Game Of Thrones: Ranking EVERY Major Death Worst To Best
8. Viserys Targaryan
Death: Killed by Khal Drogo by having a melted crown poured down onto his head. Yikes.
Here we are: the very first major Game of Thrones character to die. Impressively, it's still one of the best.
Viserys Targaryan (Harry Lloyd) was a truly, truly appalling character and it was nigh-on impossible to feel the slightest bit of sympathy for him, but nevertheless, even the hardest viewers will probably wince at this gruesome demise.
It was not only a powerful, shocking and satisfying end to a villain, but it was also an early sign of how much Game of Thrones would subvert all expectations. It seemed like Viserys, not to mention Robert Baratheon, Khal Drogo and, of course, Ned Stark, would be major players but then none of them made it through the first season.
This was a thoroughly startling death but crucially it was another great story development. It freed Daenerys from her brother's cruel grasp and allowed her to develop more as a character, while it also showed the depths of Khal Drogo's devotion to her, as he did this in response to Viserys threatening Daenerys.