Every Game of Thrones Hand of the King, Ranked Worst to Best
Few jobs in Westeros carry as much weight as serving as Hand of the King. It’s a position built on trust, strategy, and proximity to power and in Game of Thrones, it’s also one of the most dangerous seats at the small council table. Some who wear the badge treat it as a stepping stone for personal ambition. Others treat it as a sacred duty to the realm. A rare few manage to balance both.
The tradition dates back centuries, long before Robert Baratheon’s rebellion toppled the Targaryen dynasty and reshaped the Iron Throne’s line of succession. Even after that seismic shift, every monarch male or female still needed someone at their side to handle the business of ruling. That’s where the Hand comes in: equal parts advisor, enforcer, and scapegoat.
Game of Thrones gave us no shortage of candidates for the role, and their performances varied wildly. Jon Arryn, the first Hand mentioned in the series, dies off-screen before viewers ever get to see him in action, so he won’t factor into this ranking. What follows is a breakdown of every Hand of the King (and Queen) who actually appeared on screen, ranked from least effective to the undisputed best Hand of the King in the show’s history. Note that this list sticks strictly to the original HBO series with no spin-offs or book-only appointments included.
7. Mace Tyrell
Played by: Roger Ashton-Griffiths
Mace Tyrell appears in just 13 episodes of Game of Thrones, and he never manages to leave much of a mark. His brief stint as Hand of the King comes while serving Renly Baratheon, during the younger Baratheon’s bid for the Iron Throne. The arrangement is mutually beneficial: Mace offers up his daughter Margaery to marry Renly, positioning her to become queen if his claim succeeds.
That plan collapses the moment Renly is killed through dark magic, prompting the Tyrells to pivot their allegiance back to the Lannisters. As a reward for switching sides, Mace is handed a consolation prize, a seat on the small council as Master of Ships. For what it’s worth, the books do have Mace later serving as Hand of the King to Tommen, but the show never acknowledges this development. Among every game of thrones hand of the king, Mace is remembered less for what he accomplished and more for how little impact he had.
6. Kevan Lannister
Played by: Ian Gelder
Kevan Lannister steps into the Hand of the King role for Tommen Baratheon following the death of his brother, Tywin Lannister. Like Mace Tyrell, Kevan barely registers as a presence, appearing in just 12 episodes one fewer than Mace himself.
Kevan leads the small council through a genuinely chaotic stretch of the show’s timeline, but he’s largely at the mercy of his niece, Cersei Lannister, whose unchecked ambition undermines any real authority he might have held. His time as Hand ends the same way Mace’s small council career does: he’s among the casualties when Cersei orchestrates the destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor. It’s a forgettable tenure for a forgettable Hand.
5. Qyburn
Played by: Anton Lesser
This is where the ranking shifts from forgettable to genuinely skilled. Qyburn brings the most compelling backstory of any Hand on this list; he was expelled from the Citadel for crossing ethical lines in his medical experimentation, more interested in what could be done than what should be. That same dark curiosity is on full display when he resurrects Ser Gregor Clegane, transforming him into something closer to a weapon than a man.
Qyburn’s loyalty to Cersei Lannister is unwavering, largely because she grants him the freedom to pursue his experiments without interference. But that loyalty is the problem: Qyburn’s priorities never align with what’s best for the Seven Kingdoms. He’s competent, calculating, and effective just not in service of anything admirable. That combination keeps him firmly in the lower half of the ranking.
4. Davos Seaworth
Played by: Liam Cunningham
Ser Davos Seaworth serves as Hand of the King to Stannis Baratheon, and his loyalty is about as genuine as it gets in Game of Thrones. The trouble isn’t Davos, it’s who’s competing for Stannis’s attention. Stannis consistently dismisses Davos’s counsel, only acting on advice when it happens to echo what his other advisor, the Red Priestess Melisandre, is already telling him.
