Fans got to know some fascinating characters throughout the eight-season run of Game of Thrones. They had terrific character development and their arcs were satisfying from start to finish. Then there were others who should have been much bigger and better than they were hyped up to be, making them some of the most overrated characters of the series.
Yes, some of these characters were even main characters for all eight seasons. By the end of the show, it’s hard to understand why we rooted for them so much, or even why the series continued to focus on them when their storylines ended up meaning so little. Follow us into the world of potentially unpopular opinions as we look at the most overrated characters from Game of Thrones.
The Night King
When Game of Thrones originally started, I expected something big from the Night King. The White Walkers were the main reason I sat through the first season, as I needed to know more about what happened north of The Wall. Over the course of a few seasons, we got a few details here and there, enough to keep us tuned in and intrigued.
The Battle of Hardhome brought us a clear look at the threat of the undead. Multiple people lost their lives, and we got a chance to see the Night King’s power. That set the stage for everything that should have happened when the small group of men went north of the Wall to fetch a wight, which was a little too anti-climactic for my liking.
In the end, the Night King was easily taken out by Arya Stark. Sure, the Battle of Winterfell was grand and tense, but I didn’t expect the Night King to be killed off so quickly.
Margaery Tyrell
There was so much potential for Margaery Tyrell throughout Game of Thrones. She came in as a threat to Cersei, reminding Cersei of what it was like to be young and somewhat free. Despite the death of Joffrey on their wedding day, Margaery found a way to remain relevant and important. She knew how to play the game of thrones.
Even after her arrest by the High Sparrow, Margaery found a way to keep playing the game. While Cersei was stuck in a prison cell and had to do the walk of shame, Margaery was able to manipulate and scheme from within. With her mind but also her ability to connect with the people, she should have been able to be more of a thorn in Cersei’s side.
Instead, she was taken out in a plan that she failed to see coming. A woman as smart as Margaery who knew what Cersei could do shouldn't have allowed her whole family be in one place. She should have noticed Cersei wasn’t there sooner, meaning she would have gotten out of the Sept of Baelor before Cersei blew it up with her inside.
Daenerys Targaryen
As a fan of English history, I viewed Daenerys Targaryen as a young Henry Tudor, who would later become Henry VII of England. In fact, that is the inspiration behind her book character, and so I fully expected to see her eventually take the Iron Throne. There was all this buildup that would see her sit on the throne with her dragons by her side.
However, she was constantly overhyped. The only think Dany had going for her was her dragons. People were scared because the dragons could take out large groups of people quickly. The second House Lannister figured out how to take out the dragons, she started to lose her ability to strategize. Failing to listen to her advisors, she started to thirst for revenge rather than justice.
Daenerys never had the political power or acumen she thought she did. If the circumstances around her had been a little different, perhaps her journey would have ended differently. But as it stood, she couldn't help from descending into chaos.
Bran Stark
At the start of the series, Bran Stark is a kind and caring young boy who finds himself suddenly disabled. He finds new purpose as he learns to warg into animals and seeing into the past. That led him north of the Wall to the Three-Eyed Raven, who taught him how to use his abilities. But when he went back south to Winterfell, he had changed completely.
Bran was a shadow of his former self, and he didn’t even seem to be anything like the Three-Eyed Raven we’d come to know in the cave. Despite being able to see the past and the future, he still couldn’t see how Jon’s trip south would turn out, or if he did, he didn't give any word of warning.
In the end, Tyrion suggests that Bran becomes the next King of Westeros, and the remaining rulers of Westeros gatehred at the Dragonpit agree. This choice made little sense, and his lack of emotion made it difficult to figure out what it was supposed to mean.
Khal Drogo
The world of Game of Thrones made it clear that nobody was safe early on. One of the earlier deaths was Khal Drogo. This was supposed to be the best warrior of his tribe. That was how he became the Khal, yet he was taken out by an infection from a wound.
You would have thought with the amount of scars he had on him, he and others would know how to make sure the wound didn’t fester. Nobody checked on the wound until it was too late and he fell off his horse. Suddenly, his men started turning away from him, and Daenerys found herself with choices to make.
It’s also worth going back to the start of Khal Drogo’s storyline. He was not the romantic hero that Dany ended up painting him to be. He was a rapist and misogynist. That's easy to overlook with how good-looking Jason Momoa is, but Khal Drogo willingly married a child bride, and he still willingly followed the Dothraki ways even when Daenerys found the guts to stand up to him by learning how to speak his language (in more than one way).
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