During the 2010s, everyone watched and talked about Game of Thrones on HBO. An adaptation of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the series re-defined the fantasy genre thanks to its focus on political drama and realistic consequences for the actions of its morally dubious characters. Due to how complex and varied they were, it seemed like there was at least one person for every audience member to root for.
Unfortunately, not all the characters got the same love and attention. This led to several characters feeling hollow and unnecessary despite the potential behind them and the talented actors who brought them to life. It got worse when the show's quality declined, leading up to the disastrous finale.
Benjen Stark
As the first ranger at the Wall, Benjen Stark (Joseph Mawle) is responsible for leading expeditions into the lands beyond. When he fails to return from one, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont (James Cosmo) leads a massive expedition to find him. The truth is that he was killed by one of the White Walkers but returned to life by the mysterious Children of the Forest.
When Benjen rescues Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) and Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick), it leaves a lot of questions regarding his whereabouts and ability to light weapons on fire. Unfortunately, Benjen leaves Bran shortly after, then dies in a pointless suicide charge after saving Jon in Season 7. It makes you wonder why he was brought back if the writers were going to throw him away.
Areo Hotah
Hailing from the Free City of Norvos, Areo Hotah (DeObia Oparei) serves as the loyal captain of the guard to Prince Doran Martell (Alexander Siddig). Though a man of few words, he is a skilled combatant and keeps his axe sharp. When he captured Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) during a failed attempt to kidnap Marcella Baratheon, Hotah said that if Jamie had his sword hand, it would have been a good fight.
With all this buildup for his combat skills, it's disappointing that Hotah dies alongside Doran in Season 6. Despite his observant nature, Hotah gets blindsided by Tyene Sand and dies from a single stab from a tiny knife. It's a shame because what audiences hated about Dorne in Season 5 was the Sand Snakes, not Hotah.
Rickon Stark
Eddard Stark's (Sean Bean) youngest son wasn't given much focus in the show's early seasons. He was mostly left to his own devices, especially after Rob led the northern army to try and free their father. But when Robb (Richard Madden) dies, Sansa (Sophie Turner) is married off, and Bran and Arya go missing, Rickon (Art Parkinson) becomes the most likely candidate for the next Lord of Winterfell.
Unfortunately, when Rickon is re-introduced in Season 6 after a two-season absence, he is reduced to fodder. Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) uses him to play mind games with Jon (Kit Harington), then kills him to start the Battle of the Bastards. The writers didn't even give him a line of dialogue.
Melisandre of Ashai
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A priestess of the Lord of Light, R'hllor, Melisandre (Carice van Houten), she seeks the prophesied Prince That Was Promised, who will defeat the darkness. After several failures, she settles on Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). As her faith is tested, she unlocks all manner of fire-based magic and brings Jon Snow back from the dead.
As the Long Night approaches, Melissandre heads back to Esos to rally the followers of R'hllor to fight alongside Daenerys. Yet when the battle comes, all of her tests of faith seem to be for nothing. She doesn't come back with an army, and her fire magic doesn't turn the tide at all: she only shows up to die.
Ser Kevan Lannister
First seen in Tywin Lannister's (Charles Dance) Season 1 war council, Ser Kevan (Ian Gelder) is his loyal and capable younger brother. After Tywin dies, Cersei (Lena Headey) tries to get Kevan on her side, but he refuses due to her poor leadership skills. Upon Cersei's imprisonment, Kevan is brought in to be Tommen's regent and patch up the damage Cersei caused.
Sadly, audiences never got to see Kevan in action as a leader. He dies when the Sept of Balor blows up; before then, his scenes were scattered and few between. It's a shame because he was one of the few people who could stand up to Cersei, and it would have been good to see the realm being fixed before she ruined it again.
The Three-Eyed Raven
Since he was pushed from the tower, Bran Stark had dreams of a mysterious Three-Eyed Raven (Season 4 Struan Rodger, Season 6 Max von Sydow) calling him north. After an arduous journey, Bran meets an old man in a tree who claims to be the raven. He promises to teach Bran how to fly, which involves diving into Westeros' past to prepare him for the coming battle.
After all that buildup, audiences were ready to see Bran learn real magic. However, Bran's storyline had caught up with his book counterpart, so he was absent for Season 5, and his training in Season 6 was rushed. The raven only gets to show Bran a couple of visions before he is killed by the Night King, making the whole escapade feel anticlimactic.
Ser Loras Tyrell
Known as the Knight of Flowers, Ser Loras (Finn Jones) is one of the kingdom's most talented jousters. While not as skilled at politics as his sister, Margery (Natalie Dormer), Loras did push his lover, Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony), to take the crown when his brother, Robert, died. Renly's death left Loras devastated, but he continued to help his family by requesting that King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) marry Margery.
Sadly, this is about all Loras gets up to. Subsequent episodes have him either as a pawn in his family's plans, being made fun of or taken advantage of for his homosexuality, and then dying at the end of season 6. Given how varied he was presented in Season 1, it's a sad decline for the show's most prominent gay character.
Lord Beric Dondarrion
Once a lord of the Dornish Marshes, Beric Dondarrion (Season 1 David Michael Scott, Seasons 3-8 Richard Dormer) is tasked with arresting Gregor Clegane (Conan Stevens Season 1, Ian Whyte Season 2, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson Season 4-8) at the beginning of The War of the Five Kings, but is killed. Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye) brings him back to life and forms a group called The Brotherhood Without Banners to fight for the small folk. Beric is killed several more times, and with each resurrection, he forgets more and more.
Dondarrion's story is a fascinating commentary on how the horrors of war eat away at a soldier until he is nothing but a shell of his former self. Unfortunately, his appearances are limited, and he is relegated to a devout soldier of the Lord of Light in the later seasons. His final death also comes off as anticlimactic, as it comes about because he throws his flaming sword at a single wight and never retrieves it.
Ser Davos Seaworth
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In a world of cut-throat schemers, Ser Davos (Liam Cunningham) is one of the few genuinely good people. Originally a smuggler, he risked his life to give food to Stannis Baratheon's (Stephen Dillane) men and received a knighthood at the cost of his fingertips. For this act of justice and generosity, Davos pledged his life in service to Stannis.
When Stannis dies in Season 5, the writers try to attach him to Jon Snow. Unfortunately, Jon rarely asks Davos for advice, and they don't get into the same moral arguments as with Stannis. Davos briefly returns to his former self when he learns of the fate of princess Shireen Baratheon in Season 6, but in 7 and 8, he might as well be a background character.
Stannis Baratheon
Since Robert Baratheon's children were the result of Cersei and Jamie's affair, his brother Stannis (Stephen Dillane) is the next legitimate claimant to the Iron Throne. Unfortunately, Stannis is not popular, as he prefers sticking to a hard moral code over playing politics. Despite his position, Stannis keeps up the fight because it is his duty, even if it means taking up cause with the Lord of Light.
While the book version of Stannis is one of the most popular among fans, his show counterpart was less well received due to questionable writing decisions. While other characters talk about how just Stannis is, his actions paint him as weak, tyrannical, and willing to kill his daughter for warm weather. Even Dillane admitted to not knowing the direction his character was going.