  |
This article's content is marked as Mature The page contains mature content that may include coarse language, sexual references, strong drug use, extremely traumatic themes, and/or graphic violent images which may be disturbing to some. Mature pages are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. |
| “ | Why are you sorry? Because you're an evil bastard with no conscience and no heart? That's what I liked about you in the first place. | „ |
| ~ Tyrion to Bronn. |
Bronn, eventually known as Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, is a supporting character in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and its television adaptation Game of Thrones.
Bronn is a skilled and deadly sellsword. Eventually, he is hired by Tyrion Lannister, forming a friendship with him. Due to his contributions in the Battle of the Blackwater, he was knighted by King Joffrey I Baratheon's Kingsguard and called Ser Bronn of the Blackwater. Bronn was one of the six hundred men from the battle who were directly knighted by Ser Osmund Kettleblack, Ser Balon Swann, and Ser Meryn Trant, all three of the Kingsguard.
In A Song of Ice and Fire, he is betrothed into House Stokeworth by Queen Cersei Lannister during 300 AC and later marries Lollys Stokeworth. He decides to name Lollys' infant bastard son Tyrion Tanner (conceived through rape during the Riots in King's Landing). In the television series Game of Thrones, he is ultimately appointed as the Lord Paramount of the Reach by Tyrion Lannister during 305 AC.
He was portrayed by Jerome Flynn, who also played Hector in Black Mirror.
Biography[]
Background[]
Bronn, a formidable and enigmatic sellsword, is a renowned warrior available to the highest bidder. Little is revealed about his background, but it is mentioned that he had a troublesome younger brother and endured brutal physical abuse from both of his parents during his youth. Despite his mysterious past, Bronn is highly skilled and feared in combat, relying on agility and evasion rather than heavy armor or shields. He possesses exceptional proficiency with swords, daggers, and archery. While his avaricious nature draws scorn from honorable knights, Bronn's combat expertise and reputation as a dangerous fighter are undeniable.
Season 1[]
While staying at the Inn at the Crossroads, Bronn encounters Tyrion Lannister. In a display of his opportunistic nature, Bronn offers to give up his room to Tyrion in exchange for payment. However, before this agreement can be fulfilled, Catelyn Stark and Rodrik Cassel apprehend Tyrion, taking him prisoner.
Personality[]
Bronn is a character with a sarcastic and dark sense of humor. He has a pragmatic and amoral outlook on life, focusing on his own interests and financial gain. He enjoys mocking others and engaging in verbal conflicts, as demonstrated by his exchanges with Meryn Trant. Although he is a merciless sellsword who would kill for the right price, Bronn does display some compassion and moral boundaries. He genuinely sympathizes with Tyrion and is sad that he is not able to help him in his second trial.
In terms of combat, Bronn is a highly skilled and dangerous fighter. He prioritizes speed and agility, relying on evasion rather than direct confrontation. He prefers lighter weapons like swords and knives and avoids heavy armor and shields. He is also proficient in archery and is apparently literate. His practical approach to combat is seen in his refusal to face Gregor Clegane in Tyrion's trial by combat, recognizing the risks involved.
Gold holds great value for Bronn, often overshadowing the importance of friendship or relationships. This is evident in his post-Battle of the Blackwater actions, where he demands a higher price for his services, prioritizing financial gain over loyalty or friendship.
Gallery[]
Notable Victims[]
- Ser Vardis Egen - Stabbed under the arm and through the ribs in the novels. Stabbed in the neck and tossed out the Moon Door in the TV series.
Books only:[]
- Chiggen - Throat slit to end his cries of pain, after he was injured by Vale Mountain Clansmen, in order to prevent the cries from drawing more clansmen and wolves down on his party, while lying to Lady Catelyn Stark that he died of his wounds.
- Symon Silver Tongue - Killed in an unspecified way on Tyrion Lannister's order, and delivered to a pot shop in Flea Bottom that makes "a savory bowl of brown" with "all kinds of meat in it", implying Symon becoming a soup ingredient.
- Ser Balman Byrch - Stabbed in the eye with a knife, after his legs were crushed by his fall from his horse during a mortal duel against Bronn.
TV Series only:[]
- Matthos Seaworth - Burned alive with wildfire in a trap conducted by Tyrion Lannister.
Trivia[]
- Originally, he followed Lady Catelyn Stark's party on the journey to the Eyrie in hopes of being accepted into House Stark's service with the prospect of future rewards, but throughout the journey he abandoned the idea due to having noted the Starks were too honorable and that Catelyn and Ser Rodrik Cassel disliked him. So he successfully attached himself to Tyrion Lannister in order to work for his family and the Iron Throne's interests.
