Who is lord varys

Ergo, like Dr. Survey says yes! Besides the fact that the idea that he might flip on Daenerys was brought up by Daenerys herself in Season 7, Varys seemed relieved, if not enthusiastic, to learn that Jon Snow had a stronger claim to the Iron Throne.

In two separate conversations last week, he tried to push Tyrion to his side. We can surmise that Varys left him to die, but it would be funny if Varys had been dragging him around Planetos this whole time. You know, feeding his box man on the road to Volantis, in Meereen, and on Dragonstone. You know, that thing Melisandre was horny for?

So nope on Blackfyre Varys. All evidence points to yes. Where to stream Game of Thrones. Where to Stream: Game of Thrones. More On: Game of Thrones. Varys points out that Tyrion was an effective ruler when he was acting Hand of the King, and that each of them were outsiders due to their deformities a eunuch and a dwarf. They enjoyed accumulating power, he says, but they also wall themselves off from other people, like hiding inside of a large carriage as they are now.

Deep down they were never satisfied being separate from society. Tyrion is unmoved from his depression, and continues to insist that he's tired of being confined in a box of some sort. Varys, however, again warns him that he must remain hidden, as it is unsafe to be seen publicly because Cersei has promised a lordship to any man who brings her his head.

Tyrion scoffs and rhetorically asks if Cersei is going to kill every dwarf in the world in the hope of eventually catching him. On the outskirts of Volantis, Tyrion finally forces Varys to let him out for a walk. The pair explore the slave markets and brothels of Volantis, observing the sermon of a Red Priestess before finally settling on a brothel. Although Varys is able to keep an eye on Tyrion for much of their excursion, he eventually loses track of him, and Tyrion is kidnapped by Jorah Mormont.

Daenerys remains skeptical, having been told of how Varys was responsible for sending the assassins against her on Robert's orders. Tyrion counters that Varys had to do that to survive and that he may have even been responsible for saving her life when she was still a baby.

It's not clear if her opinion of Varys has changed, but she accepts Tyrion into her service. After the Harpy ambush at Daznak's Pit and Daenerys' flight on Drogon , Varys surprises Tyrion by nonchalantly walking up to him on the walls of Meereen.

He teases Tyrion about "abandoning" him in Volantis but fortunately, his little birds , who sing in the east as well as the west, told him about Tyrion arriving in Meereen and finding favor with Daenerys.

With Meereen on the brink of civil war, Varys reminds Tyrion that he is the only person in Meereen with experience in governing a city where everyone wants to kill each other. Tyrion smiles and tells Varys that he needs him and his spies if Daenerys' reign over Meereen is to survive. He admits that he missed Varys's presence and counsel, to which Varys cheerfully replies, "Oh, I know. Varys and Tyrion explore Meereen in disguise in order to locate the Sons of the Harpy.

Encountering a starving woman and her child, Tyrion offers her some money, though due to his awful Valyrian, she believes he intends to eat her baby until Varys assures her this is not the case. Pressing on, they contemplate the situation in Meereen before witnessing a Red Priest preaching to former slaves to fight for their freedom instead of waiting for Daenerys. Determining that the Sons are organized under a leader , Varys assures Tyrion it is only a matter of time before his little birds find this person.

Suddenly, they come across several Meereenese running away from something. Investigating, Varys is shocked to find that the Sons have burned Daenerys' fleet of ships in the harbor.

Back inside the Great Pyramid, Varys asks Grey Worm if the Unsullied are searching for the person who burned the Meereenese fleet and informs Tyrion that Astapor and Yunkai have returned to the slave trade. He then accompanies Tyrion to the dragon pit at the latter's suggestion and witnesses him freeing Viserion and Rhaegal.

Once the dragons have been unchained, Varys quickly leaves the catacombs with Tyrion, who asks the eunuch to punch him at his next crazy idea. Later, Varys interrogates Vala , a prostitute in league with the Sons of the Harpy, who personally betrayed and murdered members of the Unsullied and Second Sons.

In exchange for her cooperation, he promises her and her son safe passage on a ship bound for Pentos and a bag of silver to start anew. Once the information has been obtained, Varys informs Tyrion, Missandei and Grey Worm that the Masters of Astapor, Yunkai, and even Volantis are collectively funding the Sons' rebellion.

