Game Of Thrones: 10 Worst Characters Who Appeared After Season One
3. Mance Rayder
When actor Ciarin Hinds was announced to be joining the show as the legendary King Beyond The Wall in the show's third season, fans were ecstatic to see how the popular character would be transformed to the screen from the novels.
But after an arguably strong entrance, this supposed fearsome leader of the free folk took a backseat to make way for Jon's expedition to The Wall, with loveable Tormund and Ygritte taking more of the centre stage for Jon's journey with the wildlings.
After a number of sporadic appearances throughout seasons three and four, Mance is given more of an opportunity to shine in the Season Five opener, when he speaks to Jon of free will and honour, and we do get a glimpse of the complexities surrounding the character and his unique perception of living outside of the Seven Kingdoms.
Sadly, this side of Mance is never explored further - in a bid to move the story forward he is burned at the stake by Stannis Baratheon, a shocking U-turn from the novels where Mance is very much still alive. It's a shame, because the character's ideologies are clearly an influence on Jon's beliefs and decisions going forward on the show.