Sandbox / Game of Thrones - Bronn

Ser Bronn of the Blackwater

"You pay me to kill people who bother you. Evil notions come free."

Played By: Jerome Flynn

Tyrion Lannister: Just because I pay you for your services, doesn't diminish our friendship.
Bronn: Enhances it, really.

A mercenary who accompanies Catelyn and Tyrion to the Eyrie. Afterwards, begins to serve Tyrion as his personal bodyguard, enforcer, and general sword-for-hire. He is knighted after the Battle of the Blackwater. After Tyrion's departure for Essos, he starts to fill the same role for his brother Jaime.

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Tropes relating to him

• Abusive Parents: Tyrion predicts that Bronn was beaten by his father. He concedes the point before adding wryly that his mother hit harder. He isn't joking; his mother once broke his nose when she was actually aiming for his brother, according to a story that he tells in "Blackwater".
• The Ace: A great fighter, archer, commander, and Lovable Rogue. He even can sing!
• Adaptational Expansion: Bronn appears much more in the show than the books, where he pretty much vanished after refusing to champion Tyrion against The Mountain, and his further actions (taking over House Stokeworth and naming his bastard stepson after Tyrion) happen offscreen. He played no part in the entire Dorne plot (then again, neither did Jaime), nor was he Jaime's new trainer (that was Ilyn Payne, who had to be written out due to his actor's illness).
• Adaptational Heroism: While still very much Only in It for the Money, compared to the books he is friendlier towards Tyrion, even going as far as to ask Jaime to defend Tyrion when the latter is accused of murdering Joffrey. And while Bronn ultimately abandons Tyrion in both versions, he's more apologetic about it. He also has some genuine friendship with Podrick, which wouldn't be in character for the colder book counterpart. He even genuinely cares for Jaime, ultimately risking his life to save him from being incinerated by Drogon, and then dragging him off the bottom of a lake to safety. Implied in the series finale that now he's given a Lordship with one of the best positions a man of his stature could ever hope for, he seems to put his cutthroat ways behind him for good and is fully willing to help rebuild Westeros for the better.
• Adaptational Intelligence: Unlike his book counterpart, Bronn can read.
• Adaptational Badass: Bronn is a badass in the books, but he gains way more impressive feats in the show. He is more gifted as a commander, as seen by Jamie who pretty much makes him his secound-in-command and most trusted confidant. He also fights and kills dothraki, who is seen as one of the most deadly groups of fighters in the series, during the battle of the roseroad. During the same battle he even fires a ballista-shot at a dragon, being the only one to damage it during the battle.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Book Bronn has black hair, while early show Bronn has Jerome Flynn's natural hair color. Later his hair is dyed black, though.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul:
  • In the books, he has virtually no relationship with Jaime Lannister, but the show makes them Vitriolic Best Buds from season 5 onwards.
  • In the books, he marries Lollys Stokeworth. In the show, they're briefly betrothed, but she ends up marrying someone else.
• Affably Evil: If he isn't being paid a slip a knife in your back, he really is a friendly drinking buddy.
  • After Tyrion fulfills his promise to Bronn by promoting him to Lordship of the Reach and giving him a job on the Small Council in exchange for Bronn not killing him, Bronn is seemingly grateful enough towards Tyrion that he's let go of any hard feelings and is happy to be friends with Tyrion again.
• Amazon Chaser: While he ships Jaime/Brienne himself, he also freely admits "I'd fuck her".
• Armour-Piercing Question: To Tyrion: "When have you ever risked your life for me?"
• At Least I Admit It: Bronn knows exactly who and what he is and makes absolutely no apologies or excuses for it. This has the effect of people trying to insult him and he agrees with them.
  Meryn: You're an upjumped cutthroat. Nothing more.
  Bronn: That's exactly who I am.
  • Also comes up when Sandor accuses him of loving killing, and pulls a "Not So Different" Remark (and a Badass Boast).
  Sandor: You're just like me. Only smaller.
  Bronn: And quicker.
• Badass Boast: In response to Tyrion's statements about the Eyrie.
  Tyrion: The Eyrie. They say it's impregnable.
  Bronn: Give men ten good men and some climbing spikes, I'll impregnate the bitch.
