10 TV Shows That Killed Characters Unexpectedly Early
2. Ned Stark - Game Of Thrones
The death of Ned Stark at the end of Game Of Thrones’ first season was one that nobody (apart from all the book-reading NERDS) could have seen coming. The season had built him up as the main character, the hero, the good to take on the evils of toxic politics across the realm. Surely he had to survive, right?
NOPE.
As most of us know by now, the early seasons of this show loved to kill off its biggest characters. Ned’s was the first major death in the series, coming during the penultimate episode of Season 1. After discovering that Joffrey Baratheon was not the true heir to the Iron Throne and threatening to expose the crown, Ned was swiftly arrested.
Ned was told that he would receive mercy from King Joffrey, provided he made a public confession of treason. Begrudgingly, Ned agreed in order to live on to protect his family. Unfortunately for him, Joffrey was a little sh*t and, immediately after his confession, executed him anyway.
Even as Ned placed his neck on the chopping block, fans were stunned to see the sword actually come down and end his life. However, given that he was played by Sean Bean, we really should have seen this coming.