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Ranking the 15 most significant deaths from Game of Thrones

By Josh Tyler

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Game of Thrones returns in just over a month, and most of us are mid-way through a full rewatch to get caught up on everything that’s happening in Westeros. To help you out, here’s a quick rundown of each of the most significant deaths to be on the lookout for.

Please note: this article will contain spoilers for key plot points and (obviously) deaths of characters in the show Game of Thrones through Season 7. If you are not caught up with all the action, do not read ahead. You have been warned.

There were a lot of Game of Thrones deaths that shocked us, made us cry, made us cheer, or just made us queasy. But those horrifying or satisfying deaths may not have been incredibly significant to the overall plot of Game of Thrones. As much as we cheered when Arya killed Walder Frey or cried at Ygritte’s death, those events didn’t move the plot of Game of Thrones forward. Or at least, not as much as some others.

For this list, we will consider which deaths in Game of Thrones were most critical to progressing the plot and central conflicts of the show. We will also only be focusing on deaths shown (so Jon Arryn and Aerys Targaryen are out) and in the present timeline (so Bran’s visions of his aunt Lyanna’s death or Rhaegar Targaryen don’t count).

Without further ado, here is the list of the 15 most significant deaths in Game of Thrones.

15. Drogo


Title: Khal
Introduced: “Winter is Coming” (Season 1, Episode 1)
Died: “Fire and Blood” (Season 1, Episode 10)
Cause of death: Smothered with a pillow after being left in a catatonic state
Killer: Daenerys Targaryen/Mirri Max Duur

Significance of Death: Khal Drogo was introduced to us first as Dany’s promised bride, used as a bartering chip by her brother, Viserys Targaryen, to get troops in order to take back the Iron Throne. His relationship with Dany is her first experience with playing “the game” learning to charm and capitulate her husband into considering her to be equal. The couple becomes happier together, only to have that happiness ripped away.

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After suffering a wound in combat with a defiant underling, Dany implores Drogo to allow one of the women she saved from being raped to treat his wound. Unbeknownst to her, the woman allows Drogo to die, then performs a ritual that kills Dany and Drogo’s unborn son as recompense for the Dothraki destroying her village and killing her people.

This is the first real time that Dany’s kind-heartedness has betrayed her, and it leaves a lasting impression. She still has a softness for the oppressed, but she’s far more calculating and less trusting after this incident.

It also leaves her alone, with only her most loyal followers, after the rest of the Dothraki leave Dany behind after Drogo’s death. The death forces her to become self-sufficient and build her own army to conquer Westeros, rather than just use Drogos. It also inspires her to step into the fire and become the Mother of Dragons.

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