  • Gets a memorable Call-Back from Tyrion himself in Season 7, when he refers to Casterly Rock the same way.
  • Subverted when he says he doesn't think he could take the Mountain. Even saying he might be able to is quite a claim.
• Bait-and-Switch: After how many characters the show has inflicted with Death by Adaptation, Bronn's poisoning at the hands of Tyene Sand looks like the end of him for sure — right up until Tyene passes him the antidote after a brief bit of toying with him. Later, when confronted with the crime of striking Prince Trystane, the very man he attacked chooses to let him go free at the small price of returning the favor. Once again, Westeros' most audacious cockroach lives to fight another day.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Tyene Sand in Season 5, though it doesn't really go anywhere and then Tyene is given a Cruel and Unusual Death in Season 7.
• Big Brother Instinct: The only person that Bronn likes and helps without having to be paid is Podrick Payne.
• Big Damn Heroes: During the Battle of Blackwater, he shows up just in the nick of time to save The Hound when the latter freezes up at the sight of a man being burned alive.
• Bling of War: Defied. Refuses to wear the shiny cape and attire of the City Watch because a cloak slows you down in a fight and the gold prevents concealment.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Bronn loves singing, fighting, and fucking. He's very jolly, and very deadly.
• Brutal Honesty: Bronn will tell you the truth, regardless of what you want to hear. After meeting him, Jaime is so surprised by the treatment that he has to ask Bronn if he talks to Tyrion in that way, too.
• Butt-Monkey: Season 5-7 is hilariously unkind to poor Bronn.
  • After rising up the feudal ladder from sellsword to Knight and inches away from becoming Lord Bronn of House Stokeworth, in the space of a few episodes, he has his marriage into nobility annulled, plays escort and chore boy to Jaime, ends up poisoned and subsequently humbled by Tyene Sand, and gets elbowed in the face by Areo Hotah and ends up more or less right back where he started, a tag along sidekick and bodyguard to a Lannister boy.
  • By Season 6, Bronn is bitter about his predicament because Jaime has not delivered on his promises of a better castle and a better girl, and is accompanying him to a siege to boot. In Season 7, he has yet to be decently rewarded and is forced to fight dragons and whip peasants if he wants to be more than a cutthroat all his life, and even the pittance of gold Jaime offered him gets lost in the battle and he's risked his life for nothing.
• Can't Get Away with Nuthin': He finally got a life on easy street set by Season 4 thanks to abandoning Tyrion. Comes next season, he is back to being a grunt thanks to Jaime annulling his marriage, forcing him to work even messier and more dangerous jobs than when he was under Tyrion. Almost seems to make him regret not trying his chance against the Mountain.^{From the Books...} Jaime doesn't break his marriage and Bronn is more or less retired of the mercenary game, raising Lollys' bastard.
• The Cast Show Off: Former pop singer Jerome Flynn often gets to make use of his lovely singing voice.
• Cavalry Refusal: When Tyrion needs Bronn to champion for him in a Trial by Combat against Gregor Clegane, Bronn refuses in favor of Cersei granting him a lordship and a marriage contract — though when Tyrion offers to match it, he admits the real reason he took Cersei's payment is because he doesn't think he can kill Clegane. Tyrion completely understands and the two end up parting as friends.
  Bronn: I like you, pampered little shit that you are. I just like myself more.
• Characterisation Marches On: A minor example. In the fourth season, Bronn, in a scene lifted from the books, dismisses the idea of fighting Ser Gregor Clegane on Tyrion's behalf because he knows his chances of victory are very risky at best. The scene reminds us that while Bronn is a very tough customer, he's not Arthur Dayne, Gregor Clegane, or prime Jaime Lannister. In the final season, Bronn arrogantly boasts to Jaime that he could have easily beaten him in his prime, a bit of an odd comment considering his earlier, more cautious behaviour.
• Combat Pragmatist: He doesn't believe in fighting fair, because he realizes that winning a battle depends on killing your opponent, not making it look noble. This earns him the contempt of some more traditional people who believe he's just fighting dirty.
  • When confronted with a big Knight in Shining Armor and a full-body shield, he David Versus Goliaths it, dodging continually away until his opponent gets tired.
    Lysa: You do not fight with honor!
    Bronn: No. [nods at dead foe] He did.
