1. Eddard Stark
Shaping up as something of the Citizen Kane of unexpected deaths, many viewers who were new to Westeros didnt know what was going to happen when everyones favourite Stark (come on, you know he is) was incarcerated. Even though he was being played by death merchant extraordinaire Sean Bean, Eddard Stark was the closest thing the show had to a protagonist and definitely the closest thing it had to a good guy. So the idea of him dying probably seemed remote, even if Varys continued to clown around him telling him how doomed he was. And for the longest time, we were all convinced he would somehow survive. After all, Cersei gave him a second chance in return for her own, he had a powerful bargaining chip insofar as a giant, pissed-off army was concerned and he had finally chosen to sacrifice his honour for his family by falsely admitting he was a traitor. Yet the world didnt count on Westeros Worst Person Ever to ruin the party on a capricious whim. Joffrey effectively got Ned killed on a snap decision, making it all the more shocking, but all the more dramatically important. This was the death that finally told us that all bets were off, and that anyone could be killed. Rarely since the UK series Spooks have we been given the message that absolutely everyone including integral characters was expendable, and rarely did a show do it in a more shocking way. Agree or disagree? Did I miss one? Feel free to comment!