8 George R.R. Martin Tropes And What They Really Mean
4. The Anti-Villain
What It Is: An Anti-Villain is a villain who isn't entirely terrible, but who contains shades of light. Their goals and ambitions tend to be good, they just use unsavoury means of achieving them. What It Means: George R.R. Martin is practically the King of creating anti-villains. In his novels, Martin's characters are far from black and white. Like the best characters, they're merely shades of grey no one person is wholly pure, and no one person is wholly evil. Martin uses anti-villains to subvert our expectations. For example, when we first meet Tyrion Lannister, it appears as though he might turn out to be a villain, but he soon becomes immensely sympathetic, and readers love him for his unabashed loyalty (despite the fact his methods are often ruthless). Again, Sandor Clegane (or The Hound) appears to be a monstrous, one-dimensional villain, whose entire characterization is done through his intimidating physicality but this also doesn't last, as we see him reluctantly grow fond and protective of Arya. And as for Theon Greyjoy, he's the very definition of a character torn right down the middle (nice one, Ramsay). Anti-villains, then, are the natural by-product of interesting, complex and diverse characterisation.
