10 Shocking Deaths That Changed Game Of Thrones

7. Renly Baratheon

HBO

I'm not going to lie, I was totally rooting for Renly to be King. Ok, admittedly he had absolutely no right to be claiming the Iron Throne for himself, given Stannis was his elder brother, but of all the Baratheons fighting to rule Westeros he was easily the most likeable (I had an argument with a colleague about this recently, as he stated you should hate Renly, but really how could you?!).

Unfortunately in Westeros, being likeable tends to mean you're not gonna stick around for long. And for poor Renly, it was one of the weirdest deaths we've seen on the show. Melisandre literally gives birth to a shadow, which slips into his tent and slays him.

It eliminated a major opposition for Stannis, showing just how ruthless he was and boosting the numbers of his army. It opened the door for the alliance between the Tyrells and the Lannisters, and the marriage of Margaery to Joffrey. It showed us exactly how powerful Melisandre really is. And last but not least, it sowed the seeds of vengeance that would lead to Brienne murdering Stannis at the end of Season 5.

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.