If you’ve ever complained that
Game of Thrones has too many characters, next Sunday’s episode should do you right. With the army of the dead reaching the Northern capital, “
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”
spent 58 minutes erecting a gigantic neon sign over the Winterfell
castle that shouted, “MANY OF THESE CHARACTERS ARE GOING TO DIE.” The
show has spent eight seasons amassing every sort of supporting character
you can think of, and now it’s going to use them as meatshields for the
leads, sending them out in a blaze of glory so all our main characters
can enjoy the dream of spring.
Or, that’s what seems likely to happen in “The Battle of Winterfell.” But who knows? Even at this late date,
Thrones has proven that it can still surprise us.
Ahead of the upcoming battle, reportedly the largest the show has ever
filmed, we’ve taken the liberty of ranking the 28 named characters in
and around Winterfell, in order of least to most likely to bite it this
Sunday.
Tier III: The Main Characters (Probably) Won’t Die
28. Samwell Tarly
An
unwritten rule of fantasy narratives states that someone has to stick
around to tell the story afterwards. For the past few years,
GOT
has been hinting that person will be Sam, who seems the clearest author
avatar for George R.R. Martin. Though he may lack the traps and delts
necessary to wield
his family’s ancestral sword, as Sam reminded Dolorous Edd, no matter what happens in the battle he will always be the first
Thrones character to kill a White Walker.
27. Sansa Stark
Another way of looking at the question of who’s gonna die is to look at who’s important for endgame. Sansa,
the only character on the show who cares about grain supplies,
seems ideally suited to picking up the pieces after the titular contest
of dominions is over, which means she and her domme harness are
probably safe.
26. Jon Snow
He
has a track record for useless, suicidal charges in the height of
battle, it’s true. But the show seems to be bending over backwards to
make the point that he’s the one claimant to the Iron Throne with the
real mettle of a leader. I’m not saying he won’t die before the show
ends, but probably not in this episode.
25. Daenerys Targaryen
Similarly,
I can’t envision an endgame that doesn’t include Daenerys. The show has
been hammering home the contrast between Dany and Jon vis-à-vis
sacrifice, and I could see her going out in a blaze of glory to prove
she’s got the true steel. But again, not in the third episode of a
six-episode season.
24. Tyrion Lannister
The
sole optimist in Winterfell! And with good reason: It feels like the
Lannister siblings will need to have some sort of joint reckoning before
the series ends, which would seem to put the kibosh on any icy death
for Ty Lion Sign. But Tyrion’s story line has been
kind of wonky the past few seasons, so I feel dicier about making any concrete predictions for him.
23. Jaime Lannister
Everyone
assumes that Jaime will ultimately be the one to kill Cersei, and
they’re almost certainly right! In episode two, Bran also pointed to the
middle Lannister still having some role to play. However, I will remind
you that “dying in battle to save Brienne” is still technically a role.
22. Arya Stark
George R.R. Martin did
promise his wife
that nothing bad would happen to Arya, but as far as I know, David
Benioff and D.B. Weiss made no such assurance to the former Parris
McBride. I think she’s probably fine. She’s probably fine. She’s …
probably fine?
21. Bran Stark
His
“I’ll just sit in the godswood and wait for the Night King” plan seems
slightly suspect to me, but I’m no omniscient representative for a
tree-based network of collective cultural memory, so what do I know? I
don’t think the show will kill him off, but he definitely feels a touch
less safe than the other Starks. Well, maybe not
all the other Starks.
20. The Night King
I anticipate that Game of Thrones will not kill off its supreme antagonist in the fourth-to-last episode of the series. But I’ve been wrong before!
Tier II: *Looks Nervously at How Many Other Characters Fill the Same Role*
19. Alys Karstark
We’ve
passed the characters with plot armor, now we’re getting into the ones
who actually have a solid chance of kicking the bucket. Young Lady
Karstark and Lord Umber had been linked since their introductions, and
somewhat paradoxically, the latter getting turned into
Westeros’s creepiest piece of folk art may bode well for the former: A similar fate for Alys might feel like diminishing returns.
18. Ghost
Jon’s pet dog made
a conspicuous reappearance
in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” just in time to do his part. As as
we saw in “The Door,” direwolves sometimes have a “ruff” time of it
against wights — but on the plus side, you can bet there’s gonna be a
whole lot of bones around.
17. Lyanna Mormont
16. Gendry
I suppose it’s possible that the writers brought Gendry back just so he could
have sex with Arya
and then die immediately afterward, but it feels like they have a
little something more in store. Have you heard that he’s Robert
Baratheon’s bastard?