  • When he tosses Jaime a blunted practice sword for their sparring, he smacks Jaime's hand when he stoops to pick it up. Jaime protests he attacked when he wasn't on his guard; Bronn retorts that's the best time to attack.
  • His refusal to wear the customary uniform of the City Watch after being appointed as commander. His simple explanation: capes slow you down in a fight, and the gold cloak makes you easy to spot.
  • Kills a Dothraki warrior who was fixated on killing him by using a ballista.
  • Never wears anything heavier than leather. Which probably saves his life when he falls into the water during the battle against the Dothraki, while fully-armored Jaime is seen drowning before the screen fades to black.
• Composite Character:
  • Takes over some of Ser Jacelyn Bywater's role in Season 2 as the replacement Commander of the City Watch after Janos Slynt is dispatched to the Wall.
  • Takes Ilyn Payne's place in training Jaime to fight left-handed in Season 4.
  • Takes Addam Marbrand's role as the Lannister's go-fer PA starting and also borrows characteristics from Marbrand, namely his frustration of having his Hypercompetent Sidekick talents abused with work he doesn't like.
• Country Matters: What he thinks of Joffrey.
  "There's no cure for being a cunt."
• Cutting the Knot: How does the Commander of the City Watch keep peace and order and prevent widespread looting on the eve of a major siege by a hostile power? By having the boys round up all the known thieves and killing them, of course. Tyrion and Varys give each other a glorious look that says, "It can't really be that simple." But yes. Yes, it is.
• Dark Horse Victory: And how. At the end of the series, King Bran's court is staffed with noble men and women of good moral character... and this guy, former cutthroat and mercenary, who's become one of the richest and most powerful men in the realm through a combination of hedging the right bets and having a lot of steel in his balls.
• Deadpan Snarker: Seems to have much the same sense of humor as Tyrion.
  Tyrion: (about Shae) Where did you find one so pretty at this hour?
  Bronn: I took her.
  Tyrion: Took her? From whom?
  Bronn: From, uh.. Ser — what's his name? I don't know. Ginger cunt three tents down.
  Tyrion: And he didn't have anything to say about it?
  Bronn: He said something.
• Demoted to Extra: His appearances in the final season are limited to three scenes: One where he tells three prostitutes the fate of Ed Sheeran's character and Qyburn hands him a crossbow to use to kill Jaime and Tyrion, one where he negotiates (read: threatens) a higher price out of the brothers Lannister not to kill them, and finally at the very end where he is not only installed as Lord of Highgarden and Lord Paramount of The Reach, but is also sitting on the Small Council as Master Of Coin.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: He manages to shoot a bolt into a dragon wing mid-flight with a scorpion.
• The Dragon: Tyrion's. Jaime retains his services in Seasons 5-7.
• Dual Wielding: Wields both his longsword and kukri-like dagger when he and Tyrion are accosted by the mountain clans.
• Duel to the Death: When he decides to champion Tyrion.
• Establishing Character Moment: For three episodes, he is a nondescript mercenary. He reveals his true skills and intelligence when he sees greater profit in defending Tyrion at the Eyrie.
• Everyone Has Standards: Although he is a hired killer, some things disgust even him. He recognizes Joffrey as a vicious sadist, is horrified by what Tywin did to Tyrion's first wife, and calls out Ser Meryn Trant for brutalizing those who are weaker than him. Played with when Tyrion asks him if he could kill a baby as Janos Slynt did; Bronn admits that he'd probably still do it depending on the payment.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Well, "Evil" is pushing it, but Bronn cannot wrap his head around the Unsullied fighting for Daenerys on their own free will because they believe in her and what she is trying to build. For a sellsword that fights for money, fame, and women, which are things that the Unsullied have no use for, their motivations are quite alien to him.
• Evil Counterpart: Of Ned Stark's right-hand man, Jory Cassel.
  • Also to both of Daenerys Targaryen's strongest fighters, Jorah Mormont and Daario Naharis.
  • He becomes one to Syrio Forel when he starts training Jaime Lannister, what with their similar training methods of whacking their students when their guards are down.
