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

10. Ben Plumm - 114 Mentions

Various mercenary companies play a huge role in Daenerys' storyline in Slaver's Bay throughout the novels, as both she and the slavemasters of Astapor, Yunkai and Meereen employ them in their war against one another. Being loyal to nothing but coin, many change sides throughout the conflict, creating a convoluted mess that makes the narrative very hard to follow in places.

The series simplified this by featuring just one company, the Second Sons, who are commanded by Daario Naharis and remain consistently loyal to Daenerys. The Second Sons of the books are instead led by 'Brown' Ben Plumm, who switch allegiances no fewer than four times across three novels, most recently pledging their support to Daenerys once again in one of the preview chapters for the Winds of Winter. Daario, meanwhile, commands the Stormcrows, another company entirely, sticking with Daenerys after joining her but becoming nowhere near as close and loyal as his television equivalent.

Plumm is the most notable mercenary character after Daario, but his character is largely a one-dimensional opportunist who will probably meet his end sooner rather than later, particularly given that Tyrion Lannister and Jorah Mormont are now amongst his ranks. The series largely cut out the need for his presence by having the pair go straight from slavery to Daenerys (without Plumm's company as an intermediary), drastically shortening the battle for Meereen and developing the character of Daario much more extensively. Ultimately, these have been effective changes.