Random Most Important 'Game of Thrones' Character Deaths (34 items)

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  (#1) Eddard Stark

  Ned's shocking passing at the end of Season 1 introduced what would become one of the show's signature moves: wiping out major characters violently and grotesquely, with little warning, and no apologies. Threatening to challenge the Lannisters' claim to the throne by exposing Jaime and Cersei's relationship, Ned's head was removed at King's Landing for treason.

  Arya fled, Sansa was taken against her will, and Robb and Catelyn conspired to retaliate and seize the throne.
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  (#2) Robb Stark

  Along with most of his supporters, Robb was taken out by Walder Frey at the Red Wedding as punishment for reneging on his agreement to marry Frey's daughter. This was sort of Robb's own fault since everyone basically knows how untrustworthy and mean Walder Frey is.

  Robb's head was also removed, and the head of his dire wolf, Grey Wind, was sewn onto his neck so that his remains could be displayed as a trophy.
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  (#3) Night King

  The Big Bad finally met his match in Season 8, episode 3. Towards the end of the Battle of Winterfell, Theon attempted to stab the Night King but was quickly vanquished. Fortunately, a ninja-like Arya snuck up behind the Night King just before he got to Bran. She dropped her two-sided dragonglass dagger and got him right in the gut, effectively wiping out all of the wights along with him. 
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  (#4) Robert Baratheon

  Though there was a little funny business with the wine he was drinking, Robert's passing early in the first season was basically a whoopsy. He was gored by a wild boar while out on a hunting trip, having been too drunk to dodge and defend appropriately.

  Robert's wife, Cersei, was excited about Robert's passing because it meant that her son, Joffrey, could finally ascend the throne. Ned Stark, however, had strong suspicions about the actual genetic lineage of Cersei's children, and the Lannisters' subsequent retaliation against Ned's claims are what sparked show's main conflict over who is most entitled to rule Westeros.
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  (#5) Joffrey Baratheon

  Joffrey was always kind of a brat, but his final scene at his wedding to Margaery Tyrell still came as a shock. After drinking a glass of tainted wine, Joffrey passed in his mother's arms, foaming at the mouth and choking on his own puke.

  Unlike many other hapless characters, Joffrey's passing probably wasn't an impassioned act of revenge - it was strategic. The only real downside was that Joffrey's passing was unfairly pinned on his uncle, Tyrion, who was imprisoned, and ultimately forced to flee King's Landing as a result.
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  (#6) Tywin Lannister

  Tywin was the only person on Game of Thrones with the dubious honor of being struck down while sitting on the toilet. After railroading his son, Tyrion, into a  conviction and then hooking up with Tyrion's girlfriend, Tywin was surprised on the commode by Tyrion, who was understandably upset and also happened to have a crossbow.

  Tywin was the King's Hand, the Lannister family patriarch, and had been pulling all the strings from behind the scenes for quite a while on the other Lannisters' behalf, so his passing had huge implications for their political and military stability.
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  (#7) Khal Drogo

  Like most Dothraki warlords, Khal Drogo was a serious force to be reckoned with before being cut down to size by (of all things) an infected flesh wound. Daenerys tried to use blood magic to save him, but ended up sacrificing their unborn child to keep Drogo alive as a vegetable.

  After mercy-ending Drogo herself, Dany was forced to take on the challenge of leading Drogo's followers on her own, although Dothraki did not typically accept female leaders.
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  (#8) Jon Snow

  Jon Snow's passing at the end of Season 5 was a shock to fans, and "Is he really gone?" rumors started swirling immediately. In fact, Jon Snow was brought back to life by the Red Priestess Melisandre at the beginning of the following season and continued to fight for the North.
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  (#9) Margaery Tyrell

  Fans were shocked by Margaery's sudden demise passing in the great wildfire explosion that ended Season 6. It seemed like Cersei had finally met her match with this cunning beauty, but in the end, Margaery was just not quick enough. She was the first person to figure out that there was something dangerous at the Great Sept, but she was unable to save herself or her beloved brother Loras.

  The loss of their lives meant that the formidable Olenna Tyrell was out for revenge against the Lannisters.
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  (#10) Oberyn Martell

  Oberyn's operatic, giallo-style death knocked fans for a loop, both because of the story implications (Oberyn had just lost a trial-by-sword duel with The Mountain, meaning Tyrion would be executed) and because of how totally gross and bloody it was.

  The Prince of Dorne, Oberyn was a likable character, and everyone was saddened when he perished so early. Aside from the implications for Tyrion, Oberyn's passing also created tensions with Dorne.
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  (#11) Catelyn Stark

  Catelyn's passing was one of the bloodiest to ever be shown onscreen, right at the climax of the Red Wedding. After watching Robb (who Catelyn believes is her last surviving child), his pregnant wife, and all of their supporters be slaughtered by the Freys right in front of her, Catelyn has her throat cut while screaming directly into the camera. It's intense.

  With Catelyn and Robb brutally dispatched, the new heir to Winterfell became Catelyn's eldest daughter Sansa.
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  (#12) Jorah Mormont

  From the beginning, fans knew that Ser Jorah Mormont would do anything to protect his Queen. While he defended Dany on many ocassions, none were as pivotal (or heart-wrenching) as when he saved her during the Battle of Winterfell in Season 8. 

