You Win Or You Die: Ranking the 99 Game of Thrones Deaths

Image credit: HBO/Helen Sloan

Jojen Reed

Along with his sister, Meera, Jojen seeks out Bran to help him along his journey. As the two boys share similar powers, Jojen serves as a guide to Bran’s destiny. Additionally, the Reed siblings have a long history with the Starks. Their father, Howland Reed, was present at the Tower of Joy when Ned went to rescue Lyanna at the end of Robert’s Rebellion. In that vein, Howland is one living person who will be able to vouch for Jon’s true parentage.

Whether or not he shared this information with his children is unknown; if he did, they’ve remained oddly mum on the subject. It’s also unknown as to why Howland allowed his adolescent children to go gallivanting across Westeros without adult supervision. All in all, this guy is looking to be the embodiment of “shows up fifteen minutes late with Starkbucks.”

Howland’s questionable parenting skills notwithstanding, Jojen doesn’t last long on the road. Just as the group reaches the cave that is their destination, they’re bombarded by wights. These soldiers of the undead get their claws on Jojen, and he’s as good as dead. Meera is forced to mercy-kill him to spare him further pain. It’s a tough moment, even for Game of Thrones. Until this point, Meera’s entire purpose was to protect her brother. And now, the only way she could do that is to take his life.

For his part, Jojen seems to have known this would happen. But he sacrificed himself in the knowledge that Bran would make it to where he needed to be, and thus Westeros would thrive in the end. Kid’s wise beyond his years. Fitting enough, since you take one look at Thomas Brodie-Sangster and you know he has to have a direct pipeline to the fountain of youth. He really brought that energy to his character, too.