Stannis Baratheon

"Sometimes a person has to choose. If a man knows what he is, and a man is true to himself, the choice is no choice at all, he must fulfill his destiny."

- Stannis to Shireen, attempting to justify his following actions Stannis Baratheon is the lord of Dragonstone, younger brother of the late king Robert Baratheon, and a major character in Game of Thrones. After Ned Stark exposed the incestuous origins of Joffrey Baratheon, Stannis believed he had acquired the birthright to the throne with his brother's death. Aligning himself with the Red Priestess Melisandre, Stannis committed several morally ambiguous acts to attain the throne. Despite this, he did nothing villainous enough to distinguish himself from the show's other anti-heroes.

This all changed in season 5, when he sacrificed his daughter Shireen to the Lord of Light, crossing the Moral Event Horizon and doing something that even someone like Cersei would not. After this action, Stannis has been solidified as one of the most evil characters on the show, even if his actions were intended to be for the greater good.

In the novels however, Stannis remains an anti-hero, and is far less evil than his show counterpart, even prior to season 5.

Villainous Actions

 * Assassinated his brother Renly.
 * Allowed Melisandre to burn many non believers alive.
 * Tried to sacrifice Gendry in an attempt to gain the throne.
 * Had Mance Rayder burned alive for refusing to kneel to him.
 * Sent Davos away so he could murder his daughter without any interference.
 * Burned his beloved daughter Shireen alive to ensure his victory against the Boltons.

Trivia

 * Many fans who supported Stannis throughout the seasons immediately turned against him after he murderer Shireen. The once split fandom almost unanimously agrees that he is a villain now.