History EnsembleDarkhorse / GameOfThrones

* Lyanna Mormont, the BadassAdorable, ten-year old Lady of Bear Island, after she held her own against Jon, Sansa, and Davos in negotiating the Mormonts' participation in the quest to retake Winterfell. Viewers already anticipated her appearance after her sternly worded letter to Stannis Baratheon in Season 5.
** Her popularity seems to have gone through the roof after she [[spoiler: declares Jon to be the second King in the North]].
** She also won some major points when she [[spoiler: rides with Jon to meet with Ramsay. Granted, she has no idea the kind of cruelty he's capable of and doesn't speak to him directly, but Ramsay doesn't look harmless by any standards. She's doubtlessly learned of his family's... habits, and she's still unflinching in the face of one of the most deranged characters in the series.]]
* Her namesake Lyanna Stark only gets appearances via flashback but has received a lot of love for them as one shows her as a tomboy princess just like her niece Arya while the other [[spoiler: confirms one of the most popular WMG's of the series regarding Jon Snow's parentage.]]

** His son, Smalljon Umber, inherited his father's popularity. Having his first scene be him walk up to Ramsay and call him and everyone with him a cunt, tell him to go fuck himself and refuse to swear loyalty, made him a pretty popular character, [[spoiler: even if he did betray Rickon.]]
* Barristan Selmy's got himself quite a loyal following as well considering his MemeticBadass and straight up badass traits. He even pulled off an amazing comeback scene in the Season 3 premiere [[spoiler: when he saved Dany's life from a Manticore]].

* Thoros of Myr is already being called the ''Game of Thrones'' version of [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Captain Jack Sparrow]], what with his rather carefree {{cloud cuckoo lander}} attitude and outlandish approach to greeting Arya, Hot Pie, and Gendry. Also helps within a span of about five seconds he demonstrates what an amazing swordsman he is when he casts aside Arya's suspicions he's just a silly drunk and not good with a sword at all.
* [[TheDreaded Beric Dondarrion]] became this way before his re-appearance in Season 3 and then solidified his status as this simply because of his presence, his status as a leader amongst a group of people fighting not for any side of the war, but for the good of the small townspeople whom are suffering the worst out of anyone in the War of the Five Kings and in the name of Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark who are both long dead, and his seriously threatening reputation as a man that cannot die and even The Mountain is desperate to find and be done with. Also, his duel with Sandor was among the best duels in the series thus far.

* Yara Greyjoy, especially after her single show-stealing scene in Season 3.

* Drogon, the largest and most prominent of Daenerys' dragons. Many fans [[JustHereForGodzilla were eagerly awaiting]] destructive dragon action in the series, and he delivers by providing many awesome moments for both himself and Dany. His badass design and [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome amazing CGI work]] also help. [[spoiler: Even with the events of the GrandFinale taken into account (His burning of King's Landing even after the bells were rung.), him burning the Iron Throne, the one thing that is pretty much responsible for everything into molten slag instead of Jon when confronting him over assassinating Daenerys, was considered one of the most satisfying moments in the series. He is even considered a better character then the majority of the human cast due to his interactions with Daenerys.]]

* Hodor. Hodor? HODOR! His popularity raised even further after [[spoiler:Season 6's episode "The Door", which gave us TheReveal of his backstory and his HeroicSacrifice.]]

* Jaqen H'ghar is popular for his mysterious, deadpan nature and awesome killing abilities.

* Lady Olenna Tyrell, a CoolOldLady who got very popular, very quickly for being bitingly acerbic and frank and holding her own against many of the most powerful players in the game. Also, [[spoiler:she kills Joffrey. [[HateSink That certainly didn't hurt]]]]. [[spoiler:She also totally owns her own death scene, one-upping her killer with ease and going off with a blast.]]

* Oberyn Martell's paramour Ellaria Sand also won over fans as one of the show's prime examples of flawless casting in Creator/IndiraVarma and her abundance of [[MsFanservice exotic fan service]] she brings. [[spoiler: Sadly, this has evaporated in Season 5, thanks to her AdaptationalVillainy, and especially following several specific MoralEventHorizon that are unique to the show. Now, she's demoted to TheScrappy.]]

* The Night's King, to the point of OneSceneWonder. He simply raised his hands [[spoiler: and resurrected all the dead Wildlings and Night Watch]], all the while locking eyes with Jon, silently taunting him. And the fandom exploded with approval. [[spoiler:Further approval for him increased many times after he kills Viserion with very little effort, ''and'' uses his reanimated corpse to destroy a chunk of the Wall and finally invade Westeros.]]

