10 Game of Thrones Deaths That Were Totally Useless

10. Jaime and Cersei Lannister

While their deaths were intended to be a tragic end to their complex relationship, many fans found their demise underwhelming. They died when the Red Keep collapsed on them during Daenerys’s assault on King’s Landing. Many felt this was a disappointing end for two of the show's most complex villains who deserved a more definitive, character-focused conclusion.

9. Varys

Known as the "Spider," Varys was the master of secrets who had survived the reigns of several kings. His death felt jarring to many because he was caught so easily by Daenerys. Fans argued that a character defined by his ability to foresee threats would never have been so careless as to get himself burned alive so plainly.

8. Rhaegal

Daenerys’s dragon Rhaegal was killed by Euron Greyjoy’s fleet in a sudden, jarring ambush. Many fans found this death particularly aggravating because it happened so easily, seemingly just to artificially lower Daenerys’s power level before the final confrontation, rather than through a climactic battle.

7. Stannis Baratheon

After seasons of build-up as a tactically brilliant commander, Stannis’s death felt anticlimactic to many. His decision to sacrifice his daughter Shireen—a choice that ultimately accomplished nothing—led to the disintegration of his army and his own death off-screen at the hands of Brienne, feeling like a bleak, unearned conclusion to his arc.

6. Ser Loras Tyrell

One of the best tourney knights in the realm, Loras was relegated to a passive, broken character during the High Sparrow arc. His death during the wildfire explosion at the Great Sept felt like a massive underutilization of a character who had once been a central, dynamic figure in the game of thrones.

5. Areo Hotah

In the books, Areo Hotah is a formidable captain of the guard with a reputation for being a lethal bodyguard. On the show, he was killed instantly by a stealthy backstab from a minor character without even getting a proper fight scene, leaving fans who expected him to be a major player feeling cheated.

4. Rickon Stark

Rickon’s death during the Battle of the Bastards is frequently mocked for its perceived "pointlessness." Critics often point out that if he had run in a "zig-zag" pattern rather than a straight line, he might have survived. His death was used solely to provoke Jon Snow into an emotional, reckless tactical error.

3. The Sand Snakes

Introduced as fierce, iconic warriors in Dorne, the Sand Snakes were largely viewed by fans as having a poorly executed arc. Their deaths, particularly those at the hands of Euron Greyjoy, felt rushed and lacked the dramatic weight their characters initially promised, ultimately rendering the entire Dorne subplot feel like a narrative dead-end.

2. Barristan Selmy

Often considered one of the greatest swordsmen in Westeros, Barristan the Bold died in a street brawl against the Sons of the Harpy in Meereen. Fans were outraged that a legendary warrior who had survived decades of political turmoil and countless battles was taken down by a group of untrained insurgents in a back alley.

1. The Night King

After eight seasons of being built up as the ultimate existential threat to all of humanity, the Night King was killed in a single, surprisingly quick moment by Arya Stark. Many fans felt that this anti-climactic resolution undermined the years of "Winter is Coming" buildup and left the White Walker mythos feeling like an unresolved plot thread.