Day 1: Favorite Male Character

My tryst with ASOIAF happened not through the books. I took the HBO's GoT TV series route. The entire background of how i got into this cult like phenomenon, i will be posting later. Back to the topic. I didnt have any favorite characters in the first episode and by the time i binge watched the whole S1, i liked Tyrion Lannister.

But, after reading the whole 5 volumes, i am as much confused as the fandom to pinpoint a specific character.

The strong contenders were (not in any particular order) -  Victarion Greyjoy, Prince Oberyn Martell, Ser Jaime Lannister, Jon Snow, Ser Sandor Clegane, Littlefinger , Stannis Baratheon and fan favorite Tyrion Lannister.

Honorable Mentions: Ser Davos Seaworth, Ser Barristan Selmy, Ser Jon Connington


All the characters mentioned above has grey shade and here is where our hero wins hands down.

The Bastard of Winterfell is as white as his name and even after all the tribulations in his life - like losing his whole family, taking the black, dumped by his GF  etc.-  he did not lose his sanity.

He didnt hit the bottle (Tyrion) or Die, making a fatal mistake (Oberyn) or Sulking (the rest). Lord Snow is completely focussed on what needs to be done and  doest it efficiently even when fate throws all sorts of crazy obstacles to him. Though he doesnt get many cool lines, i expect GRRM will step up his badassery in the next 2 volumes. I sincerely believe , he is the Azor Ahai and TPTWP rolled in one.

But...
yes, there is a big but...

If Oberyn had not died, he would have been my favorite. He comes only in Vol. 3 halfway into the story, but makes a very big splash. He has the most volatile mix of awesomeness and coolness which Jon cant have.  Oberyn has travelled all over the world, bedded anybody(!), expert in poisons as well as potion (he quit as a medical student) and epitome of fearlessness. He is the best father- as vouched by all his daughters, great lover as vouched by his paramour, celebrity status among his people and a honest friend  - Willas Tyrell is the testament. You cant ignore him and Pedro Pascal did a very good job to make sure of this.

My final Verdict:  Jon / Oberyn - Joint winners