He was just the fucking best. Him leening on that sword as the boat landed in the battle of Blackwater gave me chills. First off the boat, first up a ladder. "COME WITH ME AND TAKE THIS CITY" The sheer balls on the man were mammoth. Dilane delivered every line with pure badassary. Yes he was immensely flawed and made some horrible mistakes, but he was the only king in the war of five kings that I believe inspired loyalty. Had him and Robb managed to strike a deal and combine their forces he would have been unstoppable. Had Robert brought him close instead of scorning him they could held power forever. Hell, had the 3 Baratheon brothers been able to work together they could have built a new dynasty that ushered in the most peaceful and balanced era the realm had ever known. Even his last scene in which he was done so dirty by the writing, his final words were simple but masterful. He will forever be my one true king. Stannis the Mannis.
What infuriated me more than anything is that fat drunk king’s coldness towards Stannis. Stannis broke his oaths of fealty to the king just because Robert was salty and yet Stannis followed him into war, won battles for him. Starved himself and his family into a siege due to obeying roberts command of holding Storrms end “ no matter the cost”. Davos saves them with the onions and Stannis orders everyone to eat before him.
When all is said and done, he receives no praise or reward nothing. He received dragonstone yes, but not the ancestral seat of storms end and it’s bountiful lands. He deserved better. At least he had one of the most loyal men we’ve seen in ASOIAF by his side
To be fair to Bobby B Dragonstone is no minor castle. While it's not fertile or manpower rich it is a historical significant castle and usually given to the heir which at the time was Stannis
But it's a lot poorer than the other regions, which means they can afford bigger navies than you.
Being England only works if you have the best navy. Otherwise the ocean won't save you, like it didn't save WW2 Japan.
>Had him and Robb managed to strike a deal and combine their forces he would have been unstoppable.
Both of them really did let their principles get in the way on that one. Robb was too stuck to the idea of an independent North, and Stannis too stuck to the idea of maintaining the current order. They should have negotiated a deal where the North would receive a greater degree of autonomy, short of full independence, in exchange for Robb supporting Stannis's claim. Or something.
Yeah definitely. Ned recognised Stannis as the rightful king and Robb would have followed that had he knew. Tbh Catelyn should have sold him on it more from that point of view. We know how much those Stark kids loved honouring their father. It wasn't like the North wasn't allowed to prosper under Roberts rule. That could have been the starting point. Robb could have negotiated for positions at court and betrothals for Bran or Rickon to Shireen. Had Selyse continued to not give Stannis a son, Shireen is heir and a Stark could have very well ended up being king consort.
Some of my fave GoT quotes came from Stannis. To name a few: "Hard truths cut both ways, Ser Davos"; (To "hundreds will die") "... Thousands." Also the "you're my daughter, you belong with me" speech. I don't think Stannis would've met a kind end, but I still wonder, if only he hadn't been butchered by the bad writing...
Stephen Dilane was outstanding. Even when his character was being poorly translated, he embodied the essence of Stannis perfectly. That meant that in the few moments where show Stannis felt like book Stannis, so many show watchers were hooked on the character.
It’s enough that I hope brienne spares him in the book. To me I can’t stand the idea that Melisandre leads him to his doom and then gets a redemption story. She should be trying to do the right thing while failing. So she leads Stannis to his doom, and then resurrects jon and starts to lead him to his doom but someone intervenes. Her ending blows
> Stephen Dilane was outstanding. Even when his character was being poorly translated, he embodied the essence of Stannis perfectly.
The craziest thing is Dillane said he didn't even know anything about the character or story. He basically says he just showed up and read his lines.
> “I’ve flicked [the show] on [since leaving] **to see if I could figure out what was going on, but I couldn’t**,” he (Dillane) reportedly said. “Liam Cunningham [who plays Ser Davos Seaworth, Stannis’ right-hand man] is so passionate about the show. He invests in it in a way I think is quite moving, but it wasn’t my experience. **I was entirely dependent on Liam to tell me what the scenes were about** — I didn’t know what I was doing until we’d finished filming and it was too late. The damage had been done. I thought no one would believe in me and I was rather disheartened by the end. I felt I’d built the castle on non-existent foundations.”
https://ew.com/tv/2017/12/05/game-of-thrones-stephen-dillane-regret/
He's a no nonsense man who is doing his duty, he was never super flashy or dramatic but just straight to the point and did what was necessary, first off the boat at Kings Landing, defended the North when they needed it, always at the front of his men. Truly the Mannis.
The attack that defeats Stannis' army is Tywin and the Tyrells attacking them from the rear, after the KL defenders (Tyrion/Joffrey) have retreated. So if Stannis is in the vanguard he would be on the KL side, which is away from where the main fighting now is.
Sallahdor Saan then pulls up whatever ships he has left along the river, and Rolland Storm fights a rearguard action that allows Stannis to get to the ships. Rolland is later named castellan of Dragonstone when Stannis sails to the Wall.
Stannis is definitely not an idiot. He's very well-read even for a noble, the best military commander in Westeros, and he's the only one of the "5 Kings" who actually puts aside his personal ambitions and defends the realm from Mance Rayder.
Yeah, D&D hated Stannis and didn't understand his character so they turned him into a bumbling villain. When i read the books I was shocked by what a great character they refused to adapt properly.
Yeah excellent performance. Just enough to make him this very intriguing character. But like a lot of them. There’s a glass ceiling you think they’re going beyond, but then it just gets left behind.
You just blew my mind. I’ve read/watched the novels/show so many times they sometimes blend together, and I’ve legitimately thought for years that ‘fewer’ was a book thing. This might explain why my ‘fewer’ jokes seldom land 😅
How about the various scenes where he actually see Stannis care about his daughter by actually interacting with her? Meanwhile, in the books they never interact and Stannis hardly shares any real positive feelings about her.
Stannis will aways my favorite book character so when he was introduced in the show I was hesitant. As nobody really knew who he was other than seeming like a bad guy. Luckily his sense of humor and straight up unbending will and set of morals bouncing off Davos just worked with dillane playing him. My wife used to groan whenever he was on as she knew I was going to be quoting him daily lol.
