10 Shocking Deaths That Changed Game Of Thrones

by James Hunt

1. Ned Stark

HBO

Out of the 60 episodes of Game of Thrones to date, Sean Bean was only in 9 of them (not including Bran's visions). That's a relatively small amount, and yet his impact is still felt to this day. He was the main character of the first season; the hero of the saga, or so it seemed. Even though it was Sean Bean, and he always dies, there was no way they were going to kill him off this time. At least, not so soon. Surely not. Oh.

You can go on and on about the way it changed the show from a character point of view. How it altered the remaining Stark children, how it meant the mystery of Jon Snow's parents became something to obsess over, and how it helped allow Cersei and Joffrey to get away with their atrocities and lies for so long.

But it goes deeper than that. We'd seen death before on Game of Thrones, even big characters such as Robert Baratheon and Viserys Targaryen. But this was different, and much bigger. This was the death that, from a viewer's perspective, changed it all. No one is safe. Anything can happen. All men must die.

Agree with this list, or is there a death I've missed that you think changed the show? Am I going to face a barrage of complaints about the lack of Jon Snow and/or Oberyn Martell? Share your thoughts down in the comments.

Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.