Despite its sprawling ensemble cast, Game of Thrones typically treats five to seven of its characters' as the series leads. After the death of Ned Stark (Sean Bean), the show's initial main character, back in Season 1, the show eventually elevated Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), and Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), treating them as the closest thing the show would ever have to "main characters." While other important cast members, such as Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) or Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) would go on to carry their own storylines, they rarely received the amount of screentime or attention as these seven.
However, other characters have reached the heights of these seven, or at least come close, for just one season. Thanks to a temporarily elevated screen presence, these five supporting Game of Thrones characters felt like show's leads for just a little while, before either going back to their original roles or leaving the series altogether.
1. Theon Greyjoy
After playing a relatively small role in season 1, Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) found himself catapulted into the spotlight for the show's second outing. Theon's season 2 arc sees him returning to the Iron Islands in hopes of forging an alliance between his old family, House Greyjoy, and his new family, House Stark. However, Theon's father Balon (Patrick Malahide) intends to stake his own claim as King of the Iron Islands, and Theon switches sides, betraying the Starks and capturing Winterfell in his father's name.
Theon's seasonal screentime never reaches its heights from season 2. This is likely because he only serves as a point-of-view character in two books, A Clash of Kings, which became his second season storyline, and A Dance with Dragons, which revealed he was still alive as Reek — a plotline which was broken up into seasons 3, 4, and 5. Despite only playing a leading role in one season, Theon still established himself as a staple of Game of Thrones, sticking with the series until his death in its final season.
2. Ygritte
Jon Snow first encounters Ygritte (Rose Leslie) during his travels beyond the Wall in season 2. Under the instruction of the late ranger Qhorin Halfhand (Simon Armstrong), Jon spends season 3 infiltrating the Free Folk by pretending to join their ranks. Given the focus inherently placed on Jon, Ygritte receives nearly as much on-screen attention as her southern lover throughout the season.
However, after their climactic breakup and Jon's return to the Night's Watch, Ygritte fades into the background for season 4. Most of the wildlings' screentime throughout that season takes place in the form of short vignettes as they make their way to Castle Black, meaning Ygritte has far less to do. Sadly, season 4 proves to be her final season, after dying to an arrow from Olly (Brennock O'Connor) during the Battle of Castle Black, meaning she would never again reach her season 3 status as a leading lady.
3. Tywin Lannister
Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), the patriarch of House Lannister, proved that he didn't need much screentime to earn his reputation as the most intimidating man in Westeros. After a guest spot for the back half of season 1, Dance joins the main cast and plays a somewhat large role, yet still ultimately supporting, in seasons 2 and 3. Season 4 then places Tywin front and center, playing a much larger role than usual as arguably the season's main antagonist, stopping at nothing to prosecute and kill his own son, Tyrion.
However, season 4 proves to be Tywin's last season. In the season finale, Tyrin gets his revenge on his father by shooting him dead with a crossbow on the toilet. After a brief appearance as a corpse in season 5, Tywin leaves the show for good, cementing his place as one of the show's greatest villains.
4. Stannis Baratheon
Much like Ygritte, Stannis Baratheon's (Stephen Dillane) role size increases after crossing paths with Jon Snow. After playing a supporting role throughout seasons 2, 3, and 4, Stannis' quest for the Iron Throne brings him to Castle Black for season 5. There, he receives more focus than ever before, even surpassing his hand, Ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham), in screentime.
However, Stannis' story doesn't last much longer. After taking Melisandre's (Carice van Houten) advice too far, Stannis realizes he sacrificed his own daughter, Shireen (Kerry Ingram), for nothing. Suffering from grievous injuries taken during his battle against the Bolton forces, he lets Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) kill him once he realized that his path to the Iron Throne was gone.
5. Grey Worm
Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson), a member of Daenerys' entourage since season 3, always took a backseat to the rest of her supporting cast. Anderson had received guest star billing from seasons 3 until 7, and despite his love story with Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) ultimately garnering some focus, he rarely had as much to do as the likes of Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen), Daario Naharis (Michiel Huisman), or Missandei herself.
However, by the time of season 8, Anderson finally gets bumped up to the main cast, and Grey Worm becomes one of only a handful of Game of Thrones characters to appear in every episode of a season. He outlasts several of Dany's other allies, remaining her most loyal solider until the end. While no one comes back after season 8, given that it's the show's last season, Grey Worm ends his time on Game of Thrones with some well-deserved extra focus.
For more from the world of Westeros, make sure to stream House of the Dragon season 3 on HBO Max.
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