Which character has overcome the most challenges so far?

[H.P.]

What challenges has Stannis overcome? He grew up in one of the most powerful houses in Westeros. Later became brother to the king. Not exactly a hard life.

He has sex with his incredibly unattractive wife twice a year.

[MoIaF]

What challenges has Stannis overcome? He grew up in one of the most powerful houses in Westeros. Later became brother to the king. Not exactly a hard life.

I'd say Daenerys and Arya.

Agree.

Dany was a beggar most of her life and now she's a Queen and conqueror.

[MyLittleFinger]

Is a mummer and basically a slave.

Sold to a creepy old man.

Has root and stem cut off to feed a hungry god.

Left to die with no money and no dick with no name.

Become a thief.

Become the greatest thief in the Free Cities.

Become extremely wealthy with an ally you basically built up through your own work.

Find yourself as Master of Whisperers in a foreign land that despises people without noble blood or accomplishments.

Survive the regime due to your usefulness.

Live your days as the most despised person in Westeros practically for neither being a noble, a warrior, a maester or just a man at all, more like an inhuman being.

Get thrown under the bus for the Purple Wedding.

Yet you have a plan, you have ambition and it's all coming up Milhouse.

It's an easy choice.

[OmnomnomPomelo]

Theon.

Being raised at Winterfell as a ward but he was a prisoner in real. He was there since young age, Ned still couldn't trust him even a little. Robb liked him and then rode together to war, where he fought for Robb. Then was sent to the Iron Islands where he ahd to decide between his original and Stark family. Balon despised him. Captured Winterfell where to prove his words and secure his place he had to kill some people of Winterfell who he knew for years and didn't hate them. Got captured and tortured by Ramsay in different ways. Saw and couldn't do anything when the dogs killed Kira. Due to Theon/Reek Ramsay could flay the Ironborn who were holding Moat Cailin. Everybody thinks that Theon killed Bran and Rickon, so people despise him even more.

So I vote for Theon. I think he is the last person in who's place I'd like to be.

[Oafkeeper]

Well, there are two parts to the question:

1) How great was the challenge compared to your resources (i.e. Tywin has always either been heir to or lord of the West and thus had tons of money and soliders which he did nothing to earn except be born. Compare this to people born as beggars like Varys and Dany or the next best thing like Littlefinger and Jon).

Dany is an obvious choice. She's gone from pawn and beggar to player and Queen. She hatched the world's only known dragons which are possibly the only chance the world has to turn back the Others. She's also done horrendeous damage to the slave trade. Even if her conquests in slavers bay are overturned that is a lesson to slaver and slaves that won't be forgotten quickly.

Vary's is a similar point: He's risen from mutilated beggar boy to major political power in Westeros. The fact he has stayed powerful and relevant from the reign of Aerys to the reign of Tommen is amazing when you consider how little he has, what has happened in that time and how many others have died.

Littlefinger is also a masterful example since he now holds the keys to three of the Seven Kingdoms plus likely a large reserve of cash. However, he has yet to pull of the finale of this plan so it could all go down the shitter.

Stannis's determination is great but he hasn't actually overcome any challenges yet other than "Win the support of the Stormlords" which he promptly lost. He's not overcoming, but he's also refused to give up so the jury is still out.

Theon hasn't done anything noteworthy as far as this thread is concerned. You can't even say "Not gone crazy" since we have no POV chapters after he broke away from Ramsay. He could still be majorly messed up.

Sansa too has only been a passive pawn so far. Her role since arrviving at the Vale has been of a more important piece but she is still just a tool in Littlefinger's hands.

Jon had the advantages of a good education and a Stark (Bastards or not) rising to commander of the Night's Watch is practically a cliche. Still, he has done well to survive the Great Ranging. His defence of Castle Black against the Magnar and then Mance was as important to the history of Westeros as any battle fought in the war. His bravery and intelligence in letting the wildlings through the wall and to support Stannis were both the right move and something a less capable man like Bowen Marsh wouldn't have done.

Brienne should get a special mention. The people mocking her are infinite, the prejudices There's no tradition of warrior women in Andal culture. It takes a special kind of person to blaze a new path despite the resistance of most of the rest of society.

Arya is kind of hard to judge. She's done a damn good job of surviving so far but a lot of the time she was under the protection of someone: Yoren, then Berric, then The Hound. She did a good job turning Harrenhal over to Roose but that was mostly Jaquen. She's shaping up to be a skilled assassin but that's still ongoing.

Bronn is also a good example of a social climber. He's lord of moderate sized lordship in all but name and likely has a fat stack of cash from Tyrion to boot. When most selswords live and die in the gutter that is impressive.

Still, it's hard to judge a person's sucess until their victory is finalised. Tywin seems sucessful but shortly after his death everything looks very shakey for House Lannister and a lot of that has its roots in both his poor choices and his poor parenting. Alienating his most capable child to the point of killing him and then going to join their enemies and bring down the house is a pretty damn collosal blunder for example.

If Dany didn't have dragons she wouldn't have overcome zilch but standing up to her bully older brother (not hard to do when Drogo and 100,000 Dothraki have your back).

Yeah, but her dragons were hatched by her daring and faith. She climbed into the fire and the last few Targs who tried that all died of it.

Maybe her Targ blood was part of what made it work but the dozens of her family who lived between her and the end of the Dance all failed.

As for Drogo, she won him over, also dependant on her.

[Mikkel]

Dany was a beggar most of her life and now she's a Queen and conqueror.