Tyrion then asks Varys to contact his little birds in all three cities in order to arrange a meeting with the Masters. A few days later, Varys witnesses the arrival of the Masters in Meereen along with Tyrion, Grey Worm and Missandei, and attends the meeting with them, remaining silent throughout. The pact is successful, and two weeks later, Varys informs Tyrion that Meereen has begun to stabilize, though Tyrion reminds him they must mention Daenerys' involvement in their success, and suggests asking someone who can't be easily bribed or manipulated.

When Varys asks where they will find this man, Tyrion responds with the eunuch's own question, "Who said anything about 'him'? Varys is skeptical, however, and points out that the same promise was made to Stannis Baratheon , who was eventually defeated and killed. Kinvara simply admits that people make mistakes and quickly silences Varys with the knowledge of his castration. Despite Varys's distrust, Kinvara agrees to spread the word about Daenerys and assures the eunuch he has nothing to fear from her.

Several weeks after Tyrion's agreement with the Masters, Varys and Tyrion walk through a repopulated Meereen. Despite Varys's continued distrust of the Red Priests, they have been able to draw both former Masters and freedmen back into the fold by preaching that Daenerys is the chosen one of their prophecies.

With the situation in Meereen under control, Varys decides to return to Westeros where he will seek out allies who would support Daenerys when she returns to claim the Iron Throne. Tyrion accompanies his friend to the docks where they part, although the spymaster still warns him about the Red Priests whom he decries as 'fanatics'. Some months later, when Olenna Tyrell accepts an invitation from Ellaria Sand to Sunspear to discuss the possibilities of an alliance against Cersei in the wake of the Sept of Baelor's destruction and the resultant deaths of Margaery , Loras and Mace Tyrell , Varys reveals himself as the true architect of the alliance, which is in fact to provide a domestic beachhead for Daenerys's return.

When Daenerys finally sets sail for Westeros she has the combined might of Dorne, the Reach and most of the Iron Fleet, along with her Unsullied, Dothraki, and dragons. Varys stands aboard Daenerys's flagship with her, Tyrion and Missandei, having finally met his new Queen and pledged his loyalty. With dragons flying in the skies, the war for Westeros is now ready to begin.

He follows Daenerys from the shore of the island to the hall of the castle. Varys points out that had he refused to serve Robert, he would have lost his head and states that Robert, while a poor ruler overall, was certainly an improvement over her cruel and insane father. Tyrion protests that Varys has done much to prove his loyalty, but Daenerys points out that he has made a habit of plotting the downfall of any King that doesn't suit his purpose, and then replacing them with another.

Refusing to be intimidated, Varys replies that his lack of blind loyalty to a monarch has actually been beneficial for the Realm , as a whole. As someone who has suffered slavery, torture and poverty all his childhood, his loyalty has never been to any King or Queen, but to the people. Varys wryly remarks that if Daenerys only wants blind loyalty from him, she might as well execute him now; but if she is willing to accept his services, he can give her enormous assistance in taking the Iron Throne.

He reaffirms that she is, in his opinion, the last great hope for the people of Westeros. Satisfied, Dany asks him to swear to her that, if he feels she is failing the Realm as Queen, he tell her to her face rather than conspire to replace her.

Varys swears to do so. Shortly afterwards, they learn that Melisandre has come to Dragonstone. Unsurprisingly, Varys makes a backhanded comment about her previous service to Stannis Baratheon, only for Daenerys to curtly remind him that she just forgave him for serving another King. Varys bows in acknowledgment, though he remains hostile towards Melisandre and skeptical of her prophecy about "The Prince that was Promised.

When Jon Snow finally arrives at Dragonstone, Melisandre stays back, observing from the cliffs. Varys confronts her there and intuits that she's done something to anger the King in the North. Melisandre confirms that neither Jon nor his adviser are fond of her due — in her own words — to mistakes that she had made. Melisandre says that she will stay away from both Jon and Daenerys as her days of "whispering in the ears of kings" are over — a direct dig at Varys's chosen position.

