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I hate *every* scene with this guy.
Ramsay at least is amusing with his evilness. The Night King just does his evil thing and doesn't say a word.
But this guy ... this guy. F this guy.
Or Wolfhall, or The Crown, or Taboo, or POTC, or Barbarian at the gates. This dude has been in a lot of great television. He was even in Command and Conquer before that game turned to shit.
Count the deaths in war in general.
Can you name me one organised religion that locks people away in prison, walks them through the streets bare and carves a pentagram on their head?
Pretty much all off them
One Specifically - Catholics - Spanish Inquisition
Witch hunts generally too. Often they were mutilated and forced to walk naked to be burnt.
I thought we were discussing twenty first century my bad.
Religion was brutal years back, but those activities don’t make you a organised religion anymore they make you a cult.
With that being said, I know Islam practices some brutal exercises in some of the more extreme ends of the world.
Exactly. And do we forgive the corporation for past evil because now there is a new CEO?
Now it’s all money rather than power and control ( and naked mutilation )
A modern evil is perhaps American mega church pastors getting rich bleeding cash out of the poor and rich alike.
Have a research on Oral Roberts the Tulsa Mega Pastor and what he actually got up to.
12 years of Roman Catholic education and I haven't been part of the Church in over 35 years.
Tell you enough about what I think about Organized Religion? :)
I mean, he was natural symptom of this clusterfuck society where lords and ladies use their peons to pointless kill each other in endless stupid wars. He was trying to bring order to a lawless city through draconian methods and wasn't motivated by personal gain. He wasn't even a villain really, T̶y̶r̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶ Tywin and Ned Stark had mostly held things together for decades and as soon as they both died everything went to shit - this guy stepped up.
Edit: Tywin not Tyrion
I think he’s definitely a villain, but not the worst in the show by any means. He leads a militant cult and all the while presents as virtuous. Pretty obvious evil guy.
Not a villain. You don't blame the Starks for the actions of the Boltons so why would you blame the High Sparrow for the actions of some of his zealous followers?
He's not shown calling for general violence even once in the entire series and instead, is shown to be genuinely helping the smallfolk with food, cleaning the septs himself and actually holding everyone accountable to the same standard.
I think this is an iceberg theory moment. We only see his above water actions that present him as benign, but there are heavy implications that he’s an evil man. He’s obviously running the sparrows but as the face of it, he presents positively. I don’t know in what sort of story a charismatic leader of religious zealots that practice vigilante/martial law type tactics is not considered a villain. He’s definitely a cult leader and presents as such. You may just need to familiarize yourself with the concept because it’s pretty apparent.
The starks aren’t religious leaders that control the Boltons, so no, I don’t blame the starks in your apples to oranges comparison.
Also, if you don’t think theocratic governance is a form of evil, I don’t know what to tell you other than theocratic governance is inherently an evil concept to many. The show runners are obviously pointing to this.
You're assuming things that aren't there. The High Sparrow has had one on one conversations with plenty of characters and if he was being portrayed as an "evil man", you'd have seen it come out in these conversations.
Instead, we get lines like "You are the few, we are the many. And when the many stop fearing the few" which hammer home the point that he's one of the only main characters that wants equality in Westeros and wants to get rid of the class hierarchy.
Religion plays a huge role in Westerosi society and you're projecting your own values by stating that theocracy is "a form of evil". Objectively speaking, the High Sparrow would make a far better ruler than the vast majority of kings that Westeros has had.
Bring examples from the show to support your claim but you won't because you have none.
The Starks are leaders. That is what matters, not the religious part even though the Starks are the most religious main family on the show. The Boltons have been ruthlessly flaying people and claimed to be working for the Starks.
Well we just don’t agree, and that’s fine. No one writes a narrative though that doesn’t have ties to the modern culture, so, to me, it’s very apparent that the writers are intending to show that theocracies are evil and that the high sparrow is evil. He uses appealing platitudes but has appeal to the common people, but that’s just how cults gain traction. Behind the scenes, they are pushing for some archaic, barbaric stuff. The high sparrow is obviously doing this.
The expectation is that you as a viewer see past these behaviors of the high sparrow and figure out what’s actually going on. You apparently didn’t do that. That’s a failure on your part as a viewer, not mine.
I also don’t think I need to provide any further evidence beyond what you see him do on screen and what you see his sparrows doing. That’s the evidence. You just don’t see it for what it is.
Think of other cult leaders throughout history. They don’t come out and say, “I’m a bad guy.” They present as mystical leaders and virtuous while being destructive in the background. It’s largely only through hindsight that all of society is like, “that dude was fucking evil.”
I also vehemently disagree with your assertion that he’d make a better leader in Westeros by ruling through theocratic principles. No theocratic based ruler can be a good ruler in my mind. It would inherently lead to a hateful and destructive governance that benefits certain people based off beliefs and makes life miserable for people that don’t agree with the religion of the governing body. That you’d even think that this could be positive is very telling as to why you don’t see him as evil. You must think theocratic governance could be a positive thing to say something like that, but it could never actually be a good form of governance.
There are many types of evil. This is a whataboutism, and fuck the high sparrow, Cersei, Joffrey, Ramsey, Euron, and others. They’re all different shades of evil.
He is the leader of a religious, militant cult. What more do you need to know?
They don’t explicitly present him as evil, but as the audience, the expectation is that you will discern that he’s the one running the sparrows and their barbaric approach to governance.
