We mean no disrespect, Tyrion, Arya, Robb, Cersei and Joffrey. Especially to you, Joffrey. Seriously. Please take it easy on our heads.

But a lot of the excitement surrounding season two of Game of Thrones is based on the new characters that will come on board, folks fans of the novels have been yearning to see portrayed on the small screen. Like Melisandre (Carice van Houten). Or Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham).

HBO has released new photos from the season ahead of these characters, many of which are included below. Visit our Game of Thrones picture gallery for more, and click on each image here for a larger version:

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.