Daenerys Targaryen

Sold into marriage by her brother to secure an army, Daenerys begins as a frightened, powerless girl in exile, the last remnant of a deposed dynasty. She adapts fast, learning to survive among the Dothraki, and starts to discover a will and a lineage that suggest she is not meant to stay powerless for long.

Clarke charts an extraordinary transformation from timid bride to commanding presence without losing the thread between them—you can see the frightened girl inside every later act of authority. The show stacks impossible trials on her, and her survival of each one earns the audience's investment before the larger question of what she'll do with power even arises.