History Characters / ASongOfIceAndFireStannisBaratheon

** He has notable similarities with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Kolchak Alexander Kolchak]], the Supreme Leader of the White Movement in the Russian Civil War. Accounts of Kolchak describe him as very stubborn, melancholic and socially awkward, traits that befit Stannis's himself. And like Stannis, Kolchak is installed as the leader of a GovernmentInExile on the basis of his exceptional military conduct and strong sense of duty even though he had no desire for seize power himself. The numerous political factions within the White Movement (basically anyone who isn't a Bolshevik) also mirror Stannis's army during his Northern campaign, now comprised of a RagtagBunchOfMisfits.

** Stannis' take on this trope also contrasts markedly against Melisandre's, recognising that men can be both good and evil and should be judged seperately for each, while she belives that [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity a man is either good or evil, never both]], justifying [[WellIntentionedExtremist evil actions taken by good men as "necessary" and therefore "good"]].

** He also has a point in stating that the Northern-Riverlands faction wouldn't have been destroyed had they joined his cause instead of declaring Robb king, as Ned had originally intended.

* ThePurge: Stannis openly states he would carry out one of these on the Small Council and the officials at court the minute he becomes King (though given how treacherous and self-serving the likes of Varys, Pycelle and Littlefinger are, [[JerkassHasAPoint it's hard to fault him for feeling that way]]). Littlefinger also brings this up to Ned Stark while debating the succession after Robert's death, insisting that Stannis' ascent to the Iron Throne will mean war as Stannis will seek to settle the score with ''anyone'' who's ever crossed him.

* SurroundedByIdiots: Sees most of the lords who support him as useless, two-faced fools who he very grudgingly tolerates because he needs their support to take the Iron Throne, or they're foaming-at-the-mouth fanatical worshippers of R'hllor. Davos and Melisandre are the only two people he trusts and respects completely.

* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler:During ''A Dance With Dragons,'' Ramsay Bolton sends a letter to Jon Snow in which he claims to have smashed Stannis's host and killed the king. Having said that, in that self-same letter, Ramsay admits that some of Stannis's army escaped by demanding the return of "his wife" (Jeyne Poole) and "his manservant" (Reek aka Theon Greyjoy). It's not unrealistic that Stannis and Asha may be [[HesJustHiding Just Hiding]] along with them.]]
** [[spoiler: A sample chapter from the ''Winds of Winter'' implies that Stannis knows exactly what's going on and has a plan, further increasing the chances that he is still alive. The chapter also shows Theon chained to a wall before Ramsay's attack, and it seems incredibly unlikely that Theon, who could barely walk, could escape while Stannis was defeated and killed.]]
** [[spoiler:George Martin has confirmed [[http://grrm.livejournal.com/438596.html?thread=22329668#t22329668 Stannis is alive]].]]

* TheComicallySerious: His un-charisma is so great he can be hilarious at times.

** Know how everyone is always going on about how Stannis is made of iron? Strong but brittle? Rather [[IncrediblyLamePun iron]]ic once you take into account [[spoiler:Stannis outlives ALL of his main rivals (Renly, Robb, Balon, Joffrey and Tywin) fighting for control of Westeros. House Lannister may have won the War of the Five Kings by default, but Stannis is the only original survivor. Meanwhile the Lannister regime is facing collapse after the death of Kevan.]]

* BigGood: Despite his various shortcomings, Stannis is arguably the holder of this trope in the series, at least for now. He ''is'' by law the rightful king of Westeros, as his brother Robert's three "children" with Cersei are all bastards, making Stannis his legal heir. More significantly, regardless of whether he is or is not Azor Ahai reborn, he ''is'' the ''only'' claimant to the throne aware of the real threat coming from the North and willing to do something about it, sailing to rescue the Night's Watch from being overrun by Mance Rayder's Wildling horde and planning to reinforce the Wall, integrate the Wildlings into the realm and protect them, liberate the Bolton/Lannister/Greyjoy controlled North and unite it to prepare for the Others- even Robb was never able to look past avenging his father, despite leading the house who has "Winter is coming" as their house words. Like him or not, Stannis is the only king in the world ready and willing to stand against the oncoming darkness, instead of just fighting for power as the other monarchs are.

* BigGood: Despite his various shortcomings, Stannis is arguably the holder of this trope in the series, at least for now. He ''is'' by law the rightful king of Westeros, as his brother Robert's three "children" with Cersei are all bastards, making Stannis his legal heir. More significantly, regardless of whether he is or is not Azor Ahai reborn, he is the ''only'' claimant to the throne aware of the real threat coming from the North and willing to do something about it, sailing to rescue the Night's Watch from being overrun by Mance Rayder's wildling horde and planning to reinforce the Wall, liberate the Bolton/Lannister controlled North and unite it to prepare for the Others- even Robb was never able to look past avenging his father, despite leading the house who has "Winter is coming" as their house words. Like him or not, Stannis is the only king in the kingdom willing to stand against the oncoming dark.

** On the other hand, Stannis is able to inspire ''genuine'' UndyingLoyalty among his troops and supporters who follow him even when it is no longer in their best interest for them to do so. His support of merit, willingness to listen to out-of-the-box ideas, as well as dedication to justice means people and factions such as Davos, the Antler Men, the various Maesters who get to work with him, and even the initially reluctant Jon Snow come around and are won over. Stannis ''does'' have more charisma than he thinks he does, but it's a version of the stuff that's more of an acquired taste than Robert and Renly's all-too-easy charms.

