Game Of Thrones: Who ends up on the Iron Throne?
Spoilers ahead!
Last updated 20th May 2019
The final ever episode of Game of Thrones has finally aired - and it's safe to say that, whilst fans are still divided over the outcome, every single viewer is distraught that the series is over.
The fantasy historical drama, based on the novels of George R. R. Martin entitled A Song of Ice and Fire, has had people all over the world completely hooked on the adventures of the Stark family along with many others since its television adaptation began in 2011 - and there have been a lot of questions about the show.
After eight seasons and a whopping 73 episodes of the show, the show finally has a conclusion - and we strongly advise that you do NOT read any further if you haven't seen episode 6 yet as this will completely ruin it for you. SPOILERS AHEAD!
So the question on everyone's lips is...
Who won the Iron Throne in the Game of Thrones finale?
Well, the technical answer is: no-one. In the aftermath of episode five which saw Daenerys Targaryen go full Mad Queen and obliterate King's Landing and all of its inhabitants - innocent or otherwise - Jon had a discussion with Tyrion Lannister about what should be done.
As we now know after eight seasons, Jon is a hugely honourable man, but he's not very good at coming up with his own ideas, and can sometimes be persuaded to carry out actions on others' behalves.
So when Tyrion - faced with almost certain death after Dany had him imprisoned - had an audience with Jon Snow AKA Aegon Targaryen, he tried to persuade him to bump the Queen off, since it seemed that she'd completely lost her head and had also vowed to keep on "freeing" people from tyranny.
Jon then went to Daenerys, who was stood in the former Throne Room hosting the Iron Throne, in a shot which harkened back to her vision from way back in season two. He tried to plead with her to show mercy, and remind her of what she was before, but she wasn't having any of it and instead tried to convince him to rule alongside her.
Then, in a moment that was simultaneously totally expected and also a complete shock, Jon kissed Dany, telling her she'd always be his queen, and stabbed her in the heart before she even had a chance to sit on the throne.
Her loyal dragon Drogon then arrived, and after realising that his mother had been killed, prepared to rain fire on presumably Jon Snow - but instead aimed his rage at the Throne itself, reducing it to a pile of twisted and melted metal. It was all very symbolic - but it does mean that technically, no-one will sit on the throne now.
In an uncharacteristic time jump, we then saw the remaining Lord and Ladies of Westeros all come together for a meeting to discuss what to do. Jon Snow was revealed to have (obviously) told everyone that he'd killed Dany, and was therefore imprisoned.
Tyrion was brought out of his own imprisonment to stand before the council to help everyone work out what the hell should happen next. The Lannister turned Targaryen supporter then put his own loyalty behind none other than Bran Stark AKA the Three Eyed Raven.
He told them all, "I have had nothing to do but think these past few weeks. What unites people... Stories. There's nothing in the world more powerful than a good story, and who has a better story than Bran the Broken?"
To hammer his point home, Tyrion went on, "He is our memory, the keeper of all our stories. Who better to lead us into the future?" to which Sassy Sansa clapped back that Bran had "no interest" in ruling, and couldn't father children.
Tyrion replied, "Good. Sons of kings can be cruel and stupid as you well know. His will never torment us," turning to Grey Worm and saying, "That is wheel our queen wanted to brek."
He continued, "From now on, our rulers will not be born. They will be chosen on this spot by the Lords and Ladies of Westeros to serve the realm." Approaching Bran, Tyrion asked whether Bran would accept the throne, and Bran rather sarcastically replied, "Why do you think I came all this way?"
The Lords and Ladies all backed Tyrion's idea - except, of course, for Sansa, who declared that the North would once again become its own separate state, and was later crowned Queen of the North.
Bran announced Tyrion as his Hand, and ruled that Jon would indeed be released from Unsullied imprisonment - but he was sent to live at Castle Black once again and take care of the Wall.
So, really, no-one will sit on the Iron Throne again since it got melted to smithereens by Drogon, but Bran AKA the Three Eyed Raven has been chosen to rule Westeros. Anyone else not see that coming?! We're sure Bran did...
Game of Thrones: Who survived season 8?
