Game of Thronesis a show that has wowed the audience with itsimpressive roster of villains. There was fearsome and formidable Tywin (Charles Dance), who despite his antagonism commanded respect from the viewers. There was loathsome and sadistic Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) whose performance was so compelling that his death felt like an occasion to be celebrated. There was sadistic and conniving Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) whose cruelty made stomachs turn and faces shudder. As with any escalating drama,Game of Thrones’newly introduced villains had an increased intensity of antagonism, and following this logic, the ultimate villain introduced towards the ending of the show should have been the most terrifying, cruel, and evil. But instead, what the viewers received was someone completely anti-climatic and disappointing — a flatly written character who is neither fun to watch, nor to hate — Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk)
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Euron Is the Ultimate Antagonist in the Books
In the show, Euron is watered down to a level that he is bereft of any flavors at all. This is a shame because Euron has a fascinating backstory and a really charismatic persona. In the books, Euron was exiled from Iron Islands for raping his sister-in-law, after which he made extensive travels to the East, learning and adopting dark magic. But he didn’t stop there.He voyaged to Valyriawith his ship, ‘Silence’ — named after the entirely mute crew on the ship whose tongues were cut by Euron to ensure no secrets would seep out — and not just lived to tell the tale but even brought back mystical artifacts such as a dragon horn that could supposedly control dragons and a full Valyrian steel armor, making him the only man in seven kingdoms to ever wear one. Upon return, he killed all of his brothers and became the leader of the Iron Islands with his clever manipulation and charisma.
But his intention isn’t just to become a king. His goals go beyond the petty squabbles of lords and kings. Euron has a curious association with the world of supernatural. He is aware of the White Walker’s existence and has some kind of connection with the Three-eyed Raven. He is often drunk off of Shade of the Evening, a blue-colored wine that lets him see visions of the future. He has enslaved warlocks and is preparing for a sacrifice that’s supposed to make him a Lovecraftian god of sorts. Euron’s connection with magic and his otherworldly intentions set his villainhood apart from that of Tywin, Joffrey, or Ramsay. In that department, he is better positioned beside Night King in the sense that Euron also wants to bring about an apocalyptic event that would alter the state of the world and place him at the very top of it. It’s very befitting to have Euron as the show’s ultimate bad guy. The charm ofGame of Thronesis the way in which it combines elements of political drama with that of high fantasy. No other villain strikes this delicate balance as precisely as Euron does.
Euron Was Used as a Plot Device to Move the Story Forward
In the show, however, Euron is stripped of all his supernatural mystique and relegated to a generic one-dimensional villain. His goals are limited to sleeping with Queen Cersie (Lena Headey) and poking fun at her brother/lover in the process. In the show, he is constantly blaring his own megaphone talking about what a badass he is, but we never really see any of his talks translated into concrete actions. He doesn’t demonstrate any discernible qualities that would justify him as the show’s biggest villain. It’s almost as if we’re meant to take him at his word and imagine him as a fleshed-out, menacing villain with the rough outline provided by the show.
Instead, Euron is only used as a device to conveniently drive the plot forward. His actions, such as his naval victories or alliance with Cersei, often feel forced for the plot rather than stemming from his character’s motivations or abilities. This makes him feel inconsistent and unpredictable, not in a way that adds intrigue, but rather in a way that detracts from the overall narrative. On multiple occasions, he comes face-to-face with Daenerys' (Emilia Clarke) armies only to get an upper hand every time against hordes of Dothoraki, legions of Unsullied and monstrous dragons. This version of Euron doesn’t wear Valyrian steel armor, instead he wears something much more powerful and frustrating,a very thick plot armor. What makes it even more frustrating is that this Deus ex Machina comes for someone as shallow as Euron rather than someone interesting.
Euron’s Poor Character Is a Symptom of the Show on a Decline
Before the end, the creators were breaking the rules that catapultedGame of Thronesinto greatness. The show was tilting towards mediocrity and Euron was the ultimate symptom of it. In any other show, Euron would probably pass off as a decent villain, but in Game of Thrones, he is preceded by the likes of Ramsay, Tywin, and Joffrey, all of whom you couldn’t help but hate,and hate with a relish. Stacked against these despicable antagonists, Euron is difficult to take seriously. The very basic requirement for being a villain is that they’re supposed to command fear, but this Jack Sparrow-esque version of Euron hardly amounts to anything more than a comic relief. Unlike the previously established villains, Euron is a complete wildcard without a compelling explanation of his backgrounds and roots of his motives. Of course, you couldn’t really expect a character introduced so late to be entirely fleshed out, but the problem is that the show makes the worst, and sometimes the laziest, decisions for his character.
The final season ofGame of Thronesis eager to make Euron seem whacky and unpredictable, and you can feel the character trying too hard at it, constantly, wisecracking and making transgressive comments. But in doing so, Asbæk betrays the golden rule of antagonism and elicits fear, less is more. Ramsay and Joffrey, for the most part, remained reserved, and when they finally lashed out with anger or cruelty, it felt all the more intimidating. In contrast, Asbæk plays his character with exaggeration that borders on a parody of a villain. And this really undercuts the moments of antagonism that are supposed to strike fear.
The source material to make a great villain out of Euron was already there. But unfortunately, Euron comes in late in the series when the show creators were more concerned withresolving the storyrather than building up new characters and plot lines. As a result, newly introduced characters suffered the most - the golden company, the sand snakes, etc. But none of these characters were as crucial to the story as Euron and as a result of his heightened importance, Euron suffered the harshest. And in the end, the narrow claustrophobic width of the story suffocated life out of its most potent and promising villain.
