Game Of Thrones: 10 Characters We Didn't Want To Like

6. Varys

Varys is a character whose loyalties are never certain, and there is always something vaguely sinister about him. As the most informed individual in Westeros, he is constantly in the position to advance his own agenda. The only problem? He never seems to have one. As we learn in a monologue to Tyrion Lannister, Varys is a master at playing the long game. When a feverish Ned Stark back in Season 1 asked Varys whom he truly served, Varys' answer was simple: "The realm." Unfortunately, what isn't so simple is what on earth that actually means. After all, at any given point during the show, "the realm" may not refer to the same thing in the evening as it did in the morning. As of Season 3, Varys has served as spymaster and rumormonger for three kings, none of whom developed very well for the influence. Varys is truly a frustratingly ambiguous character. And yet, somehow, he is one of the most universally beloved characters on the show. Part of the appeal comes from actor Conleth Hill, who is so incredibly compelling in such a powerfully nonthreatening role that we always know that something important is going to happen whenever he strolls onto the screen. He is a character who seems at home in the game of thrones, and he is one of the few who actually feels as though he could survive indefinitely in the corruption of King's Landing. At least he doesn't have to worry about fathering any bastards.