Game Of Thrones: 5 Reasons Why The Hound Deserved Better (& 5 Why He Got What He Deserved)

Sandor Clegane, a.k.a. The Hound. portrayed by Rory McCann was part of every important point of the Game of Thrones but he just didn’t get the chance to leave his own mark. He was known for his muscle but small brain and didn’t seem to fight for anything except the chance to get revenge on his brutal brother Gregor. He deserved the chance to be the one that killed Ser Gregor but he didn’t deserve to die along with him.

While the show gave him some redemption when he finally joined Jon Snow to fight for the living, most fans agree that he wasn’t treated nicely.

10 Deserved: He Killed Mycah

Remember Arya’s friend, the butcher’s son who joined hands with Lady to beat Joffrey? The boy was the reason why Arya put Sandor on her list, and he deserved to die for it. Joffrey Baratheon was an animal even before he became king and wouldn’t tell the truth even when it was his fault that the butcher’s son beat him up. While it was daring of the poor guy to beat a prince, he definitely didn’t deserve to die.

Sandor was the man tasked with killing poor Mycah, and he somehow seemed to take pleasure in chasing the poor boy down. Initially, Sandor had a policy of not harming innocents, but his blind obedience made him kill the innocent boy. It was worse when he boasted to Ned Stark about it.

9 Deserved Better: His Brother Tortured Him As A Kid

Sandor’s face had a lot to do with how he behaved and his general anger at everything, but it wasn’t his fault. During the ceremony after Ned Stark was appointed the hand of the king, Lord Baelish told Sansa why Sandor hated Gregor. Gregor burnt half of his face on a burning brazier because Sandor played with a toy he abandoned without asking for his permission.

The encounter must have been horrific, but nobody showed Sandor any mercy since his father only assumed that the hound’s bed must have caught fire. From the tales of his childhood, Sandor obviously received no love from his family, which would make him a saint if compared to his brother Gregor.

8 Deserved: He Helped The Lannisters Kill Eddard Stark

Eddard Stark played with forces that were beyond his capability when he picked a battle against the Lannisters on their own turf. When he chose dignity over reason and decided to get Cersei expelled from the palace, he started a battle that he couldn’t win. However, Sandor had a big role to play in his death, just like the Lannisters.

He cut down Ned’s guard and imprisoned him pending his sham trial. When Ilyn Payne beheaded him, Sandor picked up his head for the crowds to cheer and showed no remorse over the death of the innocent man. His actions made him an enemy of the Starks who deserved to die alongside Cersei and Joffrey.

7 Deserved Better: He Saved Sansa From The Rapists

Joffrey was simply a super-spoilt brat that got a throne, which is why his public addresses always ended in disaster. When he provoked a riot and nearly got all the nobles killed, Sansa was caught up in the chaos and nearly got raped. It was the first time that Sandor proved his humane side when he came to Sansa’s aid and killed the rapists.

Sandor also offered to save Sansa when he finally abandoned the Lannister army, but Sansa didn’t trust him which was none of his faults. Saving Sansa later bought Sandor some love from Sansa in the North, and it was the reason why most fans thought that he didn’t deserve to die after all.

6 Deserved: He Saved Joffrey From Sansa

As Joffrey’s personal bodyguard, no one was better placed to end his madness than Sandor. After her father’s death, Sansa became the victim of Joffrey’s brutality as he punished her for all the crimes of the Starks. The most humiliating moment was when he had her flogged publicly because Robb had won the battle of Riverrun, which was unfair. After all, Sansa was only a kid, and she had already been forced to denounce her family.

Sandor was also responsible for capturing Sansa after Ned’s arrest preventing her escape from Joffrey. While Joffrey’s brutality was not Sandor’s fault, living to commit most of them was all because Sandor saved him multiple times. Sansa was about to get her revenge when she planned to push Joffrey to his death from the Battlements when Joffrey took her to see her father’s head. Sandor came with a handkerchief and forced Sansa to take it saving Joffrey in the process.

5 Deserved Better: He Was Pyrophobic

Sandor’s life changed after the battle of the Blackwater Bay because he underestimated the ability of the Lannister forces. However, while Stannis’ forces were fierce, Sandor’s desertion was not due to cowardice.

He feared the fire and couldn’t stand to fight next to burning men. The fire was Tyrion’s idea, and it worked at first, but it also triggered The Hound’s worst fear from his childhood, causing him to desert. No one seemed to understand him, though since all they seemed to care about was “the king.”

4 Deserved: He Was Planning To Sell Arya

When Sandor found himself in the hands of Beric and The Brotherhood Without Banners, his fate only seemed to go from bad to worse. He finally managed to overcome his fear when he defeated Beric with his flaming sword, but he made the wrong decision when he decided to sell Arya.

While Arya didn’t have any better prospects at the time, Sandor could have done better than see her only as a prize. If he helped Arya get to safety, maybe she would have saved him from his disastrous fate.

3 Deserved Better: Brienne’s Sword Had A Lion Tag

Brienne of Tarth was sworn to Catelyn Stark and was determined to find all her children and take them to safety, but she brought Jaime Lannister’s sword and armour with her. Sandor was out of sorts since he had nowhere else to sell the stubborn Arya, but he wasn’t going to hand her over to the Lannisters which was very noble of him.

While most people blamed him for the fight that ensued between him and Brienne, Sandor was only trying to protect Arya, and he just fought her out of his hatred for the Lannsiters. Sandor lost the fight and Arya made it worse by abandoning him, wounded to his own fate which was totally unfair of both ladies.

2 Deserved: He Gave Into His Hatred For His Brother

The hound’s death can be termed as a long-awaited suicide which was very sad to witness. After his long journey away from King’s Landing and many close brushes with death, Sandor had more reason to live than get himself killed. Beric and the other servants of the Lord Of Light had given Sandor a purpose and tried hard to get him to drop his childhood grudge.

Sandor, however, refused to accept a good life in Winterfell where he had come to be accepted and chose to enter the burning city to battle The Mountain. Even The Lord Of Light can only save you from so much right? He tried hard to fight his unbeatable brother, but the battle ended in one of the saddest deaths of the show.

1 Deserved Better: He Helped Kill The White Walkers

According to Thoros and Beric, it was Sandor’s purpose to fight for the living in the Great War of Winterfell. Sandor was invaluable beyond the wall helping Jon Snow bring evidence of the White Walkers To Cersei. He also put up one of the most fearless fights in the Great War of Winterfell saving Arya in the process.

If Arya hadn’t killed the Night King, Sandor probably would have. His role in saving the living was the ultimate absolution of the old Sandor Clagane. After the Night King’s death, Sandor deserved a happy life, but somehow, the ghosts of his past wouldn’t leave him alone.

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