* Khal Drogo was part of the main ensemble cast in the first season -- but ''only'' the first season, as he proved TooCoolToLive and only became a minor player in the overall storyline, unlike with Ned Stark. However, he's one of the most popular and beloved characters on the show for being a badass and for his CharacterDevelopment, surpassing some more important characters such as the Greyjoys and Boltons in popularity, and is easily the second most popular player in Dany's early storyline only behind the Khaleesi herself (even though her other traveling companions get to stick around and play a bigger role in the storyline).

* Bronn the blue-collar sellsword for the endless amounts of entertaining interactions between him and Tyrion and his Deadpan demeanor.
* Sandor Clegane aka "the Hound," what with his terrific battle sequences, brooding, complex personality and brilliant OddCouple arc with Arya; especially notable in relation to the books given how little screentime he comparatively has.

* Thoros of Myr is already being called the ''Game of Thrones'' version of [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Captain Jack Sparrow]] , what with his rather carefree {{cloud cuckoo lander}} attitude and outlandish approach to greeting Arya, Hot Pie, and Gendry. Also helps within a span of about five seconds he demonstrates what an amazing swordsman he is when he casts aside Arya's suspicions he's just a silly drunk and not good with a sword at all.
* Margaery Tyrell's fanbase grew exponentially with each appearance of hers in Season 3. She tamed and manipulated Joffrey of all people, caused Cersei (the "[[BadassBoast Power IS Power]]" Queen) to start panicking, has inherited at least some of her [[CoolOldLady grandma]]'s wit and cunning, and despite her gender and age is one of the best players in the game of thrones. She is also [[EnsembleDarkhorse one]] in-universe, having endeared herself to the smallfolk as well as much of the court (something a pure power player like Cersei deeply resents). It's also worth noting, that the expansion of her character is almost universally liked even among the book fans, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks good part of whom isn't usually fond of changes from the original]].

* Roose Bolton -- [[spoiler:despite personally killing Robb Stark at the Red Wedding and conspiring against the whole North]] -- actually has a growing following if the comments on Youtube and various ''Game of Thrones'' forums are to be taken into account. One cannot help respecting the man for his [[PragmaticVillainy subterfuge]], style, and the fact that he's an outright {{troll}}.
* Prince Oberyn Martell was already the biggest example in the books, and he follows suit here for being thoroughly unintimidated by the Lannisters and his unusual sexual proclivities.
** Creator/PedroPascal's passion for the role and his charisma oozing on virtually every scene he's in has ended up with people admitting that his [[spoiler: legendarily gruesome death]] was actually more of a punch in the TV series than in the books.

* Daario Naharis, Daenaerys' sellsword-come-lieutenant/lover for much of the same reasons as Bronn, thanks to his blunt sarcasm, total badassery, and genuinely [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments sweet]] relationship with Dany. This is especially notable since the book version of Daario is something of a scrappy, but show!Daario rises above that courtesy of AdaptationalHeroism, AdaptationalBadass, ''and'' AdaptationalAttractiveness.

* Stannis himself has a growing number of fans who absolutely adore him and consider him the person most fit to rule Westeros. Not only did he prove himself a grade-A badass during the Battle of Blackwater, but he was the only Great Lord to send aid to the Wall when it was being threatened by the Wildlings and the White Walkers. Feats like these have earned him the nickname "Stannis the Mannis" to many fans. It certainly helps that Stephen Dillane is considered one of the best actors in the show. A lot of people are quite upset by his AdaptationalVillainy in the series. However, the touching scenes between him and his daughter are very well-liked in a series that has a lot of dysfunctional families. [[spoiler: Although the final two episodes of Season 5 split his fanbase clean in half... However, a lot of people were angrier with the writers over this, considering that in the books Stannis looks set to defeat the Boltons and however events go down they will be very different in the show.]]

* Euron Greyjoy, who proves in Season 7 -- with roaring, laughing, psychotic aplomb -- to be the absolute perfect combination of cunning, competent, and ''batshit flipping insane'' required for an iconic villain. When it comes to the audience, Joffrey Baratheon he is not. [[spoiler: He also personally killed two of the much reviled Sand Snakes and captured the last one and their equally reviled mother for some karmic retribution. That certainly didn't hurt.]] His actor's charismatic performance has proven to be very entertaining. Unfortunately, reducing him to a [[DeusExMachina walking plot device]] in Season 8 negated this.

