OT: Dumbest Characters - MAY INCLUDE SPOILERS

[Dizoakius Maximus]

I'm in the middle of a re-read at the moment, trying to get done it before March or April when the series will start. What I'm marveling over, is how much I must've forgotten (or missed outright) the first time I read through. How certain characters whom I loved the first time through are now annoying to me, and how certain characters I hated are becoming more and more appreciated. Chief amongst the characters who I used to like, and now detest, is Catelyn Stark. I realize this is like shooting fish in a barrel, but I've got her number. She screws up so damn much, and causes so many bad things to happen (directly, or indirectly) that it's absurd.

Who are your least liked characters? Who are the characters who cause you to <facepalm> every time you read their POV chapters?

For me:
1. Catelyn Stark. (I'll defend this choice to my dying day. She's the worst. I'll give reasons if you need/want them, but seriously, she sucks.)
2. Ned Stark. (Putz. I admire his honor, but really...he took it way too far and for no good reason. Much to the detriment of others in fact.)
3. Lysa Arryn. (Thank you, Petyr Baelish. Thank you so very, very much.)
4. Cersei. (I'm surprised she's THIS far down on my top 5.)
5. Theon Greyjoy. (I really, really liked Theon the first time through (even with the whole Winterfell episode having happened); but really, dude? Who cares what your Dad thinks of you? If you'd have stayed loyal to Robb, you could have totally owned the Iron Islands and Gods knows what else)

[Soviet]

I think you'll find that maybe the general consensus will be Sansa being the stupidest, except until after her "adoption". Good point about Theon, too. He didn't even need his father all this time, and when he goes to him, look what happens.

[Murfmurf]

I don't think Sansa is the most stupid per se, or Catelyn for that matter. Sansa is naive, and that naivity is persistent and transcends other decision making factors, but if you look at her chapters in aFfC, I think you'll agree she is learning, albeit belatedly, a degree of cunning. This mainly stems from Littlefinger, as I think the idea is that he is grooming her to become another player in the game of thrones, but one he controls.

I've also reread the series lately, and I have to agree that Catelyn is annoying as hell, but decisions she makes are always spurred by an outside, usually tragic, impetus. Although I can't really relate, I think it is beneficial to the reader to remember that they have an overarching omniscience that characters lack. So when thinking "Why the arse did she do that!?", use a degree of empathy, and she becomes less annoying, if ever so slightly.

Sorry if I appear a bit mad. Years of close textual analysis at university has done this to me.

Oh, and if I had to pick a most annoying character, it would be Lysa, because Lysa is a dick.

[WinsingtonIII]

Is this just characters you dislike the most, or characters that are the least intelligent? I can understand this list for characters that you dislike the most (I dislike all of them except Ned; for some reason I still like his sense of justice, and mostly I just feel bad for him) but it doesn't make much sense as a list of unintelligent characters. Other than Lysa Arryn, who is definitely an idiot.

[Gurkhal]

5. Theon Greyjoy. (I really, really liked Theon the first time through (even with the whole Winterfell episode having happened); but really, dude? Who cares what your Dad thinks of you? If you'd have stayed loyal to Robb, you could have totally owned the Iron Islands and Gods knows what else)

If he stayed loyal to Robb he would either have been hanged by Robb, or at best been one sworn sword among hundreds of others.

My list for the dumbest characters:

1. Eddard Stark - top notch idiot straight to the bone
2. Lysa Arryn - clearly hysterical and losing the grip
3. Every single enemy that has opposed Daenerys so far
4. Robb Stark - great warrior and commander but really clueless in most other things
5. Cersei - I felt that she wasn't really a top player but ok in the head untill Tywin died, and then she started to spiral down into the abyss

The characters I dislike are more or less the following:

Gregor Clegane - evil for three
Ramsay Bolton - evil for four
Euron Greyjoy - evil enough to fill two shiploads with s
Vargo Hoat - evil for three
Balon Greyjoy - selfish, bitter and lost in the past, what's to like?
Joffrey Baratheon - evil for three
Alister Thorne - kind of a to take out his anger on his lessers if you ask me
Samwell Tarly - he just complains and complains and never seem to be able to shut up about it
Rattlebone (or whatever the name was) - oppertunistic and annoying little
Lysa Arryn - madder than a Targaryen

Robert Arryn - is hopelessly dependent on others without a smack of humility

The Red Viper - i just thought he was a flashy bravo who got himself killed, good thing he took Gregor with him

Ryman Frey - just a despecible character and I'm pretty happy Stoneheart got him

Bran Stark - his chapter bores me to tears but I hope that I will be able to change my views

Rickon Stark - see Bran

Eddard Stark - one annoying air-head, i'm glad he's gone so we don't have to drag his sorry ass with us

[Sanguinary Guardian]

Hondor...plain and simple...

[Gurkhal]

Yeah you're right about Hodor.

[Uriyaca]

Hondor...plain and simple...

Hahahahahahahaha I absolutely agree. Who's dumber then him?

[Ori]

Hahahahahahahaha I absolutely agree. Who's dumber then him?

Dumber than someone with a mental disability so bad they can only say their name?
Catelyn.

[Gallus]

Dumber than someone with a mental disability so bad they can only say their name?

His name is Walder.

