Game Of Thrones: All 26 Characters From Season 1 (Who Aren’t Dead Yet) - Ranked

25. Ilyn Payne

After his explosive part in the first season, Ilyn Payne should have been a far more important character than he has ultimately been allowed to, thanks to the unfortunate touch of fate's hand.

The crowns' executioner was all about silent menace - thanks in part to the delightfully interesting face of British punk legend Wilko Johnson, who made his acting debut in the show. He never spoke, but there was something inherently evil about him, as an instrument of the Lannisters.

Sadly, he was cruelly robbed of his future in the show - and we were robbed of seeing Arya strike him from her kill list - when Johnson was diagnosed with late-stage cancer that was assumed initially to be terminal. He wasn't killed off off-screen as a mark of respect, so hopefully he will be back now that Johnson has made a remarkable recovery after radical treatment.