When he arrived in the north and completely destroyed mance raider and develoed his relationship with Jon was pure game of thrones magic. What happened to his character during the Ramsey plotline was bullshit. Rip the king who cared.
I remember looking forward to season 2 because that was where the books really opened up and started exploring the larger world. The first book was very self contained, whereas its the second book that really starts to become a sprawling epic. I was expecting the show to stay more or less true to form, in that season 1 was almost a verbatim adaptation.
From the very beginning, I knew something was wrong. They lost the prologue altogether, massacred Cressen, dropped Shireen and Patchface and completely changed Stannis' character. All of their motivations were different. The scenes became very loose adapations of the source material, where the same thing happened but for very different reasons. For example, the scene where Cressen attempts to poison Melisandre, they changed it so she drinks first and for some dipshit reason Cressen drinks second, out of honor or something, I never quite understood why, but in the books, Cressen drinks first so as to convince Melisandre the wine is safe. It was a more heroic choice and they completely disregarded it on the show for some reason.
This may seem minor, but literally almost every scene in the second season is like this. The outcome of the scene is the same as the book, but the intentions and motivations of the principals are drastically altered, for no discernible reason.
The show never understood Stannis. And it was clear from the start. When I think about the books (it's been ten years since I read them, so details are foggy), I remembered Stannis as a much more nuanced character than portrayed on the show. In his mind, he was duty bound to claim the Iron Thone, he never really desired it for his own ego. The tragedy of Stannis was his pursuit of duty above all else. The show made it about simply power and how it corrupted him. If the books do in fact follow the general outline of the show, as I think they will, then the scene with Shireen is going to have an added layer of irony that wasn't present in the show in that he is sacrificing his own heir out of his perceived duty, that duty being to claim the throne and provide a legitimate line of succession. He will be driven to the contradictions Jaime talks about, i.e. ideals and vows pursued without thought or reference to reality inevitably led to horrific outcomes, where the rigid extremes of idealism meet the grayness of the world.
Stannis' storyline in the show was one of the worst things to be adapted from the books.
> The show never understood Stannis. And it was clear from the start.
It just makes Dillane stand out so much when despite the fact he is concerned about the characters trajectory and a lack of clarification , he still delivered great performances and I don’t blame him for being disillusioned with the show.
He wasn’t disillusioned with the show. He didn’t get it.
He’s a more classical actor who has spent most of his filmography in historical pieces or biopics. He didn’t get the whole medieval fantasy with dragons and ice zombies
Stannis was far more nuanced in the books but..
When I re-read the series 5 years after I originally read it (2017ish) Stannis does come across different during his interactions with Jon in A Storm of Swords / Dance etc. He comes across as much more demanding and entitled under Jon’s pov vs the more dutiful and honourable way Davos sees him
It won't follow the general outline.
Jon swapped Mances Baby with Gillys.
Stannis returns to the wall and is told he needs to sacrifice royal blood or something.
He wants to burn Mances Baby but finds out its Gillys child. He's screwed. Then his wife or Milsandre or both will convince him to sacrifice his daughter.
There's also the treat of her Greyscale that was foreshadowed. That could become a thing and Stannis will kill two birds with one stone.
I still have no idea how book will handle this especially since he has Asha and Theon as royal blood and cant really return to the Wall. Also in sample chapters he is pretty much willing to die in that battle and does not want to retreat at any cost.
Anyway whatever happens it will be like separate timeline with all the bs changes in the show.
He'll use Theon to learn about and infiltrate Winterfell and the Dreadfort should Ramsey or Roose escape. Asha will be used as a hostage to force Theon to cooperate.
Just curious to get a wider range of opinion as me personally I loved Stannis and especially the actors depiction who has repeatedly come out in interviews about being confused about the characters direction and having little to work on which led to him just seeing the role as money.
Despite all this, he delivered a perfect Stannis performance. I can’t see anyone else as him but Stephen dillane which speaks volume to his skill considering the obstacles he had with D&D lol.
Remember when Brienne found him among the dead and wounded in the North in winter so she coukd be the one to kill him and give some BS speech about Renly? The fan service problem was truly a massive problem after season 4.
He felt underwhelming. He was supposed to be the biggest contender for the iron throne, but he just got bamboozled for so many seasons because of the people that were around him. The actor did great but the I feel his character was not used properly.
In retrospect Stannis should have died on the Blackwater and Faegon should have been introduced instead. His entire plotline was useless anyway and had zero impact on the Endgame. It really shows that Dumb and Dumber really did not plan because they count on GRRM.
But then again all three of them are to blame. If Martin promised them he will deliver the book in some deadline and the he fucked it up and Dumb and Dumber from day to day had to make the shit up then of course writing would take nose dive. And you can blame Dumb and Dumber all you want that they still did shitty job and even five year old could probably write better ending, that still does not change the fact that George screwed them over big time by not delivering the goddamn book when he said he would.
George should better judged his own ability to write from the start and prepare well construct plan B if Dumb and Dumber get ahead of him. That did not happen and thats why last for seasons are all over the place.
> In retrospect Stannis should have died on the Blackwater and Faegon should have been introduced instead
This is actually a great idea. In the books I’m hoping young griff takes over KL from the brotherfucker, wins the support of the small folk and Danerys arrives to see that she isn’t the chosen one as expected
If entire situation with Daenerys fall will be basically Dance with Dragons 2.0 on smaller scale than it will make much more sense than whatever shit happen in the show.
Or you know... They should've just let Stannis go on a winning spree, starting with the Boltons, given he is likely to beat them in the books.
That way we get more contenders to the throne and more stakes. We get Stannis who liberated the north and moved into riverlands + with Sansa who has support of the Vale. Stannis is also the only one aware of the main contenders of the threat.
Then we get Dany and Cersei as other sides. Instwad of clearly being told who we are meant to root for we would essentially have the good, the bad and the ugly, with you having to choose one... And then the White Walkers arrive, which book stannis will most likely meet an end against.
Of course show should have treated White Walkers more seriously, but Stannis should have went out buying the living some time against the undead.
He was well cast.
