Some of the strongest moments throughout Game of Thrones are its memorable, brutal, and painful death scenes. No fan will ever forget seeing Ned Stark (Sean Bean) lose his head back in season 1, the infamous Red Wedding, in which Robb (Richard Madden), Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), Talisa (Oona Chaplin), and the rest of the Stark forces are massacred by surprise, and the head squashing of Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) after he became a little too cocky during his fight with the Mountain (Hafþór JúlÃus Björnsson).
However, not every character gets an on screen goodbye. Some major Game of Thrones figures end their time on the show with an off-screen demise that's only ever mentioned or implied. These five characters lack a death scene, despite their overall prominence and importance.
1. Jon Arryn
The death of Jon Arryn (John Standing) essentially kickstarts the story of Game of Thrones. At first, Ned is reluctant to accept King Robert's (Mark Addy) offer to replace his late mentor as Hand of the King, but after Catelyn receives a letter from her sister Lysa (Kate Dickie) pinning the murder on the Lannisters, Ned changes his mind and heads to King's Landing. Ned's presence in the capital, and subsequent investigation into Jon's murder, eventually results in his death, the Northern secession, and the War of the Five Kings.
However, Jon dies before audiences get the chance to meet him. His only scene in the series is his funeral, meaning the character lives and dies entirely off-screen. This helps paint a larger-than-life picture of Ned and Robert's mentor, and sets up the mystery of who he was in addition to how he died. In fact, Game of Thrones doesn't reveal Jon's killer until season 4, three seasons after his death is a major plot point.
2. Grenn
Grenn (Mark Stanley) is one of the first members of the Night's Watch to befriend Jon Snow (Kit Harington). A familiar face on the Wall, Grenn helps keep Jon from deserting, accompanies him beyond the Wall, and helps defeat the mutineers at Craster's Keep.
During the climactic Battle of Castle Black, several important figures had to die in order to shake up the status quo, meaning Grenn, unlike his book counterpart, found himself on the chopping block. However, in contrast to his friend Pyp (Josef Altin), audiences don't actually see Grenn's death. His final scene sees him inspiring a group of Night's Watch men to hold strong and protect the gate from an approaching giant, reciting their vow one last time. Jon then sees Grenn's corpse, along with the giant's, implying both of their fates.
3. Brynden "Blackfish" Tully
Catleyn's uncle, Brynden Tully (Clive Russell), better known as the "Blackfish," managed to escape the Red Wedding. As such, the Blackfish is later able to lead a resistance force in the Riverlands against House Frey, eventually taking back Riverrun for House Tully. This results in a Siege of Riverrun that coincidentally reunites Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) and Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau).
The Blackfish refuses to surrender Riverrun, even when his nephew Edmure (Tobias Menzies), a prisoner of House Frey, attempts to soften his position. Brynden instead dies defending the castle. However, the Blackfish's last stand takes place entirely off screen, with Jaime only hearing about it through the reports of a Lannister solider.
4. The Waif
The Waif (Faye Marsay) had been a thorn in Arya Stark's (Maisie Williams) side ever since she came to the House of Black and White. Acting as a fierce rival to Arya in her quest to become "no one," the Waif delighted in smacking her around. When Arya failed to carry out the assassination of Lady Crane (Essie Davis), the Waif reveled in her new assignment to kill Arya.
After a long chase through the streets of Braavos, Arya leads the Waif to her cramped hiding place in the city. Using her signature sword, Needle, Arya slices a candle, and the screen cuts to black. When Jaqen H'ghar (Tom Wlaschiha) enters the Hall of Faces in the following scene, the Waif's severed face joins the others hanging in the Hall.
5. Ellaria and Tyene Sand
When Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) ambushes Daenerys' (Emilia Clarke) fleet, he kills two of the three Sand Snakes: Obara (Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Nymeria (Jessica Henwick). However, he spares the third member of the Dornish trio, Tyene Sand (Rosabell Laurenti Sanders) and her mother, Ellaria (Indira Varma). Euron takes them to King's Landing as captives where they await judgement from Queen Cersei (Lena Headey).
Instead of killing them outright, Cersei chains Ellaria and Tyene up in a dungeon before poisoning Tyene. She explains that, since Ellaria took Cersei's daughter, Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free), she will have to watch her own daughter die and decompose. Cersei leaves the two to rot, and they never appear again, leaving their slow and painful demises to take place off screen.
Honorable Mention: Balon Greyjoy
Balon Greyjoy (Patrick Malahide) is killed by his brother Euron in the latter's first appearance on Game of Thrones. The father of Theon (Alfie Allen) and Yara (Gemma Whelan), who attempted to crown himself King of the Iron Islands during the war with a very poorly thought out plan, is thrown off a bridge, resulting in Euron's election as his successor in a Kingsmoot.
However, this scene is not depicted in the A Song of Ice and Fire novels. Instead, Balon is reported to have died in a storm sometime during the third book in the series, A Storm of Swords. While it is eventually implied that Euron killed his brother, the books still kill off this major player off page.
For more from the world of Westeros, make sure to stream House of the Dragon season 3 on HBO Max.
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