Over the course of its eight seasons, Game of Thrones has managed to shock its fans with numerous amounts of death, mind-blowing plot twists and more. With so many shocking moments throughout the show, it was not an easy task to pick the top 10 moments. However, after much deliberation, we’re going to take a look at 10 of the most shocking moments from Game of Thrones that absolutely broke the internet upon their initial release.
Warning: Before moving forward, we’d like to inform you that this post contains spoilers for all eight seasons of Game of Thrones.
10. Jaime Lannister pushes Bran Stark out of the tower (Season 1 Episode 1)
Game of Thrones’ first episode, “Winter is coming” is a fan favourite because it lets its viewers know that it isn’t like any other TV show. After being introduced to all the major characters, towards the end of the episode, we see a young Bran Stark climb the Broken Tower in Winterfell. Once Bran reaches the top, he witnesses the siblings Jamie and Cersei Lannister engaging in incest.
Seeing that Bran has caught them engaging in sexual activity, Jaime gets worried, and while uttering “The things I do for love” he pushes Bran out of the Tower. With that, the episode ends on a cliffhanger. For the rest of the show Bran Stark can be seen in a wheelchair because his legs did not work anymore after the mishap. This perhaps is one of the most shocking moments that occurred during the first season itself, as the show basically says no one is safe in the Game of Thrones, not even little kids.
9. Oberyn Martell vs Gregor Clegane (Season 4 Episode 8)
Oberyn Martell played by Pedro Pascal might not have stayed for a long time in the show, but he became one of the most loved characters among the fans in a very short time. Oberyn came to King’s Landing because of one sole reason, which was to take revenge for his sister Elia Martell who was raped and killed by Gregor Clegane. He agreed to fight for Tyrion Lannister’s Trial by Combat against Gregor, as he was finally getting a chance to avenge his dead sister.
During the fight, Oberyn showed an exceptional display of his fighting skills. He almost killed Gregor, but due to his overconfidence, he made a little mistake which made him lose his eyes, along with his life. Once Gregor was up again, he wasted no time in crushing Oberyn’s skull with his bare hands. Oberyn’s death scene is not only one of the most shocking moments, but it is also one of the most gruesome deaths in the entire show.
8. Cersei Blows Up the Sept of Baelor (Season 6 Episode 10)
The fall of the High Sparrow is one of the most satisfying things done by Cersei Lannister. After the Walk of Atonement, Cersei lost her powers, which set her on a path of revenge against the Tyrells and the High Sparrow. With the help of Qyburn, Cersi manages to set up the Wildfire in King’s Landing, and just before Loras Tyrell’s trial, she blows up the entire Sept of Baelor, causing thousands of deaths and a lot of destruction in the city.
Cersei manages to wipe off the High Sparrow along with the House Tyrell. Horrified by the destruction of King’s Landing and the death of his wife Margaery Tyrell, King Tommen commits suicide, which marks the end of King Tommen’s rule and puts Cersei into power as she is the one who now sits on the Iron Throne. This came as a shocker for all the fans as Cersei has never been this violent before.
7. Jon Snow’s death (Season 5 Episode 10)
After Lord Commander Jon Snow allows the Free Folks to cross south of the wall, not all the Night’s Watchmen are happy with the decision. Things quickly take a turn as Jon is betrayed by a few men in the Night’s Watch. Firstly, Olly manages to bring Jon outside after saying that some information regarding Benjen Stark, Jon’s long-gone Uncle has been received.
Once Jon comes outside, he is stabbed by Alliser Thorne and a few other men of the Night’s Watch. The final blow is delivered to his heart by Olly, Jon’s steward, that kills him on the spot. This was one of the most shocking moments in the show, as it left fans at a cliffhanger for almost a year.
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6. Shireen Baratheon’s terrible fate (Season 5 Episode 9)
Out of all the deaths that happen during the show, Shireen Baratheon’s death is considered to be one of the most disturbing ones. When Stannis tries to go up against the Boltons, things aren’t great for Stannis’ army as the heavy snow is really stopping them from marching forward. That is when Melisandre tells Stannis about the Blood Magic that could help in melting the snow.
