9 Characters Who Will Definitely Survive Game Of Thrones

When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.

By Simon Gallagher /

George RR Martin isn't one for the middle ground. As his most infamous in-universe quote puts it, "when you play the game of thrones, you win or you die" and frankly, there aren't many winners. The writer has a somewhat Kirkman-like fascination with the narrative impact of death, using it more than anything as the means to sell his twists and shocks and with at least another two books (and possibly an eighth if Martin beats the end of the world), the death toll is bound to rise. Looking back on the full cast, there aren't all that many of the main players left, and while Martin does introduce new characters as the books expand, the core remains mostly unchanged, besides its dwindling numbers. How many of them actually survive to the end is an urgent - and slightly worrying - question, and while reports have emerged that Martin always intended to have five of the core survive, how you interpret that depends on how much you trust him. So not a lot. Some hints can be found in the fact that several of the TV show's main cast have signed on to contracts that will lead into a seventh season, but that isn't to say all will survive that (which is either the last or the second last depending on who you believe) or indeed that they'll even make it that far (the seventh season is an option, not a confirmation for most). But putting together what is known of the series, and how the plot SHOULD unfold, you can guess at who won't be killed off... (Spoiler alert, obviously)

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