Every Game Of Thrones Character Killed Too Soon

Game of Thrones made its name by killing characters no matter how important, but some were killed too soon, as they could have played bigger roles.
Game of Thrones’ endlessly in killing off its main characters showed no character was safe no matter how fundamental they were, but the death of some happened so early that it felt too soon both to audiences and for the characters’ stories. Whether they shined for their extensively or happened in a fight, all these deaths involved characters that could have easily played a bigger role in Game of Thrones, especially considering some of the revelations and developments of the fantasy drama’s later seasons. Game of Thrones stacked up a great number of shocking deaths, but the demise of some stands out for how soon it happened after their introduction.

Ned Stark’s execution in Game of Thrones episode 9 shocked the North as well as audiences, with the latter taken aback by his death happening so soon after the Game of Thrones series premiere introduced him as one of its key characters. However, despite having happened only nine episodes into season 1, Ned’s death changed GOT’s direction for the better, essentially kickstarting the events that escalated the hostilities in the Seven Kingdoms and taking the conflict between the Starks and the Lannisters up a notch. Without it, Game of Thrones’ events wouldn’t have had any need to exist, unlike others whose deaths happened before they could fulfill their full potential.
Syria Forel
Game of Thrones season 1, episode 8, “The Pointy End”
Syrio Forel only appeared in three episodes of Game of Thrones season 1 as Arya’s swords-fighting instructor and mentor, but his impact was considerable. He was the first to teach Arya the basics of fighting, and one of the few positive figures she met in King’s Landing. Dying in a fight with Lannister soldiers and Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard to protect Arya made his sacrifice noble, but it still happened too soon. He was a well-liked character by audiences and Arya alike, and one of the few that Arya trusted who could have helped her after Ned’s execution left her in the South without allies, had he survived.
Renly Baratheon
Game of Thrones season 2, episode 5, “The Ghost of Harrenhal”
Renly’s murder at the hand of the Stannis-like smoke figure in Game of Thrones season 2, episode 5 also happened prematurely, with the younger Baratheon brother barely making it past the start of the War of the Five Kings. Despite Renly amassing the biggest force between his and Stannis’, his unexpected death served to prove Melisandre’s power, whose magic ensures Stannis’ advantage. The War of the Five Kings could have easily let battles between Stannis and Renly play out instead without changing the war’s tragic end, this way letting Renly’s inescapable death only happen after he could have proved his worthiness as a potential ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.
Robb Stark

Game of Thrones season 3, episode 9, “The Rains of Castamere”
Robb was one of the most prominent GOT characters killed at the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones season 3, episode 9, and his death was arguably inevitable due to his “King in the North” status threatening the Lannisters politically and on the battlefield and his betrayal of the pact with the Freys. Still, he barely had two seasons to prove his worth as leader of the North after his father’s execution, and his murder at the Red Wedding could have been even more heartbreaking had Game of Thrones shown more of his happy life with Talisa and his wins in the War of the Five Kings.
Catelyn Stark
Game of Thrones season 3, episode 9, “The Rains of Castamere”
Decimating the Stark’s ranks and killing off two major characters in Game of Thrones, the Red Wedding was one of the events with the highest shock value in the series. Still, Catelyn’s death in the Red Wedding felt like it happened too soon, not only for what it meant to the younger Stark siblings to lose her along with Robb but also for her political alliances and shrewdness that could have easily saved her in other circumstances but couldn’t protect her from the consequences of Robb choosing not to respect the pact with the Freys and marrying Talisa.