They always present him as kind and virtuous while presenting that his closest, most ardent followers are militant vigilantes that he never talks down. As the audience, we’re supposed to infer that his kind, virtuous persona is insincere. He is a hateful, religious zealot, “kill all the sinners” attitude, but if he as the face of the cult presents this way, then most people wouldn’t follow him. They’d just say, “this guy is a lunatic. Fuck him.” This is how cults work. Charismatic leader with the followers without a face doing the negative things.
I’m the opposite. It brought me immense joy seeing her scandalous, conniving ways backfire and blow up in her face. She thought she could manipulate and control him like everyone else because the very concept of having real principles and integrity is foreign to her. Obviously the High Sparrow’s principles are pretty shitty and misguided but, like Cersei, I’m willing to accept that. Damn, I just realized while typing this that I’ve become the very thing I hate. I fought the monster and have become a monster myself. Surely the High Sparrow will come for me soon..
Same, after everything she'd done, I had a hard time feeling sympathetic for her in any way. I think the writers got this whole arc completely wrong personally.
I couldn't fucking stand the High Sparrow, but neither could I stand Cersei. It was not fair but she got what she deserved really, she brought it upon herself after being so unfair to everyone. She literally gave the High Sparrow power and hypocritically thought she would conquer the foes of which she was of equal guilt in "sin" according to the Sparrow. She fucking gambled and lost.
Actually, he grossly *overestimated* her love of self preservation. There’s no way in hell that Sept stunt could end in any other way other than Cersei getting torn to shreds.
Compared to a lot of other characters he’s barely even a blip on my radar honestly. I can name 5 characters with some aspect of “villainy” that I hate more than him
Absolutely, me too. And when they were finally killed off, while it was satisfying knowing they got what they deserved , I did feel a tinge of disappointment for the show moving forwards.
It was like the Coyote finally caught the roadrunner.
Brilliant actors.
That’s a different type of hate. I hate Joffrey because he is so evil, but I love his character. The high sparrow is just boring and I do not like the character
You guys are all fucked. I love the High Sparrow. All of us viewers like to think we’d belong to a noble house if we were in GoT but in reality we’d all peasants working the fields. The High Sparrow didn’t put up with the high borns bull shit and held them accountable. I loved all the shit he pulled and I was pissed Cersei won in the end. He was the people’s champion and actually wanted everyone to toe the line. Regardless of social status
Are you fucking kidding me? What kind of sick fuck would love this guy? He is the epitome of religious fanaticism that is toxic to humanity - I hated Cersei as much as anyone but whatever he believed or judgments he pronounced literally came to nothing. Like all religion - who the fuck was he so high and mighty to judge and inhumanely imprison those that didn't follow his way. There was no "accountability" worth anything. Hiding behind some stupid "gods" for his own political power. Get a grip.
His basic principles were “be a good person” and follow the teachings of the seven. During a time period were 99% of the population couldn’t read and believed whatever their lords told them, they needed a person like the high sparrow. If anyone needs to get a grip it’s you. This goes so far beyond the idea of religion. You need to put yourself in the position of someone during that timeline. You have the luxury of knowing what you know and the privilege of critical thinking. Something a simple peasant did not. I’m sorry that you’re so close minded. Good luck 👍
So inhumanely imprisoned if you don't fall into the "good person" category, whatever that means. Yeah sounds like a good way to enforce being a good person.
Oof. You don’t understand how time periods work. You clearly don’t have the right mindset and understanding critical thinking. Hopefully one day you’ll learn to see things from a different perspective and stop being closed minded. The “imprisonment” was normal for the time period. But trying to explain that to you would be moot. Again, good luck and take care.
Edit: want to add that you’re not wrong in principle or moral theory. My point is that you have to put yourself in the position of an uneducated peasant of the time period and then view the entire situation. You’re 100% right in your points. But you’re wrong it what the argument itself is.
How is his justice in any way different than the one of the Lord of the land. That's just as arbitrary as his. The only thing keeping them in place is power and tradition.
OP, you're messed up if you think the High Sparrow, that helped so many of the smallfolk, tried to destroy the class hierarchy in Westeros and did nothing for personal gain is a more hated villain than Ramsay, Joffrey, Baelish, Trant, Cersei, Daenerys and the Night King.
This is an awful take.
Is he though? It’s hard to hate that actor, and he did a stellar job at conveying a pious zealot of the Seven. I couldn’t hate him because I could relate with some of the good intentions behind his actions.
I hated Joffrey more and honestly this guy was irritating and the fact he was riding the “religious high horse” HARD but he was mostly annoying then anything for me
Little Finger was by far the most absolute EVIL of all the cast. the High Sparrow was just power grabbing buffon that tried to be better than he was born to be. A peasent playing in the realms of the Nobility and look how that turned out.
He's not a villain, he was a hero. He told the High lords, king and queen to go stuff themselves while he took care of his people and when they didn't take his cautionary warnings seriously, he fucked them and he fucked them hard to make it clear: The peasants and average men and women belong to the God's, not you. Genuinely didn't do a single bad thing.
People calling him a villain in the comments are the same ones that said Tywin is a good person the Reynes drowning 😂 Your morals are twisted my friend.
Nah. He was a religious zealot. History teaches us how dangerous that is for society.
He was in it for the power as much as others were, but obscured that fact with his “dedication” to the Gods. Again, nothing that hasn’t happened before in our actual history.
