Although the scale and story of Game of Thrones was absolutely epic, the driving force behind the series was always its wonderful and well-developed cast of characters. And, the show was undeniably home to some of the best female characters in TV history.
The women who populated the world of Westeros and Essos were all dynamic and distinct characters who got brilliant moments to shine throughout the series. But, what were the most iconic female character moments that Game of Thrones fans will never forget?
Cersei Explaining The Game Of Thrones To Ned Stark
If there was ever one quote that summed up Game of Thrones as a TV series, it is undoubtedly what Cersei Lannister told Ned Stark in season 1: "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground."
Cersei clearly lived and died by that mantra, and although she was only angling to keep her family alive and keep Ned from exposing her, what she told Ned wound up being one of the most important lessons in the series.
Sansa Becomes The Queen In The North
Although the Starks seemed to be down for the count for the majority of Game of Thrones, they clearly wound up being the winners in the end.
And over the course of her story, Sansa transformed from a spoiled and helpless child to a brilliant politician and truly capable leader. She won independence for the North, and watching the lords of Westeros cheer as she sat on the throne with a wolf's crown on her head was an epic ending for her character.
Brienne's Knighting
The world of Westeros is brutal, violent, and full of people who are only fighting to achieve their own goals. So, someone like Brienne of Tarth is truly exceptional in that she does everything in her power to live up to the standards of true knighthood, even if she could never be a knight.
Or rather, even if she thought she could never be a knight, as Jaime bucking tradition and knighting Brienne is one of the most heartwarming moments in the series.
Cersei Blowing Up The Sept Of Baelor
Cersei is one character who never hid the fact that she would do whatever it took to keep herself alive and defeat her enemies, but she truly proved the lengths that she would go to when she blew up the Sept of Baelor with all of her enemies inside.
Cersei is one of the best villains in TV history, and her smug smirk at watching her rivals go up in flames was a legendary moment.
Olenna Tyrell Confessing To Regicide
Olenna Tyrell lit up the screen every time she made an appearance, and her witticisms are some of the funniest and most memorable lines from the series.
And although it was heartbreaking to realize that she had ultimately been defeated by the Lannisters, she seemingly chugged the poison that Jaime gave her as fast as possible because she was so eager to get one last lick in and tell him that it was in fact her who killed Joffrey at his own wedding.
Arya And Sansa Killing Littlefinger
With years of work and manipulation under his belt, Petyr Baelish managed to go from a barely relevant lord in a small house from the Vale to one of the most powerful men in Westeros, and he was never going to stop until he made it to the Iron Throne.
Sansa was clearly a key part of his plan, and he truly believed that he had her under his thumb. That is, until she and Arya pulled the ultimate Uno reverse card on him and executed him for his litany of crimes.
Sansa Winning The Battle Of The Bastards
Sansa spent the first part of her character arc essentially being a hostage and pawn of the people around her, and that culminated in the horrific abuse that she suffered at the hands of Ramsay Bolton.
When she escapes Winterfell and finds Jon, she convinces him that they need to fight for their home, even if the odds are against them. And, when it looks like the Stark forces are about to be defeated, the Knights of the Vale come to the rescue at Sansa's request.
Daenerys Freeing The Unsullied
At the start of her story, Daenerys has nothing to her name and no way of regaining the Iron Throne, her ultimate goal. She considers buying the Unsullied army, but is reluctant to use slaves as a means to her end.
But, she shockingly makes a deal with Kraznys Mo Nakloz to trade Drogon for the Unsullied, only to flip the script on him, order the Unsullied to kill all of the slave masters, and burn Kraznys alive with Drogon.
Daenerys Bringing Dragons Into The World
Although Ned Stark's death in the first season of the show might be that season's most iconic moment, it's hard to deny that watching Daenerys walk into a funeral pyre and emerged unscathed with three newborn dragons is one of the most inspiring scenes in the series.
The dragons are arguably the most iconic element of the entire show, and the fact that Dany brought them back into the world was a legendary moment.
Arya Killing The Night King
Arya Stark spent years training how to be the optimal assassin, and although those skills clearly came in handy many times throughout Game of Thrones, the most unexpected and thrilling way in which she used them was to kill the Night King and literally save the world.
Many people expected that Jon or Daenerys would be the savior who defeated the White Walkers, so the moment where Arya sails through the air and destroys the Night King was truly shocking and incredible to watch.