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

Image credit: HBO/Helen Sloan

Tywin Lannister

For such a dignified man, Tywin dies in perhaps the most undignified fashion ever to be featured on Game of Thrones. He doesn’t go out in a blaze of glory, but rather sitting on the toilet, faced with a son he would have rather denied than call his own.

Tywin’s entire MO consisted of family loyalty, doing right by the Lannister name, and doing so with poise and resilience. He faced off with Tyrion at every turn. From the moment of his birth, youngest son was never good enough to warrant Tywin’s affection and, at times, not even so much as his respect.

After the stress of the trial, Tyrion’s resolve had all but crumbled. It was the last straw in a long and exhausting battle against his father, who would never accept him no matter what Tyrion did. So at this point, why bother keeping up the pretense? In the end, Tyrion had as little affection for his father as Tywin had for him. There was still perhaps some hopefulness in Tyrion, but his father had beaten him down too many times for him to let it continue.

The death itself is quick. Tyrion releases his crossbow when Tywin once again drops “whore,” just as Tyrion said he would. He is a man of his word, just as his father was. He proves in that final moment that perhaps the two aren’t as different as Tywin would have liked to pretend.