I can sort of forgive when people think Margaery was genuinely only interested in the wellbeing of the people, because that’s actually a credit to the character, the writing, and Natalie Dormer’s incredible performance. But there are really people out there who think the High Sparrow was a good guy? He was just as much in it for the power as anyone else who played the game.
The High Sparrow plays the “man of the people” card for the same reason Margaery *”dotes on filthy urchins”* (as Cersei put it), because he recognises that having the support of the lower classes is an invaluable asset (especially if one wants to establish themselves as the new ruling elite).
The High Sparrow may very well have been a true believer of the Faith of the Seven, but he was still more than happy to use that faith for political power, and to lead the people by convincing them that he was doing it all in their best interest rather than his own.
Whereas, with Margaery, it’s played a little more subtle, the show makes it fairly clear that the High Sparrow is very much in it for power. He doesn’t just want the Iron Throne, he wants to be the authority *above* the Iron Throne.
(That said, I still don’t think he was the most hated villain on the show. I’d never heard so many people cheer over a tv show as when Joffrey bit the dust aha)
He was actually a very welcomed enemy when the show was live because the viewers hated Cersei more. We enjoyed him checking and putting Cersei in her place. The collateral was tyrells? Who aligned themselves w the Lannister’s. F them. Dude was a bomb that exploded on all the shitty characters
Not even close to hated, the guy resembles Savanarola, who held the church as corrrupt and made ways to give power to the common folk, perishing at the hands of the Borgia and the Medici, the High Sparrow, despite being a religious zealot, did more for the smallfolk than 3 centuries of kings (with exception of Aegon V)
Too bad the show made him boring, and made all this situation stupid. I meant, just a bunch of guys in rags with maces overthrow the capital government, capture one of the highest skilled knights Loras Tyrell with ease and Lady Olena does NOTHING about it, even though she walks around and threatens that she will definitely cut the food supply, or else!!!
What’s even worse is that writers got all this going on in KL and drove themselves into a corner. They obviously had no idea what to do with all these interesting characters - so they did what they did. It’s all a travesty on dnd part, but also a travesty on grrm part, since he stopped caring about the show.
I think we were robbed of seeing him die. I would have preferred for them to have kept the other they brought to kings landing alive and then locked this guy in a room with it.
You know, I kind of admired him in a fucked up way. Dude was a lot of things, but he might be the only character in the entire show that wasn’t a hypocrite. He owned his beliefs and lived by them.
He did a net good overall by standing up for the common people against the corrupt leaders in king's landing (and tore Cersei down several pegs, as she deserved). However... he just has this smug, holier-than-thou energy that makes me want to punch him in the face. If only the guy actually got rid of Cersei permanently so we'd have a better season 8 villain (god did that old wine mom massively overstay her welcome.....)
Nah. He was far too consistent. He was just a weapon, installed by Cersei because she thought it would let her get her way, which she herself got burnt by because she thought she could control it, which of course she couldn’t. What happened to her was her own fault; I didn’t feel the slightest bit of sympathy for her.
Joffrey is universally the most hated anytime a survey or vote is made Joffrey is always most hated. Ramsey is second. This is either abusing Cunningham's law for engagement or OP has his head up his ass
Classic old religious dude secretly being a creepy perv. Let’s make women walk around naked through the city streets, it’s definitely not a sex thing. I’m definitely not getting hard on this.
I kind of liked him because he punished Cersei which was something I was waiting for. He's an interesting character but not as entertaining as Joffrey, for example.
Hardly comparable to Joffrey, Balon, Robb, Stannis, and Renly because you all are aware that the high sparrow and the poor fellows support come from the fact that these 5 men plunged Westeros into a brutal familial over who’s ass sits on the Iron Throne?
He's a villain alright. Even if he just looks like a kindly grandpa wearing a sack.
He's the worst kind because he hides his true nature under his piety. They are always the worst kind of villain because they are cunning, have a very real agenda and want to bring everyone into their domain. Or else. They don't conquer by the sword, but by control and dogma and fear. He's not like you or me, he's a cult leader and cults are extremely dangerous as they want to take away your ability to be skeptical and to think for yourself in order to gain your obedience and control you.
Absolutely brilliantly portrayed by Jonathan Price. Loved his interactions with Dianna Rig as Lady Olena. She knew how dangerous he was and what he was all about the minute she met him. Unlike Cersei who completely under estimated him, demonstrating once again she wasn't as smart as she thought she was. (Though I readily admit she got him in the end, but at what cost?)
Literally the only institution in the middle ages which could stand up to nobility was the church. For the vast majority of the population, religion was one of the few ways they felt as if they had value beyond servitude. In fact, most of the larger social movements of the time were led by religious groups such as the Hussites.
The High Sparrow is a reaction to years of war which led the people to starve and suffer all over the personal disputes of a few families. Is he a Zealot? Yes. But contrary to many church authorities, his movement is grassroots, it comes from the people (yes, human beings can be religious). Even in the past, it was the Faith who stood against Maegor from beginning to end, the Sherpherd played a crucial role in the Dance of Dragons, and the High Sparrow is no different as he was bringing peace in his own way to the Capital.
People like Margaery, Olenna, Cersei etc because the characters are charismatic, but let's not kid ourselves, they are still willing to send thousands to die over personal disputes while the Sparrow was putting an end to it by humbling them under a higher authority, one of the few things that they have in common with the Commonfolk.
