Game Of Thrones: 10 People Oberyn Martell Should Have Been With (Other Than Ellaria)

Oberyn Martell, the almost killer of The Mountain, was too popular to spend so little time on screen in season four of the HBO hit series Game of Thrones. Pedro Pascal fully embraced Oberyn for everything he was, politically savvy, smooth and romantic, and a skilled fighter. When he sits and offers to be champion for Tyrion Lannister it is perhaps one of the greatest scenes of the season (right up there with his battle against The Mountain himself).

But Oberyn was always about more than vengeance for his sister Elia and love for his paramour Ellaria. He was younger brother of Doran, ruler of the kingdom of Dorne, the most independent of the Seven Kingdoms. His family could have easily played politics with his hand in marriage.

10 Talisa

Lady Talisa, the short-lived bride of Robb Stark, and character only on the Game of Thrones television show, could have been quite the match for Oberyn. Like Oberyn himself she was independent. Working as a healer on the battlefields of King’s Landing she didn’t take sides but assisted all the injured. While Oberyn lost a sister, Talisa came very very close to losing a brother in a tragic accident. They could have challenged each other in many ways and, while Oberyn’s hand in marriage could have been political, as the younger son it did not have to be.

9 Ros

Oberyn always had an appreciation for the finer things in life, including upscale brothels, like Littlefinger’s. Ros, on Game of Thrones, had already proven both her skills, wit, and tact to Tyrion (see her meeting Tyrion, flirting with Theon, and not correcting Cersei as proof of each) that her worldly experience would have been a good fit for Oberyn both in bed as well as when it came to discussion, planning, and intelligence. Her knowledge of King’s Landing and the North would also have been politically beneficial.

8 Shae

Oberyn’s getting together with Shae would certainly have destroyed his relationship with Tyrion (which would have been terrible) but the noble of Dorne and the whore of King’s Landing would have fully appreciated one another. Like his relationship with Ellaria, Shae would have been just as passionate as Oberyn and would have had a complex and troubled backstory.

Shae’s independent and honest streak too would have appealed to Oberyn and, as she attempted to get Tyrion to run away with her, she might have been successful in convincing Oberyn to leave King’s Landing before facing The Mountain.

7 Osha

Oberyn, as is made clear by his appearance in King’s Landing and later his facing The Mountain, was always drawn to a challenge. Osha, a Wildling, would have been just that. While not wise in the ways of the noble houses her incredible knowledge of stories, legends, and the evils beyond the wall would no doubt have intrigued Oberyn as well as aided Dorne in its political dealings, especially with The North. As the Red Viper of Dorne he could also have sparred with Osha if the desire ever arose.

6 Doreah

Like Osha, Doreah would have offered Oberyn an exotic and intelligent paramour. Her knowledge of Essos would have impressed him and her experience with the Dothraki would have made her, unlike any woman Oberyn had ever encountered before.

Instructed in the art of seduction Doreah might have been the one to come on to Oberyn and successfully entice him.  It might have made for a very different relationship for Oberyn, but not one he would not have appreciated or been drawn to.

5 Daenerys

The power that could have been with an alliance between the Dragon Queen and the Kingdom of Dorne is only something fans can imagine, but it’s clear it could have wielded quite some power. Dorne was the only kingdom in Westeros that was never truly conquered.

Not only could a relationship between Oberyn and Daenerys have brought Dorne peacefully into the fold it would have allied House Martell and House Targaryen one again after the death of Oberyn’s sister, Elia. Oberyn is from Dorne, the warmest of the Seven Kingdoms, and he no doubt would have appreciated Daenerys’ fire.

4 Sansa

Oberyn always appreciated smart women, his relationship with Ellaria highlighted not only their romantic compatibility but their independence and intelligence. Sansa Stark would have brought her own intelligence to a relationship that would have united two of the most powerful kingdoms in Westeros against the might of the Lannisters. Oberyn and Sansa might have had to get used to one another, but one imagines that, in this case, opposites might attract. Oberyn would have found the challenge he always craved and Sansa would have found a man who was heroic as well as romantic.

3 Margaery

Like a relationship with Sansa and an alliance with The North one can’t help but wonder what a Dornish alliance with the Tyrell power of The Reach might have been able to establish against the Lannisers in Game of Thrones.

Both Margaery and Oberyn like their games, working everyone around them with a smile and a dash of very effective charm. The political operating of Margaery would have given even Oberyn a run for his money and odds are the Martell would have enjoyed it.

2 Lyanna Stark

A trained fighter (as seen in Bran’s flashbacks on the show) the independent and spirited sister of Ned might have appealed greatly to the younger son of Dorne. She also would have united the powers of Dorne and The North which would have been very helpful if the Lannisters continued their grab for power.

1 Cersei

What a couple the eldest child of the Lannisters would have made with the youngest son of Dorne. Besides uniting Casterly Rock and Westeros’ most southern kingdom, the intelligence and political savvy of Cersei and Oberyn united would have been quite the pair to compete with. Cersei may have always wanted to rule, but she also always wanted someone to challenge her, take her seriously, and love her. No doubt that Oberyn could have done all three.

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