* OutDamnedSpot: Is wracked with guilt after Renly's death.
-->'''Stannis:''' I was in my tent when Renly died, and when I woke my hands were clean.

* MetallicMotifs: Donal Noye, a blacksmith of the Night's Watch, compares Stannis to pure iron -- strong and tough, but inflexible, [[StubbornMule more likely to break than bend]].

* BigGood: Despite his various shortcomings, Stannis is arguably the holder of this trope in the series, at least for now. He ''is'' by law the rightful king of Westeros, as his brother Robert's three "children" with Cersei are all bastards, making Stannis his legal heir. More significantly, regardless of whether he is or is not Azor Ahai reborn, he is the ''only'' claimant to the throne aware of the real threat coming from the North and willing to do something about it, sailing to rescue the Night's Watch from being overrun by Mance Rayder's wildling horde and planning to reinforce the Wall, liberate and unite the North to prepare for the Others- even Robb was never able to look past avenging his father, despite leading the house who has "Winter is coming" as their house words. Like him or not, Stannis is the only king in the kingdom willing to stand against the oncoming dark.

* BigGood: Despite his various shortcomings, Stannis is arguably the holder of this trope in the series, at least for now. He ''is'' by law the rightful king of Westeros, as his brother Robert's three "children" with Cersei are all bastards, making Stannis his legal heir. More significantly, regardless of whether he is or is not Azor Ahai reborn, he is the ''only'' claimant to the throne aware of the real threat coming from the North and willing to do something about it, sailing to rescue the Night's Watch from being overrun by Mance Rayder's wildling horde and planning to reinforce the Wall to prepare for the Others- even Robb was never able to look past avenging his father, despite leading the house who has "Winter is coming" as their house words. Like him or not, Stannis is the only king in the kingdom willing to stand against the oncoming dark.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Subverted on a personal level. Despite being a rather large man with an enormous amount of martial training (as befits a nobleman) and battle experience, he prefers to lead from the back so he can properly direct his troops. He seems to disdain this trope.
-->'''Stannis:''' We all know what my brother would do. Robert would gallop up to the gates of Winterfell alone, break them with his warhammer, and ride through the rubble to slay Roose Bolton with his left hand and the bastard with his right. [[DeadpanSnarker I am not Robert]].

* MemeticBadass: InUniverse, due to his reputation as a military commander. Various characters are shown to fear or respect him, sometimes to a level beyond his actual abilities. This is enforced among his own men who, thanks to Melisandre, see him as the future savior of the world. [[spoiler:It's to the point that, even when he's marching on Winterfell with a freezing, starving, outnumbered army stuck in the snow, about to face a qualitatively superior foe, his enemies are still terrified of him, from Cersei spending half of ''AFFC'' worrying that he's plotting all her misfortunes to the Bolton men in Winterfell whispering among themselves about how screwed they are when he shows up.]]
--->'''Sansa Stark:''' For what was Stannis Baratheon, if not [[TheScourgeOfGod the Stranger]] come to judge them?
--->'''Tywin Lannister:''' "I have felt from the beginning that Stannis is a bigger threat than all of the others combined."
--->'''Asha Greyjoy:''' Whatever doubts his lords might nurse, the common men seemed to have faith in their king. Stannis had smashed Mance Rayder's wildlings at the Wall and cleaned Asha and her ironborn out of Deepwood Motte; he was Robert's brother, victor in a famous sea battle off Fair Isle, the man who had held Storm's End all through Robert's Rebellion. And he bore a hero's sword, the enchanted blade Lightbringer, whose glow lit up the night.
--->'''Theon Greyjoy:''' A long low moan, it seemed to hang above the battlements, lingering in the black air, soaking deep into the bones of every man who heard it. All along the castle walls, sentries turned toward the sound, their hands tightening around the shafts of their spears. In the ruined halls and keeps of Winterfell, lords hushed other lords, horses nickered, and sleepers stirred in their dark corners. No sooner had the sound of the warhorn died away than a drum began to beat: BOOM doom BOOM doom BOOM doom. And a name passed from the lips of each man to the next, written in small white puffs of breath. "Stannis, "they whispered, "Stannis is here, Stannis is come, Stannis, Stannis, Stannis."

** When he is writing the letter to declare himself king, he orders the word 'beloved' struck from the description of his relationship with his brother, ''because it would be a lie''. He also insists on 'Ser' Jamie the Kingslayer, because whatever else Jamie might be, he is still a knight.

* CultOfPersonality: At least part of Stannis' appeal among his supporters stems from a reputation he deliberately builds by patronizing a religion (which he personally is ambivalent about) that anoints him the Messiah, but much of it comes from an aura of justice and determination that comes out spontaneously as a result of his actions. His followers and entourage seem personally devoted to ''him'' rather than the "brother of Robert" or the "last trueborn Baratheon." He and his regime and entourage are animated by a kind of loyalty that is partly feudal, partly ideological, dedicated to restoring balance in the Seven Kingdoms and bringing justice to the traitors and usurpers.