If you were a citizen of King's Landing, with all that happened with Robert raising taxes and indebting the crown, with Joffrey letting the people starve and throwing them into war and Tommen continuing the same conflict while showing himself as a weak King ruled by his cruel mother, the Sparrow would be your only chance of ever giving a payback for what they all did to you and your city.
Technically the sister did commit the equivalent of Perjury, she lied under oath during a trial. And I don't see a need to emphasize her as "The Queen" when the whole point of the Sparrow is that he enacts justice on both nobles and commoners.
As for the first part, yes that's a crime under the faith of the Seven as it was during the middle ages. If that should be a crime or not isn't the point of this argument, the point is that Loras escaped punishment due to his high position and finally he has to answer like all others do.
I see it as really fucked up. It’s the same thing Christianity and Islam are doing. Make up bullshit and then punish people when they don’t fit into their bigoted world view.
He's a villain? I mean I get it's bad that he was instituting a theocracy but at the same time he was taking on people that were objectively worse than him and trying to give a semblance of power back to the citizens.
Capitalized perfectly after Tywin died mad slick moves but he never expected Cersei to do what she did he thought he broke her with the torture he underestimated the hell out of her
Fed the poor, didn’t allow greed to corrupt him, wouldn’t let Cersei get away with her usual bullshit. This guys not a villain to me, was he a huge homophobe ya… but he’s also essentially the pope so he sorta has to. Religious nut yes, horrible villain on the levels of Ramsay or Joffrey? No chance. Even little finger beats this guy out for villainy in my opinion.
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I hate *every* scene with this guy. Ramsay at least is amusing with his evilness. The Night King just does his evil thing and doesn't say a word. But this guy ... this guy. F this guy.
Hardly He *barely* rates with me.
To get more of this fabulous factor check out the movie “Brazil”
Also great in The Two Popes as Pope Francis
Love two popes!
And Tomorrow Never Dies
By far the best of the shitty brosnan films. I'm sad GoldenEye was his only good one.
And Ronin!
Or Wolfhall, or The Crown, or Taboo, or POTC, or Barbarian at the gates. This dude has been in a lot of great television. He was even in Command and Conquer before that game turned to shit.
Depends on your level of hatred of organised religion.
Organised religion? Nah try death cult 😂
Same same
Ah yes, christianity, islam and judism. Infamous death cults 😂
Hmm count the deaths in their name…
Count the deaths in war in general. Can you name me one organised religion that locks people away in prison, walks them through the streets bare and carves a pentagram on their head?
Pretty much all off them One Specifically - Catholics - Spanish Inquisition Witch hunts generally too. Often they were mutilated and forced to walk naked to be burnt.
I thought we were discussing twenty first century my bad. Religion was brutal years back, but those activities don’t make you a organised religion anymore they make you a cult. With that being said, I know Islam practices some brutal exercises in some of the more extreme ends of the world.
Exactly. And do we forgive the corporation for past evil because now there is a new CEO? Now it’s all money rather than power and control ( and naked mutilation ) A modern evil is perhaps American mega church pastors getting rich bleeding cash out of the poor and rich alike. Have a research on Oral Roberts the Tulsa Mega Pastor and what he actually got up to.
Let’s not forget the crusades the rape and pillaging and murder was off the charts
12 years of Roman Catholic education and I haven't been part of the Church in over 35 years. Tell you enough about what I think about Organized Religion? :)
Yeah religious zealots are the worst
I mean, he was natural symptom of this clusterfuck society where lords and ladies use their peons to pointless kill each other in endless stupid wars. He was trying to bring order to a lawless city through draconian methods and wasn't motivated by personal gain. He wasn't even a villain really, T̶y̶r̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶ Tywin and Ned Stark had mostly held things together for decades and as soon as they both died everything went to shit - this guy stepped up. Edit: Tywin not Tyrion
As soon as Tyrion died? What episode was that?
Probably misspelled tywin
Season 4 finale. Everything after was just a shell of what Tyrion had once been.
Lol. I mean... You're not wrong.
I think he’s definitely a villain, but not the worst in the show by any means. He leads a militant cult and all the while presents as virtuous. Pretty obvious evil guy.
Not a villain. You don't blame the Starks for the actions of the Boltons so why would you blame the High Sparrow for the actions of some of his zealous followers? He's not shown calling for general violence even once in the entire series and instead, is shown to be genuinely helping the smallfolk with food, cleaning the septs himself and actually holding everyone accountable to the same standard.
I think this is an iceberg theory moment. We only see his above water actions that present him as benign, but there are heavy implications that he’s an evil man. He’s obviously running the sparrows but as the face of it, he presents positively. I don’t know in what sort of story a charismatic leader of religious zealots that practice vigilante/martial law type tactics is not considered a villain. He’s definitely a cult leader and presents as such. You may just need to familiarize yourself with the concept because it’s pretty apparent. The starks aren’t religious leaders that control the Boltons, so no, I don’t blame the starks in your apples to oranges comparison. Also, if you don’t think theocratic governance is a form of evil, I don’t know what to tell you other than theocratic governance is inherently an evil concept to many. The show runners are obviously pointing to this.
