Anyone who’s watched HBO’s hit shows Game of Thrones and its prequel, House of the Dragon, is well aware that any prominent character’s death is practically a given. While most deaths are usually uneventful, given the setting of the shows, some deaths have dramatically reshaped the overarching storyline.
Beware: if you haven’t caught up on House of the Dragon or Game of Thrones, consider this your fair warning for spoilers!
Game of Thrones’ Eddard “Ned” Stark and House of the Dragon’s Viserys I Targaryen both meet their end in the first season of their respective shows, though one gets a more colorful death than the other. The impact of their deaths has been a hot topic of discussion recently, so here’s our take on Twitter user’s @westerosies question. Keep in mind that we will try to focus on the events of the show rather than George R. R. Martin’s books.
Ned Stark
Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North, Hand of the King, Lord Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm. These are the titles that Ned Stark held at one point or another in his illustrious life, and yet his end was unworthy of a man of his repute. When we meet the Quiet Wolf in the first season of Game of Thrones, one thing becomes quickly clear: Ned Stark is a man who keeps his word.
During his entire life, Ned built himself a reputation of unwavering loyalty and honor. However, when his mentor and the Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, dies, King Robert Baratheon travels to Winterfell to request that he take up the vacant position. Though Ned initially refuses to accept his offer, he eventually changes his mind after learning that Arryn was poisoned in a conspiracy by the Lannisters.
Later on, Ned discovers that Robert’s children are all illegitimate heirs to the throne, as his wife, Cersei Lannister, conceived them through incest with her brother, Jaime. Unfortunately, Robert dies before Ned has a chance to reveal the truth to him, and he is subsequently appointed as regent to rule until Robert’s “firstborn son,” Joffrey, comes of age.
Being the honorable man he is, Ned changes Robert’s will, choosing to crown Robert’s brother Stannis as king. Naturally, his decision becomes unpopular among certain members of the court, which results in his arrest after his entourage is murdered and his daughters are taken hostage (though Arya escapes).
Charged with treason, Ned is given the chance to spare his life if he declares Joffrey to be the rightful king. With his daughters lives in danger, Ned publicly confesses his “treasonous” actions, but Joffrey goes back on his word and executes him anyway.
King Viserys I Targaryen
Before the downfall of the powerful House Targaryen, King Viserys I once ruled over the Seven Kingdoms, riding on the back of the legendary Balerion, the Black Dread. His wife, Aemma, was unable to bear him a male heir while she lived. After her death, the Great Council pleaded with Viserys to name an heir, to which he eventually appointed his only living child, Princess Rhaenyra.
The Seven Kingdoms have never been ruled by a woman before, so this decision becomes a major point of contention as some within the Small Council believe that Viserys should have appointed his brother, Prince Daemon, as his heir.
To make matters worse, Viserys weds Alicent Hightower, who bears a son, Prince Aegon II. This inevitably breeds a conspiracy to have Princess Rhaenyra deposed as the heir apparent, setting up a major rift in the family.
Eventually Viserys becomes severely ill from an unknown ailment, but before he passes on, he deliriously mutters Aegon the Conqueror’s dream to Alicent, whom he mistakes for his daughter. Alicent misconstrues this as Viserys’ final wish to have her son Aegon II succeed him as king. In the end, a war of succession erupts after the Small Council unlawfully crowns Aegon II as king.
Which death was more impactful?
Joffrey’s moronic decision to publicly execute Ned Stark instigated the War of the Five Kings. The civil war that lasted six years (Petyr Baelish’s death marked the end of the war) brought forth the destruction of several Westeros noble houses, including major ones like House Tyrell and House Bolton.
Due to the high number of casualties on all sides of the war, the deep mistrust held by the remaining sides meant that they were unable to form a true alliance to battle the Night King and his forces during the Long Night.
Although the Northern Alliance led by Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow (Aegon Targaryen?) finally prevails, Westeros, particularly King’s Landing, turns into ruins after Daenerys burns thousands of civilians in what she believes to be the liberation of Westeros from the Lannisters.
If Ned Stark were still alive, albeit in exile, there’s a good chance that he and Stannis would have rallied multiple Westeros houses to depose the illegitimate King Joffrey. Much like the War of the Usurper (Robert’s Rebellion), a huge battle would have ensued between Stannis and Ned’s allies and the Lannister’s allies.
If we assume that the Lannisters would have been defeated and like the Targaryens were, there’s still the matter of who would be king. Would Stannis have yielded the throne to Jon Snow or Daenerys? The end of one war would likely have marked the beginning of another, as it would have been only a matter of time before either of the three “rightful heirs” waged war on the other two.
On the other hand, Viserys’ death, and more so, his final words, set the stage for the war of succession that came to be known as the Dance of the Dragons. Though the show uses Alicent’s misinterpretation of Viserys’ incoherent mumble as the reason behind the Small Council’s usurping actions, Otto and Alicent Hightower would have still made the same decision regardless of Viserys’ final words.
From the moment Viserys named Rhaenyra as his heir, the damage was already done, and his death was more or less a formality to give both sides the green light to start the war. Nonetheless, the resulting war marked the beginning of the collapse of House Targaryen due to the immense and rapid loss of their main power, dragons.
If we had to choose the more impactful death, it would have to be Ned Stark. Having said that, Viserys’ decision to break centuries of tradition had a longer overall impact, as it set the course for internal strife within his house, weakening the Targaryen dynasty permanently.
Ned or Viserys I: Whose death left a more profound impact? Let us know in the comments section below.
