Theon Greyjoy ended up becoming a very divisive character on Game Of Thrones, with some fans loving him and others hating him. This is because he does a lot of great things throughout the show, which makes him seem a hero, while he also does some despicable things, making him seem a villain.

There’s no doubt that Theon goes through some incredibly traumatic experiences throughout the show. His time spent with Ramsay Bolton changes him, creating almost an alter-ego with the character Reek. However, Theon Greyjoy is able to shine through once again before the show ends. Over the course of Game Of Thrones, Theon does some very brave things to help others, but he also acts like a coward and does some of the worst things in Westeros. Here are his five bravest and most cowardly moments.

Cowardly: Betraying Robb Stark

While some might see this moment as loyalty towards his own house, there’s no doubt that Theon Greyjoy betraying Robb Stark was a cowardly decision, long before he was even turned into Reek. Theon grew up with the Stark’s and initially pledged all of his loyalty towards Robb as the King of the North.

However, when he was given a mission from Robb, who placed his trust in Theon, he quickly stabbed him in the back. Instead, Theon went off and pledged his loyalty towards his father instead, turning on the Stark family despite what they did for him.

Brave: Saving Yara

Despite the fact he is partially responsible for her being captured, Theon Greyjoy shows an epic moment of bravery when he leads a group to save his sister. It’s one of his big turning points as a character as Theon proves he has turned back to himself.

He not only saves his sister but then pledges himself to her, as his Queen. He no longer fights to be in charge, despite it being his birthright, and he shows respect to Yara as someone stronger, and more capable of leading.

Cowardly: Bullying Jon Snow

At the start of Game Of Thrones, Theon Greyjoy is the ward for the Stark family, working in Winterfell with them. He is essentially captured, which makes him bitter at times and while he’s too scared to mock the Stark children, he has no problems in bully the family bastard, Jon Snow.

Because he knows that even his own family isn’t sure of Snow, he happily bullies him and feels like he is more of a family member than Jon. He mocks him constantly for being motherless and even points out that the white wolf they find is his, as it’s the odd one out.

Brave: Battling An Ironborn

After Theon Greyjoy manages to make peace with Jon Snow later on in the show, he steps up and shows his bravery as a leader. He commands some Ironborn’s to go with him to try and rescue his sister from Euron, but they’re hesitant to listen and it leads to a brawl between himself and one soldier.

Things don’t go well initially as Theon is brutally beaten by the soldier to the point where he actually nearly dies. However, his determination to save Yara sees him through and he bravely battles against it and wins the fight.

Cowardly: Beheading Roderik

Theon eventually managed to lead his men to actually take over Winterfell, doing so when the young Bran Stark was in charge, and it leads to a confrontation with Roderik Cassel. This was a man who helped Theon grow, he trained him how to fight and looked after him as he did all the Stark children.

While Theon obviously couldn’t let him go freely, he didn’t need to behead him. To make matters worse, Theon fails to behead Roderik, mainly because the guilt is seeping in, and it actually takes three swings, giving him an incredibly painful death.

Brave: His Torture

When Theon is captured by Ramsay Bolton, he is put through hell on earth. He is bullied, physically and emotionally and is turned into Reek. He is a shell of his former self and is simply a slave to whatever Ramsay wants from him, but this shows incredible bravery.

While he has done a lot of terrible things in the build-up to his capture, there’s no doubt that everyone felt sympathy for Theon during this point. He was put through hell but he remains brave and doesn’t react until the moment is right, which is something he deserves credit for.

Cowardly: Ditching Yara

When Euron and his crew begin terrorizing the Greyjoy ship, it’s clear they’re going to get the best of the situation. At this point in time, it seemed like Theon had turned a corner, but he quickly showed that wasn’t the case as he leapt off the ship, rather than attempting to rescue his sister, Yara.

Yara had previously worked hard to try and rescue her brother when he was captured, and although it didn’t work out, she showed her bravery by trying it. However, Theon was just too scared and instead left his sister.

Brave: Saving Sansa

Both Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy become victims of Ramsay’s vile and nasty ways during Game Of Thrones. Sansa is raped and manipulated, while Reek has body parts chopped off as he essentially becomes a slave to Ramsay as a person.

Despite the fact that Theon is struggling and is no longer himself, he still manages to pluck up the courage to save Sansa. Sansa is someone he has grown up with and loves like family, and he eventually sees enough of what’s happening to her, and he helps her escape to safety.

Cowardly: Burning The Farm Boys

This is undoubtedly Theon’s lowest moment as a person, as he orders two young boys to be burnt to death, simply because he is unable to do his job. As Bran and Rickon escape, Theon knows he must act or face the consequences, and this is why he makes this decision.

Opting to burn two random young boys who are of a similar size and age is the choice he makes. Doing so to the point where they are unrecognizable, therefore he is able to get away with the situation.

Brave: Protecting Bran

In the end, Theon is killed by the Night King during the epic battle in the final season, and it’s a true moment of redemption for him as a character. He spends the entire battle guarding Bran Stark, proving his loyalty to the family in the darkest of times.

As the end of the battle approaches, the Night King looks to get to Bran, with only Theon stood in his way. He knows that he’s going to die, and Bran even thanks him and tells Theon he’s a good man before he has one last-ditch moment of bravery before death.