15. Davos Seaworth
One issue the show has been running into lately: There are a lot
of adviser characters, and only a few people for them to be advising,
so they just kind of sit around and grumble about how their advice isn’t
being followed. I expect the ranks of the “wise counselor” figures to
thin a bit in the upcoming battle. Davos seems safer than most, but you
gotta figure his strange luck could run out eventually.
14. Gilly
“A
Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” spent a lot of time telling us how the
crypts are the safest part of Winterfell, which means the crypts are
obviously not going to be the safest part of Winterfell. I don’t know if
the
fan theory
about generations of dead Starks turning into wights will hold, but at
the very least, things will get mighty spooky down there. Watch out,
Gilly!
13. Tormund Giantsbane
Game of Thrones likes to send beloved characters out on a high note, and you don’t get much higher than Tormund’s late-night bull session.
12. Maester Wolkan
Winterfell’s maester seems like a classic “uh-oh, this is getting serious!” minor-character death.
11. Sandor ‘The Hound’ Clegane
Similarly
to the adviser issue, how many no-nonsense killers hoping to atone for a
lifetime of bad deeds are currently wandering around Winterfell? Six?
Seven? The Hound doesn’t seem like a guy who will have a ton to do in
whatever world follows this battle, but the lingering possibility of
Cleganebowl gives him a lifeline his fellow gruff, bearded fellows don’t.
10. Missandei
If
characters in a war start talking about all the things they’re going to
do after the big battle ends, they’re probably not going to survive
that battle. I’m not alone in suggesting that at least one of Grey Worm
and Missandei will probably die, though since she’s not on the front
lines, her death feels slightly less inevitable than his.
9. Varys
Consider
that Varys is another adviser who hasn’t had much to do these past few
seasons, add in the fact that we’ve seen him looking “vary” worried
in the Winterfell crypt, and then remember that Melisandre promised that
he would die in Westeros. Him surviving would be a very “unique” situation.
8. Yohn Royce
Because someone
has to command the Vale troops. I don’t think Yohn has gotten any
actual lines this season, and his best chance of surviving will probably
be the writers forgetting all about him. (Again.)
Tier I: Call Your Agent
7. Brienne of Tarth
It pains me to write this one, but Brienne’s arc got
one hell of a culmination on Sunday, and we know she’ll be commanding the left flank once battle begins. Oh, and
the first time we saw a White Walker,
they were attacking the flanks. I’m hoping against hope Brienne
survives and gets to enjoy a long and happy life on the Sapphire Isle,
but I wouldn’t put money on it.
6. Jorah Mormont
Similarly,
Jorah finally got the redemption he was seeking when Sam gifted him
with a Valyrian steel sword to replace the one he lost in disgrace. The
only question: Will he get one last “Khaleesi” before he croaks?
5. Theon Greyjoy
Throughout
the series, the Ironborn have proven they’re great at sneaking into
places and killing everyone before anyone can sound an alarm. I don’t
think, though, that necessarily makes them the obvious choice to be the
handpicked bodyguards for a teenage boy who acts as a homing beacon for a
spikey-headed ice-demon. Consider Theon’s placement on this list my
official review of this plan.
4. Beric Dondarrion
The mission north of the Wall last season tipped Thrones’
hands regarding death: They’re going to kill redshirts first, and only
when those poor souls are gone will they start killing named characters,
starting with the least important first. That Beric didn’t die on that
mission suggested the writers had something else in store for him —
dying here!
3. Eddison ‘Dolorous Edd’ Tollett
Edd
is the head of an organization that no longer exists, which is exactly
the kind of bitter irony I suspect he would love. His cloak may be
black, but his shirt? It’s red, baby.
2. Podrick Payne
If
a minor character reveals a previously unknown singing voice by
crooning a soulful ballad ahead of a crucial moment, does that make him
more likely to die?
Lord of the Rings says no,
Battlestar Galactica says yes. In this case, I’m guessing Pod’s song will be his swan song.
1. Grey Worm
Let’s
be real: Grey Worm ticks nearly every button on the “this character
will die” checklist. A minor character who will be charging on the
battlefield against the White Walkers? Known and beloved by fans, but no
longer essential to the show’s central plot? Risking his life to
protect a bunch of people who seem
very itchy to
move to the suburbs?
And most important of all: suddenly talking about his plans to whisk
his lover away after this whole war thing is over? Yeah, him surviving
this battle would be the most shocking
Game of Thrones event since the Red Wedding.
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