5 most brutal ways to die in the Game of Thrones universe

Game of Thrones quickly establishes itself as a show where anyone can die. By the end of the first season, Eddard "Ned" Stark (Sean Bean), the presumptive lead, winds up with his head on a spike, warning audience members not to get too attached to their favorite characters early on.

In addition to how frequently Game of Thrones would kill off its characters, it also became noteworthy for how brutal their deaths became. Some deaths hit audiences members right in the heart, such as the famously hard to watch Red Wedding, while others had viewers cheering, such as when the sadistic and vicious Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleason) and Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) finally bit the dust.

Many of these deaths are unique to George R.R. Martin's world, which is a good thing for anyone who wants to avoid finding themselves on the receiving end in real life. Here are five of the most awful ways you could die in the world of Game of Thrones.

1. A crown of molten gold
2. Wildfire
3. Dragonfire
4. The Moon Door
5. At the hands of the Mountain

A crown of molten gold

The season 1 death of Viserys Targaryen (Harry Lloyd) serves as a reminder to be careful what you wish for.

The exiled Targaryen prince marries off his sister Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) to the powerful Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) in exchange for Drogo's support. However, tensions rise once Viserys feels disrespected by the Dothraki, in favor of his sister, so he makes the fatal mistake of threatening her with a sword in the sacred city of Vaes Dothrak. Since drawing a weapon is forbidden in the city, Drogo executes Viserys by melting down some gold and pouring it over his head.

Despite Viserys's repeated cruelty throught his time on the show, his manner of execution makes his deserved death hard to watch. He keeps insisting that he is entitled to a golden crown, and yet it's still painful to see when he receives it.

Wildfire

Also known simply as "the substance," wildfire is described as burning hot enough to melt wood, stone, steel, and even flesh, according to Hallyne (Roy Dotrice). Developed by the Alchemist Guild of King's Landing, wildfire can't even be put out by water. After losing their dragons, wildfire helped keep the Targaryens in power.

Wildfire is used a handful of times throughout Game of Thrones, most notably during the Battle of Blackwater Bay, when Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) uses it to ignite Stannis's (Stephen Dillane) naval fleet during their assault on King's Landing. Later, Tyrion's sister Cersei (Lena Headey) blows up caches of wildfire below the Great Sept of Baelor, killing several of her enemies, including Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) and the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce), in one fell swoop.

Dragonfire

There's a reason Aegon Targaryen was able to conquer all of Westeros and keep his family on the throne for centuries afterwards: Dragons. The Targaryens' control over their powerful companions allowed them to easily defeat all of their enemies, and knowing how terrible the fiery breath of a dragon can be, few dared to challenge their reign until long after the dragons went extinct.

When Daenerys hatches three dragons, she uses their flames to burn several of her enemies, including Pyat Pree (Ian Hanmore), Kraznys mo Nakloz (Dan Hildebrand), and Randyll (James Faulkner) and Dickon Tarly (Tom Hopper). Sadly, many innocent King's Landing citizens also find themselves on the receiving end of dragonfire, which results in some of her key advisors and allies turning on her.

The Moon Door

The Eyre, the ancestral seat of House Arryn, is equipped with a unique method of execution. Whenever anyone displeases young Lord Robin (Lino Facioli), he demands to "make them fly," shoving them out of a pit at the bottom of a sky high castle known as the Moon Door.

"Lucky" for him, Ser Vardis Egen (Brendan McCormack) has already died from his duel with Bronn (Jerome Flynn) by the time he falls out of the Moon Door. However, Lady Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie) is not so fortunate. When her husband, Petyr Baelish, a.k.a. "Littlefinger" (Aidan Gillen), pushes her through, she is still alive to experience every mile of her fall, culminating in a brutal splat against the mountains below.

At the hands of the Mountain

Ser Gregor Clegane, also known as "The Mountain that Rides" (played by Conan Stevens in season 1, Ian Whyte in season 2, and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson in season 4 and beyond), is the deadliest killer in a show filled to the brim with deadly killers. The mere mention of his name sends even the bravest fighters squealing, including Bronn, who considers himself too smart to fight him, and the Mountain's younger brother Sandor Clegane, also known as "The Hound" (Rory McCann), whose facial scarring is the result of Gregor's brutality from their childhood.

The Mountain's most notable kill takes place towards the end of season 4. When Prince Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) volunteers to fight the Mountain for Tyrion, in order to avenge his sister Elia and her children, he nearly defeats his much larger opponent. However, while trying to force a confession out of the Mountain, the brute is able to overpower Oberyn, squishing his face in with his bear hands.

For more from the world of Westeros, make sure to catch House of the Dragon season 3 when it airs on HBO and HBO Max on June 21. More brutal deaths are ahead.

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