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister: Alive
After the events of the last eight seasons, it's something of a miracle that Tyrion Lannister has managed to stay alive. He always had the gift of the gab, and he's been able to talk himself out of being killed a surprising amount of times. He survived playing the Game of Thrones, and ended up as Hand to the King – Bran Stark.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister: Dead
Ahh, Jaime Lannister. He thought he could quit his sister/lover Cersei, but after spending the night with Brienne of Tarth – who had been struggling with her feelings for him since she met him back in season one. Although it looked like he might stay and choose to be with Brienne, Jaime couldn't ignore his loyalty to his sister/lover, and made his way back down to King's Landing, surviving a duel with Euron Greyjoy and reuniting with Cersei at the last moment, only for the pair to die in each others' arms after Daenerys burned down the city.
Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister: Dead
She was probably the most hated character on the show, but no-one can deny that they respected Cersei Lannister. She spent most of the eighth season standing at the window of the Red Keep and drinking wine (despite being supposedly pregnant), but when Daenerys ignored the bells of surrender and burned down King's Landing, Cersei and Jaime couldn't find a way out of the dungeons underneath the castle and died together.
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen: Dead
Daenerys Targaryen made it all the way to the final ever episode of Game of Thrones before she was murdered. It was inevitable, wasn't it? After burning King's Landing and all its inhabitants, Dany seemingly went full Mad Queen and had to be stopped, especially after declaring war on pretty much the entire world. After Jon Snow – her nephew/lover – begged her to show mercy, she wasn't having it, and he stabbed her in the heart.
Kit Harington as Jon Snow: Alive
Even though Jon Snow AKA Aegon Targaryen did actually die from stab wounds in the season five finale, he was brought back to life by the witch Melisandre, and did indeed survive the Game of Thrones – despite being Dany's biggest threat to the throne. Jon was thrown in jail by the Unsullied Army after killing Dany, but when his brother/cousin Bran was made King of Westeros, he was sent to Castle Black to be on the Night's Watch again.
Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark: Alive
Sansa Stark also made it through all eight seasons with her head in tact. She always dreamed of being Queen as a young girl, and she got her wish – after Bran was made King, she announced that the North would once again become its own state, and she was crowned Queen of the North on her return to Winterfell.
Maisie Williams as Arya Stark: Alive
Arya Stark survived a whole lot, not only in the last season, but in the whole show. Although we sadly didn't see any more of her Faceless Man magic, she did make it through to the end, and set sail on an adventure to discover whatever is "west of Westeros".
Liam Cunningham as Davos Seaworth: Alive
Davos Seaworth, the Onion Knight, repeatedly told us he wasn't a great swordsman, but he made it through plenty of battles with his life and has been a good and loyal servant to the realm.
Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei: Dead
Poor Missandei was captured just at the moment where it looked like she and her love, Grey Worm, might just survive and sail off into the sunset together. After being taken hostage by Euron Greyjoy and brought to Cersei Lannister, Dany sent Tyrion to try and plead for Missandei's life – but it was to no avail, and Cersei ordered The Mountain to chop her head off. Which he did. Sob.
Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy: Dead
Theon Greyjoy had one of the best redemption character arcs in the history of television. After betraying the Starks and doing some other dodgy things, he was tortured by Ramsey Bolton and lost his mind. He then helped Sansa Stark to escape him at great risk to himself amongst other heroic acts, and finally lost his life to the Night King whilst trying to defend Bran Stark.
Carice Van Houten as Melisandre: Dead
Many of us started out hating the strange witch Melisandre, but she began to turn it around for herself when she brought Jon Snow back to life with the help of The Lord of Light in season six. After helping defeat the White Walkers and their army of wights, Melisandre took her magic necklace off and walked into the snow to die.
John Bradley as Samwell Tarly: Alive
Samwell Tarly may have had a pretty traumatic time over the last eight seasons, but in the end he survived, got the girl (Gilly) who was also pregnant with his baby, and was also appointed Grand Maester in Bran's Small Council. Not bad, eh?
Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark: Alive
Oh, Bran Stark AKA the Three Eyed Raven is very much alive. Not only that, but he was also declared King of Westeros by the remaining Lords and Ladies of the kingdom. Yes, he's been given a not-very-nice name – Bran the Broken – but still, he made it. Turns out he wasn't secretly the Night King after all, despite a lot of fan theories, but just the King.
Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth: Alive
Thank GOODNESS that Brienne of Tarth made it through the Game of Thrones. After surviving all the battles she took part in, and also surviving having her heart broken by Jaime Lannister, Brienne made it onto Bran's small council, and also honoured Jaime by writing up all of his achievements in the big book of records.
