1. Daenerys Targaryen
   Illyrio Mopatis
2. Princess Leia

Daenerys Targaryen unwillingly winds up as the wife of a Dothraki leader, but instead of crumbling, she gains personal strength. An epic series of events finds her as a powerful leader who can even control fearsome dragons.

1. Davos Seaworth
   Grima Wormtongue
2. Ned Stark

In the very first episode, Ned Stark emerges as the kind of dignified hero who steals every scene. But the show's creators shockingly kill him right off the bat.

1. The High Sparrow
   Jaime Lannister
2. Bronn

Jaime Lannister has an incestuous relationship with his twin sister, and he often puts down dissent with extreme violence. But on the whole, you know, he doesn't really seem like such a bad guy.

1. Joffrey Baratheon
   Balon Greyjoy
2. Sauron

With his pinched little face and cold, dead eyes, Joffrey Baratheon isn't the kind of bad guy who's going to redeem himself in the end. And you know what? He doesn't.

1. Jon Rain
   Jon Sun
2. Jon Snow

Actor Kit Harington plays the part of Jon Snow, perhaps the greatest hero in all of "A Game of Thrones." Unlike the show's more fortunate characters, Jon must earn everything he achieves in life.

1. Jeor Mormont
   Sansa Stark
2. Viserys Targaryen

Arrogance always has a bitter price. Viserys Targaryen makes the mistake of threatening the Dothraki … and he winds up with a "crown" made of molten metal, and his place in this show comes to an early end.

1. Edmure Tully
   Lord Tytos Blackwood
2. Bran Stark

Bran inadvertently sees two Lannister siblings touching each other in rather initimate ways, and Jamie Lannister has no intention of letting him talk about it. He pushes Bran out of tall tower in hopes of killing him.

1. Ygritte
   Khal Drogo
2. Petyr Baelish

With his quivering, sweat-laced biceps and booming voice, Khal Drogo is the kind of guy made to rule a bunch of smelly Dothraki. But his ferocity can't save him from a simple case of blood poisoning and he dies in the first season.

1. Lancel Lannister
   Cersei Lannister
2. Tyrion Lannister

Cersei Lannister is a woman whose black heart beats with the blood of her enemies. But it's hard not to feel bad for her as her children perish in terrible ways.

1. Sansa
   Arya
2. Edmure

After the death of her father, Arya strikes out on a path of vengeance. But her journey will be perilous and sad. Her anger alone may not sustain the quest.

1. Ygritte
   Catelyn Stark
2. Daenerys Targaryen

Ygritte is from the wrong side of the tracks, er, Wall, but Jon Snow falls for her anyway. But she's a wilding who plays hard to get, at one point sneering at her pursuer and saying, "You know nothing, Jon Snow."

1. Theon Greyjoy
   Illyrio Mopatis
2. Daenerys Targaryen

As an heir apparent, Theon Greyjoy is a haughty young man. Once he's tortured in unfathomable ways by Ramsay Snow, though, his attitude is quickly adjusted.

1. Tyrion Lannister
   Cersei Lannister
2. Joanna Lannister

As a dwarf, Tyrion Lannister fears that no one will ever really care what he says or does. But as the story advances, his keen intellect and social skills make him a powerful force in Westeros.

1. Ser Hyle Hunt
   Sansa Stark
2. Brienne of Tarth

Brienne of Tarth is an honorable woman who fights with fury and loyalty. What she lacks in looks she more than makes up for with might and will.

1. Sansa Stark
   Ramsay Bolton
2. Theon Greyjoy

As the illegitimate son of Lord Roose Bolton, he starts life as a Snow, only to take the last name of Bolton. Ramsay is an ugly man with a hideous spirit who never hesitates to torture his foes.

1. Robb Stark
   Summer
2. Sandor Clegane

With his gruesome facial burn scars and huge frame, Sandor Clegane strikes a terrifying figure as The Hound, who does the evil bidding of the Lannisters. but he may not be as heartless as he seems.

1. Jaime Lannister
   Ser Brynden "Blackfish" Tully
2. Tyrion Lannister

The leader of the Brave Companions chops off Jaime Lannister's sword hand, maiming one of the world's great warriors. But Jaime doesn't give up -- he learns to fight again with his left hand.

1. Margaery
   Renly
2. Tommen

Margaery Tyrell is from the House Tyrell, a family that's fallen from grace in Westeros. But through her mother's wiles and her own determination, she begins climbing her way back to power.

1. Catelyn Stark
   Bran Stark
2. Lysa Arryn

Understandably, Catelyn Stark isn't too thrilled about welcoming her husband's illegitimate son Jon Snow into the family. But she'll soon have more serious situations with which to contend.

1. Lord Hoster Tully
   Petyr Baelish
2. Renly Baratheon

Petyr Baelish is a cunning man who hides his true intentions from nearly everyone. He is as ruthless as he is intelligent, making him one of the most dangerous men in Westeros.

1. Rickon Stark
   Jon Snow
2. Ned Stark

Jon Snow forsakes a loftier path in life to become Lord Commander of the Night Watch. There, he protects the Wall and helps to build goodwill between the natural enemies of his men.

1. King Robert
   Sandor Clegane
2. Tyrion Lannister

The horrid Tywin Lannister forces his son Tyrion to take Sansa's hand in marriage. But Tyrion doesn't want to hurt Sansa in any way, instead making her difficult circumstances as easy as possible.

1. Stannis Baratheon
   Arya Stark
2. Joffrey Baratheon

He's supposedly the son of Queen Cersei Lannister and King Robert Baratheon, but we soon learn the truth -- Jamie Lannister is really Joffrey's dad. No wonder his brain seems to misfire in every scene.

1. Balon Greyjoy
   King Robert Baratheon
2. Robb Stark

Robb Stark does his best to follow in the dignified steps of his father. But at the Red Wedding, he is murdered in a most brutal way.

1. Bran
   Shae
2. Sansa

Shae is the beautiful prostitute who begins a long-term relationship with Tyrion. But the story takes a violent turn and she finds herself a target of her lover's rage.

1. Arya
   Selyse
2. Melisandre

Melisandre of Asshai is a devotee of the Red God, and she has amazing magical powers that she deploys in service of Stannis. She is a powerful figure, but as she learns, often not powerful enough.

1. Arstan Whitebeard
   Illyrio Morpatis
2. Daenerys Targaryen

Once her brother is executed, Daenerys Targaryen sees a clear path the Iron Throne. And even though no one at first believes in her, she quickly builds political capital and learns to forge critical alliances.

1. Gilly
   Hodor
2. Shae

Hodor is the protector and servant of Bran Stark, and considering his large size, he's not one to be trifled with. He says one word, his own name.

1. Syrio Forel
   Sandor Clegane
2. Tyrion Lannister

Tyrion Lannister is slow to fall for a woman, but he does care for Shae. Then she betrays him by sleeping with Tyrion's father. He murders both of them in one of the show's most memorable scenes.

1. Daario Naharis
   Lord Varys
2. Sandor Clegane

Poor Daario. He'd happily lay down his life for Daenerys Targaryen. But alas, she leaves him behind when she heads to Westeros.