• Foil: The most obvious one to Jorah Mormont. Jorah was a nobleman, heir of a fief, and a knight who was disgraced and became a mercenary. Bronn was a mercenary that earned royal favor and became a knight, and then (at least at one point) earned a de facto Lordship by marrying into nobility. Jorah eventually decided to fight on Daenerys's behalf as the knight to her lady but was banished for his earlier betrayal and essentially replaced his in function by the mercenary captain, Daario. Bronn and Tyrion's relationship, though almost friendly, was always based on money, so when Bronn abandoned Tyrion for a better (and more survivable) offer, Tyrion understood, and the parting was more cordial. Eventually, he was replaced as Tyrion's prime companion by... Jorah.
• Genre Savvy: He knows good and well that a 1-on-1 fight with The Mountain is stupidly risky. Noting how it takes just one slip-up for the monstrously huge warrior to end his opponent. Which is exactly what happens to the man who does duel him, Oberyn Martell.
• Gold Digger: Bronn doesn't even pretend to care about his betrothed Lollys Stokeworth and prefers to stone skip while she talks. That he's all about status, money, and inheritance seems to fly over her clueless head. Jaime Lannister nullifies the arrangement and promises him a new, better girl with a better castle.
• Guile Hero: Crossed with Action Hero. In his fight against Ser Vardis at the Eyrie, he declines a shield and constantly dodges out of Vardis' way until he's too tired to resist Bronn, who kills him.
  • When he and Jaime are intercepted by some Dornish soldiers, he tries to avoid (or at least delay) a direct confrontation by coming up with a cover story about their being stranded. If Jaime hadn't ruined it, he might have succeeded.
• Heh Heh, You Said "X": Doesn't even attempt to stop his laugh when he hears the name "Dickon" from the poor boy's own mouth.
• Hidden Depths: Bronn is actually quite the talented singer. And it should be noted that he can read, historically a skill not restricted to royalty but astoundingly rare outside of it.
• Hitman with a Heart: While he is mainly motivated by payment, he does have some pet the dog moments and genuine moments of friendship with Tyrion, Jamie and Podrick that shows he does have some real fondness for them. Still, Bronn's own life and advancing into high-society is still his main focus, at the end of the day.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: He is this to the Lannister brothers, though he gets more frustrated under Jaime for having his talents abused. Jaime admits that Bronn is a far more gifted general than anyone else in his retinue, and on arriving at Riverrun, immediately assigns Bronn as his Number Two in establishing a proper siege formation and perimeter. Bronn grumbles but does it, anyways.
  Jaime: You have better instincts than any officer in the Lannister army.
  Bronn: That's like saying I have a bigger cock than anyone in the Unsullied army.
• I Am X, Son of Y: He's not really in to that whole "Who's your daddy" thing.
  Tyrion: And here we have Bronn, son of...
  Bronn: You wouldn't know him.
• Insult Backfire: Meryn Trant tries to insult Bronn's new knighthood. It does not go well.
  Meryn: You're no knight.
  Bronn: Pod?
  Podrick: Ser Bronn of the Blackwater was anointed by the King himself.
  Meryn: You're an upjumped cutthroat. Nothing more.
  Bronn: That's exactly who I am. And you're a grub, in fancy armor, who's better at beating little girls than fighting men. Now, I have an appointment with Lord Tyrion.
• Interrupted Intimacy: His session with the prostitute Mirelle gets interrupted by Podrick.
• Irony: In Season 2, Bronn admits that he's "not clear on all the rules" about money, to the point that Tyrion has to explain to him the basics on how a loan works. When all is said and done, he ends up as Master of Coin, in charge of the entire kingdom's finances and debts.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • Call it cowardly or selfish, but his betrayal of Tyrion did make sense. As he pointed out, he was getting a lot more in helping Cersei out. Even if he did fight for Tyrion, he had a very slim chance of winning against the Mountain, and pointed out that it was unreasonable of Tyrion to demand him risk his life for him so many times when he never did the same for Bronn.
  • Bronn has spent eight years serving the Lannister brothers, saving their lives several times, with nothing to show except a worthless knighthood. After being contracted to kill both of them by Cersei, Bronn has had enough of their Big, Screwed-Up Family and declares Jaime and Tyrion either double Cersei's offer or he kills them both.
  • When Tyrion and Jaime point out that the Reach lords would never accept him as ruler of Highgarden, Bronn points out that you only need to kill enough people to get a high enough title. Strangely enough, that is pretty much how every real life great dynasty started.
