Who (Or What) Killed These Game Of Thrones Characters?

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The gruesome deaths of many of Game of Thrones' major and minor characters is one of the series' hallmarks, keeping fans riveted to the action at all times. Unlike many other shows or movies, where it's largely understood that most of the main characters have some seriously impressive plot armor that will save them from even the most dire of situation, virtually no character is safe in Game of Thrones.

We're going to look back at the deaths of 35 Game of Thrones characters in this quiz and ask you to name the hero or villain that skewered, sliced, hacked, ate, or roasted them. Note that we're looking for the most immediate cause of a character's death, which is not always another character. For example, in the case of Olenna Tyrell (who's not included in this quiz, sorry, no freebies), we would be looking for poison as what killed her, not Jaime Lannister for making her drink it.

Note also that this quiz will contain discussion of Game of Thrones and the deaths of some of its characters up through the end of Season 7, so if you're not up-to-date on the series beware that this quiz is dark and full of spoilers.

Think you have what it takes to relive some of Game of Thrones' most horrific deaths and finger the culprit? Good luck!

Question 1

Who (or What) Killed Joffrey Baratheon?

Joffrey Baratheon

Joffrey Baratheon's shocking demise proved that death in Westeros doesn't only come for the innocent and leave the wicked behind, as so many distraught Game of Thrones fans were left to presume after the deaths of so many fan favorites in the first three seasons. Joffrey was killed at his own wedding feast, shortly after marrying Margaery Tyrell, a union which cemented the alliance between the Lannisters and Tyrells. Margaery would later marry Joffrey's younger and far less psychotic brother Tommen.

Question 2

Who (or What) Killed Eddard Stark?

The honorable Eddard Stark was out of his depth in King's Landing, where treachery and deceit reign supreme. With King Robert on his deathbed, Ned refuses to take the initiative against Cersei Lannister by taking her children into custody with the help of Renly. He also refuses Littlefinger's plan to side with Cersei and put Joffrey on the throne over the rightful heir Stannis. Those moves come back to haunt Ned, as Littlefinger and the City Watch which he controls end up allying with Cersei, leading to Ned's imprisonment and eventual execution.

Question 3

Who (or What) Killed Ramsay Bolton?

Ramsay Bolton met one of the series' most satisfying demises near the end of Season 6, after unexpectedly losing the Battle of the Bastards. It appeared that Ramsay's victory was all but certain after his forces encircled the Stark host with a shield wall and began skewering them from behind it. However, the Knights of the Vale appeared just in the nick of time, smashing through the shield wall and routing the Bolton horde. Winterfell was taken shortly after, and Ramsay's life not long after that.

Question 4

Who (or What) Killed Stannis Baratheon?

Stannis Baratheon believed he had a greater destiny to fulfill as The Prince That Was Promised, born amidst salt and smoke. That lead Stannis to sanction the sacrificial slaying of his daughter Shireen as well as the attempted sacrifice of his nephew Gendry. However, his destiny as foretold by Melisandre turned out to be a sham, and Stannis' forces were soundly defeated outside Winterfell by Ramsay Bolton. Stannis was killed shortly after the battle, following his brothers, daughter, and wife into the grave.

Question 5

Who (or What) Killed Petyr Baelish?

Petyr Baelish Game of Thrones

Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish finally met his end after seven years of scheming, being dispatched in the final episode of Season 7. After slowly rising in power throughout the series, gaining Harrenhal and becoming Lord Protector of the Vale through various maneuvers, Littlefinger was stymied in his control to gain power in the North through Sansa, after the bastard Jon Snow was unexpectedly declared King in the North. Littlefinger persisted in his attempts to put Sansa in power, even as his plot grew increasingly dangerous with the return of Arya and Bran to Winterfell, which eventually led to his undoing.

Question 6

Who (or What) Killed Ygritte?

Ygritte Game of Thrones

It seems Jon Snow did know something after all: that Ygritte did love him, and was unable to kill him. After Jon fled from the wildlings and returned to Castle Black, Ygritte vowed that she would be the one to slay her former lover. However, when presented with the opportunity during the wildlings' raid on the castle, Ygritte again falters, unable to pull the trigger (or rather, loose the arrow). However, she lets her guard down in the process and is killed herself.

Question 7

Who (or What) Killed Robert Baratheon?

King Robert Baratheon's death set the Game of Thrones into motion, as various factions took aim at the Iron Throne following his untimely demise. Robert had no trueborn heir to take his place, a fact which had become to several people, including Eddard Stark and Jon Arryn, both of whom wound up dead themselves. Despite proclaiming Lord Eddard as Regent and Protector of the Realm on his deathbed, Robert's edict was not recognized by his widow Cersei Lannister, who plotted to overthrow Ned and immediately install her son Joffrey as King.

