Bronn

Bronn is a major character in the second and third seasons. He initially appeared as a recurring character in the first season and debuted in "Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things." He is played by starring cast member Jerome Flynn. Bronn is a skilled and dangerous sellsword working for Tyrion Lannister.

Bronn is rewarded with a knighthood for the vital role he performed during the Battle of the Blackwater, and takes the formal name "Ser Bronn of the Blackwater". While he possesses no lands, wealth, or lordly title, this drastically elevates his social standing.

Background
Bronn is a sellsword; a mercenary soldier whose service is for hire. Not much is known about his past; When Tyrion Lannister introduced him to Tywin Lannister, Bronn said that his father is no one Lord Tywin would know. During a drinking game with Tyrion and Shae, Bronn admits that he killed a woman before he was 12 years old, though it was in self-defense as she was attacking him with an axe. Bronn also confirmed Tyrion's claim that Bronn has been north of the Wall. Despite Bronn's avaricious nature, which is sneered at by more honorable knights, he is a skilled and dangerous fighter. His combat style centers around speed, dodging enemy attacks instead of blocking them, for this reason, he does not wear heavy armor or use shields, but instead relies on just his sword and knives. He is also a skilled archer and apparently literate.

Season 1
Bronn is staying at the Crossroads Inn when Tyrion Lannister arrives. He volunteers to give up his room to Tyrion in return for gold. Catelyn Stark and Ser Rodrik Cassel take Tyrion prisoner before he can fulfil the promise. Bronn accompanies Catelyn and Tyrion's party to the Vale of Arryn and listens to Tyrion promising a handsome reward to any man who helps him. Along the way they are attacked by hill tribesmen, and Bronn acquits himself well in the battle, killing several opponents. Tyrion notes his prowess in combat.

In the Eyrie Tyrion attempts to prove his innocence and demands a trial by combat. He desperately asks for someone to fight for him and, to the surprise of all, Bronn steps forward to accept. Bronn kills Lady Lysa Arryn's champion, Ser Vardis Egen, proving Tyrion's innocence according to Westerosi custom. Bronn defeats Vardis by relying his speed against the armored but slow knight, and using dirty tactics such as throwing obstacles in the way. Once Bronn has exhausted Vardis, he moves in for the kill, then throws his corpse out the Moon Door. Bronn then departs the Eyrie with Tyrion. During their crossing of the mountains, Bronn attempts to establish some ground rules with Tyrion, stating that he is not Tyrion's friend or his sworn sword, and is only working for him for the money. Tyrion accepts the situation and promises to beat any attempt to buy Bronn's loyalty. Bronn and Tyrion camp in the Vale and are caught by Shagga and his Stone Crows. Bronn is prepared to fight but Tyrion wins over Shagga and the other hill tribes to his cause with promises of weapons and autonomy from the Eyrie.

Tyrion takes his growing entourage to the Lannister army's camp in the Riverlands. Tyrion's father Tywin invaded the Riverlands following Tyrion's capture because they are Catelyn's homeland. When Bronn is introduced to Tywin he quips that Tywin wouldn't have met his father, which Ser Kevan Lannister seems to find amusing but Tywin does not. Shagga demands that Tyrion fight alongside the hill tribes until his debt is paid and Tywin agrees.

Bronn finds Tyrion a whore named Shae amongst the camp-followers. The three of them play drinking games on the eve of the Battle of the Green Fork. Bronn reveals that his parents beat him, that he killed for the first time before the age of twelve (a woman who attacked him with an axe), and that he has been beyond the Wall. Bronn awakens to find the opposing army almost upon them. Bronn rouses Tyrion and advises him on how to survive. This proves unnecessary when Tyrion is accidentally knocked unconscious by his own men during the rush to the fight. When Tyrion awakens after the battle, glibly tells him that they won. Bronn accompanies Tyrion to King's Landing when he is named acting Hand of the King.

Season 2

 * Main: Bronn Season 2

Bronn remains the personal bodyguard of Tyrion Lannister when he takes up his position as acting Hand of the King to Joffrey Baratheon. Tyrion rewards the sellswords' loyalty by making him commander of the City Watch, having ousted his treacherous predecessor. Tyrion tests the loyalty of the small council by feeding them different versions of a planned marriage alliance involving his niece Myrcella Baratheon. Grand Maester Pycelle proves untrustworthy by revealing the specifics of his version to Queen Regent Cersei Lannister. Tyrion has Bronn and Timett arrest Pycelle and orders Bronn to cut off the old man's beard.

