Tropes A | Tropes B | Tropes C to D | Tropes E to F | Tropes G to K | Tropes L to O | Tropes P to S | Tropes T to Z
Similar to its book counterpart, a wonderful result of the large number of characters in the show is the extraordinary amount of foils:
- Daenerys Targaryen:
- To Sansa Stark. Both are young maidens who enter an Arranged Marriage pact, but Daenerys is married almost immediately to a brutal barbarian who turns out to have a sensitive side and frees her from her abusive brother whereas Sansa endures a long betrothal to a handsome prince who turns out to be a total sadistic sociopath who separates her from her loving family. Both were also victims of abuse: where Dany escapes the lifelong abuse she experiences when her cruel brother is killed by her husband, Sansa experiences the abuse after she is separated from her family and it doesn't stop until she manages to escape and reunite with one of her brothers six years later. At the beginning of the series, Daenerys starts out very shy and meek, but her childhood as a Noble Fugitive and the hardships she's faced since birth leave her better prepared for the brutal realities she faces, allowing her to make the best of her bad situation early on and turn things to her advantage, eventually working her way up to raising a powerful army, conquering several cities, and trying to liberate its slaves. Meanwhile, Sansa starts out the series as a sheltered girl who lives with her loving family in a castle, believing the stories of idealized princes — until the prince kills her father, she is kept prisoner by her family's enemies while a war rages on, the prince's forces slaughter her mother and brother, and she is used as a pawn, doing what she can to learn how to survive the Decadent Court and her family's enemies. In Season 6, she likewise utilizes what she's learned from her experiences, finally manages to escape back to one of her remaining family members when she reunites with her brother Jon, and uses her knowledge to help them retake their family home. As of Season 7, both Dany and Sansa are in positions of leadership in which try to better the lives of their people.
- To Tyrion Lannister. She and Tyrion find something in common, being descendants of two families who hate each other, "two terrible children of two terrible fathers", who are also despised by their older siblings for "killing" their mothers.
- To Jon Snow. Like Jon, she went from being someone who nearly all of society has written off due to birth status (Jon) or family name (Dany), to becoming the ruler of their dynasties. Both of them have reputations for being a Living Legend and as per Melisandre, are both possible contenders for being "The Prince Who Was Promised". Much like how Dany does everything she can to liberate the oppressed slaves in Essos and wants to incorporate foreign peoples into Westeros, Jon does everything he can to save the wildlings from death beyond the Wall and brings them into his kingdom. In Season 7, Tyrion and Davos make it even more explicit when they mediate a tense meeting by helping them see their commonalities: both rule because they were chosen by their subjects, not by birthright; both are concerned for the people's welfare; and both are beloved because of their strong character and concern for the common people.
- Cersei Lannister:
- To Daenerys Targaryen. Both are queens who buck at traditional gender roles and can be merciless to people who threaten them or their children, but where Cersei antagonizes her subjects and subordinates with disdain, Daenerys constantly gets distracted by her empathy for them and sidetracked by her need to save every individual.
- To Catelyn Stark. Both are beautiful women who entered an Arranged Marriage to cement a dynastic alliance, but while Catelyn grew to love her husband and was content with her station, Cersei grew to despise her husband and constantly yearned for more power. Both are also Mama Bears who have difficulty controlling their newly-crowned sons after losing their husbands.
- In-Universe, she tries to be one to Tywin. She makes Tommen a Puppet King, does nothing but try to increase her own power, tries to control meetings using several of Tywin's tactics, and considers herself incredibly smart even though she has some Stupid Evil tendencies. The problem is that she's not good at any of it, inspires neither fear nor respect from anyone, and, while Tywin only made one mistake that cost him his life, his mistreatment of Tyrion, every one of her schemes blows up in her face in the most extreme ways.
- More subtle than the others, but Gregor Clegane. It could be argued that Gregor is what Cersei would be like if she was a man (which she wants to be). She shares his sadism, pettiness and rage, but lacks the physical ability to commit violence herself, resorting to having others do it for her. Also like Gregor, she is the eldest child in her family, and is abusive to her younger brother/s. This becomes more obvious in later seasons when Gregor becomes her zombie-slave, making him the embodiment of her violence and cruelty.