Question 8

Who (or What) Killed Robb Stark?

Rickard Karstark did a lot of rash things, but if there's one thing he was right about, it's that Robb Stark lost the war the moment he met Talisa. Robb broke his vow to marry a Frey girl, marrying Talisa instead, which led Walder Frey to betray the Starks in return, despite Robb's attempts to smooth things over by offering his uncle Edmure to a Frey girl in recompense. Edmure and Roslin's wedding turns Red after they depart for the bedding ceremony, as the Freys slaughter the Stark forces, including Robb and his mother.

Question 9

Who (or What) Killed Catelyn Stark?

Catelyn Stark Game of Thrones

Catelyn Stark met the same fate as her son Robb during the Red Wedding, being slain by the Freys in retaliation for Robb breaking his vow to marry a Frey girl after the war was over, making her a Queen. Catelyn tries in vain to save her son's life, holding Walder Frey's wife Joyeuse hostage after the massacre starts, but to no avail. Unlike in the books, where Catelyn is brought back to life by Beric Dondarrion as a vengeful zombie dubbed Lady Stoneheart, Catelyn has not returned from the dead on the show.

Question 10

Who (or What) Killed Hodor?

Hodor? Hodor! The gigantic, dim-witted former stable boy and puller-of-Bran, whose real name was Wylis, broke our hearts when the origin of his single-mindedness was revealed: a warging gone wrong by Bran, which revealed Wylis' future death to him, shattering his mind. From that moment on, Wylis could only utter the word "Hodor", though he remained capable of understanding and following instructions. The day of his future death eventually became the present moment and Hodor was unable to escape his fate.

Question 11

Who (or What) Killed Tywin Lannister?

Tywin Lannister was a force to be reckoned with, being the only man in the Seven Kingdoms who could make both Joffrey and Olenna Tyrell bend to his will. Yet Tywin ended up meeting his demise in the most unceremonious way possible: while sitting on the privy. Tywin's death weakens the Lannisters, leaving Cersei unchecked to reign in King's Landing, which she immediately botches by putting power back in the hands of the Faith Militant, which eventually leads to the death of her last surviving child.

Question 12

Who (or What) Killed Oberyn Martell?

Oberyn Martell journeyed to King's Landing to attend the wedding of Joffrey and Margaery with an ulterior motive in mind: uncovering who was behind the murder of his sister Elia Martell and her children and to deliver justice for their murder. While it's well-known that the Mountain, Gregor Clegane, was the man who murdered them, Oberyn is convinced that Tywin Lannister ordered the Mountain to do so. While Oberyn is able to get a confession out of the Mountain, he is unable to deliver justice to Gregor or Tywin, being killed in the attempt.

Question 13

Who (or What) Killed Trystane Martell?

Trystane Martell's life was turned upside down and then eventually taken by those cursed Sand Snakes, who launched a coup to overthrow Trystane's father Doran, vowing that weak men would never again rule Dorne. That followed Ellaria Sand's poisoning of Myrcella Baratheon, who was betrothed to Trystane and whom he appeared to very much love. After dispatching Doran, two of the Sand Snakes come to finish off Trystane, pretending to offer him a choice of who to engage in combat before killing him from behind.

Question 14

Who (or What) Killed Randyll Tarly?

Randyll Tarly was Samwell's rather horrible father, the man who threatened to take his life if he didn't take the black, refusing to have his fat, cowardly son inherit his lands, title, and Valyrian steel sword Heartsbane. A bannerman of House Tyrell, Tarly breaks faith with the Tyrells after they join forces with Daenerys Targaryen, refusing to support a foreign horde. Randyll instead joins with the Lannisters and helps them take Highgarden. However, he is captured and killed after the battle between the Lannisters and the Dothraki.

Question 15

Who (or What) Killed Dontos Hollard?

Dontos Hollard was the drunken knight-turned-fool, having been saved by Sansa Stark during Joffrey's nameday celebration, after she slyly convinced Joffrey not to give him the mercy of a quick death following his drunken escapades, but to make him 'suffer' as a fool instead. Dontos was later commissioned by Littlefinger to help Sansa escape King's Landing. He convinces her to take a necklace that will later play a role in the death of Joffrey, claiming that it's the last remaining relic of his dying house. Dontos leads Sansa out of King's Landing shortly after Joffrey's death, but meets his end not long after.

Question 16

Who (or What) Killed Janos Slynt?

It's a wonder that Janos Slynt ever rose to become Commander of the City Watch of King's Landing, given his cowardly nature. That nature was on full display after he was sent by Tyrion to join the Night's Watch, particularly during the battle against the wildlings. Charged with commanding the men on the Wall, Slynt is petrified and unable to act, refusing to even acknowledge that the giants which he can plainly see with his own eyes even exist. After being tricked to head down to Castle Black, Slynt hides from the battle with Gilly and her baby. Slynt is later killed after refusing to take up a post at Greyguard.

