If there’s one character in Game of Thrones that was extremely toned down, it’s Euron Greyjoy. I expected to see a truly horrible and ruthless man that would actually send shivers down the spine, but no—all I got was a watered-down and pathetic version of Jack Sparrow that bordered as a comic relief rather than a major villain.
If the show couldn’t manage an accurate depiction of Euron, then it’s a tell-tale sign that they could never handle Victarion, his brother. I’m pretty sure we sort of expected to see this character make his onscreen debut but, in retrospect, I’m just glad they never touched him.
Game of Thrones could never do justice to Victarion Greyjoy
Victarion Greyjoy’s absence allowed Game of Thrones to focus more on the more prominent members of the family, such as Euron, Balon, and Yara (Asha in the books). While I’m bummed to discover that he was cut off from the show, I realized that it was perhaps for the good.
He’s a relatively minor character, after all, but I’m also excited to read his upcoming chapter in George R.R. Martin’s The Winds of Winter. Victarion is often confused as an anti-hero and a villain because of his morally grey persona and insane justifications for everything he does. He’s more complicated than most people think, and I personally believe that this is what makes him even more interesting than Euron.
At first, Victarion might appear as an outright villain, but a close examination of his choices led me to believe that he tries to do the right thing for the benefit he gains from it, and he does bad things because he believes that it is the right thing to do.
When Euron had an affair with Victarion’s salt wife, whom he later impregnated, he confronted his brother about it but was only met with a mocking laugh. To save himself from embarrassment and prevent the news of his cuckoldry from going out in public, he beat his wife to death using his own fist. “He put a baby in her belly and made me do the killing,” he said, which I’m taking as his lame excuse to save his honor.
Of course, he would have killed Euron as well had kinslaying wasn’t taboo. Victarion’s murder of his wife and refusal to exact revenge on his brother are things that wouldn’t sit well with the audience had they watched this on screen. His case would invite sympathy and repugnance, but I don’t think this is the direction the show would take.
What makes Victarion Greyjoy so bafflingly interesting?
The show would have absolutely ruined Victarion had they tried to adapt the character on screen on the basis of what they did to Euron. The former isn’t a good person at all, but he tries to do what he thinks is right under misguided reasons.
Justification of wrongdoings is an integral part of a villain’s story; it defines them as much as reveals their broken moral compass, and even if these characters believe they are trying to do good, the struggle is that this nature does not come intrinsically.
This makes me more excited to read about Victarion and the adventures of House Greyjoy in Martin’s upcoming book. Hopefully, he’ll get it published very soon!
Game of Thrones is currently available to watch on Max.
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