Only in the loosest sense of the word "beggar". She and Viserys begged, yes, but they begged at the houses of the high and mighty, and when accepted they were not thrown scraps and rags, but taken into the household - like Illyrio does. And for a number of years prior to that they would have lived quite comfortably with Willem Darry, until he died that is.

Yes, compared to most nobles it would have been hard, but calling her a beggar is overstating things a bit. Of course it would be demeaning and Viserys took the whole thing rather hard, as he was very proud, and old enough to know what being a royal prince was like.

But yeah, now she's a Queen, and a conqueror. And a slaver, torturer and child-murderer-by-dragon-proxy. She has overcome many challenges, but she has committed atrocities or allowed them to be done in her name to do so.

(in before "so has character X" - your point?)

[Ser Brandon Badwater]

Dany and Jon. Theon hasn`t overcame any challenges, he`s messed up every single one and but for a few spearwives would still be dining on rat

[Oafkeeper]

What challenges has Stannis overcome? He grew up in one of the most powerful houses in Westeros. Later became brother to the king. Not exactly a hard life.

Well he had to fight for his right to party with only the paltry resources of Dragonstone and with no significant allies because everyone hates him.

The only problem is two years later he has only slightly more men and fewer ships than he started with so he's not exactly overcoming challenges so much as tenacious holding his own.

[H.P.]

A lot of people mentioned here have comitted atrocities. Varys, Arya, Littlefinger…

[Robb_Warged]

Bran? Arya? The Hound? So many have pushed through a ton

[MyLittleFinger]

Dany and Jon. Theon hasn`t overcame any challenges, he`s messed up every single one and but for a few spearwives would still be dining on rat

What challenge has Jon ever overcome other than his arrogance? He joined the Night's Watch after being raised with a full education and military training. He and Robb trained pretty much identically. A guy expected to become the Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell in the same training as a nobody bastard. Oh no...I can't sit at the high table when the King of the entire country shows up...boo hoo. Most bastards are treated like absolute dirt outside of oddly enough the Frey's of all houses. He went in as the brightest and best of the lot and his shit continued to shine until that knife landed in his back.

[MyLittleFinger]

A lot of people mentioned here have comitted atrocities. Varys, Arya, Littlefinger…

And? Do you have to overcome challenges with sunshine and rainbows?

[ShadowCat Rivers]

Mance Rayder. Overcoming challenges is the way to become king beyond the wall, and so he did. One of the very few who ever bore that "title".

Other than that, counting where he started and where he's now, it's Varys. Only by his wits it must be noted, not magic or birth advantages.

[H.P.]

And? Do you have to overcome challenges with sunshine and rainbows?

No, it was in response to post # 26, about Dany commiting atrocities. Sorry, should have quoted.

[MyLittleFinger]

No, it was in response to post # 26, about Dany commiting atrocities. Sorry, should have quoted.

Sorry mate, should have payed more attention myself

[TrueOrFalse]

To all the people saying Theon hasn't overcome any challenges...

Finding the courage to escape despite being heavily conditioned through torture to never disobey Ramsay?

Remembering his name and who he was despite being heavily conditioned through torture to only think of himself as Reek?

I know everyone has different criteria for this sort of thing and maybe what I've mentioned doesn't fall under other people's idea of overcoming challenges which is fair enough, but I don't think it should be seen as nothing either.

[Luthien Targaryen]

Davos (besides smuggling stuff, having his fingers chopped off, being promoted to knight/lord/hand, having to deal with Stannis and Melisandre in a regular basis, commanding a fleet in battle, nearly dying-serveral times, he's also been thrown in three separate dungeons! This man deserves a medal!)

also I'm afraid Littlefinger, like Varys, but he also likes to make life difficult for himself just to provide a bit more of a challenge...

[Oafkeeper]

Only in the loosest sense of the word "beggar". She and Viserys begged, yes, but they begged at the houses of the high and mighty, and when accepted they were not thrown scraps and rags, but taken into the household - like Illyrio does. And for a number of years prior to that they would have lived quite comfortably with Willem Darry, until he died that is.

Yes, compared to most nobles it would have been hard, but calling her a beggar is overstating things a bit. Of course it would be demeaning and Viserys took the whole thing rather hard, as he was very proud, and old enough to know what being a royal prince was like.

But yeah, now she's a Queen, and a conqueror. And a slaver, torturer and child-murderer-by-dragon-proxy. She has overcome many challenges, but she has committed atrocities or allowed them to be done in her name to do so.

(in before "so has character X" - your point?)

It was never a question of ethics, merely of doing the most with the least/weakest starting point. Everyone here has named Littlefinger and Vary's whose morality is questionable at best. It's also not taking any context into accoutn and history withotu context may as well be lies.

And yes, if you want to be super picky not a literal beggar, but before marrying drogo she owned nothing we know about. Illyrio provided the clothes on her back. From where she was there to where she is now is a meteoric rise and seems mostly earned by her own merits.

And don't talk about how she was treated in the other free cities if you don't know. The fact they had to move so often does not suggest the royal treatment or at least points at it being very short lived, as does the fact we can't point at a single possession she owned before she was housed by Illyrio.

[Mikkel]

No, it was in response to post # 26, about Dany commiting atrocities. Sorry, should have quoted.

Yep as long as we acknowledge that sometimes, challenges cannot be overcome except by extreme use of force or by committing atrocities - but that doesn't take away that those things were done, and if the challenge is of your own making then you are responsible for the manner in which you overcome them. And yes, that goes for everyone.

[Guard of the Rainking]

I'd say Varys but his past is a shrouded in mystery, so I'm going with Mance Rayder.