It's amazing what a decent haircut can do for you. When we first met Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) on Game of Thrones last season, he had a shaggy barnet and was – whisper it – a bit boring. Since then, he's been to the barbers, got a nice new outfit and – most importantly – had a charisma upgrade.

It's a bit of a character leap for the show, as when we first saw him in season six, he was standing in plain armour, chastising Theon for using fancy words like 'gallivanting', and telling his nephew off for leaving the Iron Islands.

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Now, season 7 Euron is offering to marry Cersei in King's Landing while wearing an outfit covered in stars. And you know what? He's pretty ripped now. It's as if he's gone on a makeover show and got tons of confidence as a result. We're not complaining. We much prefer crazy / flirty Euron to angry / mean Euron.

Especially as season seven's take on the character is far more faithful to the books.

HBO

There, Euron's travels have given him a much more cosmopolitan attitude when compared to his (usually stern-faced) fellow Iron Islanders. Put it this way, book Euron would never tell someone off for using the word 'gallivanting', mainly because he would be too busy gallivanting.

In the books, he's a swashbuckling pirate with an eye-patch, who's filled with humour, charm and (let's never forget this) total evil.

If we pit Euron against the show's previous major villains, there's no competition.

HBO

Make no mistake, Euron is nastier than Joffrey. In the books, Euron abused his brother Aeron when he was a child, he cut out the tongues of his crew so they couldn't disagree with him (an element that was briefly alluded to in 'Stormborn', when we got quick edits of tongues being cut out during Euron's siege of Yara's boat), and he formed a complex plot to kill his own brother (we get the Cliff Notes version on the show, when he chucks Balon off a bridge) .

But, unlike Joffrey, he's not whining or impotent – Euron gets stuff done. He's not afraid of battle, in fact he positively craves it, to the extent that he doesn't take any plunder when he raids boats; he leaves that to his men. Euron's in it for the fighting.

HBO

Compared to Ramsay, there are similarities. They're both rapists (yeah, before you get your Euron tattoo, that's an important thing to remember), they both torture for fun, and they're both the black sheep of their respective families (the surviving members all hate him).

But Euron is infinitely more intelligent than Ramsay, with superior tactical skill (Euron would have won the Battle of the Bastards, no question) and much more general life experience (Euron has been to Asshai, sailed the Smoking Sea and walked the ruins of Valyria – he even claims to have a horn that controls dragons).

In terms of cruelty, we'll have to wait to see how far they take the character's viciousness on the show, but if they're starting to stick closer to the books, he'll make Ramsay look like Joffrey.

HBO

The High Sparrow had power, intelligence, but no charisma – most of his scenes felt like sitting through the last lesson at school, watching the clock and waiting for them to end. With Euron, we can't wait for him to be on screen – both episodes of this season so far have been electrified by his presence.

For all its exploration of evil, Game of Thrones has never had a villain like Euron. He's unpredictable and strong, but also clever and manipulative. He's as cunning as Littlefinger, as intelligent as Tywin, and as shrewd as Varys. But, most importantly, he's exciting and (for the time being) likeable.

HBO

Asbæk also sees Euron as someone who's a little different. "My job is, with Dan and David, to create a new kind of villain - a villain you actually think, 'You know what, you're such a f**king douchebag, but you're f**king awesome.' Leading up to the sea battle, this is a completely different Euron than the one we see in the Throne Room. This is the guy who doesn't give a s**t. This guy feeds on blood."

We can't stress enough how much the final two seasons need someone like Euron – as threads start to tie together, and old faces start to meet, there's the potential problem of familiarity breeding contempt. If Cersei had been shifted into the main villain position, it would have been intriguing, but not especially thrilling.

With Euron in the mix, we've essentially got a rock star bad guy, who's just about invincible in the books. We'll wait and see if the show brings in all the weird occult stuff involving Euron that George RR Martin has been alluding to.

Our only fear is that the last time this show introduced someone as cool as Euron, Oberyn Martell, they killed him off before his introductory season had finished – shocking fans who hadn't read the books and who totally assumed this was a character they would be following until the very end.

Euron's still alive in A Song of Ice and Fire, of course – but that doesn't mean the showrunners aren't playing a similar game here.

We hope not. Euron isn't just the villain the show needs during this important end game, he's the villain Game of Thrones has needed all along, and whatever time we get to spend with him won't be enough.

As for what we've got to look forward to in the immediate future, Asbæk is excited. "I can tell you one thing: it's going to be better and better. [In the] next episode, he's going to be a f**king brutal man."

Game of Thrones airs on HBO in the US, and Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK.

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