Game Of Thrones Why Stannis HAD To Become A Villain

Game Of Thrones: Why Stannis HAD To Become A Villain

While Stannis started as a reasonably moral character by Game of Thrones’ standards, he soon descended. And it was all for Daenerys’ sake.

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Game Of Thrones Why Stannis HAD To Become A Villain

The extent to which Stannis Baratheon turned bad in Game of Thrones might’ve come as a shock to some, but his fall helped set up Daenerys’ story in later seasons. Game of Thrones features very few outright heroes but, for a series that actively encourages the audience to root for an incestuous relationship, Stannis Baratheron isn’t all that bad when first introduced in season 2’s premiere. Admittedly, he murders his brother, but Stannis shows more affection toward his greyscale-inflicted daughter than most, and he holds the respect of actual good guys like Ned Stark and Davos Seaworth. Throughout Game of Thrones, it’s heavily suggested that most of the misdeeds Stannis commits are due to the sinister influence of others; Melisandre in particular.

By season 5, however, Stannis Baratheon’s morality has truly turned. In one of Game of Thrones’ most harrowing scenes, Stannis has his daughter burned alive on the advice of his red witch girlfriend, hoping to gain an advantage in battle. Up to this point, Stannis had been taking increasingly dark measures to ensure his backside eventually met the cold metal of the Iron Throne – the would-be king tried to sacrifice Gendry, and began burning his own men in order to curry favor with the Lord of Light. Nevertheless, giving over his own daughter’s life was quite a drastic turn for Stannis, as the pair had shared their most tender moment only episodes prior. Due to the sheer weight of Shireen’s death, the act immediately establishes Stannis as one of Game of Thrones most reprehensible characters for the short time he remains alive afterwards.

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Stannis’ villainous turn might’ve been a fairly steep slope, but the drastic change of character was a necessary one for Game of Thrones’ future seasons. Firstly, Stannis was the rightful heir to the Iron Throne from the moment Robert Baratheon took his last breath. Due to the Mad King’s actions while House Targaryen still held power, Robert Baratheon’s takeover was a legitimate one, even if his true motivations were more personal than noble. With Robert having no biological sons of his own, the throne should’ve passed to Stannis, but the line of succession falling to a mostly-OK character creates a problem for Game of Thrones.

The whole point of Game of Thrones, especially in later seasons, is the audience cheering on Daenerys as the heroic liberator coming to free her people from a life of poverty and oppression. While this works opposite the dastardly Lannisters, it doesn’t have quite the same effect with Stannis. Comparing the royal careers of Daenerys and Stannis, it’s hard to argue that one is a better ruler than the other, and with Stannis having the rightful claim, Dany’s status as the lead protagonist is undermined. By Game of Thrones’ fifth season, the series was focusing more and more on Daenerys fulfilling her destiny, but Stannis obstructs this by not being as horrific as Joffrey, Cersei or Littlefinger. This meant that, before he died, Stannis had to do something that would make the audience unquestionably turn against him. Shireen’s murder did just that.

The second reason for Stannis’ quickly transforming from a bit of a scamp to Westeros’ most wanted man was to foreshadow the path Daenerys was already taking. One of the major themes of Game of Thrones (and Dany’s arc in particular) is how the lure of power and a fear of losing it can drive a well-intentioned ruler to increasingly extreme measures. Certainly, this is how Daenerys’ story plays out. The Mother of Dragons commits ever more violent acts before burning an entire city just for kicks, all while telling people how much better she was than Cersei. The tale of Stannis is a condensed version of this same story, with Shireen’s death being his version of roasting King’s Landing. It’s also no coincidence that both Stannis and Daenerys quickly die after making their respective unredeemable mistakes, proving the old saying about winning or dying in the Game of Thrones.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/game-thrones-stannis-baratheon-villain-heir-daenerys-why/

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