* "Aberdale Strongbeard", a recurring extra on the show played by tour guide Andrew [=McClay=]. This is in part thanks to [=McClay's=] massive enthusiasm for the show and role in the ''Last Watch'' documentary alongside the fact that if you take all his appearances as the same character, he [[HeroOfAnotherStory has quite a journey;]] a Baratheon soldier who survived Stannis' defeat, joined Jon for the Battle of the Bastards and has loyally served the Starks since.
* Robert Baratheon, while never disliked, wasn't especially popular in early seasons aside from a few "GODS I WAS STRONG THEN" memes. As of Season 7, when his predictions about a Targaryen invasion come true with stunning accuracy, his popularity as the all-knowing and wise "Bobby B", who allegedly would have handled the situation better, skyrocketed and every line of his is turned into an all-caps meme. On a similar, but much more subdued note, Joffrey, who was always a HateSink, has some people joke that he would have been a more solid opposition to the Faith Militant and [[DumbassHasAPoint had a point about Dany's dragons being a threat]].

With this being a series with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, it is only logical that a large number of them [[EnsembleDarkhorse enjoy particular adoration from the fandom.]]

* Drogon, the largest and most prominent of Daenerys' dragons. Many fans [[JustHereForGodzilla were eagerly awaiting]] [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons destructive dragon action]] in the series, and he delivers by providing many awesome moments for both himself and Dany. His badass design and [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome amazing CGI work]] also help. [[spoiler: Even with the events of the GrandFinale taken into account (His burning of King's Landing even after the bells were rung.), him burning the Iron Throne, the one thing that is pretty much responsible for everything into molten slag instead of Jon when confronting him over assassinating Daenerys, was considered one of the most satisfying moments in the series. He is even considered a better character then the majority of the human cast due to his interactions with Daenerys.]]

** Pedro Pascal's passion for the role and his charisma oozing on virtually every scene he's in has ended up with people admitting that his [[spoiler: legendarily gruesome death]] was actually more of a punch in the TV series than in the books.

* Arthur Dayne's absolutely epic LastStand is his single scene, but he demonstrates such mindblowing fencing skills that even the most skeptic viewer was instantly awed.

* Robert Baratheon, while never disliked, wasn't especially popular in early seasons aside from a few "GODS I WAS STRONG THEN" memes. As of Season 7, when his predictions about a Targaryen invasion come true with stunning accuracy, his popularity as the all-knowing and wise "Bobby B" skyrocketed and every line of his is turned into an all-caps meme. On a similar, but much more subdued note, Joffrey, who was always a HateSink, has some people joke that he would have been a more solid opposition to the Faith Militant and [[DumbassHasAPoint had a point about Dany's dragons being a threat]].

* "Aberdale Strongbeard", a recurring extra on the show played by tour guide Andrew [=McClay=]. This is in part thanks to [=McClay's=] massive enthusiasm for the show and role in the ''Last Watch'' documentary alongside the fact that if you take all his appearances as the same character, he [[HeroOfAnotherStory has quite a journey;]] a Baratheon soldier who survived Stannis' defeat, joined Jon for the Battle of the Bastards and has loyally served the Starks since.

* Hodor. Hodor? HODOR!
** His popularity raised even further after [[spoiler:Season 6's episode "The Door", which gave us TheReveal of his backstory and his HeroicSacrifice.]]

* Drogon, the largest and most prominent of Daenerys' dragons. Many fans [[JustHereForGodzilla were eagerly awaiting]] [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons destructive dragon action]] in the series, and he delivers by providing many awesome moments for both himself and Dany. His badass design and [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome amazing CGI work]] also help.

* "Aberdale Strongbeard", a recurring extra on the show played by tour guide Andrew McClay. This is in part thanks to McClay's massive enthusiasm for the show and role in the documentary alongside the fact that if you take all his appearances as the same character, he [[HeroOfAnotherStory has quite a journey;]] a Baratheon soldier who survived Stannis' defeat, joined Jon for the Battle of the Bastards and has loyally served the Starks since.

* Everyone loves Ghost, Jon Snow’s direwolf. His beautiful and unique design with white fur and red eyes and he himself is pretty badass considering he helped Jon during the Battle for the Wall and the Battle of Winterfell and he survived both of those. When he finally reappears in Season 8 after being gone for a long time, fans rejoiced.

* Yoren's got himself a small following as well. From looking out for Arya's safety [[spoiler: following her father's execution]] and even having [[spoiler: A DyingMomentOfAwesome all to protect her and the kids he was bringing to the Night's Watch]]. He's also got a knife sharp enough to "shave a spider's arse".