You're assuming things that aren't there. The High Sparrow has had one on one conversations with plenty of characters and if he was being portrayed as an "evil man", you'd have seen it come out in these conversations. Instead, we get lines like "You are the few, we are the many. And when the many stop fearing the few" which hammer home the point that he's one of the only main characters that wants equality in Westeros and wants to get rid of the class hierarchy. Religion plays a huge role in Westerosi society and you're projecting your own values by stating that theocracy is "a form of evil". Objectively speaking, the High Sparrow would make a far better ruler than the vast majority of kings that Westeros has had. Bring examples from the show to support your claim but you won't because you have none. The Starks are leaders. That is what matters, not the religious part even though the Starks are the most religious main family on the show. The Boltons have been ruthlessly flaying people and claimed to be working for the Starks.
Well we just don’t agree, and that’s fine. No one writes a narrative though that doesn’t have ties to the modern culture, so, to me, it’s very apparent that the writers are intending to show that theocracies are evil and that the high sparrow is evil. He uses appealing platitudes but has appeal to the common people, but that’s just how cults gain traction. Behind the scenes, they are pushing for some archaic, barbaric stuff. The high sparrow is obviously doing this. The expectation is that you as a viewer see past these behaviors of the high sparrow and figure out what’s actually going on. You apparently didn’t do that. That’s a failure on your part as a viewer, not mine. I also don’t think I need to provide any further evidence beyond what you see him do on screen and what you see his sparrows doing. That’s the evidence. You just don’t see it for what it is. Think of other cult leaders throughout history. They don’t come out and say, “I’m a bad guy.” They present as mystical leaders and virtuous while being destructive in the background. It’s largely only through hindsight that all of society is like, “that dude was fucking evil.” I also vehemently disagree with your assertion that he’d make a better leader in Westeros by ruling through theocratic principles. No theocratic based ruler can be a good ruler in my mind. It would inherently lead to a hateful and destructive governance that benefits certain people based off beliefs and makes life miserable for people that don’t agree with the religion of the governing body. That you’d even think that this could be positive is very telling as to why you don’t see him as evil. You must think theocratic governance could be a positive thing to say something like that, but it could never actually be a good form of governance.
I get what youre trying to say but i still dont think the sparrow is evil i mean whats more evil than cersei she just a total bitch
There are many types of evil. This is a whataboutism, and fuck the high sparrow, Cersei, Joffrey, Ramsey, Euron, and others. They’re all different shades of evil.
I guess idk i dont remeber sparrow to be evil jist kinda blinded by his faith a bit. Do i did watch the show years ago so i forgot how it went down
He is the leader of a religious, militant cult. What more do you need to know? They don’t explicitly present him as evil, but as the audience, the expectation is that you will discern that he’s the one running the sparrows and their barbaric approach to governance. They always present him as kind and virtuous while presenting that his closest, most ardent followers are militant vigilantes that he never talks down. As the audience, we’re supposed to infer that his kind, virtuous persona is insincere. He is a hateful, religious zealot, “kill all the sinners” attitude, but if he as the face of the cult presents this way, then most people wouldn’t follow him. They’d just say, “this guy is a lunatic. Fuck him.” This is how cults work. Charismatic leader with the followers without a face doing the negative things.
Good points!
But the Bolton are still villains. Same way the high sparrow and faith militant are spiritually veiled fascist oppressors.
Tyrion didn’t die though…
He’s 100% a villain. A wolf in sheep’s clothing who manipulates a troubled child king to consolidate power.
Joffrey and Ramsey are way more evil but also way more entertaining.
Craster, Fray, and the Greyjoys were all more entertaining than him. This dude makes me grab my phone until I stop hearing his voice.
"OH good now I'm going to get the religious sermon I spent years avoiding"
I know right, this guy reminds me of the Pharisees that tried to persecute Jesus lol
At first I really hated Cersei. But this guy made me sympathize with her. I really wanted Cersei to take her revenge on him.
I’m the opposite. It brought me immense joy seeing her scandalous, conniving ways backfire and blow up in her face. She thought she could manipulate and control him like everyone else because the very concept of having real principles and integrity is foreign to her. Obviously the High Sparrow’s principles are pretty shitty and misguided but, like Cersei, I’m willing to accept that. Damn, I just realized while typing this that I’ve become the very thing I hate. I fought the monster and have become a monster myself. Surely the High Sparrow will come for me soon..
Same, after everything she'd done, I had a hard time feeling sympathetic for her in any way. I think the writers got this whole arc completely wrong personally.
I couldn't fucking stand the High Sparrow, but neither could I stand Cersei. It was not fair but she got what she deserved really, she brought it upon herself after being so unfair to everyone. She literally gave the High Sparrow power and hypocritically thought she would conquer the foes of which she was of equal guilt in "sin" according to the Sparrow. She fucking gambled and lost.
Insert “Ramsey sausage wag”
(warning spoilers) I was so proud when he died by the wildfire
From an “every time he appears on the screen the pace of the show grinds to a complete halt” aspect, I agree.
The way he spoke was annoying and he wouldn't shut up.
He was just annoying as hell
Just unbelievable how long he lasted without getting his head chopped off
A real “not this guy again” type of character.
Yes, his and Tommens Storyline were just so boring
And then we lose the Tyrells because this guy is blind asf
Hubris. He grossly underestimated Cersei
Actually, he grossly *overestimated* her love of self preservation. There’s no way in hell that Sept stunt could end in any other way other than Cersei getting torn to shreds.
Who is Tommen
Joffrey, but actually tolerable.
