History Characters / GameOfThronesTyrionLannister

* AdaptationalHeroism: Taken to such extremes that he's practically a different character altogether. Tyrion was [[https://web.archive.org/web/19991013131915/http://cyberhaven.com/books/sciencefiction/martin.html explicitly described]] by George R.R. Martin as a villain and the most morally gray character in the books. Although Tyrion has some moments of altruism or compassion,, he also partakes in all sorts of horrendous acts including raping slaves and setting loose ravaging barbarians on civilians out of spite. In the TV Series, Tyrion starts out as a cynical and fun JerkWithAHeartOfGold, with many of the negative aspects he has in the books being cut or diminished in the adaptation, and as the seasons progress, especially in the second half, he becomes a standard hero. Some of the main differences between the two versions of the character are:

* CoolUncle: To Tommen and Myrcella. To Joffrey... well, Jaime may be known as the Kingslayer, but Tyrion is the King''slapper''. He even admits to Cersei that Tommen and Myrcella dying broke his heart, because he honestly loved them.

-->"Jaime:" Even if the boy does live, he will be a cripple. Worse than a cripple. A grotesque. Give me a good clean death.
"Tyrion:" Speaking for the grotesques, I beg to differ. Death is so terribly final, while life is full of possibilities.

-->"Tyrion:" They say I'm half a man. What does that make the lot of you?

* AntiHero: A PragmaticHero for the most part. Unlike Ned Stark or Jon Arryn, Tyron knows how to play the game of thrones and tries to play it well. Played straighter when he goes into exile at the end of the fourth season.
* AntiVillain: In the first four seasons. While he is mostly a good person at heart, in the most technical sense, Tyrion is loyal to, and furthers the goals of, the 'villainous' House Lannister, which includes helping maintain his [[TheCaligula tyrannical nephew's]] hold on the Iron Throne while knowing he is illegitimate and thus not the rightful King. He recognizes that the family's path to power doesn't need to involve stepping on the heads of every other noble house in the realm, and that trying to do so will have consequences. In the simplest terms, Tyrion is a good man and a good ruler who fights for the Lannisters because they are his family. Until his trial, where a mixture of not being defended by anyone for a crime he did not commit and being betrayed by Shae, the woman he loved, makes Tyrion finally snap after years of mental and emotional abuse. Once Tyrion escapes from his cell with the help of Jaime, he proceeds to kill Shae in self-defense as well as murder his father before fleeing Westeros. From season 5 onwards, after making an alliance with Daenerys, he becomes a AntiHero.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: At the beginning of the series, Tyrion is hated by most Starks and Northerners because they believe he tried to kill Bran (which is not true). In Season 2, Tyrion discovers that he is hated by all the people of King's Landing, who blame him for his supposed role in the war and food shortages in the city. This is justified because there is no way for them to know that almost everything bad that is happening in the city is Joffrey or Cersei's fault, and that Tyrion is actually the only one who is doing anything to help the people's situation (although his motives are not be altruistic). After the Battle of Blackwater, Tywin does not give any honor or glory to Tyrion. The situation gets worse at the end of Season 4, when Tyrion is framed for Joffrey's death and kills his own father, Tywin, while fleeing King's Landing. After that, everyone in Westeros believes that Tyrion is a monster, and even in Essos, when Season 6 shows a play in Braavos about the War of the Five Kings, in which Tyrion is portrayed in the most negative way possible. Even at the end of the series, Tyrion's situation barely improved, as [[spoiler:although he is the Hand of King Bran Stark, he continues to be hated by most of Westeros for his role as Daenerys' main ally in her campaign that resulted in the destruction of King's Landing.]]

* AdaptationalHeroism: Taken to such extremes that he's practically a different character altogether. Tyrion was [[https://web.archive.org/web/19991013131915/http://cyberhaven.com/books/sciencefiction/martin.html explicitly described]] by George R.R. Martin as a villain and the most morally gray character in the books. Although Tyrion has some moments of altruism or compassion,, he also partakes in all sorts of horrendous acts including raping slaves and setting loose ravaging barbarians on civilians out of spite. In the TV Series, Tyrion starts out as a cynical and fun AntiVillain, with many of the negative aspects he has in the books being cut or diminished in the adaptation, and as the seasons progress, especially in the second half, he becomes a standard hero. Some of the main differences between the two versions of the character are:

