Game Of Thrones: 10 Characters Killed At The PERFECT Time

10. Robert Baratheon

So we start with the man who started a rebellion built on a lie, kicking off a chain of events which would lead to a war across continents for the Iron Throne.

Robert Baratheon's death is the catalyst for the main story moving forward, and effectively kicks off the aptly-named War Of The Five Kings. In some ways, the first season of the show (and even the book to some extent) works as a prologue to the main saga of Game Of Thrones, and the elder Baratheon's death is what starts the main story.

Robert's exit in the second half of season one is significant in other ways though. Acting effectively as the protector of the Starks in King's Landing, his passing is the first acknowledgment that no-one is safe in Westeros, not even the King, although sadly we wouldn't fully realise that until a couple of episodes later (more on that in a moment).

And of course, Mark Addy's tragic king needed to go in order to protect some of the great revelations of the show, which wouldn't be realised until much further down the line...