While there were certainly many Game of Thrones characters that didn’t quite get the development expected or needed, there were others that grew to be unrecognizable from the characters they originally were. One of those was Sansa Stark, who went from brat to Queen of the North.
When we initially met Sansa, she was a young, teenage girl. In the novels, she’s supposed to be around 14, and that’s certainly the age she seemed to be in Game of Thrones season 1. After all, she was just getting her first period while in King’s Landing, giving us an idea of her age. It wasn’t really that surprising to find her as a bit of a bratty child, sheltered from the world due to her upbringing.
Sansa Stark got a rude awakening to the world in Game of Thrones
Sansa grew up in Winterfell. There was never really much of a risk to her safety or her life, and she was always surrounded by people who wanted the best for her. It was a stark difference to her life in King’s Landing when she headed down there with her father and sister.
Naturally, there was a need to grow up quickly. She lost her direwolf—and to no fault of Lady’s own—and she realized that the dream of marrying a prince wasn’t quite the fairytale she thought it would be. Yet, there was still an element of childlike wonder to her.
It took a few seasons for her to realize that maybe, just maybe, the life she thought she wanted wasn’t the one she should have at all. Yet, she still didn’t quite escape the horrors of the world.
In fact, just as we expect Sansa to take a harder stance in her life, things are turned on her head. She still trusts Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish to find the right match for her. There’s still that need to be a pawn in a game for men, and she is willing to play that part despite seeing what it does.
There are always a lot of questions about why people take backward steps in their character development, but I can connect that to real life. In reality, we do go backwards at times. We can look back on what it used to be like and wonder if it could be different this time. Look at people who go back into abusive relationships, or people who can’t quite break away from toxic family members or friends.
Sansa knew what she wanted to gain, but there was that upbringing that she had, and it’s not so easy to break away from the viewpoint of the world you once knew. It makes her character development throughout Game of Thrones smart, as it shows that she still needs to grow and learn, because she can still be manipulated.
The final straw and the right support lead to a strong Queen of the North
Sansa Stark had to change opinions and views of the men in the north. For the longest time, they viewed only men could lead, and they looked at Jon Snow to be the King of the North after the fall of Robb Stark, much to Sansa’s dislike. Her half-brother, who turned out to be her cousin, didn’t even want the position, and yet he took it, knowing what Sansa wanted.
Yet, she continued to play the game in a smart way. Despite the hatred for Cersei Lannister, she learned some great lessons from her. To her, Cersei’s gameplay was only evil because she was on the opposite side of the fight. With Sansa being on the “right” side of the fight, she could use the lessons she learned in a good way, and that’s what she did.
Over time, she was able to prove that she was the rightful Queen of the North. It doesn’t always take physical strength, as Lyanna Mormont proved. Physical strength and courage to fight can lead to death. Sansa was able to play it all with her mind, focusing on the right chess moves to get the north what the people really wanted: freedom from King’s Landing.
It was something the houses in the North likely never thought they would be able to get. They had been part of the Seven Kingdoms for centuries, and here was a woman who could get it. Sure, she used her connection to her brother, Bran, a little, but she also had a strong argument to break from the rest of the Kingdoms.
The slow development and the ability to see how she had managed to learn from even her captors made it clear that Sansa was one of the smartest people in the room. It made for some of the best and smartest character development throughout the whole of Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones is available to stream in full on HBO Max.