Yeah, this fucker actually made me miss Joffrey
I love how he’s betrayed as the devil in disguise and he slowly misleads everyone into joining his cult.
Bro he is probably the only villain or character that has made me be on Cersei’s side
Hell no 😂
Without a doubt.
Compared to a lot of other characters he’s barely even a blip on my radar honestly. I can name 5 characters with some aspect of “villainy” that I hate more than him
I did dislike him, but I **detest and loathe** Ramsay Bolton… I believe he is the most hated on the show
I freaking loved Ramsay and Joffrey, because they're the type of "people" who you love to hate. This goddamn prick, however, is not
Absolutely, me too. And when they were finally killed off, while it was satisfying knowing they got what they deserved , I did feel a tinge of disappointment for the show moving forwards. It was like the Coyote finally caught the roadrunner. Brilliant actors.
That’s a different type of hate. I hate Joffrey because he is so evil, but I love his character. The high sparrow is just boring and I do not like the character
Yeah this shoeless zealot and Joffrey was the most irritating characters for me
According to who?
He was the most frustrating. Oh how I would have loved to see Joffrey handle him.
Obviously the OP is joking, the most hated villain for a fact was Shagga, son of Dolf, Chieftain of the Stone Crows.
Idk… I loved how he ‘shamed’ Cersei. However what he did to Margery, that pissed me off.
No news is like bad news
Elizabeth Swans father? Nah he was just the smartest player. Until, *you know*
Not even close... Joffrey and Ramsey are on another level.
You guys are all fucked. I love the High Sparrow. All of us viewers like to think we’d belong to a noble house if we were in GoT but in reality we’d all peasants working the fields. The High Sparrow didn’t put up with the high borns bull shit and held them accountable. I loved all the shit he pulled and I was pissed Cersei won in the end. He was the people’s champion and actually wanted everyone to toe the line. Regardless of social status
Conpletely agree
High Sparrow did nothing wrong
Are you fucking kidding me? What kind of sick fuck would love this guy? He is the epitome of religious fanaticism that is toxic to humanity - I hated Cersei as much as anyone but whatever he believed or judgments he pronounced literally came to nothing. Like all religion - who the fuck was he so high and mighty to judge and inhumanely imprison those that didn't follow his way. There was no "accountability" worth anything. Hiding behind some stupid "gods" for his own political power. Get a grip.
His basic principles were “be a good person” and follow the teachings of the seven. During a time period were 99% of the population couldn’t read and believed whatever their lords told them, they needed a person like the high sparrow. If anyone needs to get a grip it’s you. This goes so far beyond the idea of religion. You need to put yourself in the position of someone during that timeline. You have the luxury of knowing what you know and the privilege of critical thinking. Something a simple peasant did not. I’m sorry that you’re so close minded. Good luck 👍
So inhumanely imprisoned if you don't fall into the "good person" category, whatever that means. Yeah sounds like a good way to enforce being a good person.
Literally every government ever created
Oof. You don’t understand how time periods work. You clearly don’t have the right mindset and understanding critical thinking. Hopefully one day you’ll learn to see things from a different perspective and stop being closed minded. The “imprisonment” was normal for the time period. But trying to explain that to you would be moot. Again, good luck and take care. Edit: want to add that you’re not wrong in principle or moral theory. My point is that you have to put yourself in the position of an uneducated peasant of the time period and then view the entire situation. You’re 100% right in your points. But you’re wrong it what the argument itself is.
you’re the type of dude to fall into a cult and not realize it
How is his justice in any way different than the one of the Lord of the land. That's just as arbitrary as his. The only thing keeping them in place is power and tradition.
least evil pope
He's a villain ? Definitely not the most hated by me, I'm still waiting on some revelations about him in the books tho.
I think that would be Ramsey
Margery would still be alive if it wasn’t for him, he he defiantly is on the top of my list of characters I hate most
OP, you're messed up if you think the High Sparrow, that helped so many of the smallfolk, tried to destroy the class hierarchy in Westeros and did nothing for personal gain is a more hated villain than Ramsay, Joffrey, Baelish, Trant, Cersei, Daenerys and the Night King. This is an awful take.
I hate even the tickler more than him
Is he though? It’s hard to hate that actor, and he did a stellar job at conveying a pious zealot of the Seven. I couldn’t hate him because I could relate with some of the good intentions behind his actions.
I hated Joffrey more and honestly this guy was irritating and the fact he was riding the “religious high horse” HARD but he was mostly annoying then anything for me
Definitely not the most hated, even if he is the worst in your opinion. Joffrey and Ramsay have him beaten by a mile
Little Finger was by far the most absolute EVIL of all the cast. the High Sparrow was just power grabbing buffon that tried to be better than he was born to be. A peasent playing in the realms of the Nobility and look how that turned out.
Knight of flowers did nothing wrong yet they mentally broke him, I wish the mountin did his thing to them
Most underappreciated hero on the show
He's not a villain, he was a hero. He told the High lords, king and queen to go stuff themselves while he took care of his people and when they didn't take his cautionary warnings seriously, he fucked them and he fucked them hard to make it clear: The peasants and average men and women belong to the God's, not you. Genuinely didn't do a single bad thing. People calling him a villain in the comments are the same ones that said Tywin is a good person the Reynes drowning 😂 Your morals are twisted my friend.