* Thoros of Myr is already being called the Game of Thrones version of [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Captain Jack Sparrow]] , what with his rather carefree {{cloud cuckoo lander}} attitude and outlandish approach to greeting Arya, Hot Pie, and Gendry. Also helps within a span of about five seconds he demonstrates what an amazing swordsman he is when he casts aside Arya's suspicions he's just a silly drunk and not good with a sword at all.

* [[TheDreaded Beric Dondarrion]] became this way before his re-appearance in Season 3 and then solidified his staus as this simply because of his presence, his status as a leader amongst a group of people fighting not for any side of the war, but for the good of the small townspeople whom are suffering the worst out of anyone in the War of the Five Kings and in the name of Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark who are both long dead and his seriously threatening reputation as a man that cannot die and even The Mountain is desperate to find and be done with. Also, his duel with Sandor was among the best duels in the series thus far.
* The Spice King of Quarth has been quite popular for casually wrecking the prideful Dany with calm logic and biting yet polite rhetoric when she felt entitled to his ships for conquering that far-away land that she hasn't seen in decades.

* Daario Naharis, Daenaerys' sellsword-come-lieutenant/lover for much of the same reasons as Bronn, thanks to his blunt sarcasm, total badassery, and genuinely [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments sweet]] relationship with Dany. This is especially notable since the book version of Daario is something of a scrappy, but show!Daario rises above that courtesy of AdaptationalHeroism, AdaptationalBadass ''and'' AdaptationalAttractiveness.

* Karsi, the wilding leader in "Hardhome" has become surprisingly popular. [[spoiler:Of course, in typical ''Game of Thrones'' fashion, she gets killed by the end of the episode.]]

** Her popularity seems to have gone through the roof after she [[spoiler: declares Jon to be the second King in the North]]

* Khal Drogo was part of the main ensemble cast in the first season - but ''only'' the first season, as he proved TooCoolToLive and only became a minor player in the overall storyline, unlike with Ned Stark. However, he's one of the most popular and beloved characters on the show for being a badass and for his CharacterDevelopment, surpassing some more important characters such as the Greyjoys and Boltons in popularity, and is easily the second most popular player in Dany's early storyline only behind the Khaleesi herself (even though her other traveling companions get to stick around and play a bigger role in the storyline).

** His popularity raised even further after [[spoiler:season six's episode "The Door", which gave us TheReveal of his backstory and his HeroicSacrifice.]]

* Like her father, Shireen has gained many fans despite appearing only in few scenes during season 3 and 4, thanks to her being sweet and smart despite growing up with greyscale and in a rather dysfuctional family. She has gained more screentime during season 5 and her interactions with her family and household have been appreciated by both critics and audience. [[spoiler:When she was killed off in "The Dance of Dragons", fandom did not take it well.]]

* Hot Pie was already quite popular from the books, but he seems to have become even more popular, seeing as he's one of the few comic relief characters in the series. The scene where he bids farewell to Arya is quite touching. There was much rejoicing when he returned to make a quick cameo in season 4 [[spoiler:and then again in season 7]].

* Euron Greyjoy, who proves in Season 7 - with roaring, laughing, psychotic aplomb - to be the absolute perfect combination of cunning, competent, and ''batshit flipping insane'' required for an iconic villain. When it comes to the audience, Joffrey Baratheon he is not. [[spoiler: He also personally killed two of the much reviled Sand Snakes and captured the last one and their equally reviled mother for some karmic retribution. That certainly didn't hurt.]] His actor's charismatic performance has proven to be very entertaining. Unfortunately, reducing him to a [[DeusExMachina walking plot device]] in season 8 negated this.

* Everyone loves Ghost, Jon Snow’s direwolf. His beautiful and unique design with white fur and red eyes and he himself is pretty badass considering he helped Jon during the Battle for the Wall and the Battle for Winterfell and he survived both of those. When he finally reappears in Season 8 after being gone for a long time, fans rejoiced.

* Euron Greyjoy, who proves in Season 7 - with roaring, laughing, psychotic aplomb - to be the absolute perfect combination of cunning, competent, and ''batshit flipping insane'' required for an iconic villain. When it comes to the audience, Joffrey Baratheon he is not. [[spoiler: He also personally killed two of the much reviled Sand Snakes and captured the last one and their equally reviled mother for some karmic retribution. That certainly didn't hurt.]] His actor's charismatic performance has proven to be very entertaining.

