The 30 most iconic moments from Game of Thrones, ranked

22. The Mountain kills the Viper

The fourth season of Game of Thrones is full of action-packed scenes, with Tyrion’s trial by combat being the most suspenseful. With Prince Oberyn the Red Viper of Dorne fighting for Tyrion, and Gregor “the Mountain” fighting for the crown, the two opponents seem pretty evenly matched. In fact, Oberyn almost defeats the Mountain. But then he insists that the Mountain admit to his crimes against Oberyn’s family, and instead of repenting, the Mountain knocks Oberyn off his feet and crushes his skull with his bare hands. It’s horrifying.

This scene is one fans will never forget, and may be the grossest onscreen death we’ve seen so far. Ellaria Sand screaming as her lover’s teeth skitter across the ground is all of us. That also kicks off a new storyline involving Dorne. Tensions between the Dornish and the Lannisters were already high, but Ellaria and her followers essentially take Oberyn’s death as a declaration of war. The show starts down the road to Myrcella’s death right here.

Oberyn’s death also sends Tyrion down a new road. It’s hard to say whether Tyrion would have stuck around had Oberyn won and the Lannisters let Tyrion walk free. But at a minimum, he probably wouldn’t have killed his father, which could have changed everything.