10 Best Female Antiheroes On TV

Game of Thrones rarely has outwardly evil characters and aside from Joffrey, Ramsay and a few choice exceptions, all the characters on the show are at worst morally grey. Cersei is one of those complex examples. Although she ended up opposed to the show's protagonists, for multiple seasons Cersei rode the line of becoming a fully fledged antihero.

Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and serial incest offender, Cersei was spiteful, vindictive and manipulative for all of her time on the show. Her one driving focus however was incredibly relatable, her love for her children. All the terrible and horrific acts Cersei committed were in service of protecting her children and ensuring they could be safe. Even at the show's end, Cersei's misguided stubbornness was because she was attached to the dream of her unborn child getting to live.

Lena Headey gives one of the very best performances of all time as she dominates the show with a masterclass of micro-expressions that convey the cornered animal aspect of Cersei's decision making. Pitting her against equally abhorrent characters such as the High Sparrow only helps to illustrate Cersei more as an antihero and sympathetic figure who was desperate to see her family thrive. In the end, Cersei is more tragic than hated as her goal of protecting any of her children becomes unattainable.