• Karma Houdini: Bronn receives zero comeuppance for his cutthroat actions and is given everything he wanted. He easily walks away from battles, going from lowly sellsword to Lord Paramount of Highgarden. This despite his mercenary service to the Lannisters, and also playing a personal role in sacking, raiding and despoiling the Reach (the very territory he is granted to govern). Being a fair-weather friend to Tyrion and Jaime allows him to threaten to kill both of them for the sake of money and power and get rewarded. He has also pointedly not become a better person, remaining the same corrupt, sleazy, and amoral asshole he always was, and essentially the new Littlefinger, the only difference being the relative lack of a chip on his shoulder from unrequited love and past trauma. His main saving graces are that he's a rather charming individual, and doesn't put on any airs about what he is. He fights for fortune, fame, and fornication, and never lets anyone forget it, no matter how close they may become.
• Knight of Cerebus: Inverted. During his time offscreen, things got very dire for Tyrion, indeed. And then he shows up again, and makes everything hilarious.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Being selective about which fights to pick keeps his chances of death low. During a fight with a Dothraki screamer, his bag of Golden Dragons spills onto the floor. He gives it a longing look... before giving it up for lost and focusing his efforts on dispatching the Dothraki.
  • He has no shame admitting to Tyrion he is afraid of the Mountain and decides unless Tyrion can offer a better deal he is not risking a fight with him.
  • He later informs Jaime in no uncertain terms that he draws the line at defending King's Landing from dragons. Having seen first-hand what sort of devastation Drogon can wreak, he's acutely aware of the fact that that fight would likely involve his untimely death by fire, because it very nearly did already.
• Kukris Are Kool: Uses a kukri in all but name as his knife of choice.
• Laughably Evil: Bronn being a colossal asshole only serves to make him that much more entertaining, per contrast to most other evil characters on the show. Bronn wholeheartedly enjoys being a dick, and the victims of his harsher abuse generally tend to be even worse people than he is.
• Leaning on the Furniture: When he's not kicking ass, he leans or sits (read: sprawls) on anything available. Walls, doorframes, pillars, tables, rocks...
• Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone: He quickly excuses himself in "Baelor" when Tyrion and Shae begin to get busy while he's still there.
• Limited Wardrobe: The only time we've ever seen Bronn out of his leather armor is when he's in the middle of having sex. He even wears it to a wedding. It's a surprise great enough to note when he greets Tyrion while wearing new luxurious clothes — the most obvious sign Cersei has bribed him.
• Lovable Rogue: Via a combination of being hilarious and badass, Bronn is definitely this.
• Lovable Sex Maniac: The only thing he enjoys more than fighting is fucking.
• Lovable Traitor: Bronn makes no secret to anyone that his only real loyalty is to himself, but he remains on good terms with both Tyrion and Jaime. When Cersei offers him a bribe to refuse to fight for Tyrion against the Mountain in his Trial by Combat, Bronn visits Tyrion in his cell and tells him exactly why he's accepting Cersei's offer. The two part with a handshake and Bronn sincerely wishes Tyrion good luck.
  Bronn: I like you, pampered little shit that you are. I just... like myself more.
  Tyrion: ...I understand.
  Bronn: I'm sorry it has to be this way.
  Tyrion: Why are you sorry? Because you're an evil bastard with no conscience and no heart? That's what I liked about you in the first place.
• Master Swordsman: Bronn is an extremely competent swordsman, due to a combination of honest skill and ruthless pragmatism.
• Meaningful Name: He takes "of the Blackwater" as part of his name after the Battle of the Blackwater. Coincidentally, the private military company Academi was founded under the name "Blackwater", making it a pretty fitting name for a mercenary.
• Money Is Not Power: Cersei is able to bribe him with a noble title and he already planned on making the castle of his future wife his. While gold is good for him, being able to drink his own wine in his own keep is a dream he can't afford with standard sellsword pay and he really wants his promised castle, and become part of the High Class of society, with his marriage, children, and a legacy of his own. In the finale, he becomes Lord Paramount of the Reach, and is ironically appointed Master of Coin, which he mostly seeks to use as a platform to becoming a pimp to build a harem of his own.
