The 60 Most Important Deaths on Game of Thrones
By Corey Smith
11. Viserion
Among Dany’s dragons, Drogon has always gotten the lion’s share of attention. From rescuing Dany from the Sons of the Harpy in Daznak’s Pit to lighting up Lannister soldiers in the Loot Train Attack, he gets to do all the cool stuff. But after killing Viserion in “Beyond the Wall,” the Night King revived and used the dragon to blast a hole in the Wall in the season 7 finale, and in marched the army of the dead. Without Viserion, this couldn’t have happened, and humanity would be much better off.
It’s possible the Night King had another plan to circumvent the Wall; we’ll probably never know, but he knew a good opportunity when he saw one. Viserion may not have had as much screen time as Drogon, but the vital part he plays in bringing about the second Long Night makes him the most important dragon yet “living.”
And we’re guessing Drogon is okay with that, because at least he’s not an undead thrall. And he’s still more important than Rhaegal.
10. The Night King
The Night King was the nominal big bad of the show, the villain to end all villains, the wave that would wash humanity off the face of the Earth. He is death incarnate…but so is Arya Stark.
The Night King dies at the end of the longest-ever episode of Game of Thrones, “The Long Night.” It’s a bleak, oppressive episode where waves of enemies roll over our heroes and hope seems lost. It’s dark in every way an episode can be dark…maybe too dark, depending on who you ask.
The Night King’s death scene is a masterpiece of tone. The dark photography, the slow-mo editing, the menace of Vladimír Furdík’s performance, Ramin Djawadi’s masterful score…it all comes together in a sequence that’s spellbinding right up to the moment where Arya stabs a Valyrian steel blade into his heart, ending the White Walker threat for good.
I haven’t talked much about the Night King’s personality here because he doesn’t really have one. In the end, the Night King was more of a force of nature; he wasn’t a character so much as an idea. His death scene reflects this by focusing on beauty, horror and mystery rather than the complex politicking the series was known for. It’s a successful change of pace. And with the Night King gone, the series got back to its roots and confirmed its mission statement: war, misery and death aren’t caused by monsters, but by the darkest impulses of our own hearts. – Dan