11 Characters Who Will Probably Die In 2017's Biggest TV Shows
It's time to say goodbye to some of the ones we love (and those we hate too).
If years of watching Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead have taught us anything, it's that we should never get too attached to a character.
Although it's slightly misleading to say anyone could die (they're not killing off, say, Daenerys Targaryen or Rick Grimes anytime soon), the risk is still ridiculously high.
Given their success, most TV shows follow suit to some degree, often springing a big, surprising, and usually devastating death upon poor viewers once a season. 2016 was a year lamented for its high-profile causalities, and TV was no different. It saw us say goodbye to a number of beloved heroes and horrible bastards alike, from Hodor to Ramsay and Poussey to Dr Ford.
2017, then, promises much more of the same. As shows progress, they sometimes need to move pieces off the board permanently. Villains can't go on forever, and not all of the good guys can either. There'll be gasps of surprise, tears of sadness and joy, and howls of rage when we (probably) say goodbye to this lot over the course of the next year.
11. Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish - Game Of Thrones
Why He'll Die
For the past six seasons Peter 'Littlefinger' Baelish has whispered in ears, spun webs, and moved the people of Westeros around like people on a giant, bloody chessboard.
He's always looking for power, with his ultimate ambition to sit on the Iron Throne. To do that, he's trying to use Sansa as a pawn, and cause divisions between her and Jon Snow.
The telling look between them in the Season 6 finale - as everyone else crowned Jon, a bastard, King in the North - was telling. But while Sansa is a shrewd operator, if she's ultimately forced to choose between Jon and Baelish (which she likely will be) then it's her blood she'll side with, and that means Baelish has to go.
With the series moving towards its endgame, Littlefinger doesn't really have a place in that final conflict, so Season 7 is a natural time for him to bow out.
How It'll Happen
Although Littlefinger is likely to initially succeed in driving a bit of a wedge between Jon and Sansa, ultimately she'll see reason. Jon is now King in the North, which means Littlefinger's actions could be construed as treason, and to set a proper example to his followers Jon would need to kill him. Even if he's reluctant, Sansa has a taste for blood now, and will ensure he's executed.