Game Of Thrones: The Fate Of Every Stark Family Member, Ranked Worst To Best

The Game of Thrones world, specifically Westeros in this instance, is chock full of weird and wonderful characters, a lot of whom are incredibly loyal to the various familial houses. These houses include the Lannisters, the Targaryen’s, the Tyrell’s, and much more, but generally, the most popular to arise from the show are the Stark’s.

The show – nor the books – were kind to the Stark’s throughout the period in which it takes place, with the War of the Five Kings, the Long Night, and more tearing the family apart. Not all of the show’s central Stark’s suffered a terrible fate, but a lot did.

NOTE: This will focus on the show and the Stark’s whose endings fans see in the show only.

10 Catelyn Stark

The matriarch of the Stark family, as we see her in the show, suffered a hard, hard time, watching over her crippled son, witnessing the death of her husband, losing all her children in one way or another, and witnessing the death of her oldest son.

Catelyn was a victim of the Red Wedding and the expression of lifelessness and hopelessness on her face, following the murder of Robb and everything else she endured, while her throat is slit exemplifies how much she had suffered.

9 Robb Stark

Sticking with the Red Wedding, Robb Stark did not fare too much better than her mother, having himself suffered everything she had experienced, but reacted in a more King-like manner.

Nevertheless, the sheer shock on Robb’s face as his wife and unborn child get mutilated in front of him, he is shot with arrows, and his men are slaughtered, is a memorable one. His call out to his mother before getting stabbed and killed by Roose Bolton is heartbreaking.

8 Rickon Stark

The youngest of the Stark children Rickon, had a wild journey throughout the show where he was pretty much just a tag alone until he was out on his own with Osha.

Rickon suffered through Theon taking over Winterfell alongside other painful moments and pieces of news for the Starks. But on top of that, he got sent away for safety at the Last Hearth, alone with Osha, betrayed by Longjon Umber, taken prisoner by Ramsay, and murdered with an arrow in a sick game as he so nearly reached Jon Snow during the Battle of the Bastards.

7 Ned Stark

The honorable Lord Eddard Stark was only alive for nine episodes of Game Of Thrones, and to this day is remembered as one of the show’s most exceptional characters, with his death being the moment the show proved itself to be different from any other.

Ed never suffered through the things that Catelyn, Robb, or the others suffered through, but he still got tricked and betrayed, witnessed the death of his best friend, tried to do the right thing throughout his time at King’s Landing, and had the knowledge of his daughters watched his beheading.

6 Benjen Stark

While Cately, Robb, Rickon, and Ned all got murdered in cruel and unfair ways, Benjen Stark at least died doing good, making a difference.

Benjen pretty much died twice, with the first time seeing him left for dead by White Walkers before getting saved by the Children of the Forest, leaving him unable to cross the Wall. In season seven, he is reunited with Jon as he saves his nephew’s life, sends him back to Castle Black on his horse, and pretty much sacrifices himself to the Whites in a truly honorable death.

5 Lyanna Stark

The last official Stark fans get to witness the death of in the show, and one of the essential characters in Westeros despite the very little time we spend with her, Lyanna Stark died in birth to her son.

While the memory of her husband got tainted by the survivors in history, Lyanna was fondly remembered, especially by Ned. Her death was awful, but she died in the knowledge that little Aegon, a.k.a. Jon Snow would survive and live a good life with her brother, the most honorable man in Westeros, making her fate that little bit easier to handle than others.

4 Jon Snow/Aegon Targaryen

Speaking of Jon Snow, of all the surviving Stark’s at the end of season eight, he definitely drew the short straw, which is that little bit worse considering he was pretty much the show’s main protagonist for a long time.

After murdering Daenerys, Jon gets sent to the Wall, and when we last see him, he is with Tormund, Ghost, and the Wildlings traveling North of the Wall, looking pretty content. However, since the Unsullied left Westeros, unlikely to return, Jon having to leave was nonsensical, especially considering he would have been an incredible ruler of the Six Kingdoms, or of the North.

3 Brandon Stark

“Who has a better story than Bran ‘the Broken,'” in short, everyone. Nevertheless, Bran Stark, the Three-Eyed Raven, was the answer to the long speculated question, who will win the Game of Thrones?

There is nothing to say about how awful Bran as King is that has not got said before, but in terms of in-world, Bran as King of the Six Kingdoms as well as an all-knowing being is a pretty good place to be, even if he does not necessarily want anything.

2 Arya Stark

While Bran Stark ended up in a position that he did not necessarily desire, Arya ended up in a place that was pretty natural for one of the show’s most beloved characters.

Sailing West of Westeros in the series finale is something that fits Arya well. Although, one has to wonder about what kind of danger Arya will be in by doing so, and whether or not she will ever see her family or friends again.

1 Sansa Stark

Sansa Stark had a pretty horrific journey to get to where she got in the series finale, with two separate bouts of torture from two very different types of a psychopath, and a lot of creepiness from Littlefinger, alongside all the regular Stark bad news.

But, Sansa survived, and proved herself to be one of the most emotionally and mentally strong characters in the show, and her fate ended up being as Queen in the North, with the North – which is larger than the other six kingdoms combined – becoming an independent state from the others because of her.