Game Of Thrones Finale: 10 Characters No One Expected To Make It To The End

Speaking of Brienne, she also seemed destined to perish in The Long Night, having been knighted and therefore completed her thematic arc.

She could have died defending Jaime, came back as a wight and killed Pod, which would have been tragic, narratively satisfying and allow Jaime reason to return to Cersei.

Instead, she got a one night stand with Jaime, never truly interacted with Tormund and was left in tears as Jaime rode off. It was beyond insulting to her character.

She wanted to be taken seriously as a fighter, to fall in love, to be a knight, to earn respect and to ensure Arya and Sansa returned safe to Winterfell. All those things have happened, so many expected her to have met her demise one way or another by now.

Arguably she’s been surplus at times, but at least going into the finale, she has a clear purpose. While Grey Worm is one of the few named characters who still supports Daenerys, Brienne is one of the only ones we know supports Sansa over Jon unequivocally.

There’s been times when she might have received a perfect ending, but by surviving this long she may play a major role in the outcome.