Melisandre declares that she has "brought ice and fire together" and that her work is done. Varys is delighted to hear that she will depart for Volantis soon, and advises her not to return to Westeros. Melisandre states that she cannot follow that advice, as she must return to Westeros once more to face her end: like Varys, it is her fate to die in Westeros.

Varys and Tyrion later confront Daenerys outside the dragonglass mountain, where they inform her of the loss of Olenna Tyrell and Highgarden as well as the fact that the Unsullied hold Casterly Rock , but are starved out and will be most likely defeated due to Euron Greyjoy 's attack on their navy.

Because of this, Daenerys decides to attack head on with her dragons. However, she still is swayed from attacking King's Landing , and instead decides on attacking the Lannister - Tarly forces on the Goldroad. Tyrion continues to insist that Daenerys is not her father, and Varys agrees up to a point: Dany may not have her father's madness, but she certainly has a considerable ruthless streak, which - in Varys's view - must be curtailed by Tyrion's more pragmatic counsel.

They discuss the sealed scroll containing Bran Stark's message from the North. Varys arrives in King's Landing, with the full army and navy of the Targaryen militia present, but without Daenerys herself, who arrives on Drogon to intimidate Cersei. Varys later questions Bronn's allegiance to Cersei, along with Tyrion, who still somewhat trusts him, during their escorting to the armistice.

Varys is present at the parley in the Dragonpit , though he does not speak during the negotiations. Varys arrives in the winter town via litter, accompanied by Tyrion, who makes small talk due to the awkward, silent "welcome" they receive from the Northmen.

Tyrion mocks Varys's castration, to which Varys says that Tyrion himself mocks eunuchs despite his hatred for the mockery of dwarfism. Tyrion explains that he jokes about the former simply due to not being a eunuch himself. Later, as Jon and Daenerys inspect the new defenses being put up around Winterfell, Varys, Tyrion and Davos view them from afar, remarking that a marriage-alliance might help cement their alliance, especially in terms of appeasing the Northmen's distrust of Daenerys.

Varys surmises to say that due to the youth of the two, the three old men are not applicable in making that decision unaware that Jon and Daenerys have already begun a relationship en route to Winterfell. Varys is present at the trial of Jaime Lannister in the Great Hall of Winterfell, but does not speak. After Daenerys chastises Tyrion for his latest mistake, he stops to listen when Tyrion remarks that either Jorah or Varys himself might soon replace him as Hand of the Queen.

Later, Varys attends the strategy meeting to prepare for the imminent attack by the White Walkers. He nods in agreement when Daenerys tells Tyrion he should stay in the crypts rather than fight. Varys remains in the crypts for the entirety of the subsequent battle. When the dead in the crypts stir due to the presence of the Night King , Varys manages to barely take shelter in an alcove, futilely protecting several of the children. His luck holds however, and he survives the night.

At the celebration following the defeat of the Night King, Varys watches the festivities and approves of Daenerys's decision to legitimize Gendry and make him the Lord of Storm's End. Varys is the only one of the queen's retainers to observe her jealousy of Jon Snow's popularity among his people in Westeros. When Daenerys and her army return to Dragonstone, Varys is present on the flagship, processing a revelation delivered by Tyrion: Jon Snow is actually Daenerys's nephew Aegon Targaryen.

This new information, along with his observations of Daenerys's recent behavior, makes Varys reconsider his stance on Jon and Daenerys ruling jointly. When the ship is attacked and destroyed by Euron Greyjoy 's fleet, Varys is among those who manage to make it to the shores of Dragonstone.

As Daenerys prepares to order the devastation of King's Landing in revenge for the murder of Rhaegal and the capture of Missandei , Varys invokes her earlier insistence that he tell her directly when he thinks she is making a mistake. Between him and Tyrion, Daenerys is convinced to at least try negotiating with Cersei, but Varys is now totally disillusioned and tells Tyrion directly that Jon Snow's more balanced nature makes him better suited to rule than the impulsive and increasingly volatile Daenerys.

