Game Of Thrones: All 26 Characters From Season 1 (Who Aren’t Dead Yet) - Ranked

2. Cersei Lannister

Cersei wasn't all that when she was first introduced - sure, it was very clear she was a bad apple, but the extent of her compulsion towards power and her family name has slowly been revealed over the seasons seen as she's seen almost all of her allies and close enemies be killed off.

As that's happened - and in particular in the wake of her shameful punishment at the behest of the High Sparrow - she has developed a bullet-proof skin that actually seems to be fortified as bad things happen to her. The result is an increasingly dangerous, volatile viper who isn't afraid of committing genocide to wipe out her enemies and preserve her position and who doesn't seem to realise the impossible odds facing her when Dany lands.

She can't win, but that's almost more interesting than if she could. It's almost like she's steeling herself, sticking her fingers in her ears and pushing ahead no matter what she faces, and it's hard not to perversely admire that. After all, it worked for Jon Snow on the flip-side.