* Euron Greyjoy, who proves in Season 7 - with roaring, laughing, psychotic aplomb - to be the absolute perfect combination of cunning, competent, and ''batshit flipping insane'' required for an iconic villain. When it comes to the audience, Ramsay Bolton he is not. [[spoiler: He also personally killed two of the much reviled Sand Snakes and captured the last one and their equally reviled mother for some karmic retribution. That certainly didn't hurt.]] His actor's charismatic performance has proven to be very entertaining.

* Drogon, the largest and most prominent of Daenerys' dragons. Many fans [[JustHereForGodzilla were eagerly awaiting]] [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons destructive dragon action]] in the series, and he delivers by providing many awesome moments for both himself and Dany. His badass design and [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome amazing CGI work]] also help.

* The Night's King, to the point of OneSceneWonder. He simply raised his hands [[spoiler: and resurrected all the dead Wildlings and Night Watch]], all the while locking eyes with Jon, silently taunting him. And the fandom exploded with approval.[[spoiler:Further approval for him increased many times after he kills Viserion with very little effort, ''and'' use him to finally invade Westeros.]]
* Doran Martell is praised by many as the one good thing to come out of Season 5's much-despised Dorne storyline, with several great lines and a subdued but quite effective performance from Alexander Siddig. Being a ReasonableAuthorityFigure who can be kind yet still rule effectively, in a world populated by good people who end up suffering or selfish bastards helps. This is doubly impressive as he's also a pretty severe AdaptationalWimp, with his role as TheChessmaster completely removed. [[spoiler:Fans were at uproar when he was killed off by former EnsembleDarkhorse now Scrappy Ellaria Sand in the Season 6 premiere and most of his vengeful and scheming qualities are given to her]].

* Also from Season 7, that one Wight. You know, the one Sandor names Dumb Cunt. Yeah, the one who figured out the lake had refrozen and actually withstood getting his jaw taken off and his ribcage smashed in. Fans love this guy, and hope to god he survived Danny's dragon attack.
* Drogon, the largest and most prominent of Daenerys' dragons. Many fans [[JustHereForGodzilla were eagerly awaiting]] [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons destructive dragon action]] in the series, and he delivers by providing many awesome moments for both himself and Dany. His badass design and [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome amazing CGI work]] also helps.

** She also one some major points when she [[spoiler: rides with Jon to meet with Ramsay. Granted, she has no idea the kind of cruelty he's capable of and doesn't speak to him directly, but Ramsay doesn't look harmless by any standards. She's doubtlessly learned of his family's... habits, and she's still unflinching in the face of one of the most deranged characters in the series.]]

* Karl Tanner, he is a drunken thug whose villainy is taken up to eleven but when it comes to it he did walk the walk by almost killing Jon Snow and kill Craster, who was referred as a tough old goat after knocking Jon Snow. His "fookin' legend" soliloquy didn't hurt, nor did BurnGorman's portrayal.

* Hot Pie was already quite popular from the books, but he seems to have become even more popular, seeing as he's one of the few comic relief characters in the series. The scene where he bids farewell to Arya is quite touching. There was much rejoicing when he returned to make a quick cameo in season 4.

* Daario Naharis, Daenaerys' sellsword-come-lieutenant/lover for much of the same reasons as Bronn, thanks to his blunt sarcasm, total badassery, and genuinely [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming sweet]] relationship with Dany. This is especially notable since the book version of Daario is something of a scrappy, but show!Daario rises above that courtesy of AdaptationalHeroism, AdaptationalBadass ''and'' AdaptationalAttractiveness.

* Stannis himself has a growing number of fans who absolutely adore him and consider him the person most fit to rule Westeros. Not only did he prove himself a grade-A badass during the Battle of Blackwater, but he was the only Great Lord to send aid to the Wall when it was being threatened by the Wildlings and the White Walkers. Feats like these have earned him the nickname "Stannis the Mannis" to many fans. A lot of people are quite upset by his AdaptationalVillainy in the series. However, the touching scenes between him and his daughter are very well-liked in a series that has a lot of dysfunctional families. [[spoiler: Although the final two episodes of Season 5 split his fanbase clean in half...]]

* Drogon, the largest and most prominent of Daenerys' dragons. Many fans [[JustHereForGodzilla were eagerly awaiting]] [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons destructive dragon action]] in the series, and he delivers by providing many awesome moments for both himself and Dany. His badass design and [[VisualEffectsOfAwesome amazing CGI work]] also helps.

* Lady Olenna Tyrell, a CoolOldLady who got very popular, very quickly for being bitingly acerbic and frank and holding her own against many of the most powerful players in the game. Also, [[spoiler:she kills Joffrey. [[HateSink That certainly didn't hurt.]]]]