Question 17

Who (or What) Killed Grenn?

Grenn lost his life in the battle against the might of the wildling army, which attacked Castle Black from north and south in an effort to break through the Wall and get south. Grenn's final task was to defend the north tunnel from being breached by the wildlings, which would've meant their doom. With several other men in tow, Grenn does defend the inner tunnel, losing his life in the process. His body is later burned in Castle Black's courtyard.

Question 18

Who (or What) Killed Yoren?

Yoren is unable to escort Arya Stark safely back to Winterfell, as the men of the Night's Watch are waylaid by Lannister soldiers out looking for Gendry. Yoren doesn't go down easy, taking several Lannister soldiers with him before he's skewered by multiple spears and held defenseless for the killing blow. Arya gets some measure of revenge for Yoren later in the series, who provided the inspiration for her list of names by telling her the story of his brother's killer, Willem, whose name he used to recite like a chant until he had killed him.

Question 19

Who (or What) Killed Lommy?

Yielding didn't work in the end for Lommy, who was slain after being wounded in the battle between the men of the Night's Watch and the Lannister soldiers sent out to hunt for Gendry, after telling one of the Lannister men that he would need to be carried. After Lommy's death, Arya Stark smartly tells the Lannister soldiers that Lommy was who they were looking for, referencing the bull's head helmet that Gendry was known to love, which Lommy had been carrying around at the time.

Question 20

Who (or What) Killed Shae?

Shae Game of Thrones

Shae ended up being the dirtiest whore in Westeros, not only betraying Tyrion during his trial after presumably being captured at sea by Cersei's agents, but also falsely implicating Sansa, whom she had claimed to love and would kill for, in the murder of Joffrey. As if things couldn't get any more noxious, she's later found in the bed of Tywin Lannister, a self-professed hater of whores, who endlessly ragged on Tyrion for his proclivity towards them. Shae was later killed in a fitting place: another man's bed.

Question 21

Who (or What) Killed Barristan Selmy?

Barristan Selmy refused to ride off meekly into the sunset after being dismissed from the Kingsguard by Joffrey Baratheon. Instead, he sought out the service of Daenerys Targaryen, hoping that for the first time in his life he could serve someone he respected and with the intention of dying as a knight. Happily, he was able to accomplish the first of those wishes, though sadly the second of those wishes also came true, as he killed in battle while bravely defending Grey Worm.

Question 22

Who (or What) Killed Renly Baratheon?

Renly Baratheon appeared to have it all: a beautiful queen, a massive army, a gay lover who was one of the best knights in the Seven Kingdoms, and enemies that were focused on each other while he casually strolled up the Rose Road with his massive host. It appeared all but inevitable that Renly would take King's Landing and sit on the Iron Throne. And then, just like that, he was dead, his host scattering to the winds, some joining the Lannisters, some his brother Stannis.

Question 23

Who (or What) Killed Roose Bolton?

Roose Bolton was one of the coldest and most calculating players on Game of Thrones, being one of the key architects behind the Red Wedding, which gained him the title of Warden in the North. Roose later had his bastard son Ramsay legitimized ahead of marrying him to Sansa Stark, ensuring that the North would remain in the hands of the Boltons for the foreseeable future. However, the Boltons' reign over the North was relatively short-lived, as both Roose and Ramsay were slain.

Question 24

Who (or What) Killed Jory Cassel?

Jory Cassel was Winterfell's Captain of the Guard, and the nephew of its Master-at-Arms Rodrik Cassel. When much of the Stark household heads to King's Landing upon Ned being named Hand of the King, Jory is among those who make the journey south. Despite his promise to Arya that the Stark household guard would keep her father Eddard safe, Jory is killed in King's Landing along with much of the Stark household, with Ned being captured and later executed himself.

Question 25

Who (or What) Killed Balon Greyjoy?

For all his blustering about paying the iron price for his crown, Balon Greyjoy ultimately chickens out on opposing the Iron Throne alongside the Starks and simply names himself King of the Iron Islands instead. That of course could hardly be called paying the iron price; in fact it could barely be called paying the pudding price. In an apparent attempt to justify his crown and pretend like he was actually paying the iron price for it, Balon then launches an attack on the defenseless North. Balon is killed some time later, after losing all the ground he had gained in the North.

Question 26

Who (or What) Killed the High Sparrow?

For all his humility and shoelessness, the High Sparrow and his group of religious zealots had essentially become one of the most powerful forces in Westeros, capable of imprisoning just about anyone for even the most insipid of crimes, including the Queen Mothers who were foolish enough to put them in power in the first place. The High Sparrow had even recruited King Tommen into the fold. Luckily for the whores and ne'er-do-wells of Westeros, he was killed and the Faith Militant destroyed.

