Jaime Lannister | Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Relationships:
Beloved son of Tywin Lannister, brother to Tyrion and brother/lover to Cersei
Story arc:
Perhaps the most dramatic transformation has been Jaime’s. The pilot episode established him as one of the most despicable men in the Seven Kingdoms. The golden scion of the smug, power-hungry Lannisters and one of the greatest swordsmen in Westeros, he was already known as “The Kingslayer” for his fatal (though deserved) betrayal of the last Targaryen ruler. Then he covered up his very special relationship with his sister, Cersei, by pushing a child (Bran) out of a tower window.
After leading Lannister forces against the Starks, Jaime underwent a yearslong odyssey that tore him down to the studs. As a prisoner, he came to admire the female warrior Brienne of Tarth, and in her defense, lost his sword hand — a persona-shaking blow. He suffered the deaths of each of his and Cersei’s children. In the face of the war between living and dead, he abandoned the double-dealing Queen Cersei to fight for humanity. In the end, though, he threw away the positive life he had with Brienne and was pulled back to Cersei’s side as their world collapsed around them — literally.