- Joffrey Baratheon:
- To Robb Stark. Both are young men who come to power in the wake of their father's deaths — one by the acclaim of his bannermen, the other in a power play at a Decadent Court. Robb has a legitimate claim to his lands and titles, Joffrey has no legitimate claim to his position. Both pursue relationships with women against the advice of their mothers which ultimately leads to their sudden and shocking demise by being murdered at a wedding. Despite his youth, Robb is A Father to His Men who leads from the front while Joffrey is The Caligula and a Dirty Coward. Robb is loved and respected by the North at the beginning of the war (though dissent breaks out later) while Joffrey is universally hated by his subjects. Their respective betrayals (by houses known to be dangerously Machiavellian) come as a moment of epic schadenfreude in the latter case and a horrific Moral Event Horizon for the former.
- To all the Stark children. They are taught that With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility. Joffrey doesn't give a crap about responsibility, only power, and uses it to live in excess luxury and fulfill his sadistic desires.
- Renly Baratheon
- To Stannis. The two brothers are night and day to each other. Renly is a young, charismatic, good-looking guy who seems to be well-liked by everyone and despite being second in line for the throne after Robert dies, is easily able to round up an army because of his skills in diplomacy and his loving relationship with Loras (who says Renly would make a great king), but is flashy and can be frivolous. In contrast, Stannis is an older, harsher, dutiful, dour man with the rightful claim to the throne and is martially skilled, but struggles to rally an army because of his hard, rigid personality (Loras says he has the personality of a lobster), and has a few close friends.
- To Joffrey Baratheon in Season 2. Their style of ruling is directly contrasted when both are introduced into Season 2 presiding over a tournament. Joffrey is pleased when his non-knight Kingsguard, Sandor Clegane, kills a fellow competitor whereas Renly's tourney features no death (nor would he enjoy watching someone die — in fact he would be horrified). While Joff nearly kills a drunk knight just for the fun of it, Renly's tourney culminates in the elevation of a female non-knight to his Kingsguard. Renly is also courteous to his wife Margaery and Catelyn's embassy whereas Joffrey is verbally abusive to his fiancée Sansa and his new councilor Tyrion. Renly even comes to Catelyn's defense when Loras and Brienne are rude to her.
- To Margaery. Both believe that Machiavelli Was Wrong is the best approach to ruling and mirror each other in their personas as The Good King and The High Queen and their A Father to His Men and Friend to All Children behaviour, which makes them Loved by All. Their charm, wit, and ostentatious fashion-sense also makes them both well-suited for the Decadent Court. They are also unperturbed by each other's homosexuality and lack of virginity respectively and share a deep love for Loras Tyrell (in different ways, of course). However, Renly is a Black Sheep who receives no emotional support from his family while Margaery is her grandmother's favourite and part of a loving family.
- Tywin Lannister:
- To Tyrion. Both are intelligent and cunning strategists in both war and intrigue who serve very competently as Hand to a mentally-unstable king. They also both have no problem hiring prostitutes, but where Tyrion is open about it, Tywin keeps it a very strict secret. Tyrion simply has far more morals and less interest in preserving the family name.
- Tywin Lannister to Robb Stark. Tywin is a proud, aged grand strategist, though nothing is said of his tactical abilities with decades of experience in war and administration, who treats everyone (including his family) like chess pieces and acts like arrogant royalty. Robb is a young, Modest Royalty tactician, though less is known of his strategy with little experience, who treats everyone (including his family and men) with honor, love, and respect.
- Sandor Clegane:
- To Brienne of Tarth. Both are non-knight Lightning Bruisers who come to serve on the traditionally knights-only Kingsguard. However, Brienne seeks to uphold the lofty notion of chivalry and aspires to be respected as a knight despite being denied knighthood because of her gender whereas Sandor is a Blood Knight who disdains knightly chivalry as an absurd construct and actively refuses knighthood. Brienne also remains Undyingly Loyal to her king even after his death while Sandor deserts his king during the Battle of Blackwater, and Brienne is motivated to uphold her vow to protect the Stark girls whereas Sandor is motivated to keep Arya close initially so that he can sell her for money, at least until he starts developing genuine protectivness for Arya. This becomes very evident during their confrontation and duel at the end of Season 4.