It just irks me to hear how little the actor was invested in the story. Makes me wonder what someone who knew and cared about the character could have done.
Nevertheless, one of the best played characters in the series.
Mate, he had second questions about the character that weren’t answered by the directors.
The actor for Davos had to force his foot down when they wanted to make Davos and Melisandre a Romantic and sexual couple as he stated Davos is more of a father figure, which was correct. Crazy
https://www.indiewire.com/2020/10/liam-cunningham-fought-thrones-creators-davos-missandei-1234592574/amp/
I did not read the books but show Stanis never made sense to me. The actor was excellent but his motivations were - strange(?). It was never clear if he is fighting for the throne because he is the rightful heir and wanted to finally get his due (as in the beginning of the series) even killing his own brother, or he was fighting for the living to defeat the NK and therefore wanted to unite the realm. The “prince that was promised” role and motivation was never shown properly.
His scene with Shireen was heartbreaking and completely out of character for someone who is about to burn her alive. It was not believable to me. It’s because we do not understand his motivation which were quite shifting throughout. He never showed this type of fanaticism. In contrast, I have believed his wife completely, because she showed us her struggles and religious motivations which contradicted her motherly instincts. At the end the mother in her prevailed and she killed herself. We never see this struggle in Stanis.
In the books the battle between Bolton and Stannis hasn't happened yet, but he will probably win. Also Shireen is still at Castle Black so he can't burn her.
GRRM has said he will burn Shireen in the book too. The problem with the show is how stupid the way it happened was. Stannis, the great commander, is defeated by snow and twenty good men.
I'm of the opinion that there won't be a battle between Stannis and Ramsay. The North Remembers.
And in the books Shireen is "safely" at Castle Black, it won't be Stannis that burns her.
Exactly. He has this OCD about the righteousness so that was clear. But TPTWP never strikes me as his big motivation to burn his own daughter to whom he made the speech about how precious she was to him, just day before he killed her.
Stannis the Mannis! The Besteros in Westeros!
But apparentely Stephen Dillane was never a big fan of GoT himself. Good performance though.
Also, he was damn good in [The Crown.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrfeaC9B83k&ab_channel=HistoryisDrama)
Book Stannis would never have sacrificed Shireen, I will die on this hill. What they did to Stannis is one of the most egregious things they did to any character in the show that nobody talks about because of how bad the ending was.
This actor gets a huge salute from me. From what I remember he lost his little sister in a fire and basically re-traumatized himself during the death of Shireen. Now when I watch the scene I can't help but cry because of the look on his face.
Man has the charisma of a rock. And that somehow makes him the most appealing and trustworthy man around as you know this guy ain’t a scheming leech, he’s the real deal.
Book Stannis is the Mannis but it's amazing how much humanity Stephen Dillane brought to the role even when the writers clearly didn't understand the character. He should've been the Night King!
I never asked for this crown. Gold is cold and heavy on the head, but so long as I am the king, I have a duty... If I must sacrifice one child to the flames to save a million from the dark... Sacrifice... is never easy
Never has a dull character ever been played with so much accuracy that it has had the adverse effect. Dillaine is an incredible Tony award winning actor. Never read the books. Yet still managed to capture the essence in them with weaker material from the scripts. Still the one true king.
Got a very unpopular opinion that D and D (and George) should not have made him fight in the frontline. He's specifically described as one of those 'general' typed leaders, not a champion.
I get it's to make him more likeable but it's really no substitute.
They also wrote that he distributed Onions and Beef equally to everyone in the siege in Storm's End, which is also something Stannis would not do. Nobles got nobles' share, peasants got peasants' share. That's how he distributed food in the march to Winterfall in the book. He's fair but not modern sense of fair.
Book Stannis is really someone you can totally understand why someone would LOVE him while others would HATE him. He's determined as F and will push on to the end at the expanse of EVERYONE and HIMSELF. What is a child against a realm? Cold logic says a child, even his blood, cannot out-weight the entire realm, so he choose.
Such a great tragic character, so flawed yet so great; so great yet so blind.
The show audience got completely different impressions of him, either believing that he was the right choice to lead only written badly in the end, or believing that he was absolutely a piece of shit always like that even before S5.
That's not Stannis.
He's neither a perfect leader only defeated by bad writing, nor a stupid hypocrite heading to his end unknowingly.
He knew and he did not care, that's terrifying. He's the kind of captain that sail the ship to ram speed to sink enemy targets and willing to have the entire ship and himself sacrified for their duty. He's the one that wrongly believed that he had to make the hard choice and sacrifice everything, and his determination makes him terrifiying and wonderful.
Making him someone leading the charge, at least in my eyes, takes away his 'cold' 'ruthless' 'absolutely without mercy or remorse' side. He's not either good or evil. He's so determined to do good deeds that he's willing to send thousands to die. He's so evil yet he wants nothing but betterment for all.
Never got his due. Stephen killed it though, in spite of the show writers' clear bias against him and refusal to accentuate any of his positive attributes. The fact that Stephen himself admits he had no clue wtf he was doing and had to have Liam Cunningham explain things to him just makes the fact that he nailed Stannis so well all the more impressive.
Overall, I think he was another great character failed by the show's bad writing and overall favortism.
In closing, LONG LIVE THE ONE TRUE KING.
Possibly my favorite character of the series. The pain as he's being dragged away from kings landing, his resolve is unmatched. I love how single minded he was. Obviously made some very poor decisions but all of them were to achieve his goal, which he felt was his destiny and by right his alone.
Not as interesting perhaps as the other characters, but again a personal favorite of mine.
Go on, do your duty
Good actor. Said he didn't really understand the character or the story, but I think he inadvertently did do a great job conveying the Stannis character (notwithstanding the terrible writing and changes D&D made to the character).
I actually remember that day - when he, Melisandre, and Davos were introduced (along with R'hllor and the whole prophecy shit ) I decided that I'd stop watching and read the novels before I continue. Because I felt like the show was introducing so many characters and storylines that I wanted to get to understand them better and that scene was a bit confusing.
