Season 3 Characters Revealed

Get your first look at the characters of Season 3.

More Season 2 Characters Revealed

Check out the new photos released for Season 2, including first looks at Margaery Tyrell, Jaqen H'Gar, and some of the other new characters that will be introduced when Season 2 premieres on April 1.

Click the photo above to view the slideshow on HBO.com

New Character Photos for Season 2

The second season of ‘Game of Thrones’ is getting closer, and HBO.com has published 17 new images, which feature many of your favorite denizens of Westeros. Also, you’ll get your first look at Brienne, Melisandre and some of the other new characters who will be introduced when GOT premieres on April 1.

Click the photo to go to HBO.com's gallery of images.

Game of Thrones Premieres to Much Excitement

INSIDE THE SERIES

The direwolves have been adopted, several unfortunates have been decapitated and multiple creepy incestuous relationships have come to light. Welcome to the world of ‘Game of Thrones,’ everyone. And don’t feel lost if you made it to that final scene in the tower without clocking that Jaime and Cersei Lannister share matching DNA -- it’s a lot to wrap your mind around. But the Internet is here to help.

HBO.com can give you each episode’s blow-by-blow, and our Viewer’s Guide will help to sort out all the lords and ladies battling for position in your mental space.

A quick word of caution: Because the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series has gathered such devoted fans, the books have been deconstructed and debated at length online – meaning a blind Google search cold spoil the ending of ‘Game of Thrones’ for you with one click. Wikipedia is also a bit of a minefield. Luckily, many of the people writing about HBO’s new series right now are doing everything they can to avoid spoiling it for new fans.

TV critic Alan Sepinwall has gone so far as to dutifully avoid the books in order to give viewers a purely show-centered analysis, and the fan site Winter-Is-Coming.net went out and dug up their own unspoiled  newb to blog his reactions to the show. The verdict? “I really enjoyed the first episode, it was like being the new kid to the party, I had a great time but I’m not sure if I will remember everyone’s name in the morning.”

What did you think of the series premiere of ‘Game of Thrones?’

Was there a moment or character that didn’t make sense?

What are you looking forward to learning about next week?

A NOTE ON SPOILERS: In the comments, please avoid mentioning or alluding to any events from the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ books that haven’t occurred on the television series. All the fans experiencing this story for the first time will appreciate it!

Five Characters You Need To Know Before April 17

By Steve Marzolf

INSIDE THE SERIES

1. Ned Stark
A veteran soldier who helped the king win his throne, Ned headed north to his hometown to raise a family after the war.  But the peace he fought so hard for is about to get a lot less idyllic.

2. Jon Snow
Jon is Ned's illegitimate son (so he's not exactly the favorite of Lady Catelyn Stark) and like most teens with complicated home lives, he's looking to move out as quickly as possible.

3. Tyrion Lannister
One of the sharpest minds around, Tyrion's stature makes him an object of shame and disgust for his family.  He does his best to make sure his behavior lines up with their expectations.

 

4. Cersei Baratheon
A terror familiar to kind-hearted women everywhere, Queen Cersei brings the spirit of social warfare and backhanded compliments to an office that gives her the power to lobby for death sentences.  Not that her own life is particularly tidy...

5. Daenerys Targaryen
Dany would have been born a princess - but most of her family was killed off in the civil war that brought the new king to power. Instead she grew up exiled across the ocean with a vindictive brother who makes being homeless feel like a welcome distraction.

Find out more about the characters and locations of the show at the official Game of Thrones Viewer's Guide.