- To Bronn. Bronn is an Affably Evil sellsword who hides his brutal instincts behind jokes and smiles. Sandor cannot hide that he is a brutal Blood Knight and hates that knights and sellswords like Bronn can pretend to be what they're not.
- To Tyrion. While drastically different physically, The Hound and The Imp have a lot in common. They both start out on the Lannister side (both as Token Good Teammate) and desert King's Landing after being mistreated. They are both judged and bullied for their disfigurement, and use their exaggerated personas as a defense mechanism (never forget who you are). Most tellingly, they both have an older sibling who is/was abusive (Gregor to Sandor, Cersei to Tyrion), even as children.
- Margaery Tyrell:
- To Cersei Lannister. Margaery carefully projects an image of The High Queen to earn the adoration of the smallfolk while Cersei doesn't give a damn about them and, not surprisingly, the feeling is mutual. Margaery is comfortable with her femininity and doesn't see it as a hindrance in her pursuit of power. Cersei resents her gender because she believes it gives her an unfair disadvantage and envies the power that men wield. Margaery has Joffrey wrapped around her finger, whereas Cersei completely loses control of her son after he becomes king.
- To Sansa Stark. Both girls entered into betrothals to Joffrey Baratheon. The younger and more naive Sansa threw herself into the relationship, believing it would be a storybook love affair only to discover that Joffrey was a cruel psychopath. In contrast, the older, more cynical Margaery proceeds cautiously and pragmatically, scoping out her future husband to consider the best way to appeal to him, and carefully learns how to manipulate him instead of becoming his victim.
- Loras Tyrell:
- To Jaime Lannister. Handsome, overconfident, and highly-skilled knights who have a queen for a sister, become Lord Commander of a Kingsguard, and conceal a socially unacceptable romance with royalty. However, Loras is a Knight in Shining Armor widely admired by the smallfolk while Jaime is a Blood Knight reviled as The Oathbreaker. Loras and Margaery make a Brother–Sister Team whereas Jaime and Cersei engage in Brother–Sister Incest (though it's implied Margaery wouldn't mind experimenting for Renly's benefit). Loras is recognized as a savior for breaking Stannis' siege of King's Landing while Jaime is despised for betraying his king to save the city from the Mad King's wildfire. As of Season 4, Loras is considered a young rising star whereas Jaime is considered an over-the-hill, damaged cripple.
- To Brienne of Tarth. Both are Knights In Shining Armor introduced winning a tourney with the aid of Combat Pragmatism. They are both heirs to their Houses but love Renly enough to dedicate their lives to serving as his Kingsguard and become vengeful Knights In Sour Armor after his death. Loras' Pretty Boy appearance and ostentatious wardrobe also mirrors Brienne's in-universe Lady Looks Like a Dude looks and utilitarian attire, but Loras' prowess is generally respected by everyone despite his Muscles Are Meaningless appearance and he receives very little direct abuse for his homosexuality whereas Brienne's prowess generally goes unrecognized despite her size and she endures lots of abuse for her masculinity. Ironically, Loras becomes an increasingly powerless pawn after Season 2 while Brienne becomes essentially a Knight Errant who can lend her sword to any cause she deems worthy.
- To Sansa Stark. An aspiring Knight In Shining Armour and Princess Classic with romantic ideals of living Happily Ever After with their Prince Charming, both learn the hard way that life isn't a fairy tale when their dreams turn into nightmares. By Season 3, they are both reduced to miserable political pawns and end up betrothed to someone they don't want to marry but maintain something of a Stepford Smiler persona. The major distinction is that Loras still has the support of his powerful family, which Sansa, as a prisoner, completely lacks. Then in later seasons, their roles are reversed: Loras is taken prisoner by the Sparrow and Sansa is somewhat liberated, at least from King's Landing. Then again when Sansa wound up with the Boltons and Loras is to devote himself to the Sparrow's faith, sparing himself, as Cersei is to undergo trial. Then reversed yet again when Sansa reunites with her brother Jon and takes Winterfell and they beat the Boltons while Loras and his sister along with the Sparrow are killed by Cersei.