Question 27

Who (or What) Killed Maester Luwin?

The wise and kindly Maester Luwin was needlessly killed in Winterfell during the castle's sacking by Theon Greyjoy's Ironborn forces, though not before he could unleash a raven to King Robb warning of the attack. Luwin tries to impart wise counsel to Theon after the latter takes the title of Lord of Winterfell, but is unable to quell Theon's newly-unleashed ego upon finally gaining his freedom from the Starks and pushing to assert himself as a Greyjoy. Theon is later betrayed by his own men.

Question 28

Who (or What) Killed Myranda?

You know you're one sick woman when you're in love with a psycho like Ramsay Bolton. That was Myranda in a nutshell, a woman who gleefully participated in Ramsay's sadistic plots, including the hunting of his one of his bedwarmers, Tansy, whom Myranda was apparently jealous of. Myranda shoots Tansy in the leg with an arrow during that hunt, leading to her eventual death. Myranda also participates in a cruel trick on the captured Theon, freeing and then arousing him before Ramsay gelds him.

Question 29

Who (or What) Killed Osha?

We didn't know the whereabouts of the wildling woman Osha for two seasons, after she headed for Last Hearth with Rickon and Shaggydog to seek protection with the Umbers, who were Stark bannermen. However, Smalljon Umber betrays the Starks after taking power from his deceased father, turning Osha and Rickon over to Ramsay Bolton in Season 6. Osha's return is short-lived, as she's killed in the same episode she returned. Rickon, who she fought to protect, is killed before the end of the season as well.

Question 30

Who (or What) Killed Polliver?

Polliver was a member of Amory Lorch's crew that was stationed at Harrenhal for a time, being present when they captured Arya Stark and several other people headed for the Wall with Yoren, stealing Arya's sword Needle in the process. Back at Harrenhal, he earns the ire of Tywin Lannister after being unable to recognize that Arya was in fact a girl. After Joffrey's reign is secured with victories over Stannis Baratheon and Robb Stark, Polliver admits that Lannister soldiers like himself have free rein to terrorize the countryside, doing and taking whatever they want.

Question 31

Who (or What) Killed Qhorin 'Halfhand'?

Jon Snow meets Qhorin 'Halfhand' after the experienced ranger's group from the Shadow Tower meets up with the men from Castle Black north of the Wall. Jon eventually convinces Jeor Mormont to let him join the Halfhand's scouting party. They ambush a group of Wildlings, taking one captive, but Jon allows the captured Ygritte to escape, forcing him to track her down. Qhorin follows the trail, but is ambushed by other wildlings and taken captive. He is later killed in captivity.

Question 32

Who (or What) Killed Rickon Stark?

Rickon Stark Game of Thrones

Rickon was the one Stark that didn't play a major role in the series, disappearing from the story completely after separating from brother Bran and then only making brief appearances before his death. After safely hiding out at Last Hearth for over two years, Rickon is betrayed and turned over to Ramsay Bolton after Greatjon Umber's death leads to the leadership of Last Hearth passing to Smalljon Umber. Osha tries to save Rickon again by plotting to kill Ramsay, but is killed in the process, which also spelled the eventual end for Rickon.

Question 33

Who (or What) Killed Lysa Arryn?

One of the biggest twists of the series, though a relatively low-key one, was the fact that Lysa Arryn and Littlefinger were actually responsible for the death of Jon Arryn. It had been presumed that the former Hand was killed by Cersei Lannister for discovering the secret of her children's lineage, but it was in fact Lysa who killed Jon with Tears of Lys to prove her love for Littlefinger. The two of them are eventually married, granting Lysa's lifelong dream, though she would be killed shortly after.

Question 34

Who (or What) Killed Rodrik Cassel?

Rodrik Cassel was Winterfell's Master-at-Arms and Catelyn Stark's guard and travel companion during much of her early travels. After being sent back to Winterfell by Robb Stark, Rodrik leads the mission to recapture Torrhen's Square after it's captured by unknown invaders, assuring Bran that he can find 200 good men. Maester Luwin wonders if he needs so many, but is overruled by Bran, which ends up backfiring when the raid on Torrhen's Square turns out to be a feint. Rodrik is captured on his way back to Winterfell and later killed.

Question 35

Who (or What) Killed Walder Frey?

The Larry King of Westeros, Walder Frey is on his eighth bride by the time he is killed. Before that glorious day came, he had sired countless children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and bastards, with it being said that he's the only man in Westeros who could field an army from his breeches. Despite his own loose interpretation of oaths he swore, Walder bristles at the fact that Robb Stark broke an oath to him, planning the Red Wedding in retaliation. He is later killed for it.

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