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

Image credit: HBO/Helen Sloan

The Three-Eyed Raven, Leaf, Summer, and Hodor

If only the Three-Eyed Raven hadn’t gone all super-secretive-for-no-real-reason Dumbledore on Bran, they might all still be alive. Instead, the Three-Eyed Raven fancied a little tough love teaching, to the detriment of the entire party. With the past, present, and future at his disposal, the Three-Eyed Raven knew what Bran would do, and he allowed it to happen to teach him control. Not the most open and honest way to encourage communication, but here we are.

Bran’s impatience leads the White Walkers to their door, and allows them entrance that had been heretofore barricaded. The Night King’s imprint on Bran enables him to track the boy, although it’s unknown what, precisely, the Night King’s interest in Bran is.

Immobilized as he is, the Three-Eyed Raven is an easy target, and his death is a quick one. One of the children, Leaf, sacrifices herself by way of a magical nature grenade, which she uses to take out a whole host of wights as well. Summer leaps into the fray to shield Bran from harm. Bran and Meera are the only ones to escape, leaving Hodor behind to “Hold the door” against the oncoming wights.

Hodor’s death is the most shocking of all. It seems that no one expected such a good, pure character to fall in such a horrifying fashion. More than that, what it reveals about his life had fans reeling. In this wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey mess, Hodor’s actions in the future affect his past. While he’s holding the door, Bran watches in his vision as the young Hodor seizes up and shouts “Hold the door” until the words manifest into the only word he’ll be able to say from then on—“Hodor.”