This blood magic involved sacrificing his daughter, Shireen. Stannis is hesitant at first but he later agrees and she is sacrificed to the Lord of Light by Melisandre. While her sacrifice does allow her father’s army to press forwards as the blood magic melts the snow. However, even then Stannis’ army is defeated at Winterfell by the Boltons. As shocking as her death may have been, it was also very disturbing since Shireen was an innocent little girl who was burned alive for next to nothing.
5. King Joffrey’s death (Season 4 Episode 2)
Joffery Baratheon’s character is considered to be one of the most hated characters among the fans of the show, which results in his death being one of the most satisfying ones in the show. This all occurs during the wedding celebration of Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell, as Joffery drinks a cup of poisoned wine and as a result is killed on his wedding feast.
The assassination was all part of a plan by Petyr Baelish and Olenna Tyrell. Olenna manages to mix up a poison named “the strangler” into Joffery’s cup of wine. Because of the poison, he is unable to breathe, later his eyes turn red and he begins to bleed and then he dies. After his death, Cersei accuses Tyrion of the murder, as he was the cupbearer. This moment was definitely shocking for fans, as the events turned really quickly and Joffrey’s death came as a surprise.
4. Hodor’s Hold the Door (Season 6 Episode 4)
Hodor’s character played by Kristian Nairn had always been a mystery for everyone. No one knew about his origin, as all he ever spoke was “Hodor”. His actual name is revealed to be Wylis and is shown when Bran and the Three-Eyed Raven were in the cave looking back in time. However, during all this, the White Walker and Wights attack the cave, while Hodor manages to hold the back exit of the cave, allowing Bran and Meera time to escape, he is killed by Wights.
Right before the time of his death, Bran accidentally wargs into young Hodor, linking the minds of the present-day Hodor and the young Hodor from the past. This causes the young Hodor to suffer a seizure, during which he hears Meera shouting the phrase “Hold the door!” through Bran and begins repeating it, eventually slurring the sentence together until it becomes “Hodor”. This was a very shocking moment as it showed how everything happening in the present affected the past and made Hodor suffer since his adolescence.
3. Jon Snow kills Daenerys Targaryen (Season 8 Episode 6)
The ending of Game of Thrones is very controversial, but we’re not here to talk about that. Instead, we’ll be focusing on the moment when Jon Snow kills Daenerys Targaryen. After years of build-up, we finally see Daenerys close to the Iron Throne, her dream is almost complete but instead of being able to sit on the throne, all she’s able to do is just watch the Iron Throne, as she is stabbed to death by Jon.
The entire scene where they’re both having a hug is beautiful, but it is ruined seconds later when Jon stabs Daenerys. After burning down King’s Landing and killing thousands of innocents, Daenerys had truly become the Mad Queen and just like Tyrion said, killing her was the only reasonable choice. Nonetheless, the moment when Daenerys is killed will always be a shocker for everyone as no one was ready for such an ending.
2. Ned Stark’s beheading (Season 1 Episode 9)
Right from the beginning, Game of Thrones tells us that no one is safe in this world. However, Ned Stark’s death still remains a shocker for most fans as no one was ready for it. This is because Ned’s character is not only a fan favourite but his character is also shown in such a way that it looks like he is the main character of the entire show.
Ned’s character is more of a good guy, but in a place like Westeros, there is no place for a good guy. He gets betrayed by Littlefinger, and there is nothing he can do. Unlike every other TV show where the good guy lives to save the day, Game of Thrones does things entirely differently and this is why his death remains the most shocking in the entire series.
1. The Red Wedding (Season 3 Episode 9)
The Red Wedding still remains the most shocking moment not only in the entirety of Games of Thrones but also in TV history. The wedding was very peaceful and everything was going well until Walder Frey signals and “Rains of Castamere” started playing. Within the next few minutes, key characters were murdered and the entire situation changed. Red Wedding was a massacre that also shows the greatest betrayal of all time.
After the wedding ceremony, the theme changes completely as along with Robb Stark and Talisa Stark, even her unborn child is murdered. Catelyn Stark is also killed in action, marking the fall of House Stark at least for quite a while. Outside the keep, Frey and Bolton’s men turn on the other Northern soldiers in the camps and kill every last one of them. Because of how the theme of the episode changed all of a sudden, this still remains the most shocking moment for fans.
With that said, which were the most shocking moments in Game of Thrones according to you? Let us know by dropping a comment down below!
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