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Game of Thrones was the biggest cultural juggernaut of the 2010s. Based on the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, the show captivated audiences with its complex web of political intrigue and high production values. Yet what people really loved were the characters, who were many shades of gray and multifaceted in their motivations.
For the most part, the creative team did a good job sticking to the characters as they were described in the books. However, as the show went on, more and more deviations occurred, and several characters deviated far from their book counterparts.
The following article contains spoilers for Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire
10 Tyrion Lannister
The youngest of the Lannister children, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) is seen by his father, Tywin (Charles Dance) as the least valuable. Due to being born a dwarf, Tyrion educates himself to use his mind to make up for his small body. Despite his best efforts, he is mistreated by his family, which culminates in him killing his father.
After Tywin's death, the show has Tyrion become depressed but still interested in making up with his siblings, and he joins Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) to help her build a better world. This couldn't be further from the book, where he is consumed by nihilism and wants to make Westeros suffer for mistreating him. Even before committing patricide, book Tyrion dabbled in murder and threats more than his show counterpart.
9 Shae
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When Tyrion arrived at his father's war camp at the beginning of the War of the Five Kings, he tasked his sellsword, Bronn (Jerome Flynn), with finding him some company. He returned with Shae (Sibel Kekilli), who Tyrion instantly took a liking to. When his father sent him to King's Landing to act as Hand of the King, he brought Shae with him and set her up as Sansa Stark's (Sophie Turner) handmaiden.
Unlike in the books, show Shae genuinely loves Tyrion rather than just using him for his money. She refuses to abandon him when he gets into more dangerous positions and even develops a protective big-sister relationship with Sansa. Unfortunately, these changes make her reason for betraying Tyrion during his trial more questionable.
8 Ser Loras Tyrell
Called the Knight of Flowers, Ser Loras Tyrell (Finn Jones) is one of the most skilled knights in Westeros. His talents caught the eye of Lord Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony), the younger brother of King Robert (Mark Addy). As the two began a secret relationship, Loras steered Renly towards an alliance with his family to place his sister, Margery (Natalie Dormer), on the throne.
The major changes to Loras come from his older brothers being absent from the show. Because he was the third son, he was allowed to join the Kingsguard to protect Margery and signify his abandonment of love after losing Renly. While being the heir to Highgarden, in theory, should make him important, the show does nothing with him after Renly's death.
7 Stannis Baratheon
The unloved middle Baratheon Brother, Stannis (Stephen Dillane), established himself as a hard and unwavering man when he held the castle of Storm's End while under siege for nearly a year. When he discovers that Robert's children are the children of the Lannister twins, Stannis goes to Dragonstone and prepares for the coming war. Unfortunately, his grim personality and unwavering morals net him few friends, leading him to turn to the Red God, Rhloor.
While Stannis' position is desperate in both mediums, show Stannis is more weak-willed and impatient. He is a puppet of the red priestess, Melissandre (Carice van Houten), whereas in the book, he would ignore or even threaten her for being too eager for burnings. While show Stannis burned his daughter to melt some snow in Season 5, book Stannis was content to wait in a crofter's village and make preparations for the coming battle.
6 Yara Greyjoy
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In both the book and show, Balon Greyjoy (Patrick Malahide) put all his effort into raising his daughter (Gemma Whelan) as his heir, following Theon's (Alfie Allen) wardship with the Starks. Called Yara in the show and Asha in the books, she works hard to earn the respect of her fellow Ironborn due to their patriotic society. Unfortunately, more than just her name was changed during the adaptation process.
Following Balon's death, Asha pushed for peace at the Kingsmoot before the Ironborn overexerted themselves, while Yara promised to conquer the North. She was more hostile to Theon than her book counterpart, sometimes appearing like she didn't care if he lived or died. Book Asha would publicly belittle Theon to strengthen her position among the Ironborn, but she also pitied him.
5 Xaro Xhoan Daxos
At the end of the Red Waste lies the city of Qarth, which claims to be the greatest of cities. Within are a number of factions, including a collection of spice merchants called "The Thirteen." One of their members, Xaro Xhoaan Daxos (Nonso Anozie), takes an interest in the dragons of Daenerys.
The show version of Xaro attempted to usurp control over Qarth, then was locked in a vault with one of Daenerys' traitorous handmaidens. Book Xaro was more cautious and practical and gave up on his ambitions for dragons after he saw their destructive power in Qarth and Astapor. Since he didn't die in the book, he returned as part of the alliance of slavers against Daenerys when she took over Mereen in A Dance With Dragons.
4 Edmure Tully
The younger brother of Catelyn Stark, Edmure (Tobias Menzies), is forced to take charge when his father falls ill. He pledges the loyalty of the Riverlands to Robb Stark's (Richard Madden) campaign and even fights against several Lannister incursions. Unfortunately, his inexperience and poor communication resulted in a few blunders.
The biggest change is that the show overlays Edmure's negative traits while undermining his positive ones. He was one of the few lords who cared about his smallfolk during the war, and when he was forced to surrender Riverrun, he stalled for time so that his uncle, the Blackfish (Clive Russell), could escape. Instead, the show treats Edmure like an incompetent buffoon, unloved even by his own family.
3 Ellaria Sand
The paramour of Oberyn Martel (Pedro Pascal), Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma), is the mother of his four youngest children and shares his passion for life and love. After his death at the hands of Gregor Clegane (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), Ellaria becomes consumed by vengeance against the Lannisters. This leads to her killing Princess Myrcella Baratheon (Nell Tiger Free) and Oberyn's brother and nephew to take over Dorne and side with Daenerys.
This couldn't be further from Ellaria's actions in the books, where she pushed for peace. She didn't want her daughters following their father to the grave and was content receiving the Mountain's head. In A Dance With Dragons, she gives an impassioned speech about the cycle of revenge, which serves as one of the overarching themes of Martin's series.
2 Euron Greyjoy
The younger brother of Balon Greyjoy, Euron (Pilou Asbæk), was banished from the Iron Islands and spent his time sailing the world. He kills his brother and convinces the Iroborn to choose him as their king over Balon's children. His first act is to build a fleet of ships and then ally with Cersei.
The biggest change to Euron is his presentation. The show plays him like a drunken pirate, while in the book, he is a mysterious and terrifying figure who can be both rewarding and vicious in the same breath. His plan isn't to rule Westeros with Cersei but rather to claim it all for the Ironborn using dark sorcery and a horn that can bind dragons.
1 Smalljon Umber
As the new lord of the Last Hearth, Smalljon Umber (Dean S. Jagger) doesn't take kindly to Jon Snow letting Wildlings across the wall due to their history of raiding Umber land. As such, he decides to join forces with Ramsay Bolton. To seal the deal, he sells out Rickon Stark (Art Parkinson), who had been hiding with the Umbers.
Making Smalljon into a villain serving under Ramsay is an insult to his book counterpart. He was chosen to be one of Robb Stark's honor guards, and fought alongside him like a brother during the war. At the Red Wedding, Smalljon tried to shield Robb from the crossbows with a table before losing his head to a Frey axe.