  As Dany sobbed over his body, fans could see a quiet rage growing inside of her. As if the Mother of Dragons needed another reason to be mad with Cersei, she could now add that her troops didn't help in a very costly battle. 
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  (#13) Hodor

  Hodor was one of the show's most beloved fan favorites, and his passing was one of the saddest. Through his valiant self-sacrifice, he saved Bran Stark, the new Three-Eyed Raven - and finally explained the meaning of his cryptic one-word phrase.
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  (#14) Lord Varys

  In Seaosn 8, Lord Varys started to sense that Daenarys was turning into her father the Mad King. After discovering Jon Snow's true heritage, he committed treason against the Mother of Dragons and wrote letters revealing Snow's true identity. 

  Tyrion revealed that he told Dany that Varys had betrayed her, and all Varys could do was hope that Tyrion was right about Dany. Daenarys did not give Varys a chance to defend himself. She ordered Drogon to spew fire at him. 
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  (#15) Jeor Mormont

  Known as "The Old Bear," Jeor Mormont was the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and he was slain by his own men during the Mutiny at Craster's Keep. (The other Brothers of the Night's Watch were sick of Mormont scolding them all the time.)

  Jeor Mormont was also the father of Jorah Mormont, who was dismissed from Daenerys's service after it was revealed he had been spying on her for Varys.
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  (#16) Viserys Targaryen

  Convinced it was his destiny to reclaim the Iron Throne of Westeros for the Targaryens, Viserys basically sealed his own fate by being a swaggering, belligerent jerk to Khal Drogo one too many times.

  Daenerys all but allowed Drogo to terminate her brother during their umpteenth confrontation over the "golden crown" Drogo had supposedly promised him. True to his word, Drogo collected all the gold from Dothraki attendants at a huge celebration, melted it down over a fire, and poured the molten gold over Viserys's head, "crowning" him. With Viserys and his bratty nonsense out of the way, Dany was now the last remaining Targaryen (as far as she knew), and therefore, according to tradition, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.
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  (#17) Sandor Clegane

  The writers behind Game of Thrones did some fan-servicing with this one. In Season 8 episode 5, the Hound and his brother the Mountain engaged in the highly anticipated Cleganebowl. Before the fight, the Hound told Arya - who wanted to off Cersei - that revenge isn't worth it; he spent his whole life chasing revenge, and he insinuated that it didn't do him much good. 

  As King's Landing burned around them, the brothers fought to the literal death. The two fell into Drogon's flames, and many saw this as a completed story arc for the man who was scarred by fire.
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  (#18) Ygritte

  There wasn't a dry eye in the house when, moments after being reunited on the battlefield with her adversary and former lover Jon Snow, Ygritte was taken out by a rogue arrow and passed within seconds.

  The biggest consequence of Ygritte herself getting offed was that Jon Snow's heart was broken. However, the battle itself was significant in that the wildling siege on the Wall was successfully thwarted by the remaining members of the Night's Watch.
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  (#19) Jaime Lannister

  To some, Jaime Lannister's demise felt like negation of his character's growth. After bedding Brienne of Tarth, he left Winterfell to go to King's Landing to Cersei. As Daenarys laid waste to the southern city, Jaime met Cersei down in the Red Keep. The two were supposed to escape to the canals, but all of Drogon's destruction caused rock slides, blocking the exits. 

  The twins shared a tender embrace as Cersei said, "Not like this." Jaime did everything in his power to calm his lover as the Keep collapsed on top of them. 

  Many felt like this was a cheap way to write off two characters who deserved to go by literally any other ways than a rock slide. He did get his wish though - he "died in the arms of the woman [he] loves."
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  (#20) Theon Greyjoy

  Theon Greyjoy redeemed himself during the Battle of Winterfell in Season 8. He once betrayed the Starks, even going as far as to claim he got rid of Rickon and Bran, and he paid a hefty price when he found himself in the same company as Ramsay Bolton. 

  During Season 8 episode 3, Theon swore he would protect Bran at all costs. Bran sat in the Weirwood, waiting for the Night King. When Theon ran out of arrows and men, he charged the Night King fully knowing he would not make it out alive. The Night King easily thwarted Theon's attack and stabbed him in the gut. 
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  (#21) Renly Baratheon

  Renly wasn't really entitled to rule Westeros anyway, but people liked him a lot better than his older brother Stannis, so he decided to assemble an army and give it a go. Unfortunately, with the help of the Red Priestess Melisandre, Stannis was able to off Renly using an evil, disembodied shadow projection of himself.

  Unluckily for Brienne and Catelyn, they were the only two people present at the moment of Renly's passing. Since Catelyn's son Robb had designs of his own on Westeros, a political motive was assumed, and Catelyn and Brienne were blamed, forcing them to flee.
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  (#22) Tommen Baratheon

  Tommen's shocking suicide - committed after witnessing his wife and thousands of others perish in the wildfire explosion at the Great Sept - set the stage for Cersei to ascend the Iron Throne as queen.
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  (#23) Walder Frey

  Ever since the "Red Wedding," fans had been waiting for Arya to exact vengeance on her enemy Walder Frey, but her gruesome methods were still a shock. Walder Frey was a prime entry on Arya's hit list ever since he ordered the termination of her mother and brother.