- Melisandre:
- To Davos Seaworth. Both are extremely loyal to Stannis and want him to become king, Melisandre out of religious fanaticism and Davos out of mundane gratitude. As his advisors they frequently play Good Angel, Bad Angel and even dress the part with Melisandre in red and Davos in grey. Melisandre is a sorceress who believes there is only good and evil while Davos is a ordinary man who sees in shades of grey.
- Olenna Tyrell:
- To Tywin Lannister. Both hold the opposite gender in some disregard, with Olenna dismissing her son as an oaf and her grandson as only good at knocking men off horses and Tywin dismissing his daughter as not being as smart as she thinks she is. They also ride roughshod over their children, saying things like "Not now, Mace, Lord Tywin and I are speaking," and "You're my daughter; you will do as I command," and focus their attentions on their grandchildren, with Olenna taking a great interest in making Margaery a queen and Tywin discussing kingship with his grandsons. Both arrange political marriages between their dynasties without consulting the parties involved and resort to violating sacred hospitality at a wedding for the good of their family and are perfectly willing to let others take the fall, whether they be co-conspirators or innocent bystanders.
- Grand Maester Pycelle:
- To Varys and Littlefinger. All three characters lie and scheme to survive in their positions in the Decadent Court, putting on false personas to deflect suspicion, but while Varys and Littlefinger have higher ambitions, Pycelle in content to fly under the radar and live out his life in the comfort afforded by his office.
- To Qyburn. Both are healers trained as maesters who serve the Iron Throne, take their orders from Cersei, and are known for inappropriate behaviour. However, Pycelle is far less ambitious than Qyburn, making him both less dedicated to his craft and more ethical by comparison since he is not a Mad Scientist who plays with syringes.
- Ramsay Snow
- To Jon Snow. Both are highborn bastard sons of powerful northern lords who share the surname Snow, the last name given to illegitimate children with noble blood in the North. However, Jon was raised in a loving household and loved by his father, uncle and siblings: his father Ned loves Jon and raises him as one of his sons alongside his trueborn children, telling him that he might not have the Stark name but that he's every bit a member of the family. Meanwhile, Ramsay is treated poorly by his father, who regards him with contempt, with Roose bluntly informing Ramsay that he's just a Snow, not a Bolton and frequently calls him a bastard. Jon loves his father and siblings, while Ramsay killed his father, father’s wife, and half-brother to become the only heir. Jon is honorable, heroic, compassionate and strives to do the right thing while Ramsay is pretty much the direct opposite of that, as even George R.R. Martin pointed out in the Season 4 featurette on "Bastards of Westeros". While Ned never legitimized Jon, Roose did so for Ramsay... but only after Ramsay helped him win the North and Roose lost his trueborn son, leaving him with only Ramsay.
- To Tyrion Lannister. They're the ambitious sons of two sociopathic and scheming but very capable rulers who they eventually murder. Ramsay is a bastard by law and Roose seeks a way to have him legitimized at least until he has a rightful heir. Tyrion is Tywin's rightful heir but Tywin denies him that since, like Tyrion said, "all dwarves are bastards in their fathers' eyes". Both fathers grudgingly acknowledge their sons' ability to handle difficult situations and reluctantly put them into a position of power (acting Hand of the King and acting lord of the Dreadfort, respectively), only to criticize their sons' mistakes during their tenure despite massive benefits they reaped (Tyrion defended King's Landing while Ramsay secured Winterfell). Both sons' lifestyles, particularly regarding women, are an embarrassment to their fathers, although while Tyrion pays prostitutes which is more of a personal embarrassment to Tywin, Ramsay hunts down, rapes and tortures women and has a reputation that politically alienates the North from the Boltons. Both men get married off to Sansa Stark for a political goal to control the North, but whereas Tyrion is gentle and courteous to his wife and agrees not to consummate unless she agrees to, Ramsay immediately and brutally rapes Sansa on their wedding night. They both also have long affairs with a commoner woman (Shae and Myranda, respectively), which continue during their marriages and cause strain.