* AdaptationalHeroism: Taken to such extremes that he's practically a different character altogether. Tyrion was [[https://web.archive.org/web/19991013131915/http://cyberhaven.com/books/sciencefiction/martin.html explicitly described]] by George R.R. Martin as a villain and the most morally gray character in the books. Although Tyrion has some moments of altruism or compassion,, he also partakes in all sorts of horrendous acts including raping slaves and setting loose ravaging barbarians on civilians out of spite. In the TV Series, Tyrion starts out as a cynical and fun anti-hero, with many of the negative aspects he has in the books being cut or diminished in the adaptation, and as the seasons progress, especially in the second half, he becomes a standard hero. Some of the main differences between the two versions of the character are:

* AdaptationalHeroism: Taken to such extremes that he's practically a different character altogether. Tyrion was [[https://web.archive.org/web/19991013131915/http://cyberhaven.com/books/sciencefiction/martin.html explicitly described]] by George R.R. Martin as a villain in the books, and although he has some moments of altruism or compassion,, he also partakes in all sorts of horrendous acts including raping slaves and setting loose ravaging barbarians on civilians out of spite. In the TV Series, Tyrion starts out as a cynical anti-hero, with many of the negative aspects he has in the books being cut or diminished in the adaptation, and as the seasons progress, especially in the second half, he becomes a standard hero. Some of the main differences between the two versions of the character are:

** In the books, After marrying Sansa, Tyrion even stands naked in front of her but he finally gives up when he realizes how much Sansa is disgusted and afraid of him, and insists that he will not have relations with her until the day comes when she wants to. Despite this, Tyrion still desires her sexually and feels guilty about it. In the TV series, Tyrion does not strip before her, does not show any sexual desire for her, and their relationship is more friendly in contrast to the unhappy and cold married life they have in the books.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Taken to such extremes that he's practically a different character altogether. Book Tyrion was [[https://web.archive.org/web/19991013131915/http://cyberhaven.com/books/sciencefiction/martin.html explicitly described]] by George R.R. Martin as a villain, and partakes in all sorts of horrendous acts including raping slaves and setting loose ravaging barbarians on civilians out of spite. Show Tyrion is a pretty standard, if [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastic]], hero. Furthermore, in the books:
** He is almost as egocentrical as his father, openly loves power and authority, and is a bit more concerned with his family's actions from the viewpoint of [[VillainWithGoodPublicity how it affects their image]] than the actual morality of those actions.
** He unconsciously treats Shae as little more than a slave who has no say in anything outside of the bed, and has a few moments where he gets physically violent with her (though he feels awful about them). When he weds Sansa he does desire her, but won't force himself on her. Also, his killing of Shae happened in cold blood and was essentially a spiteful act of vengeance for her turning on him during his trial, but here he's essentially forced to do it to prevent her from exposing Tywin's death and is genuinely remorseful afterwards. Shae did grab the knife first as well; Tyrion was mainly acting in self defense.

** When Tywin announces his plans to betroth Cersei to Willas Tyrell in the books, Tyrion takes pleasure in the announcement knowing that it would make Cersei miserable. This doesn't happen in the show, with Show!Tyrion even showing a look of sympathy toward Cersei when Tywin dresses her down for refusing to marry Loras, despite Cersei taunting him about his betrothal to Sansa just moments earlier.

** Perhaps the most striking contrast, TV Tyrion does ''not'' have a bard flat-out murdered by Bronn and given to a stew cook in Flea Bottom for [[HeKnowsTooMuch threatening to expose Shae]].

* PayEvilUntoEvil: After being wrongly sentenced to execution by Tywin, Tyrion has had enough of his father's abuse and kills him with a pair of crossbow bolts.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Tyrion's nastiness is usually directed at those who deserve it.
** He treats Lancel like total dogshit but since Lancel accused Robb Stark of using vile sorcery to torment Sansa it's more satisfying than anything else.
** Slapping your young nephew would usually make you a cunt but when that nephew is Joffrey who constantly abuses you it's perfectly understandable.

* LastOfHisKind: [[spoiler:As of the final episode in the series, Tyrion is the last surviving child of Tywin Lannister and the only known Lannister left in all of Westeros. Or at least, of the Casterly Rock branch--it's unknown if more distant relations of Tyrion may have survived.]]

