root for him. It’s not surprising to hear that Daemon is one of George R.R. Martin’s favorite characters.

Tywin Lannister

I’ll just go out and say it… I love Tywin Lannister. There’s no way around it! Unlike Cersei, I don’t feel any empathy for Tywin at all, and he’s probably the least morally ambiguous villain on this list. But despite not understanding or feeling bad for him, he’s still a badass who knows he’s a bad guy and owns it. He’s incredibly intelligent and highly skilled at political strategizing, always being one step ahead of those around him, even especially his children.

He’s ruthless, that’s for sure, but you’ve got to respect the image he’s created for himself. Like most of the characters in Game of Thrones, Tywin prioritizes his family and their house’s legacy, which is easy to understand. The lengths he goes to keep the Lannisters in power are sometimes unsavory, but never uninteresting.

Daenerys Targaryen

This is a tough one, I know. Is Daenerys Targaryen even a villain? Many people — both on and off the show — would say that she is. And while I am a big Daenerys defender, I’m not in the boat that she did nothing wrong in the end, and I would argue her actions in season 8 do make her a bad person. I love her, but come on. You can’t just kill thousands of innocent people and expect to remain a hero. It just doesn’t work that way.

While many of Daenerys’ actions leading up to the final season make her a hero, all of that is pretty much tossed down the drain when she burns down King’s Landing. It’s such a shame! I’m still not over it.

But even though Daenerys turns into a villain, she’s still one of the best characters in Game of Thrones. There’s so much about her and her story to love, including her incredible resilience and determination and her inspiring development into a leader. Not to mention, of course, she brings back dragons over a century after they went instinct. She’s pretty damn cool, you have to admit.

Daenerys is one of my favorite characters of all time, but of course, she proves to be morally ambiguous by the end.

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