Highlights
- Game of Thrones lost its quality and togetherness in the later seasons, resulting in a disappointing and poorly received final season.
- Random character deaths lacked emotional weight, such as Varys and Rhaegal, which added to the declining quality of the show.
- The deaths of Jaime, Cersei, and Daenerys were unsatisfying and poorly executed, leaving fans feeling let down and unfulfilled.
There was a time when Game of Thrones was a major phenomenon that fans simply couldn't get enough of. The show was easily one of the biggest fantasy titles around with a great budget, impeccable writing, a wealth of memorable characters, and plot twists that were truly shocking.
It's a shame that the later seasons completely lost the quality and togetherness of the writing that made it so special in the first place. As a result, many fans lost faith in the show, with the last season being one of the worst sendoffs to a beloved TV show in recent memory. One of the many places where Game of Thrones stumbled came from random character deaths that had absolutely no emotional weight to them whatsoever.
6 Varys
Varys, also known as The Spider, is one of the smartest characters on the show. He's mainly looking out for his own interests throughout the show, but there's no denying that his heart is in the right place as he strives to do the right thing for the people of Westeros.
It's highly out of character of Varys to not cover his tracks, making it hard to believe that Daenerys somehow managed to figure out what his plan was before immolating him with Drogon's flames. The actor playing Varys was so frustrated during the reading of the script preceding his death that he can be seen visibly angry in a behind-the-scenes clip that is perfectly indicative of the dumpster fire that the series had become in the final season.
5 Rhaegal
The three dragons of Daenerys were incredibly powerful in their own right and the major reason why so many people stood behind the queen and supported her claim to the throne. For what it's worth, Viserion's death still made some sense, with the powerful Night King spearing him with a powerful attack that took him down for good.
However, Rhaegal's death was completely anticlimactic and one of the worst moments in the entire series. Somehow, Euron Greyjoy's ship managed to hit the dragon with pinpoint accuracy not once, or twice... but three times! It's a truly stupid moment made even by the fact that Euron's later shots completely miss the mark somehow, which is so convenient that it sickens most fans.
4 Jorah Mormont
Jorah is one of the most fascinating characters in Game of Thrones, with the character doing a great job of portraying himself to be an empathetic figure who was a fool in love. His obsession with Daenerys ended up biting him back when his queen figured out that he was a spy for Lord Varys before abandoning his espionage to serve the queen loyally.
However, he came back to Daenerys and served her loyally after proving his worth, even contracting greyscale in the process. Thankfully, the character ended up beating this disease following an impressive surgical procedure from the brilliant Samwell... only to die a rather forgettable death at the hands of the Wights during the Night King's assault on Winterfell.
3 The Night King
The Night King is easily one of the most vile and imposing antagonists in the entire series. This character led the White Walkers to break the Wall that stopped them from entering Westeros for the longest time, mounting a charge that would've easily destroyed the entire continent before their ambitions would reach newer and more horrifying heights.
Thankfully, the heroes decided to combat the Night King and his army in Winterfell, making a bold last stand that led to several costly casualties. This made his death all the more anticlimactic to behold, with Arya having all the time in the world to stab his heart with a dagger that led to the entire White Walker army evaporating for reasons that weren't properly expanded upon.
2 Jaime & Cersei Lannister
The Lannister siblings were easily two of the most riveting characters in the show. Cersei was as heinous as they come and made for a great antagonist that fans could root against while understanding her motivations, while Jaime had all the qualities of a spoiled brat but slowly developed into a person with more mature morals and ideals.
So, to see him go back to Cersei without any proper explanation before being crushed by rubble made for a disappointing sight that fans found hard to take seriously. This was made even worse by the fact that Daenerys' heel turn came out of nowhere and made this death feel even cheaper and unearned than it already was.
1 Daenerys Targaryen
The transformation of Daenerys into the Mad Queen was something that was etched in stone, with the Targaryen bloodline having a history of rulers losing their minds and abusing their powers in the worst way possible. However, the show should've taken its sweet time with showing the queen's descent into madness, which was not translated well in the show at all.
This led to the sacking of King's Landing and the death of many innocents in one of the most forced plot developments in the entire series. To make matters worse, Jon stabbed her in cold blood and received what was paramount to a slap on the wrist, and nothing else. The Unsullied didn't do anything to him despite stating that they'd lay their life down for the Queen multiple times, and Drogon himself just melted the Iron Throne in a puzzling act that was apparently meant to be "symbolic" before flying away without a care in the world.