- Varys and Littlefinger. Both are self-made Chessmasters from humble foreign beginnings with a Dark and Troubled Past who have worked their way up to the small council without the support of a faction, and they're both expert manipulators who can be very charming when required. The key contrast is that Varys claims to fight for stability and The Needs of the Many whereas Littlefinger strives to create utter chaos to further his personal quest for power. An additional contrast is Littlefinger's occupation as a perverse provider of sex while Varys is an asexual eunuch.
- Theon Greyjoy to Jon Snow. As an illegitimate son and a hostage respectively, both experience varying degrees of feeling like an outsider, both suffer from "Well Done, Son" Guy and are Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life. However, where Jon is of Stark blood, loved by his family with whom he is close, and raised with his family by his father Ned Stark, Theon is of Greyjoy blood, sent away by his father Baelon Greyjoy at age 10, and is raised by the Stark family for most of his life. Jon earns his own honour and looks to fulfill his aspirations by joining the Night's Watch while Theon betrays his adopted family in an effort to win the approval of blood relatives who distrust and mistreat him (albeit, his sister Yara loves him). Jon’s father, Ned Stark, actually loves and protects Jon whereas Theon’s father, Baelon Greyjoy, doesn't really seem to have much, if any, affection for Theon.
- Lancel Lannister to Loras Tyrell. They're both Pretty Boy knights who once squired for a Baratheon and are in an illicit relationship with a monarch, but whereas Loras is the emotionally dominant partner to Renly Baratheon, Lancel is almost a total doormat in his dalliance with Cersei Lannister. When it comes to battle, Loras co-leads the glorious winning charge to honor his lover's memory while Lancel is last seen having his grievous wound punched by his lover for suggesting escorting Joffrey back to the battle. Ironically, both Lancel and Loras die at the same time in the same event orchestrated by none other than Cersei Lannister. Where Renly would never harm a hair on Loras's head and Loras stays loyal to Renly even after Renly's death, Cersei abuses Lancel and afterward, he ends up turning against her, testifying against Cersei with Sparrow's cult, and Cersei not only has Lancel, Loras, and Margaery killed in an explosion in the sept, but she ensures Lancel suffers by having him stabbed repeatedly prior to death.
- Joffrey and Tommen, possibly the most different set of siblings in the series. Joffrey is cruel, vindictive, petty, idiotic, and treats his mother poorly. Tommen doesn't fare much better at ruling and is less proactive than Joffrey, but he is a kind, good-natured person, a Mama's Boy, and is an Actual Pacifist. While Joffrey is incredibly impulsive in his cruelty, Tommen meanwhile allows his kindness to make himself a doormat. Joffrey, while betrothed to Sansa, tells Tyrion, "Let them have [Sansa]," during a riot in King's Landing while Tommen, when his wife Margaery is killed, commits suicide out of grief for her. In "The Gift", Tommen shouts "I am the king!" and entertains the idea of slaughtering the Faith Militant, resembling Joffrey. However Tommen is motivated by love, and recognises the impossibility of such a maneuveur, showing emotion and intelligence that Joffrey never did. Also when Joffrey called himself the king, it was to justify that he can do whatever he wants, Tommen calls himself the king because his loved ones are being tortured and humiliated by his own subjects. When Cersei tried to control Joffrey, he made it clear that he wasn't above having his own mother beheaded if she doesn't respect him as King and know her place, terrifying Cersei to leave him alone. When Tommen stands up to Cersei to defend being with Margaery, she just smiles and runs a guilt trip on him that works, which shows Tommen didn't have the will to assert himself, a crucial personality trait for a strong King.
