Game of Thrones: See how much the cast has changed since the first season

Bran Stark

Isaac Hempstead Wright had barely entered his teenage years when he agreed to play Bran Stark on Game of Thrones. During season 1, Bran is noticeably one of the babies of the Stark family, though his character has matured physically and mentally over the last seven seasons.

In fact, Bran is forced to grow up fairly quickly during the first few seasons alone. After Jaime pushes him from one of the towers at Winterfell, Bran loses the use of his legs, leaving him paralyzed and quashing his dreams of becoming a knight. And when Catelyn leaves Winterfell, Bran becomes the singular Stark there—leaving him to care for Rickon and to deal with Winterfell’s sworn allies.

When Theon invades Winterfell with the ironborn, Bran also must cope with the betrayal of someone he considered a brother and the loss of servants he grew up with. He flees his home with Rickon, Hodor, and Osha in tow, eventually winding up beyond the Wall.

But even though Bran grows through his struggles during the first few seasons, nothing changes him as much as his time spent beyond the wall. After Bran meets Jojen and Meera, he begins learning to utilize his warging abilities—even warging into Hodor at times.

Bran also meets the children of the forest and the Three-Eyed Raven, all of whom prepare Bran himself to become the next Three-Eyed Raven. By the time Bran’s training is finished, he’s hardly recognizable. He loses Hodor and Jojen along the way, but you’d hardly know it from the way he reacts, seeming to barely register the losses.

Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

When Bran returns to Winterfell during the seventh season, he’s certainly as “different” as Sansa describes him. He isn’t necessarily hostile toward his siblings, but he demonstrates a cold indifference toward the family he once loved.

He also disavows his claims as a Stark, claiming that he’s no longer Bran Stark, but is instead the Three-Eyed Raven. For all purposes, the Bran we meet at the beginning of the show is gone, and it’s questionable whether he’ll return by the end.