Game Of Thrones: Every Hand Of The King, Ranked

8. Jon Arryn

Jon Arryn only appears in a single episode of Game Of Thrones, and even then it’s as a corpse. Therefore, it’s hard to judge his time as Hand, and there’s even an argument to be made that he shouldn’t be included at all. However, seeing as his death started the game of thrones itself, he definitely warrants inclusion.

Ned inherits the position from Jon Arryn and spends a lot of his time as Hand investigating Jon’s death. Like Jon, he discovers Gendry is Robert’s bastard and realises Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen are children of incest. Though Jon is more secretive than Ned, he still ends up dying for his knowledge.

In his more formal duties as Hand, he appears to be a bit of a wash too. When Ned arrives in King’s Landing, it’s clear Littlefinger and Varys have been keeping the kingdom going, with Jon allowing the King to run amok.

While Littlefinger does a shrewd job as Master Of Coin, it’s clear Arryn’s trust in him is misplaced. Rather than a Lannister plot, Arryn is actually killed by Littlefinger and his own wife Lysa Arryn, who schemed behind his back to begin the game of thrones.