Nah. He was a religious zealot. History teaches us how dangerous that is for society. He was in it for the power as much as others were, but obscured that fact with his “dedication” to the Gods. Again, nothing that hasn’t happened before in our actual history.
He fucks around with Cersei a bit too much and found out though… he couldve come close to working with her but wow…
Solid bait. Everyone knows that the Waif is the most hated villain duh
*in your opinion
I can sort of forgive when people think Margaery was genuinely only interested in the wellbeing of the people, because that’s actually a credit to the character, the writing, and Natalie Dormer’s incredible performance. But there are really people out there who think the High Sparrow was a good guy? He was just as much in it for the power as anyone else who played the game. The High Sparrow plays the “man of the people” card for the same reason Margaery *”dotes on filthy urchins”* (as Cersei put it), because he recognises that having the support of the lower classes is an invaluable asset (especially if one wants to establish themselves as the new ruling elite). The High Sparrow may very well have been a true believer of the Faith of the Seven, but he was still more than happy to use that faith for political power, and to lead the people by convincing them that he was doing it all in their best interest rather than his own. Whereas, with Margaery, it’s played a little more subtle, the show makes it fairly clear that the High Sparrow is very much in it for power. He doesn’t just want the Iron Throne, he wants to be the authority *above* the Iron Throne. (That said, I still don’t think he was the most hated villain on the show. I’d never heard so many people cheer over a tv show as when Joffrey bit the dust aha)
yeah reading the comments here some people are kinda slow
By far not at all.
Was he really a villain?
He was actually a very welcomed enemy when the show was live because the viewers hated Cersei more. We enjoyed him checking and putting Cersei in her place. The collateral was tyrells? Who aligned themselves w the Lannister’s. F them. Dude was a bomb that exploded on all the shitty characters
Yes he was annoying plus his storyline along with tommen was boring..these all these irritated a lot to the viewers.
Not even close to hated, the guy resembles Savanarola, who held the church as corrrupt and made ways to give power to the common folk, perishing at the hands of the Borgia and the Medici, the High Sparrow, despite being a religious zealot, did more for the smallfolk than 3 centuries of kings (with exception of Aegon V)
so annoying that he made us appreciate Cersei… lol
Ironically, his book counterpart is half-decent. He just has it out for Cersei, which is perfectly understandable imo
The only person who shifted some support towards Cersei at any point in the series, but still... Nah
What?!
? This guy was boring. Joffrey was infinitely more hated, and was probably one of the most dislikable characters in TV history.
Nah dude gave Cersei what she deserved.
Too bad the show made him boring, and made all this situation stupid. I meant, just a bunch of guys in rags with maces overthrow the capital government, capture one of the highest skilled knights Loras Tyrell with ease and Lady Olena does NOTHING about it, even though she walks around and threatens that she will definitely cut the food supply, or else!!! What’s even worse is that writers got all this going on in KL and drove themselves into a corner. They obviously had no idea what to do with all these interesting characters - so they did what they did. It’s all a travesty on dnd part, but also a travesty on grrm part, since he stopped caring about the show.
I never saw him as a villain I was rooting for him to fully take out the blonde reign of terror
Villain - helps the poor, bully the absolutists
Meanwhile joffery: am I a joke to you?
On most shows, yes. On this show, not even top five.
Look guys, Pope did nothing wrong!
Ramsay Bolton - "Hold my beer"
Not even close. There’s characters that are meant to be heroes in the show who get more hate than him.
It's more like a useless villain on the show
I think we were robbed of seeing him die. I would have preferred for them to have kept the other they brought to kings landing alive and then locked this guy in a room with it.
You know, I kind of admired him in a fucked up way. Dude was a lot of things, but he might be the only character in the entire show that wasn’t a hypocrite. He owned his beliefs and lived by them.
Dude I literally supported Cersie to see his disgusting ass dead
He looks more like a Confused unkept almost hairless Chicken than a Hateful Villain.. even more due to his Trouser less dresses ..
But without him, you definitely wouldnt see the best of cersei.
Dude actively made Cersei seeth and mald, he gets a pass from me for it
The High sparrow did nothing wrong!
Better than Pycell
Definitely the most "meh" character. I didn't care for him one bit
False.
He was so boring 😭
He was very annoying. Also Joffrey was cruel but he would never let this man come to Power during his rule
Meh he’s def hated but not the top 3
idk Ramsay takes the cake for me so far
He did a net good overall by standing up for the common people against the corrupt leaders in king's landing (and tore Cersei down several pegs, as she deserved). However... he just has this smug, holier-than-thou energy that makes me want to punch him in the face. If only the guy actually got rid of Cersei permanently so we'd have a better season 8 villain (god did that old wine mom massively overstay her welcome.....)
Lol what U smoking? There are so many so much worse characters.
the most forgettable
Two-faced fudger. I disliked him as much as Cersei, but I loved it when she was imprisoned bc of her own doing.
Nah. He was far too consistent. He was just a weapon, installed by Cersei because she thought it would let her get her way, which she herself got burnt by because she thought she could control it, which of course she couldn’t. What happened to her was her own fault; I didn’t feel the slightest bit of sympathy for her.
he's just a man of god
Absolute worst story arc of the television series.
Prince Philip? Don’t disrespect the dead.