Varys is later present at the parlay with Cersei and witnesses her petulant execution of Missandei. Increasingly concerned by Daenerys's behavior on Dragonstone after the failed parlay, Varys sends various letters to unknown parties through his little birds, and apparently attempts to poison Daenerys. He privately confronts Jon Snow, unaware that Tyrion is watching him. When Jon asks after Daenerys, Varys tells him about Daenerys's grief.

Jon says she shouldn't be alone and Varys bluntly states his concerns about Daenerys, "We both know what she's about to do," and tries to convince Jon that, regardless of titles, he is the "right ruler" for the Seven Kingdoms. Jon tells Varys he doesn't want the crown and, unable to believe Varys's words about Daenerys, refuses to betray her.

Tyrion informs Daenerys of Varys's conspiracy, and she sends Grey Worm to arrest him; Varys does not resist, merely burning an unsent letter about Jon's parentage and removing his various rings before he is shackled and escorted to the shores of Dragonstone.

Tyrion sadly confesses that he was the one who turned Varys in, but Varys accepts this calmly, telling Tyrion, "I hope I deserve this. Truly, I do. I hope I'm wrong. He then faces Daenerys and Drogon , stoically awaiting his execution. Daenerys holds true to her promise that she will execute him if he should betray her [51] and has Drogon burn him alive.

Varys's predictions proved to be correct; even after King's Landing surrenders, Daenerys's rage and grief for the loved ones she had lost left her unsatisfied.

Eventually, she uses Drogon to indiscriminately burn the city to the ground , slaughtering thousands of smallfolk, exactly as Varys had feared. He expresses regret at having betrayed his closest friend and watched him burn, claiming it was a crude kind of justice that he was sentenced to the same fate.

Weeks after the Battle of King's Landing and Daenerys's death , during the Great Council in the Dragon Pit , Tyrion succeeded in Varys' mission of restoring peace and prosperity to Westeros, with Bran the Broken elected as the new king. Varys's faith in Tyrion, being a vital part in saving Westeros, was finally proven true.

Varys is a mysterious man if ever there was one. He is completely unpredictable, in no small part thanks to his stoic, calm and reserved demeanor and his ability to wade through one confrontation after another without losing his dignity, temper or advantage. He frequently claimed that his one and only ambition was to accomplish and to achieve for the good of " the realm ", although exactly what this means is extremely subjective to those unaware of his true loyalties.

Varys is one of the very few people in Westeros who possess immense political power and do not intend to sit on the Iron Throne themselves. He never appears to serve one side for long at all, and may not have served that side in the first place when all is said and done, and nobody appears capable of trusting him. Varys, in spite of appearing subservient and passive, is an extremely intelligent man, a master of deception, manipulation and calculation.

Varys's subtle and calculative nature is made more impressive by him owning the most prominent spy network in all of Westeros, which is only matched by the spy network of Petyr Baelish. Despite having a mutual rivalry and hatred for one another, both Baelish and Varys are incredibly similar: they appear to be sycophantic and meek, but are in fact shockingly ruthless and possess powerful intellect, they both have vast networks of personal spies, traitors and double agents that are entirely at their disposal, and they both rose to positions of great political power.

Varys and Littlefinger have such a rivalry with one another so unusually complex that they are able to spar verbally with one another intensely without ever coming to blows. Instead they calmly insult one another as quickly and as precisely as two master swordsmen sparring to the death.

However, while Littlefinger has a personal ambition to take all of the reachable power there is in the Seven Kingdoms for himself and eliminate anyone who obstructs him, Varys dedicates himself to be the ultimate kingmaker and is hell-bent on restoring what he sees as prosperity to Westeros for the sake of the people. For all the similarities in their means, the pair are antithetical to each other in their intended ends. Their origins are also significantly different: Littlefinger was born the heir to a noble house albeit a lower-ranking one whereas Varys was born a slave, a status he only escaped from after being left for dead following his castration.

Entirely in spite of his reserved and subtle demeanor, Varys is an extremely dangerous man who is capable of unspeakable cruelty and ruthlessness — though usually only when absolutely necessary. He is not above threatening people to get what is required for his plans, but is also willing to give other players fair warning when warranted. For instance, when Tyrion threatened to throw him into the sea, Varys serenely retorted that he would simply survive and come back to return the favor.

