7. Renly Baratheon
Some of the shows deaths just act as a kick in the crotch insofar as the dramatic arc is concerned, and nowhere was that more apparent than with the death of Renly Baratheon. While Renly had no right to be near the Iron Throne and committed a dishonourable act by stealing the majority of his brothers bannermen from right under his nose, he appeared as if he was going to be a good ruler and instantly endeared himself to the audience by telling Littlefinger that he plainly didnt like him. Heir-conceiving aside, everything appeared to be coming up roses for the younger Baratheon, who had secured the support of the powerful Tyrell family and was soon to broker an alliance with the unbeaten Northern armies, creating an unbeatable force that could have wiped out the Lannisters and Stannis, as well as killing the Greyjoy rebellion in its crib. But then Melisandre happened, and that all went to hell. Of course, we all knew it was coming after the particularly graphic shadow-birthing end to the previous episode, which also made sure nobody could look at actress Carice Van Houten in the same way again. We knew the shadow was on its way to the Stormlands and what its purpose was, but it didnt make Renlys death any less shocking. What makes it worse was that really, Renly knew how to play the Game of Thrones, and was doing it rather well. He was just gazumped by unseen magical forces that nobody outside of Stannis took seriously, sparking a supernatural rug-pull I dont think has been quite topped yet in Westeros (youll note I didnt say Essos, where all sorts of crazy stuff goes down).