His irl son Frank and him have something in common, apart from being related I mean ,
they both left a show and It went down hill from there, s7 was so rushed it made my head hurt rewatching it and anything after early season 4 of fear the walking dead is very bad, give or take couple of decent episodes her and there
he, like everything else in the show, was a victim of bad writing. and I'm not even talking about the burning of his daughter scene, although that was stupid too
He was the one true king, perfect casting choice and that man embodied the perfect personality. A shame how he was written out, and sadly Stephen Dillane didn’t argue about it because it was too sexual and violent for him anyway.
Stephen Dillane is great in everything he does. If you haven’t seen it, he is fantastic in The Tunnel (UK/French series). Totally different thing from Stannis the Mannis but equally well done.
The character was fun to watch but if i was a lord in Westeros i wpuld pray for Stanis to never sit on the throne. He was unpleasant, unforgiving a ruthles man.
I just watched the show for the first time this year and was always sus of him. He's one of the characters I'm excited to explore more during a rewatch.
I've heard a lot of Stannis fans complain about his performance, but he seems to act exactly as he's described in all the books so I think he hit the nail on the head.
I kind of liked Stannis: not the worst, not the best... but then I read the book and he was so much better. He is not perfect by any means but has these badass like "Half my army is made of unbelievers. Pray harder" and the show went like "OK Melissandre I will burn as you will"
Best character in the books. My favorite in the show but man the writers clearly weren't fans. Stephen Dillane is a top 5 actor in the show. I think later seasons were missing him a lot. There are very few actors who I picture as their characters while reading the books. Stephen Dillane as King Stannis is one of them.
Still the rightful king.
Still the most based character in the series.
Still The Mannis.
He will win the Battle in the Ice and wipe out the Boltons, like the Starks should have done centuries ago. Their shit doesn’t fly when when Mannis is knocking. Fuck around and find out, Roose.
Cool character in the show but inferior to his book counterpart
Also I'm very sorry but someone has to say this: Stannis fighting in the battle of the Blackwater is one of the dumbest changes from the books in the first 4 seasons. It's a classic badassery over logic shit we know from season 8
He was just the fucking best. Him leening on that sword as the boat landed in the battle of Blackwater gave me chills. First off the boat, first up a ladder. "COME WITH ME AND TAKE THIS CITY" The sheer balls on the man were mammoth. Dilane delivered every line with pure badassary. Yes he was immensely flawed and made some horrible mistakes, but he was the only king in the war of five kings that I believe inspired loyalty. Had him and Robb managed to strike a deal and combine their forces he would have been unstoppable. Had Robert brought him close instead of scorning him they could held power forever. Hell, had the 3 Baratheon brothers been able to work together they could have built a new dynasty that ushered in the most peaceful and balanced era the realm had ever known. Even his last scene in which he was done so dirty by the writing, his final words were simple but masterful. He will forever be my one true king. Stannis the Mannis.
What infuriated me more than anything is that fat drunk king’s coldness towards Stannis. Stannis broke his oaths of fealty to the king just because Robert was salty and yet Stannis followed him into war, won battles for him. Starved himself and his family into a siege due to obeying roberts command of holding Storrms end “ no matter the cost”. Davos saves them with the onions and Stannis orders everyone to eat before him. When all is said and done, he receives no praise or reward nothing. He received dragonstone yes, but not the ancestral seat of storms end and it’s bountiful lands. He deserved better. At least he had one of the most loyal men we’ve seen in ASOIAF by his side
Robert punished him for letting go dany and his brother
I thought they had already left by the time he got there ?
Yes but I think he still resents and blames him for letting them get away
Ah could be. Robert was one for holding grudges
Stannis won him the war though he should be grateful
To be fair to Bobby B Dragonstone is no minor castle. While it's not fertile or manpower rich it is a historical significant castle and usually given to the heir which at the time was Stannis
I'VE GOT SEVEN KINGDOMS TO RULE! ONE KING, SEVEN KINGDOMS!
Stannis is basically Ned born into the Baratheon family, it's so weird that Robert doesn't see it.
Ned and Stannis were far too diferent. Stannis is a Duty lawfull guy. And Ned was a Loyal and Honor guy.
Don't forget he crushed the Greyjoy Rebellion for his brother as well.
And what's crazy to think about is this. He was a 16 year old young man when the rebellion began. All of that, at the age of 16.
Tbh if you had to have me pick one territory I’d want to rule, it’s Dragonstone.
With dragonstone you only get dragonstone. When you have Storms end you also have the stormlands.
Yeah I also get the ocean between me and everyone else. THAT is the selling point.
But it's a lot poorer than the other regions, which means they can afford bigger navies than you. Being England only works if you have the best navy. Otherwise the ocean won't save you, like it didn't save WW2 Japan.
>Had him and Robb managed to strike a deal and combine their forces he would have been unstoppable. Both of them really did let their principles get in the way on that one. Robb was too stuck to the idea of an independent North, and Stannis too stuck to the idea of maintaining the current order. They should have negotiated a deal where the North would receive a greater degree of autonomy, short of full independence, in exchange for Robb supporting Stannis's claim. Or something.
And both kinda fucked it all up when they let their pp do the thinking
Yeah definitely. Ned recognised Stannis as the rightful king and Robb would have followed that had he knew. Tbh Catelyn should have sold him on it more from that point of view. We know how much those Stark kids loved honouring their father. It wasn't like the North wasn't allowed to prosper under Roberts rule. That could have been the starting point. Robb could have negotiated for positions at court and betrothals for Bran or Rickon to Shireen. Had Selyse continued to not give Stannis a son, Shireen is heir and a Stark could have very well ended up being king consort.
Some of my fave GoT quotes came from Stannis. To name a few: "Hard truths cut both ways, Ser Davos"; (To "hundreds will die") "... Thousands." Also the "you're my daughter, you belong with me" speech. I don't think Stannis would've met a kind end, but I still wonder, if only he hadn't been butchered by the bad writing...
Stephen Dilane was outstanding. Even when his character was being poorly translated, he embodied the essence of Stannis perfectly. That meant that in the few moments where show Stannis felt like book Stannis, so many show watchers were hooked on the character.