• Mundane Solution: King's Landing is gonna have a thieving problem after Stannis' siege, and Tyrion orders him to prepare the city for that. So Bronn kills all the known thieves. Tyrion and Varys share a look of Why Didn't I Think of That? when they hear the news.
• Nerves of Steel: When challenged by Sandor Clegane, it's less "Oh, Crap!" and more "oh well".
  • It is very rare to see Bronn in distress. This is usually because he's so badass that things rarely turn against him to begin with, but even when they do he takes it in stride. The exceptions are in Season 5 when his engagement is annulled, costing him his imminent Lordship, and later on when Tyene has him poisoned and on the brink of death. Even in the latter scenario he's rotting in a dungeon with slim chance of getting out soon and is perfectly content to stay there singing to himself for as long as he has to. Season 7 also brings an exception with the Battle of the Blackwater Rush, which has him quite distressed at fighting a battle against the Dothraki khalasars and a damn dragon, and even then he still holds it together long enough to deal a ballista bolt to Drogon's wing and then saves Jaime's ass by tackling him before he is incinerated by dragonfire.
• New Job as the Plot Demands: Across the series, Bronn has served as a dueling champion, a sellsword, a bodyguard, Commander of the City-Watch, household Knight, potential Lord and courtier, bodyguard again, siege organizer, commander, and during the battle, a ballista operator. This makes him similar to Ser Addam Marbrand of the books who was so versatile and experienced that Tywin and then Jaime, more or less moved him to fill different posts when they needed someone competent, and it annoyed Marbrand no less than it does Show Bronn. The main difference comes from the fact that Marbrand just wanted to go back to commanding cavalry, while Bronn just loves Bronn.
• The Nicknamer: He apparently calls Littlefinger "Lord Twatbeard".
• The Nondescript: He's grungy, unkempt, unshaven, and constantly wears the same black leather armour even when he can afford better clothes. That way, he stays blended into the background until it's too late for you to realise he's a lot more dangerous than you gave him credit for.
• Noodle Incident: Much like the books, his past isn't spelled out, but many of his conversations has him give wild stories that suggest an interesting life. He has apparently worked beyond the Wall, saw a dead body at age 5, his first kill was a woman, was apparently involved in a siege sometime in the past (based on how he describes it to Tyrion), and possesses a variety of skills and talents that hint at a diverse range of experiences, and he's apparently been to Dorne before. Now, how much of this is Bronn boasting and exaggerating and then Becoming the Boast isn't clear and there's no way to verify his background. His story about being in a siege is interesting since before Season 1, the most recent sieges would have been in the Greyjoy Rebellion or during Robert's Rebellion. ^note By no means impossible given his apparent age; Jerome Flynn was in his late forties when he took the role so it's more than reasonable that Bronn would have been of fighting age during Robert's Rebellion.
• Number Two: Jaime names him second in command of Lannister forces during the siege of Riverrun.
• Only in It for the Money: He's very clear to Tyrion that he's serving him solely for the riches, even though he does consider him a friend (the pay really "enhances" their friendship, he says). However, he still expects to get paid — not even friends get freebies. This later transfers onto Jaime. While Bronn becomes as close a friend with Jaime as he was with Tyrion, he still expects Jaime to pay him — in ever-larger amounts, given the increasing danger Jaime drags him into. ^{From the Books...} However, he's quite a bit less Only in It for the Money on the show than in the books, where he never really becomes friends with Tyrion and makes ever-larger financial demands for increasingly lesser tasks... though he does still name new wife's child after him, so there was clearly something there.
  Tyrion: I thought we were friends.
  Bronn: We are, but I'm a sellsword. I sell my sword. I don't loan it out as a favor to a friend.
• Odd Friendship: With Tyrion until they part ways in Season 4, then seems to be growing into one with Jaime in Season 5. In season 6 and 7 he and Jamie have become just as close as Bronn and Tyrion were, though Bronn is annoyed that he still has not gotten his castle and noble wife yet, despite his services.
• Out of Focus: In Season 3. Even moreso in Season 6, where he doesn't appear until the seventh episode of the season. In Season 7, it takes him nearly 3 full episodes (almost half that season) and he doesn't have a line at first.
  • This is likely because of the dislike between Jerome Flynn and Lena Headey. Seeing as they refuse to share screentime this means that Bronn only can appear when Tyrion or Jaime are at or going to a fight.