- Sansa Stark:
- To Ros. Both are redhaired Northern girls who are eager to leave for King's Landing, believing it will accompany an increase in status (Sansa wishing to be a Princess Classic, Ros a High-Class Call Girl). Both go through a process of Be Careful What You Wish For and Break the Cutie, and become targets of Joffrey's sadism. Both also fall under the tutelage of Littlefinger. The difference is their different social status: Ros is a common prostitute, whereas Sansa is a highborn lady. Littlefinger, in particular, views Sansa as the reincarnation of Catelyn Tully, the woman too highborn for him to ever be with, and so he remains fixated on her and eventually helps her escape Joffrey's cruelty. Ros, conversely, he views as completely disposable and when she fails him he thinks nothing of selling her to Joffrey to be brutally murdered.
- To Arya Stark, her younger sister. In the novels, George R. R. Martin designed Sansa to be Arya's foil. This is present in the adaptation as well. They are both Stark daughters of Winterfell but Sansa is a Princess Classic who loves traditional feminine arts while Arya is a Rebellious Princess who wants to fight and ride with the boys. Their parents Ned and Catelyn have high hopes for Sansa and expect her to excel at court, while they worry about Arya's behavior and prospects at court due to her tomboy nature. However, Sansa is initially a Horrible Judge of Character at court, who starts out believing Joffrey and Cersei are kindly nobles until they arrest her father and Joffrey has him executed, is manipulated by them, and used as her pawn and prisoner until she is smuggled out of King's Landing in Season 4. Meanwhile, Arya is savvy enough to quickly recognize Joffrey and Cersei are horrific people, escapes the Lannister guards after Ned's arrest, and is smuggled out of King's Landing at the end of Season 1. They both spend a great deal of time with Sandor "The Hound" Clegane who takes them both captive at one time or another and ends up displaying his softer side with them. Their Character Development arcs involve very different versions of Break the Cutie. Sansa spends the War of the Five Kings in the royal court, is used as a pawn for her name, observes how to manipulate and play the game, becomes ensnared in the politics of King's Landing, is dependent on her wits to survive and sees firsthand the ruthlessness and backstabbing of a Decadent Court. Arya experiences the war disguised as a commoner, suffers with the smallfolk, hones her physical skills and falls under the view and guidance of characters of varying moral fibre. Arya slowly becomes a methodical Child Soldier who falls in with an amoral killing cult that believes in death for everyone while Sansa has become Number Two to Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, using her father's honorable reputation to defend a murderer from facing the consequences of his actions and becoming a willing accomplice. In both cases, the sisters are forced to discard their whole identities in order to survive.
- Davos Seaworth:
- To Ned Stark, as the handpicked advisor to a Baratheon king who serves as his Only Friend and as the only man that would tell their king the truth. Both are very honorable people and family men who were content with their station in life before being raised to being a king's Number Two. Unfortunately, said kings do not listen to their Closer to Earth counsel and end up dying as a result. Of course, whereas Ned is a high lord, Davos is a common man elevated to knighthood.
- To Jaime Lannister. Despite coming from totally different backgrounds — a crabber's son and the scion of the richest family in Westeros respectively — both council a king who burned his subjects, both have maimed hands, both are Guile Heroes, both are disrespected by many but have people who respect them and are aware of their true nature. A major difference between the two is that one had to kill his king to save the realm, and the other tried to save the realm by following his king's stubborn descent into madness.
- To Bronn, as lowborn, street smart, snarky, Honest Advisors to the Unfavorite second son of a great house. While Bronn is valued most for his fighting skill and has an It's All About Me attitude outside of his professionalism, Davos's strength lie in his political and people skills while being one of the most self sacrificing characters in the series.
- To Tormund Giantsbane, as second-in-command to a vanquished leader. Despite Stannis having executed Mance Rayder, the two strike up a friendship while fighting for House Stark.
- To Tywin Lannister. Both are Hands for a king who claims the throne as the rightful heir to Robert Baratheon. Tywin is a wealthy high lord and with 20 years experience in the position, Davos is a lowborn knight and a newcomer to being Stannis' chief advisor. Both have trouble getting their headstrong kings to listen. Most contrasting is their attitude towards the Iron Bank of Braavos - Tywin is gravely concerned with the debt the crown owes them and certain that mighty as he is, even he will not be able to negotiate with such an incorruptible institution. Davos, having none of Tywin's assets and being a former smuggler whom the Iron Bank already wants dead... goes and successfully negotiates with them, leveraging only the advanced age of Tywin and his lack of a suitable heir.
