Game of Thrones is renowned for its characters that refuse to be pigeon-holed; the idea of "good" and "evil" simply doesn't exist in Westeros, and there are no truly black or white characters - everybody falls into a kind of muddled, grey territory, where audience perceptions are constantly shifted as the characters of the show struggle to survive in what is arguably one of the most sinister and harsh fictional universes ever rendered. Which means that Game of Thrones contains a nearly endless array of characters who are terrible people on the surface, but still - for one reason or another - remain generally likeable to fans of the show the world over. To the point where, if said character ended up dead for some reason, the internet would likely explode in a torrent of hellfire. Given how inherently bad some of these people are, it's kind of a strange phenomenon to behold. What follows, then, is a list of 8 characters that audiences in their droves are generally rather fond of - despite the fact that many of them have committed a number of unacceptable atrocities, violent acts, murders and questionable sexual perversions. What is it about our collective ability to overlook or forget terrible happenings in order to "like" a character?
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
