Throughout its time on air, Game of Thrones was a show with a reputation for killing off a lot of its characters. In many cases, these deaths were quite shocking. From the brutal yet satisfying demise of a villain to the heartbreaking end for a hero, many deaths made a big impact. But then there were some that felt completely random.
While some iconic deaths from the show took audiences by surprise, they felt like important moments for the show. By contrast, these deaths came out of nowhere and left fans wondering how necessary they were.
Ros
Ros was one of the few characters in the series who did not appear in the books. As such, fans had a hard time connecting with the character and her place in the story. She was a sex worker from Winterfell who traveled to King's Landing in the first season.
While it seemed like she was initially meant to be a lower-class character that fans could root for, it never felt that the show knew what to do with her. Eventually, they seemed to give up and revealed that she was murdered off screen by Joffrey in season 3.
Balon Greyjoy
Though Balon Greyjoy was likely the least interesting king in the War of the Five Kings, he managed to outlast many of his adversaries. But that didn't stop him from meeting an unceremonious end in order to make way for his more flamboyant brother.
Euron Greyjoy is randomly introduced as he shows up from exile to kill Balon and take the throne. The rushed scene is incredibly confusing as audiences had no idea who Euron was at this point and the dark, stormy setting of the scene made it hard to determine which of the brothers was killed.
Osha
With so many characters in the show, it is not uncommon for some of them to disappear for seasons at a time only to show up later. Such was the case with Osha who was last seen taking Rickon Stark under her care as Bran ventured Beyond the Wall.
She and Rickon make their return in season 6 when they are captured by Ramsay Bolton. While few people survive under Ramsay's sadistic ways, it was still surprising that Osha was given a single scene before being killed and made fans wonder why they bothered bringing her back at all.
Talisa
The Red Wedding delivered some very surprising deaths, including Robb Stark and Catelyn Stark. However, the first death in the infamous sequence really took audiences by surprise as it was Robb Stark's new and pregnant wife.
As the character was changed drastically from the books, some fans suspected she was a double-agent who lured Robb into a trap. That theory was proven wrong when she was stabbed several times to kick off the massacre. Given the bloody mayhem of the scene, tacking on her extreme death seemed unnecessary.
Benjen Stark
Despite only appearing in a few episodes in season 1, Benjen Stark was the subject of a lot of mystery throughout the series. After he went missing Beyond the Wall, fans expected him to show up again at some point.
He finally did in season 6 as it was revealed he was saved by the Children of the Forest. He then appears again in season 7, showing up out of nowhere to save Jon Snow only to immediately die. It was almost comical how quickly he was gone and made his return seem rather pointless.
Hizdahr Zo Loraq
Hizdahr zo Loraq is another character who seemed like he would have a bigger role to play only for his story to get cut surprisingly short. As one of the noble citizens of Meereen, Hizdahr begins as an opponent to Daenerys only to be selected as her new husband to help ease tensions in the city.
Despite their marriage, it seemed like only a matter of time before he betrayed her. But when Daenerys is attacked by the Sons of the Harpy at the fighting pits, Hizdahr is stabbed to death and never spoken of again.
Summer
Despite initially seeming like a very important part of the story, the direwolves gradually faded to the background of the series and seemed to be forgotten altogether. By the time Bran Stark's pet Summer died, it seemed clear the show just wanted to get rid of them.
As the Night King's forces attack the cave of the Three-Eyed Raven, Summer attacks the undead army and is quickly killed. It happens so fast that many fans likely didn't realize it was the animal's actual death scene.
Tommen Baratheon
Some death scenes feel totally random yet still manage to work for the show. When Cersei took revenge on her enemies by blowing up the Sept of Baelor, it saw the end of significant characters like Margaery Tyrell and High Sparrow.
But as fans were still processing that epic moment, Tommen Baratheon decided to add to the mayhem of the scene. After seeing the sept explode and realize his mother was responsible. The young king removes his crown and simply steps out of his bedroom window in the show's most matter-of-fact death.
Doran Martell
It is no secret that the Dorne storyline was not popular among viewers and many Game of Thrones fans found it cringe-worthy. The show seemed to pick up on the disinterest among viewers and made some heavy-handed changes.
After being a completely useless ruler in season 5 of the show, season 6 picked up with Doran Martell making a quick exit. In the first episode, he was reintroduced with a couple of lines before being stabbed. It made him one of the most pointless characters in the series.
Rhaegal
Daenerys's dragons were responsible for some of the most epic moments but not even some of them were saved from a totally random death. Rhaegal was won of two remaining dragons who helped defeat the Night King during the Battle of Winterfell.
However, as Daenerys headed to King's Landing to win the Iron Throne, Rhaegal was suddenly shot out of the sky by Euron Greyjoy and the entire Iron Fleet that somehow went unnoticed. Rhaegal's death seemed to be a defining moment that made fans realize the final season of the show was perhaps a little too rushed.