- Brienne of Tarth to Tyrion Lannister. Brienne is big, Tyrion is small, and they are both outcasts because of their physiques. They both are given mocking nicknames because of it and both cannot fulfill their respective expected gender roles in society: a dainty lady and a dashing knight. Tyrion has his brains to make up for it, Brienne has her brawn — and their brilliance goes unacknowledged by almost everyone. They are both considered somewhat embarrassing offspring by their fathers, but Brienne's was loving or open-minded enough to help her become a competent fighter, while Tywin did nothing to nurture Tyrion's talents. They don't get to interact, but they both fill the role of Jaime's Morality Pet, and Podrick served as a squire to both of them.
- House Stark represents the best qualities of the North: honor, cooperation, loyalty and humility. House Bolton represents the absolute worst: cold, unfeeling, savagery, cruelty, and betrayal.
- Jaime Lannister:
- To Ned Stark and later, to Brienne of Tarth. His code of flexible morality contrasts their strict adherence to their own code of honor. In the case of Ned, both men are revealed to have sacrificed their personal honor for hidden, more noble motivations that remained secret well after Robert's rebellion.
- To Sandor Clegane. Both tend to mock the laws of gods and men and have bad reputations. They have cruel older siblings — Jaime's slightly older twin, Cersei, and Sandor's older brother Gregor. They are very skilled swordsmen and while they claim to not care about others, both risk their lives for a female companion.
- To Tyrion Lannister. Jaime has everything Tyrion lacks — Jaime is a dashing duelist, adored by the smallfolk and by his family, and is even treated with some consideration by their father Tywin. Meanwhile, Tyrion is regarded as an outsider for being a dwarf and treated horribly by their father and sister. Jaime could commit all kinds of follies and still be the golden son but Tywin despises Tyrion for things Tyrion is completely blameless for: Maternal Death? Blame the Child! and being born a dwarf. The twist is that while Tyrion craves what Jaime has, Tyrion and Jaime are among the few in their family with a mutually genuine, loving relationship as brothers. Come Season 7 and this becomes even more evident. Both men are in service to queens in opposite sides of the war and they genuinely believe they are going to make the world a better place once their victory is complete. They also manage to massively disappoint their queens due to fatal mistakes they make, such as Tyrion's plans leading to The Alliance that Daenerys forms in Season 6 quickly crumbling and Jaime's defeat in Blackwater Rush and as a result both Daenerys and Cersei disregard their advice to take matters into their own hands.
- Orson Lannister to his cousin Tyrion, as they are both Lannisters with disabilities. But while Tyrion is an extremely intelligent dwarf who dislikes killing, Orson was mindless and lived only for senseless violence to beetles.
- Bronn is the most obvious one to Jorah Mormont. Jorah was a nobleman, the son of a well-known figure (in this case, the former Lord of Bear Island and Lord Commander of the Night's Watch), heir of a fief, and a knight who was disgraced and lost his fortune and titles and became a mercenary. Bronn was a mercenary, whose father was a commoner that, in Bronn's own words, 'you wouldn't know', that earned royal favor and became a knight, and then (at least at one point) earned a de facto Lordship by marrying into nobility. Jorah eventually decided to fight on Daenerys's behalf out of love as the knight to her lady but was banished for his earlier betrayal and essentially replaced his in function by the mercenary captain, Daario. Bronn and Tyrion's relationship, though almost friendly, was always based on money, which the Lannisters (first Tyrion, then Cersei) have quite a bit of, so when Bronn abandoned Tyrion for a better (and more survivable) offer, Tyrion understood, and the parting was more cordial. Eventually, he was replaced as Tyrion's prime companion by... Jorah.
