15 Most Prominent Game Of Thrones Characters (Yet To Appear In The Show)

7. Strong Belwas - 140 Mentions

Daenerys Targaryen has never been short of companions in either medium, as the loyalty of Jorah Mormont and her Dothraki bloodriders is followed by that of Barristan Selmy, which is followed in turn by that of Grey Worm's Unsullied and a myriad of unsavoury mercenary companies. Accompanying Barristan Selmy in the books is Strong Belwas, a heavily-scarred former pit fighter who allows each of his opponents to cut and scar him once before defeating them.

Selmy masquerades as Belwas' squire, Arstan Whitebeard, and readers are not properly made aware of his identity until he evaluates Daenerys as being worthy of his service. Given that Ian McElhinney would have been recognisable to television viewers as the former Kingsguard-member, however, this angle was dropped for the series, Belwas with it.

The inclusion of Belwas certainly would've given the Meereen storyline more flexibility, as he could've been the one sacrificed to sell the threat of the Sons of the Harpy instead of the legendary Barristan, whose death at the hands of a group of former slave masters in season five still leaves a sour taste. His exclusion also means that occasional moments of comedic gold, such as his defeating of Meereen's champion and subsequent defecation on his corpse, have been lost.

It's quite likely that Belwas would've been lost in the shuffle, however, given that he lacks the personal connection to Daenerys that Jorah and Daario possess. The ex-slave archetype is also fulfilled sufficiently by Grey Worm, whose role on screen is more significant than it is on the page.