[TheDude117]

1. Daenerys Targaryen- definitely my number one for a multitude of reasons, first of all her naive as heck decisions getting tons of people killed, next she has had a dozen good opportunities to go to Westeros and take back her throne, and last of all she is stubborn to the point of stupidity about her believes, such as the fact that until recently she refused to believe her father was raving mad.
2. Jon Snow- He has the same problem as his dad, he is to honorable. I mean instead of helping Stannis get revenge on the people who killed his family he stays on the wall. I mean if we are being practical he could have lived like a king among the Free Folk, but instead decided to go back to the Nights Watch, and get the woman he loved killed.
3. Brienne of Tarth- she is just so stubborn that all of her decisions seem to get people killed.
4. Ned Stark- this man basically puts his whole family in danger for honor, just makes me angry every time I read one of his chapters. Plus he is naive enough to trust Littlefinger.
5. Catelyn Tully- same as her crazy husband. Starts a war because she believes Littlefinger
6. Lysa Tully- nuff said
7. Robert Arryn- still enough said
Honorable mention:
Cersei Lannister
Brandon Stark
Rhaegar Targaryen
Ygritte
Viserys Targaryen
Oberyn Martell
Balon Greyjoy
Theon Greyjoy
Euron Greyjoy
and
The Sand Snakes
wow that was a long list

[Brain_in_a_vat]

There are many, many idiotic minor characters, Hodor obviously comes to mind.

If you're going to call Sansa stupid then Daenerys is just as dumb, although as somebody mentioned earlier she's just naive. In my opinion none of the POVs are dumb, otherwise they wouldn't be POVs.

[Yeepeep]

Need to read them again, but the first thing that comes to mind right away as the most disliked character is definitely Daenerys.

So she's this omnipotent semi-goddess that can do w/e she wants with her dragons. So what. The real men that she sooo much wants to see dead have to struggle to achieve anything, no dragons or a dedicated army of maniac brutes at their command.

Also, the man-woman, what was her name

[Sanguinary Guardian]

Need to read them again, but the first thing that comes to mind right away as the most disliked character is definitely Daenerys.

So she's this omnipotent semi-goddess that can do w/e she wants with her dragons. So what. The real men that she sooo much wants to see dead have to struggle to achieve anything, no dragons or a dedicated army of maniac brutes at their command.

Also, the man-woman, what was her name

At least, I am not alone in my hatred for Daenerys...she is by far the most unrealistic character in the books...

[Dizoakius Maximus]

At least, I am not alone in my hatred for Daenerys...she is by far the most unrealistic character in the books...

There's some speculation that Dany's storyline is...tacked on, for lack of a better term. Everything that goes on in Westeros is so...gritty and (mostly) realistic, but all of Dany's POV's are filled with magic and over-the-top stuff (like Dragons). I dunno, GRRM even writes in the beginning "...for making me put the Dragons in." as if he wasn't even planning on it at first.

[The Despondent Mind]

1.Brienne of Tarth
2.Lysa Tully( And her Pathetic Son )
3.Walder Frey
4.Sansa Stark
5.Catelyn Tully
6.Beric Dondarrion

[Soviet]

I agree. She doesn't seem too bright. As Gurkhal said that whoever opposed her is stupid, but then again she's never done anything herself. Her dragons, Jorah, Barristan, or one of followers have always gotten her out of whatever trouble she gets in.

[Sanguinary Guardian]

Ok, let's sum up Daenerys' stupid Deus Ex Machina stuff:
1) She leads her Khalassar through a burning desert, and lo!, when all hope appears to be lost, a ruined city appears on the horizon, with food and water supplies.
2) By the end of AFFC, she has a huge Khalassar, where everyone happily prostrates himself before her, where everyone feels honoured to kiss her feet, because she has....done nothing at all.
3) All her opponents are perhaps dumber than Hodor, especially the one who sold her the Unsullied.
4) I get a feeling that Euron will become dumber when he tries to steal her flying, fire-breathing lizzards, it's a magical effect that Daenerys has on her enemies, making them dumber than they are. It's called plot armour.
5) Everything she achieved, was in fact achieved by Barristan, Jorah, Bellwas etc.
I could rant for hours about Daenerys, perhaps it would have been better if she had died in that desert....

[Sandy]

Ok, let's sum up Daenerys' stupid Deus Ex Machina stuff:
1) She leads her Khalassar through a burning desert, and lo!, when all hope appears to be lost, a ruined city appears on the horizon, with food and water supplies.
2) By the end of AFFC, she has a huge Khalassar, where everyone happily prostrates himself before her, where everyone feels honoured to kiss her feet, because she has....done nothing at all.
3) All her opponents are perhaps dumber than Hodor, especially the one who sold her the Unsullied.
4) I get a feeling that Euron will become dumber when he tries to steal her flying, fire-breathing lizzards, it's a magical effect that Daenerys has on her enemies, making them dumber than they are. It's called plot armour.
5) Everything she achieved, was in fact achieved by Barristan, Jorah, Bellwas etc.
I could rant for hours about Daenerys, perhaps it would have been better if she had died in that desert....

I agree with your points but isnt that kinda the point of Dany? the fact that she hasnt done particularly well so far and she has been lucky and has all these followers but she doesnt really know what to do with them. she acknowledges at the end of ASOS that she needs to learn to be a queen so she has been stupid at times up till now but i think this is probably a precursor to her "growing as a ruler".

So yes shes annoying but its a neccessary annoyance.

Additionally we also dont know if her being targaryen has anything to do with her awakening of the dragons yet - through eg. some warg type ability or something so she may have done more than we think.


Personally the people who i find annoying in the series have changed greatly upon rereads.
the first time i read it Sansa was hideously annoying but shes grown on me. nowadays i find catelyn tops the list and robb is also pretty thick at times.

[Murfmurf]

She freed all the slaves, hence the rampant followers. And she has dragons. Flamey.