- Gregor Clegane to Meryn Trant. Like Meryn, Gregor is brutal and sadistic as well as preferring to target those who can't or won't fight back in any way. Both are assigned to the missions with too much squick for the Lannister soldiers that actually have standards, but whilst Meryn is Joffrey's Pet Rat who's on a defensive bodyguard duty, Gregor Clegane is Lord Tywin's mad dog on an offensive role. Also, unlike Trant, he has the size, strength and badass warrior's instincts to back up his sadistic brutality and make him able to compete with opponents in the same league as the likes of The Hound, Jaime, or Ser Barristan in his prime. It's telling that Jaimes tells Tyrion that Cersei names him as champion and not Ser Meryn. Being severely wounded makes Meryn want to cry Tears of Fear when in pain, whilst in Gregor's case it makes him all the more eager to kill his opponent. Both are also disliked by The Hound for their brutality towards women and mocked by Jaime for their stupidity.
- Varys to Melisandre, who he dislikes out of prejudice for magic. Both of them were born poor and slaves and are foreigners to Westeros, but circumstances led Melisandre to turn to magic and prophecy for help and support while Varys ended up hating magic to become a formidable Knowledge Broker. Both of them believe in serving the greater good and will do what it takes for the sake of their ideologies and as Dany reminds Varys, they are both Former Regime Personnel paying court to her.
- Shireen Baratheon:
- To Tommen as well. Both are good-natured children with a great political relevance and a strong attachment to their parent of opposite gender. Tommen is gullible and weak-willed, and his relationship with Cersei progressively becomes more dysfunctional, mainly due to Cersei's lies. Shireen is savvy and resolute (she snarks back at Melisandre, disobeys her father to see Davos and so on) and her relationship with Stannis becomes more affectionate since he starts spending more time with her and comes clear about the fact that he loves her.
- Lyanna Mormont to both Stark sisters, being a warlike adolescent girl in charge of a Northern house. She is what Arya wanted to be back in Season 1 before she embarked on a different path to being a badass. At the same time, while she's in a similar position to Sansa, she is her opposite in temperament.
- Sansa is one to Cersei: They’re both renowned beauties from old, respected noble families. Their father served as hand to a king. They both fantasise about marrying a handsome prince, becoming queen and living happily ever after in their youth, only to become greatly disillusioned with that dream. Both are married off by others for political purposes. However, the same situations and opportunities are handled quite differently in each case.
- Cersei sees her own sex as a weakness and resents and belittles women who use their femininity to gain power (Margery) or usurp feminine ideals and still succeed (Brienne). Sansa however respects and values those same women and gains them as allies and confidants.
- Cersei spends most of her time surrounded by her family but her relationship with them is poor and superficial. She pays lip service in support of them in public but fights with them in private and none of them trust her. Her relationships with her brothers deteriorate over time and they disown her while she orders them both killed. Sansa is separated from her family early on, and while often at odds with her siblings, clearly loves and is loyal to them, and the ties hold even when she’s in opposition with them (real or forced).
- Sansa acknowledges her mistakes and tries to learn from them and others. Cersei blames others for her own failings.
- Both are engaged to decent but unwanted fiancés (Tyrion, Loras) at the same time. Sansa develops a respectful friendship and alliance with Tyrion but Cersei schemes against and eventually kills Loras and his family.
- They both marry abusive husbands and later kill them with the help of a male relative. Cersei manipulates Lancel into assisting the flawed but not wholly evil Robert into a drunken accident, effectively hiding from the act with subterfuge. Sansa escapes to the Watch, openly declares war against the sociopathic Ramsey alongside Jon and it is by her hand that Ramsey meets his final fate.
- They each have a stalker with a crush ally that they are dependent on. Cersei alienates most of her allies forcing her to increasingly rely on Euron, to the point that she seduces him to keep him on her side. Euron’s desire to best her brother Jaime (and his insistence in duelling him) indirectly leads to Cersei’s own death. Sansa builds her power base and influence among the lords of the North and the Vale, allowing her to escape Littlefinger’s claws and turn his schemes against him. She and her siblings directly execute him for his part in their family’s deaths.
- Cersei is a poor ruler who hates her subjects and is hated in return. Sansa proves to be skilled at governing, cares about the people of the North and earns their love and respect in return. Cersei takes the throne through force and violence and makes an enemy of almost everyone. Sansa becomes queen by peacefully ceding the North from the other kingdoms, with the will of her subjects and on neutral terms at worst from the other kingdoms.
