25 reasons we wish Robb Stark from Game of Thrones was still alive

Robb Stark from Game of Thrones. Actor: Richard Madden. Courtesy of HBO

23. He was Smart

For being the eldest Stark child, Robb was exceptionally smart. (Except when it came to making deals because that’s how he was murdered.) But with the reason for his demise excluded, Robb was proving himself to be the ruler who should have ascended the Iron Throne.

Most of that had to do with how intelligent he was. Whether it was figuring out military strategy or just what was best for his family, Robb seemed to always be on top of it. And in Westeros, you always have to be at the top of your game.

Now all of the Stark children are smart. That’s part of why they’re such a threat to the throne. Each one of them brings some level of intelligence to everything they do and it is remarkable. Robb was no different. He just expressed his intelligence in ways that his other siblings did not.

He made himself known as a leader. Robb wanted everyone to respect him and his decisions and, with the exception of that one terrible mistake he made, Robb did a fairly decent job of protecting those around him in his rise to King of the North. Too bad he let love cloud his better judgment.