• Pet the Dog:
  • To Sansa, at her wedding. He's one of the only people present to visibly show her respect (he gives a little bow) as she makes her way through the wedding party.
  • Takes the time to comfort Tyrion — even putting a hand on his shoulder — regarding Shae's departure from King's Landing.
  • He's kind to his fiancee Lollys Stokeworth, albeit not particularly interested in her. He even comforts her when she complains about her sister's bullying. When he coyly implies he might kill her sister, it comes across as much as wanting to put an end to her tormenting of Lollys as it does trying to murder his way into inheriting the Stokeworth fortune.
  • He is delighted to see Podrick again in the Riverlands, and even goes so far as to give him some advice on the art of Combat Pragmatism.
  • He takes Pod with him to a tavern during the tense meeting between Daenerys and Cersei at the Dragonpit.
  • After he explains his refusal to fight The Mountain on Tyrion's behalf, Tyrion makes a cynical comment about fighting the behemoth himself, and what kind of song would be sung if he actually won. Bronn sincerely remarks that he would love to hear it.
• Promoted to Opening Titles: In Season 2.
• Punch-Clock Villain: One of Bronn's most defining features is that he quite simply doesn't give a crap about anything. Kings, knights, maesters, thugs, and, as he notably points out, women and children. He really just doesn't care who he has to kill as long as Tyrion's paying him the money.
• Rank Up: Bronn begins as a lowly sellsword, albeit a highly intelligent and skilled one. Over the course of the series, he:
  • Gets promoted to commander of the City Watch by Tyrion in Season 2, replacing Janos Slynt. It lasts until the end of the season, though, as he's dismissed by Tywin. He turns out to be almost as ruthless as Janos Slynt, though he never kills children. In anticipation of Stannis' siege, Bronn has his men round up and kill all the known thieves, because they steal all the food when a siege begins.
  • Gets rewarded with a knighthood after the battle of Backwater.
  • He was going to marry into nobility, but that was yanked under promise of, eventually, a better marriage. Jaime tells him in Season 7 that he'll have his pick of castles in Westeros when the Lannisters win the war.
  • Becomes Master of Coin, lord of Highgarden and Lord Paramount of the Reach in the series finale.
• Red Herring Shirt: When he is first introduced, he looks like just another sellsword. The camera doesn't linger on him very much, and he doesn't even have any features or costumes to distinguish him from a commoner other than a dry wit. Then he offers to be Tyrion's champion at the Eyrie, and proves to be more than just a mook.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Bronn ends his partnership with Tyrion when he is given a choice between fighting the Mountain and marrying a noblewoman. He also makes it clear to Jaime in Season 7 that going up against a mature dragon is where he draws the line, even when money and castles are involved.
• Servile Snarker: Not afraid to speak his mind to Tyrion, which is one reason Tyrion keeps him around since he knows Bronn will tell him the truth.
  Tyrion: Stannis has more infantry, more ships, more horses. What do we have?
  Bronn: There's that mind of yours you keep going on about.
  Tyrion: Well, I've never actually been able to kill people with it.
  Bronn: Good thing. I'd be out of a job.
• Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Tenaciously averted. While most characters use consistently use antiquated words or descriptions, Bronn is the only character in the show to always use common words people would use in the modern day: Crazy/ mad, dinner/ supper, birthday/ name day.
• Shipper on Deck: Appears to be surprisingly onboard with Jaime/Brienne, judging by his comments to Podrick.
  • Also one for Tyrion/Sansa, as he kept pointing out that Tyrion was interested in Sansa and that Shae, being a whore, was never going to be a viable option for him to marry.
• Social Climber: He's quite open that he wants to move as high up in society as he possibly can. He really wants his retirement payday and that is being a Lord with a castle, a wife and kids, and grow old to see his kids squabble about who gets his property. Basically, Bronn may hang out with Jaime and Tyrion, but the Lannister he really wants to be is Tywin.
• Sociopathic Hero: Bronn will pretty well murder anyone for the right price. In spite of that, he's firmly on Tyrion's and later, Jaime's side.
• Stab the Scorpion: In Season 5, Bronn appears standing above Jaime Lannister with his kukri ready, seemingly to kill him, and a few moments later he kills a snake that was about to bite the Kingslayer.