Tyrion clashes with King Joffrey when his nephew orders the public beating of Sansa Stark following the defeat of House Lannister of the Battle of Oxcross. When Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard, accuses Tyrion of threatening the King, Tyrion orders Bronn to kill Ser Meryn should he speak again. After the ordeal, Bronn suggests that Joffrey would benefit from sexual release. Tyrion sends him two prostitutes as a gift but the plan backfires and Joffrey forces one to beat the other and then show Tyrion what she has done. Tyrion learns about Cersei's plans to use wildfire against King Stannis Baratheon from his newest pawn, Ser Lancel Lannister, and humiliates the knight by ordering him to tell Bronn to kill him should anything happen to Tyrion. Bronn accompanies Tyrion to the Alchemists' Guild and criticizes Cersei's plan to use wildfire as catapult ammunition because of the risk of burning down the city, clashing with Wisdom Hallyne in the process. Bronn also informs Tyrion that the smallfolk believe that he is manipulating Joffrey and blame him for the ills of the city. King Joffrey triggers a citywide riot when protestors throw excrement at him by demanding that his guards kill them all. Bronn's men are hard pressed to restore order and several goldcloaks are killed.

Bronn achieves a marked reduction in crime by culling the city's known thieves but clashes with Tyrion over the brutality of his methods. Tyrion enlists Bronn to help plan the defence of King's Landing against an impending attack by King Stannis Baratheon. Bronn is dismissive of Tyrion's reliance on books and warns that food is the most important commodity in a siege, speaking from personal experience.

Just before the Battle of the Blackwater, Bronn is drinking and singing "The Rains of Castamere" with the Lannister troops. Bronn tells the prostitute Armeca about the times he has broken his nose. Sandor Clegane's entrance silences the men. Sandor begins to challenge Bronn joking that he believes he is a "hard man." Sandor tries to degrade Bronn and he retaliates with light humour. Just as it seems a fight may break out the bells ring out to announce the arrival of Stannis' fleet.

Bronn meets Tyrion in the Throne Room to say farewell and then goes out of the city to the shores of the Blackwater Bay. When Tyrion signals him from the city walls he fires a flaming arrow into the wildfire they have leaked into the bay. His shot triggers a devastating explosion that destroys much of Stannis' fleet. Bronn returns to the city walls, arriving in time to save Sandor when he freezes from the sight of fire during the fighting. Bronn is left outside the walls when Sandor and his men retreat.

After the battle, Bronn is dismissed from his post as commander of the City Watch.

Season 3
Bronn is knighted as a reward for the vital role he played in the Battle of the Blackwater. He now styles himself as "Ser Bronn of the Blackwater", and while possessing no lands, wealth, or title, this drastically elevates his social standing - and in his mind, his pay. He tells Tyrion that he still thinks of him a friend, but he is a sellsword, and as a knight Tyrion should pay him double what he used to.

Behind the scenes
Actor Jerome Flynn portrays Bronn with a Northern English accent (Yorkshire or Rotherham), but this is not how he actually speaks in real life. Flynn is from Kent ("as far south as south goes" in England), and Bronn's accent a conscious part of his performance.

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Bronn is a sellsword chance-met at the Crossroads Inn by Tyrion Lannister. He is primarily motivated by money and the possibility of personal power, but has a rough loyalty to those who stand next to him in battle. Despite himself, he develops a grudging admiration and liking for Tyrion's craftiness and cunning, not to mention the gold it gets him. He has a black sense of humor, and a pragmatic, thoroughly amoral philosophy. Tyrion describes Bronn as "an insolent black-hearted rogue".

Bronn is not named Commander of the City Watch in the novels, but Jacelyn Bywater instead. Bronn was made the captain of Tyrion's guard.

Bronn is knighted after the Battle of the Blackwater for the vital role he played in destroying Stannis' fleet. Bronn was responsible for pulling a large chain across the entrance of the bay after Stannis' fleet entered, trapping them inside once the wildfire trap was sprung, leading to their destruction. The TV series condensed the battle so the chain subplot was removed, but it did still have Bronn play a vital role in the wildfire trap, by having him personally fire a flaming arrow which ignited the leaking fire ship filled with thousands of jars of wildfire. Following his knighting, Bronn is permitted to claim his own personal knightly sigil, and he choses a flaming green chain on a smoking grey field, to commemorate the battle in which he earned his knighthood (green because wildfire burns with green flames). Given that the chain was removed from the TV series, it isn't clear what Bronn's personal sigil would be in the TV-continuity (i.e. possibly just a green flame on a smoke-grey field).