Game of Thrones' Most Evil Villain: Why Roose Bolton Beats Tywin Lannister Hands Down

George R. R. Martin's fantasy world of Westeros is filled with all kinds of despicable characters who will stop at nothing to get what they want. And that's why people love Game of Thrones so much: you can despise and love the inhabitants of Westeros in equal measure. Two prime examples of this love-hate relationship would be Tyrion and Theon Greyjoy.

And yet, some characters are so evil that it's practically impossible to feel sympathy for them. Roose Bolton and Tywin Lannister are probably at the top of everybody's list of the most despised Game of Thrones characters.

But which one of the pair is the true evil incarnate?

Both are powerful lords notorious for their treacherous tactics and good old-fashioned sadism. Both have caused the deaths of thousands. Tywin comes across as a fine gentleman, but if you scratch the surface, out comes pure unadulterated evil: the guy not only set his own son up for execution, but he also ordered the Mountain to kill and mutilate a mother in front of her children.

But even Tywin pales in comparison to Roose Bolton, one of the vilest characters George R. R. Martin has ever created. This soft-spoken sadist never raises his voice, and yet his subjects are petrified of him. What makes him really dangerous is his ability to conceal his sociopathic personality by pretending to be a normal, caring person.

Game of Thrones fans generally agree that Roose Bolton is a far more evil character than Tywin Lannister.

The latter will only resort to sadism when he has to. By contrast, Roose seems to derive immense pleasure from hurting people. It must be genetic, seeing how his bastard son Ramsey grew up an insane psychopath keen on maiming and torturing people just for kicks. Regardless of which one of the two is more evil, neither Tywin nor Roose will ever be making anyone's list of favourite GoT characters.