Catelyn’s death wasn’t the end of her in the books, as Beric Dondarrion resurrected her three days after her death by giving his life for hers in A Storm of Swords. However, the finality of Catelyn’s murder in Game of Thrones season 3, episode 9 robbery targets the possibility of seeing Lady Stoneheart onscreen. She will have differed greatly from the Catelyn Stark Game of Thrones season 1 introduced, but her existence will have still furthered the plans to avenge the brutal actions against the Starks in the War of the Five Kings, and GOT not bringing her back used her character even less, severely reducing her storyline.
Oberyn Martell
Game of Thrones season 4, episode 8, “The Mountain and the Viper”
Oberyn’s wit, combat excellence, and clear purpose of wanting to avenge his sister Elia Martell’s rape and murder quickly made him a fan-favorite after Game of Thrones season 4, episode 1 first introduced him. His and his lover Ellaria’s fluid sexuality also contributed to making their presence a breath of fresh air in King’s Landing, and Game of Thrones could have benefitted even more from learning about Dorne through Oberyn’s perspective. However, his downfall proved the same thing that motivated him to reach King’s Landing, as his brutal murder in Tyrion’s trial was perpetrated by the Mountain, who killed him in the same fashion he murdered his sister Elia.
Ygritte
Game of Thrones season 4, episode 9, “The Watchers on the Wall”
Appearing over 17 episodes, Ygritte showed Jon and audiences how the wildings were organized in a different, freer manner from the nobles to the south of the Wall. Her quick-wittedness and fighting prowess, coupled with her tendency to tease Jon Snow, easily makes Ygritte a fan-favorite character. Her premature death at Olly’s hands after Jon himself had taught him how to handle bows left Jon brokenhearted for a long time. More importantly, Jon and Ygritte’s bond could have easily benefitted all Westerosi once the fight against the Night Walkers had reached them, as their longstanding cooperation could have potentially given them a shot earlier than Game of Thrones season 8.
Jojen Reed
Game of Thrones season 4, episode 10, “The Children”
Jojen Reed proved an invaluable ally to Bran and managed to get him beyond the Wall and as close to the Cave of the Three-Eyed Raven as possible before dying in Game of Thrones season 4, episode 10. While their time together already had Jojen and Bran opens up about their fathers’ friendship, besides spurring the many helpful lessons about warging, Jojen’s death at the wight’s hands still happened too soon, as his knowledge could have informed many of Game of Thrones’ later developments, considering especially how Jojen’s father, Howland Reed accompanying Ned to save Lyanna Stark, making their family one of the few knowing Jon’s true parentage.
Barristan Selmy
Game of Thrones season 5, episode 4, “Sons of the Harpy”
Barristan Selmy loyally served in the Kingsguard protecting Aerys II first, Robert Baratheon second, and Joffrey Baratheon at last before being dismissed by the latter in a public affront that urged him to leave King’s Landing for Essos to pledge his allegiance to Daenerys. Knowing older Targaryens like Daenerys never could give her exile to Essos made their bond special and Daenerys particularly receptive to his counsel. Had Ser Barristan Selmy not been killed by the Sons of the Harpy in Meereen, he might have seen more of Daenerys’ descent into madness, making his story more heartbreaking but rewarding as he would have followed the Targaryen to their very end.
Rickon Stark
Game of Thrones season 6, episode 9, “Battle of the Bastards”
Almost a secondary character in Game of Thrones despite being one of the Stark siblings, Rickon spent most of the fantasy drama running away, earlier with Bran and then only with Osha, before being eventually delivered to Ramsay Snow through Smalljon Umber’s betrayal. Bran highlights Rickon’s duty of staying alive so that he could be the last living Stark to take over Winterfell had Bran and Robb died on their respective quests, but his death stunned so much because Rickon was so close to being reunited with Jon Snow and the rest of his family.
While it wouldn’t have greatly affected the main storylines’ end, it would have meant another Stark alive and reunited with those closest to him, which would have been a win in a class of its own given the amount of Northeners and Stark killed throughout Game of Thrones. Instead, Rickon being killed off as he almost reached Jon, with the hope to be possibly reunited with his family because of how close he was to them, is a uniquely cruel ending, as if it happened mere seconds later, it could have given Rickon at least the certainty he was finally with his blood.