Game of Thrones Star Reveals the One Thing It Does That The Lord of the Rings Doesn’t
With HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on the horizon, Peter Claffey wades into the Game of Thrones vs Lord of the Rings debate, siding with Middle-earth for its stronger code of honor. He argues Westeros’s darker, adult themes leave less room for nobility.
Peter Claffey just waded into the eternal Game of Thrones vs. The Lord of the Rings debate, and yes, he has a stance. It’s not exactly shocking, but it is interesting coming from the guy about to lead HBO’s next Westeros show.
Claffey’s read: Middle-earth has more honor, Westeros has more knives
Claffey, who stars as Ser Duncan the Tall in HBO’s upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, told Polygon that Tolkien’s world plays cleaner than George R.R. Martin’s. At New York Comic Con, he doubled down, calling Westeros more sinister because of its adult themes and the way people actually get ahead there.
"There is so much more honor present [in Middle-earth] because of the adult themes in Game of Thrones and George’s world. People get so far in positions and status by doing hideous things and stabbing people in the back, literally and figuratively... With the glorious trilogy that is The Lord of the Rings, you see so much more honor, and other than Morgoth or Sauron... [LOTR] is a lot more like fairy tale evil."
He also pointed out the part everyone learns the hard way in Westeros: actions usually catch up to you, often in gruesome fashion. Which is why he likes playing Duncan — the guy actually tries to hold onto his honor while everyone around him schemes.
Martin’s take: big Tolkien fan, very different storyteller
George R.R. Martin knows people love to compare his saga to Tolkien’s, and he’s not shy about the difference. Tolkien’s books are steeped in culture and lore, with fellowship, chivalry, and the light-beats-dark arc front and center. There’s violence, sure, but it isn’t there to shock you for kicks — it serves the quest. That’s not how Westeros works.
"I pretend to offer a dirty fantasy, more raw than Tolkien’s."
That’s Martin in an interview with Adria’s News, where he also made it clear that, while he admires Tolkien, he doesn’t consider him a major influence on A Song of Ice and Fire.
So what about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
If you caught the new teaser, you probably noticed it doesn’t look like straight-up Game of Thrones. Different vibe, smaller scale. That’s by design. Martin has told fans not to expect dragon parades or wall-to-wall mega battles.
"It’s a character piece, and its focus is on duty and honor, on chivalry,"
he wrote on Not A Blog, adding that the tone is lighter and a bit funnier than Thrones — a shift some viewers might need a minute to adjust to. Still, don’t expect a hard pivot into Tolkien territory; it’s toned down, not transformed into a Middle-earth echo.
- Title: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
- Showrunner: Ira Parker
- Release date: January 18, 2026
- Episodes: 6
- Star: Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall
Where do you land on the Westeros vs. Middle-earth scale? Drop your take below.
Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings trilogy are available to watch on HBO Max.