In just a few short seasons, the number of men and women playing the "game of thrones" on HBO's hit show has shrunk considerably. Where once there was Renly, Stannis, Joffrey and Robb (and Dany, sort of) all battling it out for the right to sit the Iron Throne, now there are only a handful of contenders left.
As it so happens, Stannis Baratheon, the "rightful" king and the first to declare war in the first place, is still standing. And with good reason: He has proven more cunning and resilient than his rivals, and as a result is nearly the last king left in this grand game.
He many not be charming or good-looking, but Stannis knows how to get things done, and doesn't let setbacks prevent him from pushing forward. He has a keen military mind, is fair, and above all, actually cares about the Seven Kingdoms, unlike other kings and queens we've seen over the last five seasons.
Still aren't convinced? Here are five reasons Stannis Baratheon deserves to win the Iron Throne. At least until Dany shows up.
He Doesn't Ignore The Threats Beyond The Wall
When the Night's Watch sent out ravens pleading for reinforcements from the seven kingdoms ahead of a Wildling invasion, nobody answered the call, too concerned with their own families and petty squabbles to send aid. Nobody but Stannis that is, and he didn't just bring a few men, he brought his entire army. His force crushed the Wildling host, saved the Night's Watch and all the innocent men and women living south of the Wall who would have been swept under a tide of Wildlings.
Not only that, but Stannis takes the threat of the White Walkers and the Others seriously. Melisandre believes Stannis to be the chosen warrior of her red god, the one who will lead the world out of the coming darkness of the long night. Whether Stannis is the chosen one or not remains to be seen, but at least he is trying, which is more than, well, anybody else in the world is doing.
Davos Is His Right Hand Man
It takes a special kind of man to elevate a lowly smuggler to hand of the king, but that is exactly what Stannis did with Davos. Stannis knew he needed a down-to-earth man to keep him in check and to offer opinions contrary to his own, not some high and proper lord with their own agenda. Davos is 100 percent loyal to Stannis, and that loyalty means Davos will always speak up when he thinks Stannis is making a mistake. Most importantly, Stannis is willing to admit when he is wrong, something you don't see too often when it comes to kings and queens. Davos' good-hearted nature and trust in Stannis to do the right thing is yet another reason why Stannis is worth rooting for.
He Is Willing To Do What Needs To Be Done For The Greater Good
For many, their first impression of Stannis is "shadow baby assassination." Which to be fair, is definitely hard to forget. Murdering your brother with a shadow definitely doesn't seem like something a "good" guy would do, but this is Game of Thrones we are talking about. Good guys don't really exist. There are only people. Some decent, some bad and some truly horrible. Stannis definitely falls into the decent category, which is as close to good as we are going to get.
He is fair and just, but he isn't above bending or even breaking the rules for the greater good, unlike Ned Stark, for example. Stannis' alliance with Melisandre to outsiders seems like a deal with the devil. However, if it wins Stannis the throne, where he can bring order and justice to the Seven Kingdoms and prepare for the coming winter, what does it matter if he consults magic fires, kills people with shadows or occasionally burns people alive? Okay, when you put it that way he sounds kind of sketch. But he is just the kind of man the Seven Kingdoms needs right now.
He Is Going To Put The Boltons In Their Place (Maybe)
There is no family more hated among Game of Thrones fans than the Boltons. The Lannisters at least have Tyrion. The Boltons? Only Ramsay and Roose, two murderous psychopaths who relish in raping and flaying the skin off any person who so much as looks at them funny. These two unsavory characters now have the entire North in their control. Nobody is happy about it.
Leave it to Stannis then to actually do something about the whole situation. After smashing the Wildlings, Stannis and his army are marching south to take back Winterfell from the Boltons and restore some semblance of justice to the North. Last we saw Stannis and his troops were caught in a massive snowstorm, low on supplies and quickly running out of options. Let's hope Stannis actually make it to the gates of Winterfell and soon after put Ramsay's head on a pike, because it's going to really suck for everybody involved if he doesn't.
He Has Impeccable Grammar
A king needs to be understanding. Just. Fair. Level-headed. Articulate. Oh, and it helps if he is a grammar-Nazi as well. As we've seen a few times now, Stannis has a zero tolerance policy for people who don't know how to talk.
Making Westeros a better place, one correction at a time.
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