*This article contains spoilers for the fourth season of ‘Game of Thrones’ and the third volume of ‘A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords’*
Pedro Pascal has become a TV phenomenon thanks to his lead roles in high-profile genre series like Disney’s The Mandalorian and HBO’s The Last of Us.
However, it was as part of another genre show packed with heroes and monsters, life and death, and ice and fire that he first sprung to fame.
He made a memorable entrance and exit in the fourth season of Game of Thrones, introducing us to one of the show’s most vivid and compelling characters, Oberyn Martell — the Red Viper and prince of Dorne.
Pedro Pascal before the Ice and Fire
Pedro Pascal was born in Chile and raised in America. His family’s opposition to the Chilean dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet led them to political asylum in Denmark in the mid-1970s, but they eventually settled in the U.S. There, after giving up professional swimming, Pascal studied acting in California and New York. Pascal took roles in primetime TV dramas, including The Good Wife, Homeland, and two series in the Law & Order franchise. But the hint of his future came in appearances in genre shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A breakthrough wasn’t to be when he was cast in Warner Bros’ ill-fated 2011 Wonder Woman pilot, but that left the road open to King’s Landing.
His subsequent career trajectory, and a satisfying casting as Maxwell Lord in Wonder Woman 1984, were all thanks to his blinding appearance in Game of Thrones, although his memorable run was legendarily short and not for the faint-hearted.
Entering the game
We had waited patiently for the southern Kingdom of Dorne to make its presence felt in the show, and it didn’t disappoint when it finally arrived. In fact, the initial appearance of Prince Oberyn Martell and his entourage was so successful the House of Dorne’s remaining role in the saga could only be a letdown.
Oberyn Martell appeared as the representative of Dorne. He was the younger brother of Doran, the head of House Martell, and the late Princess Elia. Oberyn arrived with his paramour, Ellaria Sand, and bastard children to represent his kingdom at King Joffrey Baratheon’s latest masterstroke in the War of the Five Kings: his marriage to Sansa Stark, which would be remembered as the Purple Wedding.
Viewers already knew weddings weren’t great news in Game of Thrones, and Oberyn arrived with considerable extra baggage. His older sister had been married to Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and was the mother of Rhaenys and Aegon. During Robert’s Rebellion, which put the Baratheons on the Iron Throne of Westeros and confirmed House Lannister at the center of power, she was raped and murdered by Ser Gregor Clegane. As her brother willingly told Tyrion Lannister, he had come to King’s Landing to take revenge against the Lannisters for their role in the deaths of his sister, nephew, and niece.
Martell was a phenomenal fighter and a believer in life’s joys that Tyrion could appreciate. The charisma that made Martell a popular figure in Dorne was also a good fit for the Westeros capital. He had a quick temper, a quicker tongue, and a legendary reputation for hedonism. Despite his love of fun, Martell was well-studied and keen to feed his intellect as much as his sexual appetite. He had all the attributes to fit in with the show’s favorite characters and make his presence felt in the outcome of A Song of Ice and Fire. Unfortunately, he was too good to be true, and, typically, while he earned bonus points for his overconfidence and arrogance, they proved to be his downfall. You can have it all, but not for very long in Westeros.
Showdown with the Mountain
Having been cast as Martell shortly before filming, Pascal crammed the second half of George R.R. Martin’s third novel in the saga, A Storm of Swords. On the page, the character’s only appearance in the series was almost entirely told from Tyrion’s point of view. That’s understandable when the Purple Wedding ends with the assassination by poison of King Joffrey Baratheon.
Martell instantly came under suspicion — his nickname, the Red Viper, came from his unusual style of combat (inspired by Wushu in the show) and his extensive study of poisons. In the event, Tyrion became prime suspect as a convenient part of his father Tywin’s ongoing machinations against his youngest son.
Tyrion demanded trial by combat, despite facing an impossible opponent in the Mountain Gregor Clegane. Seeing his chance for revenge, Martell quickly volunteered to take on the giant knight as Tyrion’s champion. It was a contest that had significant implications for Tyrion and Tywin and ended badly for both the Mountain and Viper.
It’s only slightly arguable that House Martell didn’t come off worse that day. A sting in the tail came from the Dornish prince’s knowledge of poison, but his role in A Song of Ice and Fire was over. We’ll leave the outcome, and one of Thrones’ graphically jaw-dropping scenes, to your viewing discretion.
Pascal’s Martell can be seen (or, more appropriately, experienced) in seven of the 10 episodes of Game of Thrones‘ fourth season. In chronological order, his appearances start with a couple of swords and end with that almighty fight:
- Two Swords
- The Lion and the Rose
- Breaker of Chains
- First of His Name
- The Laws of Gods and Men
- Mockingbird
- The Mountain and the Viper
Pascal’s Martell set a precedent that the shortened and divergent narrative of screen Game of Thrones couldn’t fulfill. As the first representative of Dorne, he developed much of the kingdom’s swagger and accent, which the actor amusingly remarked is much like his father’s. Despite the introduction of his mistress and eight bastard daughters, the Sand Snakes, Dorne was relegated from much of the show. The plots of Doran Martell, which run through much of the saga, never made it from the page, and fan-favorite Arianne Martell, Obyron’s niece and the heir to Dorne, was omitted entirely. Any mention of Arianne, a character George R.R. Martin considers essential to his book series, still rankles die-hard Game of Thrones fans.
Despite the poor prospects for his kingdom, Pascal’s Martell shone brightly as a highlight in the epic’s fourth year. The role earned Pascal a nomination at the NewNowNext Award for Best New Television Actor and a joint nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.