- The former sellsword Ser Osmund Kettleblack of the Kingsguard originally served as one of Bronn's informants, along with his two brothers, telling him Queen Cersei's plans. Though in truth, Osmund serves as Lord Petyr Baelish's agent.
- Bronn's role in the television series Game of Thrones was made more prominent than his original role in the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, replacing various characters such as Ser Jacelyn Bywater, sometimes Shagga, Ser Addam Marbrand, Ser Ilyn Payne, Ser Lyle Crakehall, Ser Daven Lannister, and Jaime's three teenage squires—Josmyn Peckledon, Garrett Paege, and Lewys Piper.
- In the novels, it is Ser Jacelyn Bywater (later Lord) who becomes the Commander of the City Watch of King's Landing, serving as such until his death in the Battle of the Blackwater. It is Jacelyn who arrests Lord Janos Slynt on Tyrion's order. Bronn remains only a soldier of the City Watch working for Jacelyn, while at the same time serving as the leader of Tyrion's powerbase of sellswords in the capital. In both novels and TV series, Bronn is knighted by the Crown for his service.
- After Tyrion's downfall and imprisonment, most of his mercenaries (excluding his hired Vale Mountain Clansmen) become part of House Stokeworth's household, serving under Bronn and enforcing his orders in Stokeworth's lands.
- In the novels, it is Ser Jacelyn Bywater (later Lord) who becomes the Commander of the City Watch of King's Landing, serving as such until his death in the Battle of the Blackwater. It is Jacelyn who arrests Lord Janos Slynt on Tyrion's order. Bronn remains only a soldier of the City Watch working for Jacelyn, while at the same time serving as the leader of Tyrion's powerbase of sellswords in the capital. In both novels and TV series, Bronn is knighted by the Crown for his service.
- In the TV series, Bronn is the one directly responsible for the destruction of most of King Stannis Baratheon's naval fleet by firing an arrow into one ship loaded with wildfire.
- In the novels, this never occurs, as the attack is not sneaky, Bronn has a lesser yet still key involvement in it, though it's still not as significant as in the show. Bronn is mainly knighted for his role in trapping Stannis's naval forces with a giant chain, constructed by the city's blacksmiths to be put in the middle of two watchtowers on the shores of the river Blackwater Rush.
- In the novel version, a naval battle takes place between King Joffrey's small fleet and King Stannis's significantly larger fleet in the mouth of the Blackwater Rush. Many caches of wildfire jars are loaded into several of Joffrey's ships of the small royal fleet (over 57 ships against Stannis's 200 ships), unbeknownst to all the crews and captains of the ships. While Stannis's land armies and fleet are fighting Joffrey's garrison and fleet simultaneously, Bronn has oxen pull Tyrion's massive chain tight across the Blackwater, successfully trapping Stannis's fleet in the mouth of the river and preventing them from retreating back to sea, at Blackwater Bay, to escape the wildfire. Only Salladhor Saan's Lysene pirate fleet remains on the bay outside the chain trap, serving as Stannis's rearguard.
- After Bronn's oxen trapped the enemies, Stannis's fleet is sandwiched between Joffrey's fleet and the chain, but the former's superior numbers are making them win the river battle. However, the wildfire secretly loaded in Joffrey's ships is released by Stannis's vassals themselves, led by Ser Imry Florent, and this occurs always during the fierce naval battle on the Blackwater. While damaging the enemy ships, Stannis's combatants end up destroying wildfire jars.
- Even during the wildfire attack, both Joffrey and Stannis's combatants continued to fight on the ships, while the sailors desperately trying to navigate away from wildfire's range. In the books, one ship alone is not enough to destroy Stannis's fleet (wildfire is not as destructive nor instantly explosive as in the show, although things engulfed with it clashing together can explode). All of Joffrey's fleet and most of his combatants in it are sacrificed. While many die, the various captains and sailors who managed to swim to safety and didn't die in the battle became war heroes if on Joffrey's side, or fled or were killed if on Stannis's side.
- Also, in the novels, Bronn would not have been able to remain posted on the Blackwater's shores with his bow without any cover, as Stannis and Ser Guyard Morrigen command a cavalry and infantry army on land at the same time as the naval battle, which would have made Bronn an open target for Stannis's archers and knights.
- In the novels, this never occurs, as the attack is not sneaky, Bronn has a lesser yet still key involvement in it, though it's still not as significant as in the show. Bronn is mainly knighted for his role in trapping Stannis's naval forces with a giant chain, constructed by the city's blacksmiths to be put in the middle of two watchtowers on the shores of the river Blackwater Rush.
