The 60 Most Important Deaths on Game of Thrones

35. Brother Ray

Of all the people HBO could have called up to play Brother Ray, Ian McShane was probably the best choice…and also the worst. He’s the best because no one drops an f-bomb like McShane — he was only around for an episode but immediately left his mark. And worst because dammit we wanted more. Alas, Ray died as he lived: appearing exclusively in season 6’s “The Broken Man.” But while he was around, he did a world of good for Sandor “the Hound” Clegane.

The Hound is what George R.R. Martin would call a morally grey character; he’s not wholly, but he’s done some bad stuff. He’s not wholly good, but he’s done some good deeds. Over the course, the series, we watched the Hound evolve from the man who rode down Mycah the butcher’s boy to someone who went toe to toe with Brienne of Tarth to keep Arya by his side. Through it all, the Hound was fueled by rage and hatred, but he’s exposed to a new way of thinking after Brother Ray brings him back from the edge of death.

Only the foul-mouthed no-nonsense Ray could convince the Hound that life might be worth living again. Only Ray’s complete lack of moral hypocrisy could reach the jaded and cynical Sandor. Even then, it was Ray’s death that catapulted Clegane back into the fight. We got a sense of the Hound’s worth in season 7, but we’re guessing it was just a taste. A ferocious fighter with strength few can match, against normal foes the Hound is near unstoppable. Should he square off with his undead brother the Mountain, we’ll have a throwdown for the ages.

Now if only we’d gotten a miniseries about the Hound and Brother Ray cursing, smashing and blessing their way through Westeros. Ah, what could have been.

34. Yoren

Yoren was a loyal man of the Night’s Watch who smuggled Arya out of King’s Landing after Joffrey cut off her father’s head. Later, on their way back to Winterfell, Yoren runs afoul of Lannister troops commanded by Amory Lorch, and is killed in a battle on the Kingsroad.

Yoren’s death was another reminder for Arya that life was cruel and unfair, and that anyone could be taken at any moment. She felt safe in Yoren’s care, however briefly, but he was yanked away, and she had to fend for herself. That’s a pattern that repeats for Arya. While Sansa suffered through a series of relationships she always wanted to escape, Arya kept forming relationships with people who died on her.

Before he died, Yoren gave Arya the idea to make her infamous death list, something she’s still working through. And in the practical sense, Yoren’s death meant Arya was shipped off to Harrenhal, where she made friends with Jaqen H’ghar’s. And if that hadn’t happened, she never goes to the Braavos and becomes the murder machine she is today.