Margaery Tyrell, played by Natalie Dormer, is one of the most interesting characters to follow in “Game of Thrones.” She’s introduced in Season 2 as the recent wife of Renly Baratheon before he’s murdered by a shadow. Soon, the audience discovers that her true desire is to be the queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Soon enough, she and her family strike a deal with Petyr Baelish to betroth Margaery to King Joffrey, fulfilling that wish.
As Joffrey’s betrothed, Margaery becomes the enemy of Cersei and gladly delights in passive-aggressively antagonizing her. She strikes up a healthy friendship with Sansa Stark, promising to have her marry her brother Loras, though Tywin eventually gets ahead of this and marries Sansa to Tyrion. Nevertheless, Margaery goes forward with marrying Joffrey until he’s suddenly poisoned at their wedding by Margaery’s grandmother Olenna, who doesn’t want her daughter to marry the abusive king.
Margaery continues to fulfill her dream of becoming queen by marrying Joffrey’s younger brother, Tommen. Their marriage is loving, albeit Margaery is quite good at manipulating the young king. When she’s arrested by the High Sparrow for treason, her true colors shine as she acts cruelly towards Cersei. She’s eventually released after falsely dedicating herself to the faith, though she’s later killed in a genocidal act by Cersei. Though her kindness and charity are acts of self-interest, she does die trying to help civilians escape the Sept of Baelor, making her ultimately a force for good.