In many ways, Davos stands out as a better Hand than Stannis is a king. He pushes back when necessary, advocates for the smarter path even when it costs him personally, and never abandons his post despite being punished for speaking honestly. Davos has every quality of an elite Hand of the King; the problem is he’s serving a ruler who won’t listen.
3. Tyrion Lannister
Played by: Peter Dinklage
Tyrion Lannister is one of the few major characters to survive the entire run of Game of Thrones, and his résumé as Hand reflects that staying power. He’s easily the most prolific figure on this list, serving multiple monarchs across the course of the show.
Tyrion first steps into the role as a stand-in for his father, acting as Hand to King Joffrey. After eventually crossing the Narrow Sea, he switches his allegiance to Daenerys Targaryen, who later makes his position official by pinning the Hand’s badge to his chest herself. Tyrion’s judgment isn’t flawless; he makes costly mistakes along the way but his willingness to learn from them is exactly what keeps him relevant. That adaptability earns him a third appointment as Hand, this time under King Bran Stark, who effectively sentences him to a lifetime of service for both his failures and his victories.
2. Eddard “Ned” Stark Hand of the King
Played by: Sean Bean
Any conversation about Ned Stark’s hand of the king tends to focus on tragedy, but his short tenure also showcases exactly what the role is supposed to look like. Ned is the right man for the job the moment King Robert calls on him to replace the late Jon Arryn. Robert trusts him implicitly, and that trust isn’t misplaced Ned is relentlessly honorable, deeply loyal, and sharply attuned to what’s genuinely best for the Seven Kingdoms.
The problem isn’t Ned’s judgment. It’s King’s Landing itself, where Cersei Lannister has already cemented her grip on the levers of power long before Ned arrives. Had the political landscape been different, his time as Hand might have lasted far longer and accomplished far more. Even in the brief window viewers get, Game of Thrones makes it clear that the Lord of Winterfell was exactly the kind of Hand Robert needed.
1. Tywin Lannister The Best Hand of the King in Game of Thrones
Played by: Charles Dance
When it comes to Game of thrones hand of the king ranked by pure effectiveness, tywin lannister hand of the king sits at the top without much argument. Tywin isn’t royalty himself, but his family’s shifting allegiances over generations position him as someone who, at times, wields more practical authority than the king he technically serves.
Across his tenure as Hand to the Mad King, Joffrey, and Tommen, Tywin consistently ensures that House Lannister benefits from his efforts sometimes more than the crown itself does. His motives are rarely selfless; his cold, calculated decision-making is driven by self-interest as much as duty. Choose Tywin as your measuring stick if strategic dominance and family legacy matter more to you than moral conduct because that’s precisely where he excels. Despite functioning as one of the show’s primary villains, Game of Thrones takes care to humanize him, ultimately cementing his legacy as the best hand of the king in game of thrones.
Who Really Deserves the Title?
Ranking every Hand of the King in Game of Thrones reveals just how differently characters approach the same job. Some, like Mace Tyrell and Kevan Lannister, treat the position as a reward rather than a responsibility. Others, like Davos Seaworth and Ned Stark, embody the loyalty and integrity the role demands even when it costs them everything. And then there’s Tywin Lannister, who proves that ruthless efficiency can outshine honor when it comes to getting results.
Whether your favorite is driven by duty or ambition, one thing is clear: the Hand of the King is never just a background character. They shape the fate of the Seven Kingdoms as much as if not more than the monarch they serve. Game of Thrones remains available to stream on HBO Max for anyone looking to revisit these pivotal performances.
Frequently Asked Questions
How powerful is the Hand of the King?
The Hand of the King is the second-most powerful individual in the Seven Kingdoms, holding authority second only to the monarch.
Who has more power, the Queen or the Hand of the King?
The Hand of the King generally holds more institutional and day-to-day governing power than a standard Queen Consort.
Who is the Hand of the King in Game of Thrones?
The Hand of the King is the chief advisor, commander, and second-most powerful official in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros[cite: 38]. In the series, several characters hold this title at different points, including Jon Arryn, Ned Stark, and Tywin Lannister.