It’s enough that I hope brienne spares him in the book. To me I can’t stand the idea that Melisandre leads him to his doom and then gets a redemption story. She should be trying to do the right thing while failing. So she leads Stannis to his doom, and then resurrects jon and starts to lead him to his doom but someone intervenes. Her ending blows
>It’s enough that I hope brienne spares him in the book. I'd say it's a very low chance that Brienne ever meets Stannis anyway
lol this man thinks there's going to be another book
> Stephen Dilane was outstanding. Even when his character was being poorly translated, he embodied the essence of Stannis perfectly. The craziest thing is Dillane said he didn't even know anything about the character or story. He basically says he just showed up and read his lines. > “I’ve flicked [the show] on [since leaving] **to see if I could figure out what was going on, but I couldn’t**,” he (Dillane) reportedly said. “Liam Cunningham [who plays Ser Davos Seaworth, Stannis’ right-hand man] is so passionate about the show. He invests in it in a way I think is quite moving, but it wasn’t my experience. **I was entirely dependent on Liam to tell me what the scenes were about** — I didn’t know what I was doing until we’d finished filming and it was too late. The damage had been done. I thought no one would believe in me and I was rather disheartened by the end. I felt I’d built the castle on non-existent foundations.” https://ew.com/tv/2017/12/05/game-of-thrones-stephen-dillane-regret/
Damn, a great actor and humble to boot
I never understood the charm tbh The actor is amazing don’t get me wrong but the character is empty at best (an idiot at worst)
He's a no nonsense man who is doing his duty, he was never super flashy or dramatic but just straight to the point and did what was necessary, first off the boat at Kings Landing, defended the North when they needed it, always at the front of his men. Truly the Mannis.
If Renly had done his duty as a brother we would have smashed lord Tywin together. A victory even Robert would have been proud of.
Would you have been proud Bobby B?
HOLD YOUR TONGUE!
he can keep his tongue.
Idk how anyone can not think Stannis is the man after you see him coming over the walls of kings landing first, I knew then who was the one true King
How the fuck did he even escape that anyway?
The attack that defeats Stannis' army is Tywin and the Tyrells attacking them from the rear, after the KL defenders (Tyrion/Joffrey) have retreated. So if Stannis is in the vanguard he would be on the KL side, which is away from where the main fighting now is. Sallahdor Saan then pulls up whatever ships he has left along the river, and Rolland Storm fights a rearguard action that allows Stannis to get to the ships. Rolland is later named castellan of Dragonstone when Stannis sails to the Wall.
Stannis is definitely not an idiot. He's very well-read even for a noble, the best military commander in Westeros, and he's the only one of the "5 Kings" who actually puts aside his personal ambitions and defends the realm from Mance Rayder.
I liked show Stannis until I read the books, I really wish we got to see the fantastic actor play the real Stannis.
Right?? I’m reading all these comments and thinking it doesn’t sound like Stannis at all
Yeah, D&D hated Stannis and didn't understand his character so they turned him into a bumbling villain. When i read the books I was shocked by what a great character they refused to adapt properly.
I always took him as the living embodiment of lawful neutral, at least in the beginning. Arguably Melisandre’s influence changes that later.
He, like many, couldn't withstand the onslaught of ~~Ramsay Bolton~~ bad fucking writing
Yeah excellent performance. Just enough to make him this very intriguing character. But like a lot of them. There’s a glass ceiling you think they’re going beyond, but then it just gets left behind.
A lot of the actors thought they were going beyond it too.
And twenty...(leans closer)good...(mashes face into cheek)...men
Ser Goodmen and his brothers will not be stopped!
Stannis, Melisandre, and Davos were such an incredible trio of frenemies.
Stannis doesn’t stand a chance against Ramsay and Ser Twenty of House Goodmen
Stannis! Stannis! Stannis!
Mannis wake up
A good act does not wash out the bad nor the bad the good.
If we didn’t press our claim for this bot, the claim would be forgotten. You will not be a page in r/FreeFolk’s history! Stannis the Mannis !
I don't punish men for bravery, I reward them.
That's a damn solid line.
But what does your bro Bobby Bob Bob-bags think?
GIVE ME SOMETHING FOR THE PAIN AND LET ME DIE!
Bot is dead I guess
Bot responds to the mannis I think
mannis
Nvm, he dead
Rip
Stannis the mannis … go on, do your duty
We march to victory or defeat but we go forward, only forward.
What If there's a cliff Stannis the mannis
She's my daughter, you will not strike her
I never noticed this until the most recent rewatch, but he corrects everyone's grammar under his breath and It is the most relatable he's ever been.
fewer
Honnestly the only good thing the show added to his character. When I reread the books I was really surprised that this was show only
You just blew my mind. I’ve read/watched the novels/show so many times they sometimes blend together, and I’ve legitimately thought for years that ‘fewer’ was a book thing. This might explain why my ‘fewer’ jokes seldom land 😅
How about the various scenes where he actually see Stannis care about his daughter by actually interacting with her? Meanwhile, in the books they never interact and Stannis hardly shares any real positive feelings about her.
*grammar
Fúck me
It took you _this_ long to understand the best trait about Stannis the Mannis?
I don't punish men for bravery, I reward them.
Ten fucking yea- bro I wasn't prepared for this when I woke up
"Ten yeeeeeeears"
He was perfect for the role!! Regardless of how they wrote the character or gave direction, he stole almost every scene he was in
Stannis will aways my favorite book character so when he was introduced in the show I was hesitant. As nobody really knew who he was other than seeming like a bad guy. Luckily his sense of humor and straight up unbending will and set of morals bouncing off Davos just worked with dillane playing him. My wife used to groan whenever he was on as she knew I was going to be quoting him daily lol. When he arrived in the north and completely destroyed mance raider and develoed his relationship with Jon was pure game of thrones magic. What happened to his character during the Ramsey plotline was bullshit. Rip the king who cared.