  After borrowing a face from the House of Black and White, Arya disguised herself as a servant girl and served Walder his own sons baked into a pie. She gave him just enough time to let that news sink in before slitting his throat, just as Frey's men slit the throat of her mother, Catelyn Stark. 
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  (#24) Talisa Stark

  Pregnant with Robb Stark's child, Talisa Stark was terminated, along with Robb and his supporters, at the Red Wedding. Robb had chosen to marry Talisa rather than honor his pledge to wed a daughter of Walder Frey, and Robb, Talisa, and the others were eradicated as revenge.

  Robb and Talisa's unborn child would have been the heir to Winterfell, but with their demise, the claim passed to Robb's younger sister, Sansa.
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  (#25) Qhorin Halfhand

  An elite senior member of the Night's Watch, Qhorin insisted on being dispatched by Jon Snow as part of a plan to convince the free folk that Jon had abandoned his post at the Night's Watch and was trustworthy. Qhorin's sacrifice made it possible for Jon to infiltrate Mance Rayder's army and gain vital information about their plans that helped prevent their siege on the Wall.
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  (#26) Lysa Arryn

  Lysa always had a few screws loose, but she helped bring about her own demise by accusing her new husband, Petyr Baelish, of sleeping with her young niece, Sansa. Faced with no other alternative, the perennially shifty and sociopathic Baelish responded by shoving Lysa through the "moon door" in the Eyrie, sending her plummeting to her end.

  The Eyrie, and the lordship of the Vale, now technically belonged to Lysa's son, Robin.
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  (#27) Jojen Reed

  Jojen was a "greenseer," a psychic who foresaw his own end. After befriending, protecting, and mentoring Bran Stark, Jojen was slain by White Walkers while helping Bran, and Jojen's sister, Meera, escape into the forest.
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  (#28) Mirri Maz Duur

  Mirri Maz Duur was rescued from Dothraki pillagers by Daenerys. Angered by the destruction wrought on her village, however, she sabotaged Daenerys's attempt to save Drogo and was ultimately burned alive on his pyre as punishment.

  As part of the pact to save Drogo's life, Mirri Maz Duur cast a spell on Daenerys that would cause her baby to be born deformed, and to pass shortly after his birth. Therefore, as far as she know, Dany remained the only living member of the Targaryen bloodline.
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  (#29) Shae

  After being sold out by Shae in court and then discovering her in bed with his father, Tyrion temporarily lost his mind and dispatched her, then followed it up by also offing Tywin. Shae's passing was shocking, mainly because nobody would have suspected Tyrion could be capable of such brutality, especially toward someone he loved.

  Tyrion was already preparing to make an escape from King's Landing in order to avoid execution, but that was for an offense he didn't really commit. Taking out Shae and Tywin sealed the deal on Tyrion's status as a permanent rogue and outlaw.
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  (#30) Melisandre

  The Red Witch earned herself a fair amount of hate over the seasons, especially when she burned Shireen Baratheon at the stake. During "The Long Night" (Season 8, episode 3), Melisandre redeemed herself. She entered Westeros a traitor, but she assured her enemies that she would be dead before dawn. 

  Using the last ounces of her witchy powers, she lit the Dothraki's weapons before they went into battle. She also set the trenches on fire when the soldiers' arrows and other attempts fell flat. After the battle, she took off her magical choker, wandered into the snow, and aged until she collapsed into dust.
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  (#31) Ros

  Ros was everybody's favorite lady of the night in King's Landing, but after falling in with Petyr Baelish, she met a cruel fate at the hands of Joffrey, who used her as a human target for crossbow practice. Ros was given to Joffrey as punishment for spying on Baelish, and aside from demonstrating how dangerous he is to screw around with, her passing also made us extremely sad - Ros seemed pretty cool.
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  (#32) Craster

  Being the sleaziest person on Game of Thrones isn't easy, but Craster was a tough one to beat. A survivalist of sorts, Craster built a fortress in the middle of the wilderness where he could be served hand-and-foot by a bevy of his own daughters, most of which were born of forced inbred relations.

  Craster finally got his comeuppance, though, during the Mutiny of Craster's keep, during which he was stabbed by a member of the Night's Watch. Craster's wives/daughters were freed, and their former "home" was burned to the ground.
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  (#33) Hoster Tully

  Though he was heavily discussed, Hoster Tully wasn't technically a full-blown character until after his passing. Hoster was Catelyn's elderly father, and his demise from sickness meant that the new head of House Tully and its associated lands was Catelyn's older brother, Brynden.
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  (#34) Grenn

  Grenn, a ranger of the Night's Watch and a friend of Jon Snow, perished defending the Wall against the free folk. Working in cooperation with several of his Brothers, Grenn helped defeat a giant that was trying to crash through the main gate.

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