Varys is a survivor of the highest order. He compares the game of thrones to a dangerous body of water and says that he will "keep on paddling" through powerful storms, dangerous tides and fish eating each other.

Having survived Robert's Rebellion and the War of the Five Kings with nary a scratch, it seems his metaphor is quite apt. Even so, Varys is not incapable of fear: when he was emasculated by a sorcerer, the most terrifying part of the entire experience was when the sorcerer threw his pieces into a fire and a voice answered the sorcerer's call. Varys would spend the rest of his life having nightmares about that voice, becoming painfully introduced to the horrors of the real and supernatural world.

He has since developed a disdain for magic in general, especially blood magic, seen when his calm facade falters while confronting High Priestess Kinvara.

Varys's calm facade also masks a somewhat vengeful nature, as he exhausted a great deal of influence to find and capture the sorcerer who castrated him. Varys tells Tyrion, upon observing the bound sorcerer, that revenge is perfectly within his reach, provided that he has the 'stomach' for such a thing—and leaves him alive, intending to take his time and savor the revenge he had long sought.

However, with this notable exception, Varys usually does not employ his more ruthless nature unless necessary. He will betray, lie and kill without hesitation, yet he does not do so for his own enjoyment but strictly for the fulfillment of his plans and for his own survival.

Despite his temperament as a skilled manipulator and unwillingness of others around him to trust people like him, he is not incapable of making true friends at a personal level. Tyrion Lannister is the most notable example. Initially saving the dwarf due solely to the fact that he perceived Tyrion to be essential in his plans, Varys and Tyrion eventually develop an amiable friendship during Tyrion's tenure as Hand of the King, enough for Varys to express regret at testifying against him and to put effort into smuggling him to Essos to survive and serve Daenerys.

Tyrion has mentioned more than once that he will miss Varys's presence when the eunuch is needed elsewhere; they greatly enjoy conversation with each other, as they are both superb intellectuals with a dry, dark sense of humor, but unlike the sociopathic Baelish, Tyrion's compassionate nature is more similar to Varys's.

During a conversation with Oberyn , Varys states that he was never interested sexually in either men or women before his castration; however, this is difficult to verify, as he was castrated at a young age, most likely before puberty. Most of the people of Kings' Landing assume he satisfies his desires with his "little birds" but this seems unlikely as Varys has never shown any malice or desire towards his spies, and he has himself stated that he would never seek to harm a child.

Varys admits that, after his castration, he did sell himself sexually for a while in his struggle to survive the slums of Essos. However, he took no enjoyment from it, and, after witnessing so much cruelty take place in Westeros and Essos as a result of desire, he claims to be relieved that he can no longer experience it. Varys' unwillingness to develop personal loyalty to any one monarch is ultimately his downfall; fearing that Daenerys has indeed inherited her father's madness and will burn King's Landing rather than take it peacefully, he begins plotting to support Jon Snow's claim instead, reasoning that Jon's stronger claim and the greater loyalty he inspires in Westeros will bring better stability than Daenerys.

Varys does not show any grudge towards Tyrion for turning him in understanding that Tyrion was merely trying to prevent a future dynastic war between Jon and Daenerys and calmly accepts his own execution, telling Tyrion that he hopes he was wrong.

Unfortunatly, events after his death indicate that Varys was probably right about Daenerys' madness; she uses Drogon to indiscriminately burn all of King's Landing, even after the bells are rung to indicate surrender. While Varys's own account of his past might not be fully trusted, he was apparently born as a slave in the Free City of Lys and found himself in a mummer's troupe in Myr , where he was castrated by " a certain man " as Varys refers to him , and he later spent time in Pentos.

After the conclusion of Robert's Rebellion , Varys was pardoned by King Robert Baratheon and continued to serve him as spymaster and intelligence-gatherer. The TV series confirmed that this is indeed his true backstory, actually showing the sorcerer who castrated him. The TV series omitted the line where he stated that he was specifically born in the city of Lys, though the acting troupe he served in moved around extensively, so he didn't grow up there; afterwards he spent a long time in Myr working his way up in the world, then later moved on to Pentos as an information trafficker.