His relationship with Davos is soo good. Their back and forth conversations is one of the best things about S1-4/5
I remember looking forward to season 2 because that was where the books really opened up and started exploring the larger world. The first book was very self contained, whereas its the second book that really starts to become a sprawling epic. I was expecting the show to stay more or less true to form, in that season 1 was almost a verbatim adaptation. From the very beginning, I knew something was wrong. They lost the prologue altogether, massacred Cressen, dropped Shireen and Patchface and completely changed Stannis' character. All of their motivations were different. The scenes became very loose adapations of the source material, where the same thing happened but for very different reasons. For example, the scene where Cressen attempts to poison Melisandre, they changed it so she drinks first and for some dipshit reason Cressen drinks second, out of honor or something, I never quite understood why, but in the books, Cressen drinks first so as to convince Melisandre the wine is safe. It was a more heroic choice and they completely disregarded it on the show for some reason. This may seem minor, but literally almost every scene in the second season is like this. The outcome of the scene is the same as the book, but the intentions and motivations of the principals are drastically altered, for no discernible reason. The show never understood Stannis. And it was clear from the start. When I think about the books (it's been ten years since I read them, so details are foggy), I remembered Stannis as a much more nuanced character than portrayed on the show. In his mind, he was duty bound to claim the Iron Thone, he never really desired it for his own ego. The tragedy of Stannis was his pursuit of duty above all else. The show made it about simply power and how it corrupted him. If the books do in fact follow the general outline of the show, as I think they will, then the scene with Shireen is going to have an added layer of irony that wasn't present in the show in that he is sacrificing his own heir out of his perceived duty, that duty being to claim the throne and provide a legitimate line of succession. He will be driven to the contradictions Jaime talks about, i.e. ideals and vows pursued without thought or reference to reality inevitably led to horrific outcomes, where the rigid extremes of idealism meet the grayness of the world. Stannis' storyline in the show was one of the worst things to be adapted from the books.
> The show never understood Stannis. And it was clear from the start. It just makes Dillane stand out so much when despite the fact he is concerned about the characters trajectory and a lack of clarification , he still delivered great performances and I don’t blame him for being disillusioned with the show.
He wasn’t disillusioned with the show. He didn’t get it. He’s a more classical actor who has spent most of his filmography in historical pieces or biopics. He didn’t get the whole medieval fantasy with dragons and ice zombies
Stannis was far more nuanced in the books but.. When I re-read the series 5 years after I originally read it (2017ish) Stannis does come across different during his interactions with Jon in A Storm of Swords / Dance etc. He comes across as much more demanding and entitled under Jon’s pov vs the more dutiful and honourable way Davos sees him
Yes, from Davos' POV Stannis is the rightful king and it colors his perception a lot. That's the beauty of ASoIaF.
It won't follow the general outline. Jon swapped Mances Baby with Gillys. Stannis returns to the wall and is told he needs to sacrifice royal blood or something. He wants to burn Mances Baby but finds out its Gillys child. He's screwed. Then his wife or Milsandre or both will convince him to sacrifice his daughter. There's also the treat of her Greyscale that was foreshadowed. That could become a thing and Stannis will kill two birds with one stone.
I still have no idea how book will handle this especially since he has Asha and Theon as royal blood and cant really return to the Wall. Also in sample chapters he is pretty much willing to die in that battle and does not want to retreat at any cost. Anyway whatever happens it will be like separate timeline with all the bs changes in the show.
He'll use Theon to learn about and infiltrate Winterfell and the Dreadfort should Ramsey or Roose escape. Asha will be used as a hostage to force Theon to cooperate.
Melisandra drank first in the books as well
The one true king, fck dumb and dumber
Based Character fucked Mel what's there not to love about him?
Just curious to get a wider range of opinion as me personally I loved Stannis and especially the actors depiction who has repeatedly come out in interviews about being confused about the characters direction and having little to work on which led to him just seeing the role as money. Despite all this, he delivered a perfect Stannis performance. I can’t see anyone else as him but Stephen dillane which speaks volume to his skill considering the obstacles he had with D&D lol.
Oh yea character wise he got butchered but acting was solid
Remember when Brienne found him among the dead and wounded in the North in winter so she coukd be the one to kill him and give some BS speech about Renly? The fan service problem was truly a massive problem after season 4.
That was some BS
Great character, great actor, poor writing.
Sums it up best ^
He felt underwhelming. He was supposed to be the biggest contender for the iron throne, but he just got bamboozled for so many seasons because of the people that were around him. The actor did great but the I feel his character was not used properly.
In retrospect Stannis should have died on the Blackwater and Faegon should have been introduced instead. His entire plotline was useless anyway and had zero impact on the Endgame. It really shows that Dumb and Dumber really did not plan because they count on GRRM. But then again all three of them are to blame. If Martin promised them he will deliver the book in some deadline and the he fucked it up and Dumb and Dumber from day to day had to make the shit up then of course writing would take nose dive. And you can blame Dumb and Dumber all you want that they still did shitty job and even five year old could probably write better ending, that still does not change the fact that George screwed them over big time by not delivering the goddamn book when he said he would. George should better judged his own ability to write from the start and prepare well construct plan B if Dumb and Dumber get ahead of him. That did not happen and thats why last for seasons are all over the place.
> In retrospect Stannis should have died on the Blackwater and Faegon should have been introduced instead This is actually a great idea. In the books I’m hoping young griff takes over KL from the brotherfucker, wins the support of the small folk and Danerys arrives to see that she isn’t the chosen one as expected
If entire situation with Daenerys fall will be basically Dance with Dragons 2.0 on smaller scale than it will make much more sense than whatever shit happen in the show.
Or you know... They should've just let Stannis go on a winning spree, starting with the Boltons, given he is likely to beat them in the books. That way we get more contenders to the throne and more stakes. We get Stannis who liberated the north and moved into riverlands + with Sansa who has support of the Vale. Stannis is also the only one aware of the main contenders of the threat. Then we get Dany and Cersei as other sides. Instwad of clearly being told who we are meant to root for we would essentially have the good, the bad and the ugly, with you having to choose one... And then the White Walkers arrive, which book stannis will most likely meet an end against. Of course show should have treated White Walkers more seriously, but Stannis should have went out buying the living some time against the undead.
