The Worst Characters To Play On 'Game Of Thrones'

Right off the bat, it should be said that this post is so full of spoilers that if you haven't read the Game of Thrones books or watched the TV show, but you're planning to do so, back away from your screen slowly. Without looking at anything else below these words, turn and run. For those of you fully caught up, and that means to the last book/last episode of season five, you already know the series' penchant for killing off/maiming characters left and right. Here is a list of the worst characters to play, particularly in terms of counting on steady paychecks.

Son of "The Mad King" Aerys, Viserys Targaryen is an obnoxious brat who stomps around demanding his birthright. In an attempt to reclaim said birthright, he actually sells his own sister to a brutal Dothraki horselord in the hopes of receivingan army in return. He meets his fate after getting drunk, violating a sacred Dothraki law, and insisting Khal Drogo give him a golden crown. Well, he gets his crown, alright—smelted onto his head as he dies, screaming in pain.

Ned Stark is the Warden of the North, Lord of Winterfell, and battle brother of King Robert Baratheon. At Robert's request, Ned reluctantly accepts the role of Hand of the King, thrusting him into the twisted, power-grabbing hands of the Lannisters. His loyalty to Robert and his family ends up fracturing the entire Stark clan, scattering them all over Westeros, and ultimately leads to his own beheading in front of his two daughters.

While attending the wedding of his uncle to one of Walder Frey's daughters, Robb Stark is the subject of an ambush at the hands of Tywin Lannister. Capitalizing on the offense Walder Frey took when Robb Stark failed to deliver on his own promise to marry one of Frey's daughters, Lannister arranged for the brutal murders of both Robb Stark and his pregnant wife in front of his mother, Catelyn. Catelyn then immediately murders Frey's youngest wife (he has many) and takes her own life in a fit of hysterical grief.

Arguably the most hated character of the series, Joffrey is a sniveling, cowardly, inbred momma's boy who assumes the Iron Throne upon the untimely death of his "father" Robert Baratheon. He proceeds to alienate the entire realm with his viciousness and cruelty to a point of near rebellion, until he is poisoned to death at his own wedding, leaving him gasping for air and clawing at his throat in the arms of his mother.

To avenge the death of his sister Elia, whom he believes died at the hands of Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane, Oberyn agrees to champion Tyrion Lannister in his trial-by-combat for the alleged poisoning of King Joffrey. Martell's skills and agility as a fighter earned him the deadly moniker "The Red Viper," and he proves his mettle against The Mountain, nearly defeating him until he pauses to gloat. Oberyn is then quickly overpowered, having his teeth shattered, his eyes gouged out, and his head pulverized by the giant knight.

Having lost his wife to childbirth only to have his dwarf son, Tyrion Lannister, survive, Tywin Lannister spends his entire life attempting to secure his family's legacy. At the very moment this seems within his grasp, having arranged Cersei's marriage to form a union with the powerful Tyrells, banishing Tyrion to either death or The Night's Watch, and cajoling Jamie into assuming his birthright as Lord of Casterly Rock, Tywin is murdered by none other than Tyrion himself. On the toilet. With a crossbow bolt to the gut.

Known to the wildlings as The King Beyond The Wall, Mance Rayder is a Night's Watch deserter who chose the relative freedom of the harsh north over a life of servitude. He managed to unite the many eternally feuding clans into an army, for the purpose of invading The Wall and securing a southern position for the coming long winter. His plans are thwarted after Jon Snow fakes his way into the wildlings good graces, all the while using his time with them as recon to effectively defend Castle Black against the invasion. But here is where his narrative on the show deviates a lot from the books, and arguably for the worse: With the remains of the wildling army battered and stranded just outside The Wall, Mance Rayder is captured and burned at the stake until Jon Snow "mercifully" finishes the job with an arrow to the heart.

Eddard 'Ned' Stark took Theon Greyjoy as his "ward" after Theon's father's unsuccessful rebellion. Which is just a polite way of saying "Your kid is our hostage now. Try that again and he dies." Although, it can be argued that Theon meets a much worse fate than death after his own misstep in capturing Winterfell, which results in him being transformed (through psychological torture and physical mutilation) into the obedient creature known as "Reek."