** On a more positive, consistent-with-symbology note, Tyrion rallying the defenders during the Battle of Blackwater (as well as suffering a facial injury for it) evokes Shakespeare's ''Theatre/HenryV''--both in his eponymous play and his real-life injury in the Battle of Shrewsbury. His relationship with Tywin is essentially the pre-kingship Prince Henry's tension with his father, the eponymous ''Theatre/HenryIV'', dialed way UpToEleven.

* NiceGuy: By Season 6 he's lost most of his jerkassery from the first few seasons and become a calming, support influence to Danaerys. Unfortunately in that it means he seems to have lost the ruthless intelligence he had, trying in vain to negotiate with Cersei twice only to [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished have it backfire in the worst possible way]] [[spoiler: culminating in Danaerys' utter bloodbath during The Bells]].

** On a more positive, consistent-with-symbology note, Tyrion rallying the defenders during the Battle of Blackwater (as well as suffering a facial injury for it) evokes Shakespeare's ''Theatre/HenryV''--both in his eponymous play and his real-life injury in the Battle of Shrewsbury.

* AntiVillain: In the first four seasons. While he is mostly a good person at heart, in the most technical sense, Tyrion is loyal to, and furthers the goals of, the 'villainous' House Lannister, which includes helping maintain his [[TheCaligula tyrannical nephew's]] hold on the Iron Throne while knowing he is illegitimate and thus not the rightful King. He recognizes that the family's path to power doesn't need to involve stepping on the heads of every other noble house in the realm, and that trying to do so will have consequences. In the simplest terms, Tyrion is a good man and a good ruler who fights for the Lannisters because they are his family. Until his trial, where a mixture of not being defended by anyone for a crime he did not commit and being betrayed by Shae, the woman he loved, makes Tyrion finally snap after years of mental and emotional abuse. Once Tyrion escapes from his cell with the help on Jaime, he proceeds to kill Shae in self-defense as well as murder his father before fleeing Westeros. From season 5 onwards, after making an alliance with Daenerys, he becomes a AntiHero.

* TheDogBitesBack: Tyrion has been treated like crap ever since the Battle of the Blackwater, as he was maimed in an assassination ordered by his nephew, rejected by his father, unappreciated for his efforts and forced into a betrothal he didn't want. So when Joffrey tries to organize a bedding for him and Sansa with a rape-y undertone, Tyrion publicly threatens to geld him with a steak knife which leads to a StunnedSilence.

* {{Foil}}:
** To Theon Greyjoy. Both are desperately trying to earn the love or, at the very least, the respect of their respective fathers, who believe that they are a disappointment and a dishonor for their family name. Both commit morally wrong or even monstrous acts to achieve their goals: Tyrion basically does everything to save the reign of the cruel and sadistic Joffrey, who has demonstrated many times that he is unworthy of the throne, while Theon takes Winterfell, betrays the Starks, who was his family for a decade, and kill innocent people, including children. Their arc in Season 2 ends with them failing miserably in their attempts: Theon is betrayed by his own men and becomes a hostage to Ramsay Snow, while Tyrion, despite keeping King's Landing standing long enough for Tywin and the Tyrells to save the day, is disfigured in battle, almost dies and receives no honor or reward for his deeds. And, of course, both continue to be hated by their respective fathers.
** Come Season 7 and he has become one to his own brother Jaime. Both men are in service to queens in opposite sides of the war and they genuinely believe they are going to make the world a better place once their victory is complete. They also manage to massively disappoint them due to fatal strategic mistakes they make, such as Tyrion's plans lead to Danaerys' westerosi-based allies quickly crumbling in Season 7 and Jaime's defeat in Blackwater Rush, resulting in both Daenerys and Cersei disregarding their advice to take matters into their own hands.

** Following his exile from the books, he grew more darker and cruel because of his family's treachery and agrees to support Daenerys on the condition he can personally murder Jaime and rape Cersei as a reward. In the show, Tyrion actually TookALevelInKindness, wants to help Daenerys win with the least possible bloodshed and still shows sympathy to his relatives, despite them being his enemies at this point.

* BadassBaritone: He's a BadassBookworm gifted with the smooth, deep voice of Creator/PeterDinklage.