Game Of Thrones: 10 Things That Make No Sense About Melisandre

As soon as she was introduced in the second season of Game of Thrones, Melisandre became one of the show’s most mysterious characters. She was introduced as a top adviser to Stannis Baratheon as he sought to claim the iron throne from Joffrey Baratheon. She quickly proved that she possessed some incredible abilities as a Red Priestess.

As the character was explored further, more questions began to emerge about her powers, her past, and her purpose. While some of the questions were answered, there are still plenty of things about this character that don’t add up.

10 How Old Is She?

Season 6 of the series reveals the big secret that Melisandre is not actually the beautiful woman she appears to be but rather a decrepit old woman. It is a pretty alarming moment that doesn’t really matter in the end but is an interesting way to recontextualize the character.

It also brings up the question of how old she actually is. It would have been interesting to see this truth exposed and perhaps show how being around for so many years has informed Melisandre’s journey. Instead, it goes unaddressed until her death.

9 What’s The Deal With Her Necklace?

Along with the reveal of Melisandre’s true age, it is shown that the gem necklace she wears around her neck provides the magic that makes her look young. It is only when she removes the necklace that we see her true image. This is similar to a necklace Melisandre has in the books.

However, in one earlier season, Melisandre is seen naked without the necklace and was still young. It is a pretty glaring plot hole that seems to suggest the show didn’t always plan for that reveal.

8 How Did She Join Stannis?

Melisandre and Stannis are one of the oddest couples on the show. She is seen as his devoted follower while he seems to switch between being enamored with her to hating her. It begs the question of how these two ended up being so close.

Stannis is a very practical and straightforward man who would seemingly have little patience for someone claiming to have magic powers. The fact that he not only accepted her into his inner circle but also listened to her council above all others is pretty crazy and it’s hard to see how they got to that point.

7 Why Didn’t She Take The White Walkers Seriously?

Despite having visions of the future, Melisandre is only made aware of the White Walkers when Davos receives a letter from the Night’s Watch. After consulting the flames, Melisandre abruptly announces the war for the Iron Throne is meaningless and Stannis’ focus should be on the threat of the White Walkers.

However after Stannis defeats the Wildlings, he and Melisandre immediately turn their attention back to Stannis becoming king. If Melisandre knew how big this threat was, why did forget about it so quickly?

6 Why Were Her Visions So Inaccurate?

One of Melisandre’s greatest abilities is seeing visions of the future. She stares into the flames and sees what will happen. However, throughout the series, her visions were not at all accurate.

Her first vision is Stannis’ victory in the Battle of Blackwater which he ends up losing. However. She then shows Stannis a vision that convinces him he will win the Iron Throne. The vision of Stannis’ victory at Winterfell also proves false and Stannis ends up dead. What was the point of the visions if they were never right?

5 Why Did She Kill Shireen?

Melisandre was a hard person to like as she had a penchant for burning people alive as sacrifices to the Lord of Light. When she decided to burn Stannis’ adorable daughter Shireen, she became one of the most hated characters on the show.

But it seems like burning her to win the war against the Boltons was totally unnecessary. Melisandre had previously used leeches with king’s blood to kill three would-be kings so why couldn’t the same be used for the Boltons.

4 Why Did She Return To Dragonstone?

After getting kicked out of the North, Melisandre returns to Dragonstone, Stannis’ former castle. It is there she meets Daenerys and tells her about Jon Snow. However, why would Melisandre go back to Dragonstone at all?

Stannis’ entire army had previously vacated the castle. Melisandre had no idea if there would be another army already occupying it by the time she got there. In fact, it’s very unrealistic one of the strongest castles in Westeros would have just been empty.

3 How Did She Make Her Way To Winterfell?

After visiting Daenerys at Dragonstone in Season 7, she announces she has work to do to prepare for the coming war with the White Walkers and disappears. She only reappears just before the battle at Winterfell begins. While she returns to help the heroes, her sudden appearance is questionable.

First of all, Winterfell is not an easy place to get to even when the weather is nice. For her to walk to the castle in the middle of the winter isn’t likely. Secondly, we had already seen that the army of the dead was already surrounding Winterfell. It’s not likely they would have just let her pass through.

2 Why Didn’t She Tell Arya Sooner?

Melisandre proves to be a significant help during the Battle of Winterfell. Along with providing some fire protection against the White Walkers, she also helps Arya understand her path which led to her killing the Night King and ending the war.

But if Melisandre knew that the fate of Westeros rested on this young woman, why did she take so long to let her know. She should have been rushing to tell Arya her role in this fight to ensure it actually happened.

1 Why Did She Die?

Following the victory against the White Walkers, Melisandre takes off her necklace and walks out into the winter night. Davos watches as she transforms into her elderly self and crumbles into dust.

But why would this have happened? Are we meant to assume she was so old that she would die as soon as she took off her necklace? We had seen her take off her necklace before, and not too long ago, without turning into dust.

About The Author

Colin McCormick
(2026 Articles Published)

Colin McCormick is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been a proud member of the team since 2019. In addition to his work as Screen Rant, Colin is also a writer of News, Feature and Review pieces at Game Rant. Colin has had a long passion and obsession with movies going back to the first time he saw The Lion King in theaters. Along with movies, Colin stays up-to-date on the latest must-see TV shows. While he loves to find interesting projects in any kind of genre, he has a special movie of crime stories that are infused with a little dark humor much like the work of his favorite author, Elmore Leonard.

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