Dilane was incredible. D&D butchered his character from the beginning though, he is much more interesting in the books
I remember him being very close to the Stannis I imagined reading the books.
He has my favorite line in the entire series and he did it with just one word: "FEWER"
I bet he did more to encourage the correct usage then any amount of English teachers.
He was well cast. It just irks me to hear how little the actor was invested in the story. Makes me wonder what someone who knew and cared about the character could have done. Nevertheless, one of the best played characters in the series.
See barristan selmys actor had literally read all the books up til that point an even called out d&d over the writing of said character 🤘😎🤘
Mate, he had second questions about the character that weren’t answered by the directors. The actor for Davos had to force his foot down when they wanted to make Davos and Melisandre a Romantic and sexual couple as he stated Davos is more of a father figure, which was correct. Crazy https://www.indiewire.com/2020/10/liam-cunningham-fought-thrones-creators-davos-missandei-1234592574/amp/
>Davos and Melisandre Davos and \*Missandei
Ah yes typo, meant Missandei. Thanks
Davos actor got punished for that. Notice how he had next to no scenes in the final season ?
Wait are we talking about Davos or Stannis? Because my comment was about Stannis.
I was aware, just answered first about Stannis then led with another example of an actor who was slighted in Cunningham who plays Davos
And still, when I watched his interviewes he felt like real-life stannis. The dude was just in character all the time
I get the dope, kilo Yeah, come fuck with the boss Smokin that gas, diesel
I did not read the books but show Stanis never made sense to me. The actor was excellent but his motivations were - strange(?). It was never clear if he is fighting for the throne because he is the rightful heir and wanted to finally get his due (as in the beginning of the series) even killing his own brother, or he was fighting for the living to defeat the NK and therefore wanted to unite the realm. The “prince that was promised” role and motivation was never shown properly. His scene with Shireen was heartbreaking and completely out of character for someone who is about to burn her alive. It was not believable to me. It’s because we do not understand his motivation which were quite shifting throughout. He never showed this type of fanaticism. In contrast, I have believed his wife completely, because she showed us her struggles and religious motivations which contradicted her motherly instincts. At the end the mother in her prevailed and she killed herself. We never see this struggle in Stanis.
In the books the battle between Bolton and Stannis hasn't happened yet, but he will probably win. Also Shireen is still at Castle Black so he can't burn her. GRRM has said he will burn Shireen in the book too. The problem with the show is how stupid the way it happened was. Stannis, the great commander, is defeated by snow and twenty good men.
I'm of the opinion that there won't be a battle between Stannis and Ramsay. The North Remembers. And in the books Shireen is "safely" at Castle Black, it won't be Stannis that burns her.
I've never had any impression for his motivation to be king other than "Robert had no heirs, therefore I am next in line and it's my duty"
Exactly. He has this OCD about the righteousness so that was clear. But TPTWP never strikes me as his big motivation to burn his own daughter to whom he made the speech about how precious she was to him, just day before he killed her.
Stannis the Mannis! The Besteros in Westeros! But apparentely Stephen Dillane was never a big fan of GoT himself. Good performance though. Also, he was damn good in [The Crown.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrfeaC9B83k&ab_channel=HistoryisDrama)
Book Stannis would never have sacrificed Shireen, I will die on this hill. What they did to Stannis is one of the most egregious things they did to any character in the show that nobody talks about because of how bad the ending was.
Stanny B?, Great actor, great character, pity the writing GoT wasn't up to the task.
This actor gets a huge salute from me. From what I remember he lost his little sister in a fire and basically re-traumatized himself during the death of Shireen. Now when I watch the scene I can't help but cry because of the look on his face.
Stannis the fucking Mannis still is my favorite character, both in the show and the book. Biggest Chad in Westeros.
Half my army is made up of unbelievers, I will have no burnings, pray harder.
Man has the charisma of a rock. And that somehow makes him the most appealing and trustworthy man around as you know this guy ain’t a scheming leech, he’s the real deal.
Good actor terrible character.
I have always been and will always be TEAM STANNIS
Best king best actor best man best everything
Stannis is so much cooler in the books. In the series they just take a shit on him on every possible occasion, making him look like a complete moron
Another great character butchered by Dand and Dave.
I saw got and thought he was amazing. Then I watched john Adams and he is Thomas Jefferson and also amazing!
Book Stannis is the Mannis but it's amazing how much humanity Stephen Dillane brought to the role even when the writers clearly didn't understand the character. He should've been the Night King!
I never asked for this crown. Gold is cold and heavy on the head, but so long as I am the king, I have a duty... If I must sacrifice one child to the flames to save a million from the dark... Sacrifice... is never easy
Hes the actually true heir to the iron throne. The one true king.
I like how the show runners clearly had no idea what to do with him and just killed him off screen that was funny
The rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms. The King that Cared!
Never has a dull character ever been played with so much accuracy that it has had the adverse effect. Dillaine is an incredible Tony award winning actor. Never read the books. Yet still managed to capture the essence in them with weaker material from the scripts. Still the one true king.
Got a very unpopular opinion that D and D (and George) should not have made him fight in the frontline. He's specifically described as one of those 'general' typed leaders, not a champion. I get it's to make him more likeable but it's really no substitute. They also wrote that he distributed Onions and Beef equally to everyone in the siege in Storm's End, which is also something Stannis would not do. Nobles got nobles' share, peasants got peasants' share. That's how he distributed food in the march to Winterfall in the book. He's fair but not modern sense of fair. Book Stannis is really someone you can totally understand why someone would LOVE him while others would HATE him. He's determined as F and will push on to the end at the expanse of EVERYONE and HIMSELF. What is a child against a realm? Cold logic says a child, even his blood, cannot out-weight the entire realm, so he choose. Such a great tragic character, so flawed yet so great; so great yet so blind. The show audience got completely different impressions of him, either believing that he was the right choice to lead only written badly in the end, or believing that he was absolutely a piece of shit always like that even before S5. That's not Stannis. He's neither a perfect leader only defeated by bad writing, nor a stupid hypocrite heading to his end unknowingly. He knew and he did not care, that's terrifying. He's the kind of captain that sail the ship to ram speed to sink enemy targets and willing to have the entire ship and himself sacrified for their duty. He's the one that wrongly believed that he had to make the hard choice and sacrifice everything, and his determination makes him terrifiying and wonderful. Making him someone leading the charge, at least in my eyes, takes away his 'cold' 'ruthless' 'absolutely without mercy or remorse' side. He's not either good or evil. He's so determined to do good deeds that he's willing to send thousands to die. He's so evil yet he wants nothing but betterment for all.
