Which was more depressing this weekend: Game of Thrones or Avengers: Endgame?

This weekend was a rough one for pop culture fanatics, with Avengers: Endgame and the Battle of Winterfell both taking place in the span of a few days. But of the two, which was the saddest?

Warning: We’re talking plot details for both Avengers: Endgame and Game of Thrones‘ “The Long Night.”

Pop culture aficionados everywhere have been anticipating this past weekend with excitement and dread for months, knowing that both Avengers: Endgame and Game of Thrones‘ Battle of Winterfell would arrive at basically the same time. That fact seemed certain to deliver devastation, with our favorite Marvel and Game of Thrones characters all in grave danger.  Both Endgame and this week’s episode of Game of Thrones were undoubtedly tearjerkers. But which was the saddest of the two?

Well, the Battle of Winterfell certainly boasts a higher death count. Game of Thrones fans lost several significant characters, and while most of the deaths weren’t entirely unexpected, they still hit us pretty hard. Not only did Theon’s redemption arc come to a tragic and abrupt end, but Daenerys lost her most trusted advisor and friend in Jorah Mormont. We also said farewell to a few other characters whose influence on the series have grown over the past season or two, including little Lyanna Mormont, Dolorous Edd, and Beric Dondarrion.

Endgame, on the other hand, didn’t have a massive body count, at least not in regards to major characters. But while Game of Thrones beats Marvel when it comes to quantity, Endgame certainly wins out when you consider the quality of the losses. Sure, we lost a few good supporting characters during the Battle of Winterfell, but in Endgame, we lose the very hero who started this journey for many of us: Iron Man.

We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention the devastation of losing Black Widow, the first of the female Avengers, and the woman who paved the way for the badass ladies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe who came after her. (She definitely deserved better.)

While we didn’t lose Captain America in the traditional sense, his character also died in a way; never again will Marvel fans get to see Chris Evans wielding his vibranium shield with the rest of the Avengers. (Let us all mourn the loss.)

Endgame also gives fans a bit more time to mourn these major losses. Viewers watching the Battle of Winterfell were definitely be sad to see some of their beloved characters fall, but the episode doesn’t really allow fans to get emotional. There’s always something happening, and in all the action, the true tragedies get lost a bit. In Endgame, we’re given downtime at the end…time during which fans can really process the fact that these characters are gone and that there’s a hole in the world because of it.

If this were a battle of intensity, Game of Thrones would likely win. The Battle of Winterfell was 90 minutes straight of nerve-wracking buildup, after all. But when it comes to which of these two major events is the saddest, there’s really no contest. Endgame is the clear winner.

While the Battle of Winterfell is certainly going down in history as one of the most iconic episodes of Game of Thrones,Endgame marked the end of an era. Marvel fans didn’t just lose their favorite characters; they said goodbye to a franchise that has defined more than a decade of their lives.

Sure, Marvel will continue to make more films—but they’ll never be the same without Black Widow, Captain America, and Iron Man. Can we say the same of Game of Thrones in its final three episodes?

Which do you think was more depressing — Avengers: Endgame or Game of Thrones‘ Battle of Winterfell? Let us know in the comments below.