• Staring Down Cthulhu:
  • At the beginning of "Blackwater", he stares down Sandor Clegane, who's intent is very much to murder him. He later ends up saving Clegane himself during the ensuing battle.
    Sandor: You like fucking, and drinking, and singing. But killing... that's the thing you love. You're just like me. Only smaller.
    Bronn: And quicker.
  • He even snarks Lord Tywin with his "You wouldn't know him" comment. That's gotta count under this trope.
  • In Season 7, he manages to one-up himself even further, operating a Scorpion with a fucking dragon bearing down on him. He not only survives, but manages to get in a hit on Drogon's wing, coming within a couple of feet of ending Daenerys Targaryen's bid for the Iron Throne then and there.
• Straight Man: To Tyrion.
• Street Smart: Another facet of his unique, worldly wisdom. This makes him a very effective City Watch commander.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: In the series finale, he has essentially become the new Littlefinger. A Master of Coin who is also a corrupt, social-climbing, Nouveau Riche noble and an aspiring pimp who pointedly espouses a belief that the strong thrive over the weak. His sleaziness also disgusts the more morally principled of the Small Council such as Davos and Brienne.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Sandor during the Battle of Blackwater. Also in the finale, as the Token Evil Teammate in the post-series Small Council, it's clear that Davos, Brienne and Sam can't handle having him around as much as Tyrion does.
• Trickster Mentor: Enjoys himself a lot while he teaches Jaime how to fight with his left hand. The unclean lessons involve kicking Jaime around thanks to Bronn's own set of pragmatic, dirty tricks.
• Troll: He enjoys pushing people's buttons for no other reason than because he can, though he does tend to mostly use this on people who are utter assholes.
• Try to Fit That on a Business Card: In the final episode, his name in full is "Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, Lord of Highgarden, Lord Paramount of the Reach, and Master of Coin".
• Two Guys and a Girl: Has this dynamic very briefly with Tyrion and Shae.
• Warrior Therapist: To Jaime in lieu of Ilyn Payne.
• Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Prefers this philosophy when it comes to handling problems, and is rather blunt and unapologetic about it.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Bronn, of all people, calls out Jaime for not visiting Tyrion right away after being (falsely) imprisoned for Joffrey's murder, pointing out the faith Tyrion had in him when he was also imprisoned in The Vale back in Season 1:
  Bronn: He named you as his Champion because he knew you'd ride day and night to come fight for him. You gonna fight for him now?
• Wisdom from the Gutter: Bronn in the show often presents a more down-to-earth, pragmatic look at fighting and soldiering and mocks the high lords and great knights for their limited and blinkered view. This counts greater in the show on account of it emphasizing Combat Pragmatist and Hollywood Tactics more often than the books, where much of Bronn's "wisdom" and advice is already known to the likes of Tyrion, Jaime and others.
• The Worf Effect: After five seasons of taking names, dodging death, and shooting up the social ladder, Bronn is nearly killed by Tyene Sand, in a show of just how cunning and dangerous the girl is. In Season 7, to emphasize how deadly and terrifying Drogon is, Bronn drops his cool and spends most of the battle in mortal fear for his life.
  • Also happens earlier when he refuses to fight he Mountain, in order to illustrate just how much trouble Tyrion really is in.
• Would Hit a Girl: Bronn admits that the first person he killed was a woman, though it was self-defense—she attacked him with an axe. Shae still doesn't approve. Although, this trope only seems to apply in situations where it would be impractical not to do so (read: woman attacking you with a weapon.) He's noticeably disdainful of Ser Meryn Trant, which probably indicates that violence toward unarmed women isn't a hobby of his.
  • He landed a few blows against Tyene Sand while attempting to rescue Myrcella from Dorne. Then again, she had twin blades at the time. He does seem a bit apologetic about it, and remarks later it's "against his code", meaning he'll do it if he has to, but unlike some, he doesn't enjoy it.
• Would Hurt a Child: Depending on the price, of course. He does directly tell Tyrion that while he'd probably still do it, unlike Janos, he'd at least think about it for a moment.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: At the end of Season 4, he is set up for a very nice retirement in Stokeworth castle. Second episode of Season 5, Cersei reneges on their deal to force him to join Jaime's mission.