7 most disliked Game of Thrones characters, ranked

3. Cersei Lannister

Let's talk about Cersei Lannister, easily my favorite GoT character, the queen we all love to hate but secretly might just understand a tad more than we're willing to admit. A woman born into a world where her gender pretty much decides that she's more of a chess piece than a player, Cersei has been a victim her entire life and used what she learned as ammunition.

Cersei has ambition that could rival any king's, a sharp mind that's constantly at work, and a love for her children that, while fierce, often blurs the lines between protective and downright scary. She's been scheming and plotting her way through the snake pit of Seven Kingdoms politics since she was old enough to say "I do" to a king she loved but who never loved her back.

Why do fans find her so easy to dislike? Well, she's made some choices that would make even a hardened villain think twice. We're talking about mass explosions, cold-blooded power plays, and a general disregard for anyone who's not a Lannister (and even some who are). But here's the twist: Cersei, in all her wine-sipping glory, is a victim of her circumstances. Imagine being told from the moment you could walk that your worth is tied to the man you marry or the sons you bear. Add to that a prophecy that promises nothing but doom and gloom, and you've got a recipe for one troubled queen. She'd been fighting against a system that was rigged against her from the start, using the only tools she was given: her cunning and her determination. Yes, her methods were questionable (okay, very questionable), but in Game of Thrones, it's "play or be played". Cersei chose to play, and she played hard.

So while it's easy to see her as the villainess supreme, a closer look reveals a woman who's just trying to navigate an impossible game set up for her to fail. She's a product of her environment, shaped by the expectations and limitations of her society. In a way, her story is a tragic reminder of what happens when power and survival become intertwined with identity and love.

Cersei Lannister is a complex shade of grey in a world that often seems black and white. Love her or hate her, she's a testament to the series' ability to create characters that are as deeply flawed as they are fascinating.