The 60 Most Important Deaths on Game of Thrones

51. The Three-Eyed Raven

Did someone mention the importance of a teacher stepping aside so the student can struggle on their own before coming fully into their own abilities? It’s a trope as old as time. Gandalf and Frodo, Luke and Yoda…all the great mentor-mentee relationships have to break up sooner or later, and Bran and the Three-Eyed Raven are no exception.

The Night King killed the Three-Eyed-Raven in season 6’s “The Door.” His death was a swift kick in the behind for poor Bran, since it forced him to learn all the history of the world at a much faster clip than originally planned. That was intense and may have had a hand in Bran’s more robotic demeanor, but had it not happened, Bran may not have made it back to Winterfell in time to unravel Littlefinger’s scheme to pit Arya and Sansa against each other.

The old Three-Eyed Raven also had to die because he would be almost too powerful had he lived. He had to all the knowledge in the world, and unlike Bran, he knew how to access it. Knowledge is power, and assuming he met the right people, the Three-Eyed Raven could have used it to stop the Night King’s march on the Seven Kingdoms before it began. Then we’d have no drama, and none of us want that.

50. Walder Frey

One of Game of Thrones’ biggest accomplishments is creating characters about whom most of the audience isn’t ambivalent. We love the heroes and love to hate the villains. In some cases, we love the villains, too (looking at you, Tywin).

Walder Frey was the “love to hate” kind of villain, thanks in large part to David Bradley’s magnificently despicable performance. After the Late Lord Frey executed half of House Stark at the Red Wedding, we hated him so much there was barely room in our hearts for anything else, and that’s why his death was so important.

Let’s be honest: as much as we love Game of Thrones, it can be a bit of a sadistic relationship. Until Joffrey’s death in season 4, we largely had to watch our heroes get knocked off one by one with few wins for the good guys. And although House Lannister had a rough go of it in seasons 4 through 6, Walder Frey escaped justice for his role in the Red Wedding for three straight seasons. That’a long time to bear the thought of Walder Frey out there enjoying life. Luckily, Arya Stark killed Walder good in the season 6 finale, and it was as cathartic as we’d hoped it would be.

But if emotional satisfaction isn’t important enough for you, Walder Frey’s death could have a more tangible effect. For example, there’s a certain mercenary looking for a castle in Westeros, and with the Lord of the Crossing in his grave, his place may be up for grabs.