Conleth Hill as Lord Varys: Dead
It was surely inevitable that the Master of Whisperers, Lord Varys, wouldn't survive the eighth season. Daenerys discovered that Varys wasn't exactly loyal to her anymore – he was possibly poisoning her and also plotting to get Jon on the throne instead, so she had her dragon burn him where he stood.
Rory McCann as Sandor 'The Hound' Clegane: Dead
The Hound may have been a particularly grumpy character, but his heart was in the right place and the love he had for Arya redeemed him for sure. But he couldn't resist trying to kill his brother, The Mountain, when King's Landing was burning and the Red Keep was crumbling down. Thankfully, he was able to finish him off – but only by also sacrificing himself. They both ended up in the fire.
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Gregor 'The Mountain' Clegane: Dead
The Mountain had pretty much been dead from season four. After his duel with Oberyn Martell, Cersei's Hand Qyburn brought him back to life… Kind of. He was a kind of zombie who was seemingly unable to speak or make any decisions for himself, but he was finished off once and for all by his younger brother.
Jerome Flynn as Bronn: Alive
Probably the least surprising survival – Bronn of the Blackwater not only survived plenty of battles, but he was also made Master of Coins on Bran's small council.
Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane: Alive
Tormund Giantsbane may not have been able to share the love he had for Brienne of Tarth, but he did survive the show. After taking his fellow Wildlings – and Ghost the direwolf – back up to Castle Black, he was reunited with his pal Jon after he was banished there.
Joe Dempsie as Gendry: Alive
Despite being the bastard son of Robert Baratheon, Gendry actually survived the whole show. He was even legitimised by Daenerys and given a posh title!
Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm: Alive
Grey Worm may have survived the show, but without the love of his life Missandei, it really feels like a hollow victory. However, he did set sail for Naath to fulfill her wish of once again seeing the beaches in her home country.
Iain Glen as Jorah Mormont: Dead
Ser Jorah Mormont laid down his life for Daenerys Targaryen, and saved her from wights during the Battle of Winterfell. Although he was attacked by the creatures, he managed to stay conscious long enough to protect Dany, before finally dying once he knew she was safe.
Pilou Asbæk as Euron Greyjoy: Dead
One of the most annoying GOT characters, Euron Greyjoy FINALLY died after duelling with Jaime Lannister. Even though he got a few stabs in, meaning that Jaime was never going to live very long after their confrontation, Jaime did get the last swing in and finished Euron off for good before going to find Cersei.
Anton Lesser as Qyburn: Dead
Qyburn was the eerily softly-spoken Hand of Cersei who was also responsible for creating the monster that was The Mountain. That monster finally killed him in episode five after refusing to follow his orders.
Richard Dormer as Beric Dondarrion: Dead
Beric Dondarrion had been brought back to life multiple times by the Lord of Light for some unknown purpose – which turned out to be protecting Arya Stark long enough for her to go kill the Night King. He eventually succumbed to the wights after ensuring she was on the way to the forest.
Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy: Alive
Yara Greyjoy may have been taken prisoner by her own uncle Euron, but she survived the rest of the season and was involved in the decision to make Bran the King.
Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett: Dead
Samwell and Jon's pal from the Night's Watch Eddison Tollett made it all the way through the show until he got to the Battle of Winterfell. After trying to get Sam to get back up and fight, he ended up sacrificing himself so that Sam might live.
Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne: Alive
The lovely and wonderful Podrick Payne survived it all after being taken under Brienne of Tarth's wing. She taught him everything he knows, and he was present in the final scene to help take Bran away from the room.
Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont: Dead
One of the bravest characters despite being about 12-years-old, little Lyanna Mormont was killed by a wight troll in the Battle of Winterfell – but she got her own back on him before he could completely squeeze the life out of her, stabbing him in the eye with a shard of Dragonglass.
Vladimir Furdik as the Night King: Dead
The Night King, who was originally one of the First Men, was created by the Children of the Forest to protect them against mankind – but it all went horribly wrong. Thankfully, Arya Stark saved the day and got him in the heart with her Valyrian steel dagger, Catspaw. Many viewers were convinced he'd make a return somehow, but after the finale we know he's gone for good… Or is he?
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