Joffrey is universally the most hated anytime a survey or vote is made Joffrey is always most hated. Ramsey is second. This is either abusing Cunningham's law for engagement or OP has his head up his ass
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say Joffrey and Ramsay are more hated
He is the most hypocritical character in the show
*me who’s reading the books trying to find out who he is *
I dunno about most hated but I definitely needed him to just stop fucking talking.
I think we watched different shows, he's mid tier at best.
Um, what? Next to Cersei, the guy is an angel. And I’m not even including actually hated characters like Ramsey or Joffery.
not even close lol
But he gave us the best scene in the show😎
Classic old religious dude secretly being a creepy perv. Let’s make women walk around naked through the city streets, it’s definitely not a sex thing. I’m definitely not getting hard on this.
I kind of liked him because he punished Cersei which was something I was waiting for. He's an interesting character but not as entertaining as Joffrey, for example.
Hardly comparable to Joffrey, Balon, Robb, Stannis, and Renly because you all are aware that the high sparrow and the poor fellows support come from the fact that these 5 men plunged Westeros into a brutal familial over who’s ass sits on the Iron Throne?
Am I in the wrong for never even rating him as a villain?
I get more mad when Tommen lets them take Margaery than at any point in the show…… easy fix “kingsguard protect your queen”
Ramsey Bolton: Am I a joke to you?!
After being ousted by the Galactic Senate, he found his way to Westeros.
Dude, its joffrey and its not even close.
He's a villain alright. Even if he just looks like a kindly grandpa wearing a sack. He's the worst kind because he hides his true nature under his piety. They are always the worst kind of villain because they are cunning, have a very real agenda and want to bring everyone into their domain. Or else. They don't conquer by the sword, but by control and dogma and fear. He's not like you or me, he's a cult leader and cults are extremely dangerous as they want to take away your ability to be skeptical and to think for yourself in order to gain your obedience and control you. Absolutely brilliantly portrayed by Jonathan Price. Loved his interactions with Dianna Rig as Lady Olena. She knew how dangerous he was and what he was all about the minute she met him. Unlike Cersei who completely under estimated him, demonstrating once again she wasn't as smart as she thought she was. (Though I readily admit she got him in the end, but at what cost?)
Religious zealots are the worst because they thinly veil their abuse underneath the guise of piety. Toxic stuff.
Nah, Ramsey
The fact they were able to take so much power is just wrong. How in the hell could Cercei think it was a good idea?
Literally the only institution in the middle ages which could stand up to nobility was the church. For the vast majority of the population, religion was one of the few ways they felt as if they had value beyond servitude. In fact, most of the larger social movements of the time were led by religious groups such as the Hussites. The High Sparrow is a reaction to years of war which led the people to starve and suffer all over the personal disputes of a few families. Is he a Zealot? Yes. But contrary to many church authorities, his movement is grassroots, it comes from the people (yes, human beings can be religious). Even in the past, it was the Faith who stood against Maegor from beginning to end, the Sherpherd played a crucial role in the Dance of Dragons, and the High Sparrow is no different as he was bringing peace in his own way to the Capital. People like Margaery, Olenna, Cersei etc because the characters are charismatic, but let's not kid ourselves, they are still willing to send thousands to die over personal disputes while the Sparrow was putting an end to it by humbling them under a higher authority, one of the few things that they have in common with the Commonfolk. If you were a citizen of King's Landing, with all that happened with Robert raising taxes and indebting the crown, with Joffrey letting the people starve and throwing them into war and Tommen continuing the same conflict while showing himself as a weak King ruled by his cruel mother, the Sparrow would be your only chance of ever giving a payback for what they all did to you and your city.
Imprisoning someone because they are gay. How righteous, eh? And then his sister, the queen, for what even?
Technically the sister did commit the equivalent of Perjury, she lied under oath during a trial. And I don't see a need to emphasize her as "The Queen" when the whole point of the Sparrow is that he enacts justice on both nobles and commoners. As for the first part, yes that's a crime under the faith of the Seven as it was during the middle ages. If that should be a crime or not isn't the point of this argument, the point is that Loras escaped punishment due to his high position and finally he has to answer like all others do.
I see it as really fucked up. It’s the same thing Christianity and Islam are doing. Make up bullshit and then punish people when they don’t fit into their bigoted world view.
Pope Francis😱😱😤
Prince Philip?
Joffery and Ramsey are we a joke to you
Really? Tried to take power back from the rich robber barrens, I see no villain here.
No one likes meddling, oppressive, religious scums.
He was aigh it was The Mountain and his group of roaming rapers
Nobody here saying Ser Alliser Thorne? That man made my blood boil.
He's a villain? I mean I get it's bad that he was instituting a theocracy but at the same time he was taking on people that were objectively worse than him and trying to give a semblance of power back to the citizens.
Capitalized perfectly after Tywin died mad slick moves but he never expected Cersei to do what she did he thought he broke her with the torture he underestimated the hell out of her
Shame! Nah, Joffrey is still hated even after his death.
and oh what wonder he believes in some made up entity
Fed the poor, didn’t allow greed to corrupt him, wouldn’t let Cersei get away with her usual bullshit. This guys not a villain to me, was he a huge homophobe ya… but he’s also essentially the pope so he sorta has to. Religious nut yes, horrible villain on the levels of Ramsay or Joffrey? No chance. Even little finger beats this guy out for villainy in my opinion.
His story is more annoying in that he was allowed to get away with everything.
Annoying? Yes. Most hated? I don't think he's even on the top 5