Watch out, major spoilers ahead! The final episode of Game of Thrones has aired and, predictably, it was a controversial end to one of the biggest television shows of all time. However, though there are many unanswered questions, we finally found out who would sit on the Iron Throne after all this.
Bran Stark was ultimately chosen for the task, a choice not everyone agrees with. There had been plenty of candidates for the throne over the years, some who fans thought were destined for the position. Bran might not be the perfect choice, as there are some who seem better suited, but he’s also far from the worst choice (even better than some fan-favorite contenders). Here are some of the characters who deserved to rule the Seven Kingdoms more than Bran and some who don’t deserve to rule.
Deserved: Varys
There are many reasons why some of the characters have fought for the Iron Throne. Some wanted power, some wanted vengeance, and some thought it was their duty. Lord Varys was the only one who had the right intentions. From the first season, all he cared about was the safety of the realm.
Though not a fearsome warrior or head of a powerful house, Varys nonetheless had the best qualities to rule in such a position. He was smarter than mostly everyone around him. He knew how to play the politics game and make enemies into allies. Most importantly, he put the innocent as his main priority.
Didn’t Deserve: Edmure Tully
It was a great surprise to see Edmure Tully return to be part of the council who chose the next king. It was also great to see Sansa completely shut him down, when he had the audacity to try to nominate himself as a worthy ruler.
Edmure is not an evil man by any means, but he does seem very incompetent. From the first moment we met him, he was shown to be a terrible shot with a bow and arrow, then was berated for ruining Robb Stark’s military plans. Since then, he’s mostly been a prisoner of the Freys and Lannisters. It’s nice to see him free, but he’s dreaming if he thinks he should be king.
Deserved: Robb Stark
After the death of Ned Stark, Robb became the North’s great hope for vengeance and justice. Very quickly, Robb became a real threat for the Iron Throne. He was a skilled military strategist and inspired those around him, being named the first King in the North in centuries.
Robb is often seen as a bit of a bungler, whose mistakes got him killed at the Red Wedding. However, there are few characters on the show who haven’t made equally costly mistakes. Robb proved he is a fair ruler who is concerned with justice and mercy. Not bad qualities to have in a king.
Didn’t Deserve: Cersei Lannister
You can’t say that Cersei didn’t fight hard for the Throne. Throughout the series, we’ve seen her overcome enemy after enemy until she eventually destroyed everyone who stood between her and the throne. Even against all odds, she put up a good fight against Daenerys as well.
As impressive as Cersei’s climb to power was, she is certainly not the one who deserves to sit on the throne. The only reason she wants the position is to have the power. She cares nothing about the people of Westeros and is a brutal murderer when she doesn’t get her way. She inspired few, and made more enemies than anyone else on the throne.
Deserved: Margaery Tyrell
As cunning as Cersei was at the power plays within King’s Landing, Margaery Tyrell was just about equal. She knew who to position herself with and was an expert manipulator. She worked her magic not only on young Tommen, but on Joffrey as well, which is not small feat.
Being a capable political player is key to ruling, but unlike some of the great deceivers on the show, Margaery also had heart. She cared about the people, and the people cared for her in kind. She would have been a beloved queen who treated her followers fairly and wouldn’t get pushed around.
Didn’t Deserve: Tyrion Lannister
For much of the series, Tyrion Lannister was one of the fan-favorites to sit on the Iron Throne. It likely had a lot to do with Peter Dinklage’s performance, but Tyrion did prove to be a very impressive political mind. He out-maneuvered his foes, implemented military strategies, formed alliances and stayed alive in a very dangerous world.
However, more recently, Tyrion has shown he is not as intelligent as we all thought he was. He was continuously tricked by his enemies, his schemes failed and backfired and he continued trusting Daenerys, far past the point of it being reasonable. Even for him to serve as Hand of the King seems odd given his many, many mistakes.
Deserved: Sansa Stark
Sansa Stark started the show as a foolish and naive young girl. Throughout the series, she was been through a lot and become a much smarter player of the game. She left behind her dreams of being married to a handsome prince and becoming queen, focusing instead on reclaiming the North for House Stark.
While she has made mistakes along the way, Sansa has proven to be one of the most competent leaders in the series. Once Winterfell was reclaimed, she became the ruler in Jon’s absence. Though her priorities are to the North, on the Iron Throne, she could ensure the North’s safety better than ever before, while intelligently and compassionately ruling the rest of Westeros.
Didn’t Deserve: Daenerys Targaryen
The queen who fooled us all. For several seasons, Daenerys Targaryen seemed to be the obvious choice to rule Westeros. She had a massive army and three dragons; no-one could stand in her way. But she was also a liberator who sought to undo the injustices of the world.
As we found out on the penultimate episode, though, Daenerys wasn’t as kind as we all thought. Though the show may have rushed her descent into madness, she did show signs of cruelty earlier. She may have convinced herself that she was a good person, but she would have ruled through fear.
Deserved: No-One
No, this is not to say there is no one who deserves the throne more than Bran, nor is it a clever way of saying Arya deserves to rule (she’d never want to). Instead, we simply mean to suggest that Westeros would be better off if there was no one sitting on the Iron Throne.
The throne was only established after Westeros was conquered. Before then, the various regions governed themselves. The series has shown us again and again that power corrupts, leaders fall and people are flawed. Westeros would prosper without a ruler.
Didn’t Deserve: Jon Snow
Despite the resurrection, despite the prophecies and despite being the rightful heir to the throne, Jon Snow has proven he is not a fit ruler. Jon was presented as the hero of the show for quite a while now, and his acts of bravery and skills in combat backed that up. But after coming back from the dead, Jon has been fairy useless.
In battle after battle, Jon is nearly killed and needs to be rescued. He makes foolish mistakes as a military commander, letting his emotions gets the best of him. As a political mind, he’s pretty dull and would be out of his element in King’s Landing. As much as these might be faults of the show, sending him beyond the Wall with the wildings was a perfect ending for Jon Snow.
