With a body count averaging at 13 per episode, Game of Thrones fans have become accustomed to the likelihood that their favourite characters could die at any moment.

But of the many who were unfortunate enough to meet a premature end in Westeros and Essos in the first three seasons, whose death was the most shocking?

(Contains spoilers for Seasons 1-3.)

 

5) Viserys Targaryen

One of the first major deaths in the series, Viserys’s “crowning” set the tone of characters being killed off at unexpected moments. It also allowed Daenerys to step out of her brother’s shadow and become the mother of dragons we know her for now.

No one can deny that Viserys had it coming, but we didn’t anticipate he would get his comeuppance so early into the series (not that we were complaining!).

 

4) The Two Farm Boys

When Theon (or should that now be Reek?) had the two burned bodies hoisted on the walls of Winterfell, we all thought in horror that we had seen the end of Bran and Rickon.

Before this moment, there was still a glimmer of hope that maybe Theon would come to his senses, but the brutal deaths of what turned out to be two farm boys signaled the end of that hope.

 

3) Renly Baratheon

Renly’s assassination was the first time a character was killed with magic and it came out of nowhere.

Everything was leading towards a battle between the two Baratheon brothers but Stannis, with the help of Melisandre, was able to avoid a battle and unite two armies. All it took was a red priestess, a spirit assassin, and the death of a Baratheon.

 

2) The Red Wedding

Arguably the bloodiest wedding in television history, the Red Wedding swiftly ended the war between the Starks and the Lannisters in brutal fashion. But what stops this from taking top spot?

Well, there were one or two signs that all was not well between the Starks and the wedding host, Walder Frey. First of all, this is Westeros. Did Robb Stark really expect to get away with marrying Talisa instead of one of Walder Frey’s daughters?

Secondly, the minstrels playing the Lannister anthem virtually confirmed the fate of all those in attendance.

 

1) Ned Stark

Of all the deaths so far in Game of Thrones, everyone still sees the execution of Ned Stark as the most appalling.

Yes, Ned Stark was on the scaffold facing death, but all he had to do was confess his crimes and all would be well, right? Wrong. In a matter of moments Joffrey became the most hated figure in Westeros and Ned Stark, up to this point the central character in the series, was dead.

From that moment, every fan not familiar with the books would be very cautious when answering the question, “Who’s your favourite character?”

 

Which death do you think is the show’s most shocking? Let us know below…