- In both novels and TV series, to take Tyrion's last remaining ally from him, Queen Cersei Lannister offers Bronn a chance to become a member of the nobility. Rather than being forced to fight Ser Gregor Clegane on Tyrion's behalf, Bronn accepts the offer. Thanks to Cersei's arrangements, Bronn is betrothed to Lollys Stokeworth, the younger sister of Falyse Stokeworth and daughter of Lady Tanda Stokeworth, the latter the head of her house and ruler of the castle Stokeworth and all its lands.
- Cersei's arranged betrothal between Bronn and Lollys Stokeworth ultimately backfires against her when the paranoid queen regent learns that the two named Lollys' bastard son "Tyrion," prompting her to command Falyse's husband, Ser Balman Byrch, to kill Bronn. Being too chivalrous for choosing a sneaky assassination, Balman duels Bronn at Stokeworth, but is injured and crippled by him. Under torture and after being promised mercy, Balman confesses Cersei ordered him to kill Bronn. Instead of sending Balman to the maester, Bronn's "mercy" is killing him quickly. This results in the widowed Falyse being banished by her mother's own household, who now call Bronn "Lord Stokeworth." To prevent Falyse from ever speaking a word of her failed ploy to anyone, Cersei hands her over to Qyburn, who gives Falyse a slow and painful death in the castle's black cells. This is the last known role for Bronn so far.
- Bronn's wife, Lollys, officially becomes Lady of Stokeworth when her old mother, Lady Tanda, who was suffering from a broken hip, allegedly dies from a chill brought on by her injury. It is unknown whether the amoral Bronn deliberately arranged for his mother-in-law's death in order to become Stokeworth's ruler sooner, as he was already styling himself as "Lord Stokeworth" while Tanda was alive and recovering. With Lollys being half-witted, Bronn is now effectively House Stokeworth's head, ruler of its castle and lands, and owner of all its incomes.
- In the television series, in order to keep using his character in different roles, Bronn's betrothal to Lollys Stokeworth was retconned and annulled by the screenwriters of Game of Thrones, who by then decided to entirely change the story from the books.
- In the TV series, Bronn replaces the roles of Ser Jaime Lannister's old childhood friend, Ser Addam Marbrand. In the novels, Jaime has never interacted with Bronn and is not associated with him. Ever since the final parts of A Storm of Swords, Ser Bronn has not returned to King's Landing and lives at Stokeworth.
- In the novels, it is Ser Addam who is made the new Commander of the gold cloaks by his liege Lord Tywin Lannister after Jacelyn's death, and it is Addam who attempts to train the crippled Jaime to fight with his left hand in King's Landing, although Addam's sparring is too brutal for Jaime.
- In the fourth novel, Addam leaves the City Watch, and it is him who departs back to the Riverlands with Jaime for his task to lift the second Siege of Riverrun, not Bronn. Also, the TV show skipped Jaime's task to sort Harrenhal's garrison out and appointing a new castellan to replace the Mountain.
- In the show, Addam appears only once in Season 1 and is made much older instead of being at the same age as Jaime.
- In the TV series, Bronn also replaces Ser Ilyn Payne in the role of Jaime's right-hand, along with replacing the roles of other Westerman knights and Jaime's three teenage squires.
- In the books, while back at Harrenhal, Ilyn Payne becomes Jaime's trainer, right-hand, and drinking companion. It is Ilyn and Ser Lyle Crakehall who are attending Jaime and enforcing his orders while confronting Ser Ryman Frey's poor management of Riverrun's siege (in the TV series, this was made the fault of all Freys as part of making them unambiguously hateable, while in the books, the Freys were all frustrated with Ryman's incompetence and were satisfied when Jaime relieved him of his duty in favor of the much more competent but cruel Ser Walder Rivers).
- In the TV show, Bronn and Jaime criticize the siege's poor management as soon as they arrive. In the books, there are multiple armies making camps at Riverrun: the largest one led by Ser Ryman, the ones led Ser Daven Lannister and Ser Forley Prester, and another one led by many Riverlords, in addition to Jaime's own army. The first thing Jaime does is call for a war council, which Ryman fails to attend and he doesn't even bother to welcome Jaime, due to him being constantly busy drinking and whoring, forcing his son Edwyn Frey to take his place in all councils. It is for this shameful behavior that Ryman is later confronted, backhanded, and relieved of his duty by Jaime.
External Links[]
- Bronn on the A Wiki of Ice and Fire.
- Bronn on the A Song of Ice and Fire Wiki.
- Bronn on the Wiki of Westeros.
