Game of Thrones: The 50 Best Villains

There are a lot of bad eggs in Westeros. These fifty are the best of the worst.
Game Of Thrones Villains

10. The Others/White Walkers

Who’s Your Baddie

Old-as-heck magical ice generals

Why They’re The Worst
  • Raise the Army of the Dead
  • A big, bad threat to all of Westeros
  • Love baby sacrifices
Last Seen

Strolling into Westeros


9. Melisandre

Who’s Your Baddie

Red priestess and counselor to would-be-kings

Why They’re The Worst
  • Justifies potentially good ends with morally bankrupt means
  • Burns a heck of a lot of people (the purest death!)
  • Births the Shadow that kills Renly
  • Burns Princess Shireen at the stake (unforgivable)
Last Seen

Penitent, telling Varys that it is her destiny to die in Westeros


8. Gregor Clegane

Who’s Your Baddie

Terrifyingly tall knight of House Clegane

Why They’re The Worst
  • Too big
  • Decapitates horse after losing a tournament
  • Does a number on the Riverlands
  • Squished Oberyn Martell’s skull like an overripe peach
  • Currently serving as Cersei’s zombie thug
Last Seen

At the ready to bifurcate Jamie for abandoning Cersei to fight the Dead


7. Lysa Arryn

Who’s Your Baddie

Lady Regent of the Vale; overprotective, jealous, temperamental to a fault. Maybe the only person in Westeros who completely trusts Littlefinger.

Why They’re The Worst
  • Helped kick off this whole mess by poisoning her husband Jon Arryn and blaming the Lannisters
  • Child abuse
  • Takes a neutral isolationist stance despite her familial ties to House Stark
Last Seen

Being pushed out the Moon Door by Petyr Baelish


6. Ramsay Bolton

Who’s Your Baddie

Bolton bastard and sadist par excellence. Hates boredom. Loves dogs.

Why They’re The Worst

  • Relieves Theon of his penis (and his sanity)
  • Hunts people
  • Repeatedly betrays the Ironborn
  • Abuses every woman he meets
  • Kills Osha and Rickon
  • Stabs his own dad
  • Feeds a lot of people to dogs
Last Seen

Fed to his own dogs


5. Night King

Who’s Your Baddie

The big bad White Walker. A backfired weapon created by the Children of the Forest to combat the First Men.

Why They’re The Worst
  • Supreme Leader of the Army of the Dead
  • Indoctrinates babies to his ranks
  • Kills Max von Sydow (unforgivable)
  • Kills Viserion (also unforgivable)
Last Seen

Flying over the Wall en-route to Westeros


4. Aerys II Targaryen

Who’s Your Baddie

The last member of House Targaryen to rule from the Iron Throne

Why They’re The Worst
  • A raving tyrant; called the Mad King for a reason
  • Big on murder and burning people alive
  • Planned to blow up King’s Landing when defeated
Last Seen

Slain by Jamie


3. Joffrey Baratheon

Who’s Your Baddie

Everyone’s favorite itchy trigger finger’d boy king

Why They’re The Worst
  • Fantasy Caligula
  • Face-that-wants-to-be-punched (sorry Jack Gleeson)
  • Shoots sex workers with a crossbow
  • Has Lady and the Butcher’s boy murdered because he’s a spoiled baby
  • Fun date idea: take your girl to look at the impaled head of her father (who you had killed)
  • “Don’t hit her face, I like her pretty”
Last Seen

Horribly poisoned at his own wedding


2. Petyr Baelish

Who’s Your Baddie

Master of Coin and professional schemer; two-faced slippery scene-chewer and purveyor of fine brothels.

Why They’re The Worst
  • Kicks off the War of the Five Kings by manipulating Lysa Arryn
  • Sets off a chain of events resulting in the Red Wedding by lying about the ownership of the Valerian dagger
  • Betrays Ned
  • Voice gets goofier when having a good time being evil
  • Repeatedly lies to Catelyn about Sansa and Arya being safe
  • Makes Sansa wed Ramsay
  • “I’ve only loved one woman. Only one. My entire life. Your sister!”
Last Seen

Getting supremely dunked on at a surprise trial and having his throat slit by Arya


1. Cersei Lannister

Who’s Your Baddie

The current occupant of the Iron Throne and Queen of the Seven Kingdoms; ultimate wine mom.

Why They’re The Worst
  • Ordering the deaths of the Baratheon bastards
  • Grand theft incest
  • Making Ellaria watch her poisoned daughter slowly rot
  • Blowing up half of King’s Landing
  • Re-arming the Faith Militant
  • Poisoning her husband
  • Prepared to poison innocent women if Stannis won the Battle of Blackwater Bay
  • Flipping Shae
Last Seen

Threatening to kill Jamie, willing to risk the fate of the world just to keep her seat of power

Previous 5 of 5

Meg Shields: Based in the Pacific North West, Meg enjoys long scrambles on cliff faces and cozying up with a good piece of 1960s eurotrash. As a senior contributor at FSR, Meg's objective is to spread the good word about the best of sleaze, genre, and practical effects.