Game of Thrones loves killing off characters. Since the beginning, the show has kept audiences on their toes as main characters and fan-favorites are beheaded at any point. With Season 8 just about here, any character who has made it this far deserves a round of applause.
While no character is really safe, a few seemed likely to make it this far. Main characters like Daenerys, Tyrion, Jon, and Arya needed to make it to the end, even if it is a bloody end. However, there are some supporting characters we expected to drop off a long time ago. With so many characters the show has to juggle, these ones managed to hang on and dodge those lethal blows. Here are the most surprising Game of Thrones characters to have made it to Season 8.
Hot Pie
Hot Pie is an easy character to root for. He is kind, a good cook, and seems unaware of the horrific world he's living in. Whenever he pops up we get to breathe a sigh of relief that he's still alive.
The innocent characters don't usually make it this far and Hot Pie has had his fair share of run-ins with deadly characters, but he seems to now be settled in a nice existence as a baker at an inn. Last we saw, Hot Pie has still baking away and staying out of all the trouble around him. Here's hoping he can keep his head down for one more season.
Dolorous Edd
To be a member of the Night's Watch must be the most dangerous job in Westeros. It is a position that has taken the lives of several characters, including Jon Snow (for a while at least). Despite being the most cynical Night's Watch member, Dolorous Edd is now the only character we know at the Wall.
With the White Walkers' army now in Westeros, Edd's position seems pretty unimportant. It's likely we'll see him and the remaining Night's Watch join the rest of the heroes at Winterfell for the big confrontation. Though he's survived a few fights, his watch may soon come to an end.
Missandei
Missandei is another one of those genuinely kind people who seem very rare in this world. That instantly puts her in danger of a horrible death at any time. Missandei has been lucky to be sided with Daenerys and her dragons for most of the war. However, once her romance to Grey Worm started to heat up, it seemed to be spelling a tragic end.
Miraculously, both she and Grey Worm have managed to stay alive. However, it would seem fitting and quite like the show for Daenerys to lose her trusted confidante at this critical moment.
Beric Dondarrion
This one is a bit tricky because although Beric Dondarrion is still around, he's actually died quite a few times. Beric's first death came at the hands of The Mountain only to be resurrected by his Red Priest best friend Thoros of Myr. We're told that Thoros has performed this trick eight times successfully.
Beric is actually one of the rare characters to have outlived his counterpart in the books. Now after Thoros' death Beyond the Wall, Beric's extra lives are up. He narrowly avoided a permanent death at the end of last season as the Wall came down, but the trailers have confirmed that he's still going strong.
Tormund Giantsbane
Tormund Giantsbane has grown from the antagonistic and brutal wildling to one of Jon Snow's closest allies. He is a fearsome fighter who never shies away from getting right in the thick of battle. He's narrowly survived death on several occasions. He especially seemed like a goner during the Battle of the Bastards and the misadventures Beyond the Wall. But he and his beard have always come through.
Tormund was with Beric Dondarrion when the Wall fell but, luckily, we know he too escaped. But given his penchant for being in the heart of the fight, Tormund's days may now be numbered.
Podrick Payne
In the brutal world of Game of Thrones, even the most skilled warriors have met terrible ends. Oberyn Martell, Ned Stark, and Barristan Selmy are all proven fighters yet none of them made it too far. Then there is Podrick Payne. Though well-meaning and apparently talented in other ways, Podrick has never been a strong swordsman.
Even without his combat skills, Pod has put himself in harm's way again and again, but avoided ever getting killed. Game of Thrones has never spared the feeling of fans but killing off a sweet character like Pod would be hard to take. Hopefully, he's been practicing his swordsmanship since Season 7.
Melisandre
Melisandre, aka The Red Woman, has been one of the show’s most complex characters. She has done some terrible things in the name of her religion, and in the most recent seasons, she has shown a lot of remorse and doubt over those actions. Even though she is apparently much older than she seems, the real surprise is that someone else hasn't killed her yet.
While most people are under threat to White Walker invasion, Melisandre is likely to be killed by one of the remaining human characters. She has already predicted she will die in Westeros, it's just a matter of who will hold the knife.
Robin Arryn
Audiences were first introduced to Robin Arryn, the heir of the Vale, as he was breast-feeding on his mother long past the age of it being appropriate. Few could have guessed that this awkward little boy would make it to the end of the series.
After the death of his mother, Robin was brought under the wing of Littlefinger, which is a dangerous place for anyone. Robin is certainly not built for a world this violent but with Littlefinger gone, at least some of the threat against him is gone too. Also, we don't expect he'll be on the front-lines of the war to come.
Jorah Mormont
Poor Jorah Mormont has had a rough time during the series. He has pined for his queen, Daenerys Targaryen, despite her showing no romantic interest in him. He was exiled by that same queen on a couple of occasions. And on top of it all, he contracted Greyscale.
For the last few seasons, we have just been waiting for Jorah to give his life to protect his queen and yet that moment never came. It's hard to say if Jorah will survive the final battle, but if he were to die in service of his queen, he would likely consider that a good death.
Theon Greyjoy
Though he has survived this long, few characters have gone through as much pain as Theon Greyjoy. He began as a loyal friend to Robb Stark before his betrayal and failed attempt to become an Iron Born hero. Since then he has gone through intense physical and emotional torture that he has yet to recover from.
It has been an incredible character arc and just when you think it’s come to an end, it evolves even more. Going into the final season, Theon is poised to redeem himself which will likely mean sacrificing himself.