This seems to mean that he is ethnically a Lysene, though then again, as he was born a slave, his parents may have been sold there from somewhere else. In the fourth novel, following Tyrion's escape, Qyburn informs Cersei that an ancient Tyrell coin was found in the sleeping cell of an undergaoler named Rugen. Cersei, who has grown paranoid of the Tyrells, think they helped Tyrion escape by bribing the guards, and might have conspired with him to murder Joffrey and Tywin as well - as a part of a plan to undermine the Lannisters.

Rugen is in fact Varys; [54] in view of his words in the epilogue of the following novel, it can be assumed he left the coin in order to drive a wedge between the Lannisters and the Tyrells. Instead, he has his friend Illyrio Mopatis receive Tyrion, and it is Illyrio who convinces Tyrion to go to Meereen and serve Daenerys Targaryen , and accompanies him some of the way there. As such, during the particular events that transpire in Volantis in the TV series, Varys is taking the place of a man known as Haldon Halfmaester, a man who studied at the Citadel but did not become a maester and now supports the Targaryens.

During the journey, Aegon reveals to Tyrion that Varys switched him with another baby, whom the Mountain killed during the Sack of King's Landing. He kills Pycelle and Kevan, the latter with a crossbow, in order to implicate Tyrion who killed Tywin with a crossbow and fool Cersei into believing Tyrion is still in Westeros, thereby keeping Tyrion, who is in Essos, out of harm's way.

Varys laments Kevan's death since he was a good and competent man. Kevan had to be eliminated to allow Cersei to keep ruining the Realm in preparation for the return of House Targaryen.

Varys then reveals to Kevan the great secret - that Aegon is alive, and Varys intends to make him the king of Westeros. According to the TV series official pronunciation guide developed for the cast and crew, "Varys" is pronounced "VAIR-iss", although characters in the show sometimes pronounce it "VAR-iss.

Game of Thrones Wiki. Game of Thrones Wiki Explore. Game of Thrones. House of the Dragon. Peterson - linguist. Patel - director. Vhagar Caraxes Syrax Meleys Sunfyre.

Ned found out about Cersei's affair with her brother Jaime and decided to use it to get the queen out of the palace, but he didn't know just how powerful the Lannisters were. Ned trusted Lord Baelish with the information despite Varys repeated warnings and fell straight into Littlefinger's trap. His carelessness got both Robert and himself killed in the end. It was a miracle that Daenerys ever accepted Varys into her service after he spied on her with the help of Jorah Mormont and even plotted to kill her.

Varys was so keen on keeping his trust with Robert's little council that he agreed to the idea of assassinating Daenerys. Although Tyrion later defended him, saying he didn't have an option, it wasn't exactly true because Varys could always fail to give the order, and no one at court would have found out. Varys also continued to support the Lannisters in their quest to kill Daenerys after the first attempt failed, which makes you doubt whether his claim of loyalty to House Targaryen was ever true.

Varys and Tyrion were forced out of King's Landing because they were undesirable; A eunuch and a dwarf, which was unfair because they were great leaders. By saving Tyrion, Varys saved the realm just as he had hoped since Tyrion helped restore order after Daenerys' death. Although Varys claimed that he only saved Tyrion in fear of Jaime, it is obvious that he also loved Tyrion. Varys wasn't prepared to run away from King's Landing with Tyrion at first, but he became wiser when he heard the bells because Cersei would have killed him if she found out the truth.

Varys was a mysterious man, and his loyalty to Tyrion was questionable if you look closely at how he watched and even helped as Tyrion Lannister got into trouble. Although he later saved him, Tyrion's execution would have been avoided if Varys didn't testify against him. Accepting to act as Cersei's witness against Tyrion was a surprise even to Tyrion, who hoped his bald friend would vouch for him. Varys knew that Tyrion hadn't killed Joffrey, but he chose to please Cersei over telling the truth.

He even went ahead to give the final incriminating evidence knowing very well that Tywin and Cersei would use it to kill Tyrion. Lord Varys always found a way of making himself useful with his cunning mind, always providing solutions to the problem at hand. Tyrion was wise but short-handed in the new world because he didn't know people nor the language.

His Valaryan was so bad that the poor woman he was trying to help in the streets thought he wanted to eat her baby.