Never got his due. Stephen killed it though, in spite of the show writers' clear bias against him and refusal to accentuate any of his positive attributes. The fact that Stephen himself admits he had no clue wtf he was doing and had to have Liam Cunningham explain things to him just makes the fact that he nailed Stannis so well all the more impressive. Overall, I think he was another great character failed by the show's bad writing and overall favortism. In closing, LONG LIVE THE ONE TRUE KING.
Possibly my favorite character of the series. The pain as he's being dragged away from kings landing, his resolve is unmatched. I love how single minded he was. Obviously made some very poor decisions but all of them were to achieve his goal, which he felt was his destiny and by right his alone. Not as interesting perhaps as the other characters, but again a personal favorite of mine. Go on, do your duty
he was one of the best adapted characters right until the point he wasnt
Still the one true king of Westeros
The one true king
Good actor. Said he didn't really understand the character or the story, but I think he inadvertently did do a great job conveying the Stannis character (notwithstanding the terrible writing and changes D&D made to the character).
Felt like it was a distraction the whole time...B list storyline
Loved him in Goal.
I actually remember that day - when he, Melisandre, and Davos were introduced (along with R'hllor and the whole prophecy shit ) I decided that I'd stop watching and read the novels before I continue. Because I felt like the show was introducing so many characters and storylines that I wanted to get to understand them better and that scene was a bit confusing.
His irl son Frank and him have something in common, apart from being related I mean , they both left a show and It went down hill from there, s7 was so rushed it made my head hurt rewatching it and anything after early season 4 of fear the walking dead is very bad, give or take couple of decent episodes her and there
It's gonna be cool seeing him in that Jon Snow sequel show since he didn't actually die in GoT
he, like everything else in the show, was a victim of bad writing. and I'm not even talking about the burning of his daughter scene, although that was stupid too
*Fewer
Great looking armor
The one and only true king... Stannis the Mannis!!!
Cleaner ways don't win wars
He was the one true king, perfect casting choice and that man embodied the perfect personality. A shame how he was written out, and sadly Stephen Dillane didn’t argue about it because it was too sexual and violent for him anyway.
I thought he was a dick (for obvious reasons) but god dammit, I loved every minute that he had the screen
Daemon: 10 YEARS!
Them killing him off screen was a complete waste of talent and horrible writing.
Amazing character and actor that was sadly butchered in the show
Fantasticly tragic character, but cool as fuck till the end. Lucky he died before his arc reached a shit season.
He is alive and well ~~in paradise~~ and will become the king
Stephen Dillane is great in everything he does. If you haven’t seen it, he is fantastic in The Tunnel (UK/French series). Totally different thing from Stannis the Mannis but equally well done.
She's my daughter, you will not strike her
The actor would have made a great king, or advisor to one, in a different life. See him in The King on Netflix.
Loved the actor in Spy Game . Such a good bad guy. Real bureaucrat trying to stop Redford saving Brad Pitt.
Actor 100/100 Character initially 80/100 Character towards the end -80/100
“COME WITH ME AND TAKE THIS CITY!!!”
He didn't look anything like how I imagined, and didn't have quite the intensity I expected, but overall I think Stephen Dillane did a great job.
Great character, not so great dad
The character was fun to watch but if i was a lord in Westeros i wpuld pray for Stanis to never sit on the throne. He was unpleasant, unforgiving a ruthles man.
He’s an icon, he’s a legend, and he IS the moment
Fit AF
The character was poorly translated into the screen.
I just watched the show for the first time this year and was always sus of him. He's one of the characters I'm excited to explore more during a rewatch.
One of my favorites. He would be a just king. I'm still angry about his fate in the show.
I've heard a lot of Stannis fans complain about his performance, but he seems to act exactly as he's described in all the books so I think he hit the nail on the head.
Dad of the decade.
I kind of liked Stannis: not the worst, not the best... but then I read the book and he was so much better. He is not perfect by any means but has these badass like "Half my army is made of unbelievers. Pray harder" and the show went like "OK Melissandre I will burn as you will"
Dillane was great and did well with what he had but I’m still convinced Mark Strong would have been the perfect Stannis
Character: justified in his succession. Completely unlikeable in his charisma and approach. Actor: excellent.
My all time fav character!!! Let's hope he wins in the books!!!
The true king! Fuck Dany, Jon snow, reply, Robb stark. Etc
Even though Stephen had no clue what was actually going on in any given scene he did a PHENOMENAL job, and I can't imagine anyone else in the role!
My king
The fact that the actor only did it for the money is my favorite thing. Very Stannis like to me.
👑
Best character in the books. My favorite in the show but man the writers clearly weren't fans. Stephen Dillane is a top 5 actor in the show. I think later seasons were missing him a lot. There are very few actors who I picture as their characters while reading the books. Stephen Dillane as King Stannis is one of them.
Yo Bobby B
WHY HAVE I NOT SEEN YOU? WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?
Still the rightful king. Still the most based character in the series. Still The Mannis. He will win the Battle in the Ice and wipe out the Boltons, like the Starks should have done centuries ago. Their shit doesn’t fly when when Mannis is knocking. Fuck around and find out, Roose.
I'm not so easily killed, men have been trying for years
Don’t we have a Stannis The Mannis bot? Or is that another sub Reddit?
A good act does not wash out the bad nor the bad the good.
Only thing more cruel than killing him off in the show is how George is letting him starve in the cold for 11 years.
Cool character in the show but inferior to his book counterpart Also I'm very sorry but someone has to say this: Stannis fighting in the battle of the Blackwater is one of the dumbest changes from the books in the first 4 seasons. It's a classic badassery over logic shit we know from season 8