Top 10 Game of Thrones Revenge Kills

“Mother’s Mercy”

With all the potential tyrants in Westeros, Stannis Baratheon can at times seem like an acceptable choice for the Iron Throne, cold though he can be. But he makes a couple grievous errors. Sure, everyone remembers him needlessly sacrificing his only child Shireen to the Lord of Light, but that’s not ultimately what causes his undoing. Rather, back in Season 2, a more ruthless Stannis has his brother and fellow Throne competitor Renly assassinated. This breaks the heart of Brienne of Tarth, who’d sworn a deep loyalty to Renly. After being defeated in the Battle of Winterfell, a wounded Stannis is confronted by none other than Brienne, who promptly avenges her fallen king.

“The Queen’s Justice”

Granted, this act of revenge is more against Ellaria Sand than her daughter Tyene, but no one gets payback quite like Cersei Lannister. In the advent of Oberyn Martell’s death, Ellaria and the rest of the Sand Snakes swear vengeance against the Lannisters. Princess Myrcella, who’d previously been stationed in Dorne, gets a poisoned kiss of death from Ellaria as a declaration of war. Despite being forewarned of the death of her children, Cersei doesn’t take this well, and ultimately has Ellaria and Tyene captured and brought to King's Landing. Rather than kill Ellaria herself, Cersei returns the favor, forcing her to watch her own daughter die in the same way. Seriously, no one should cross Cersei Lannister.

“Fire and Blood”

Daenerys Targaryen takes out many people who oppose her on her quest to claim the Iron Throne, but it all begins with Mirri Maz Duur. By all means, Duur has reason to be grateful to Dany, who insists she be spared from mistreatment after the khalasar raids her village. But this latter fact keeps her vindictive toward Dany’s husband, Khal Drogo. After Drogo is injured in a duel, Duur volunteers to heal him, but she instead does the opposite, dooming him. This eventually leads to his death and that of his and Dany’s child. Dany, robbed of her sun and stars, makes sure Duur suffers for enacting her own revenge: burning alive on Drogo’s funeral pyre.

“Oathbreaker”

Change can be difficult to accept, but it’s usually for the best. That’s a lesson some men of the Night’s Watch could’ve learned when Jon Snow becomes Lord Commander. However, his decision to allow their ostensible enemies the Wildlings to cross over the Wall into the Seven Kingdoms leaves them thinking they have no other choice. In a desperate act of cowardice, several brothers ambush Jon and take their turns sending him to the grave. In a turn of events they couldn’t have seen coming, Jon is brought back and finds it his duty to enact justice. Four members of the Watch are sent to the galleys, marking Jon’s final act as Lord Commander.

“The Bells”

They say that when you seek revenge, you ought to dig two graves. We’re willing to bet Sandor “The Hound” Clegane was cool with that so long as his brother Gregor was in one of them. Known as “The Mountain,” Gregor proves exceedingly difficult to kill during his time on “Game of Thrones,” so much so that he’s essentially turned into an undead shell of his former self, but still just as brutal. During the Battle of King’s Landing, Gregor tries to usher a desperate Cersei to safety, but can’t help himself when he’s confronted by Sandor. The two brutes battle it out, but Sandor just can’t kill Gregor the conventional way. So he sends both of them off to a fiery demise below.

“The Winds of Winter”

To be fair, Cersei takes out a lot of her enemies in one fell swoop in the Season 6 finale, but none of them drew her indignation quite like the High Sparrow. Despite Cersei being the one instrumental in getting the Sparrow appointed to High Septon under the Faith Militant, this comes back to bite her when the Sparrow’s piousness keeps him from overlooking her sins. He has her humiliated and jailed for her actions, leading her to do away with those who stand in her way for good. At what’s supposed to be her trial in the Great Sept, Cersei has the building utterly and completely swallowed up by wildfire, burning up the High Sparrow and countless others in an instant.

“The Dragon and the Wolf”

Arya Stark gets revenge against several people on “Game of Thrones,” but few feel as cathartic as Littlefinger. Partly because it’s so well-deserved, and partly because she achieves it alongside her sister Sansa. Thinking he’s managed to turn the Stark sisters against each other, Littlefinger is thrown for a loop when a trial for Arya turns into a trial for him. He’s accused of many crimes, including murdering their Aunt Lysa and conspiring against two consecutive Hands of the King, the second of whom was their father Ned. Littlefinger tries to weasel his way out, but the Starks are too wise to his ways at this point. Sansa sentences him to death, and Arya makes sure his end is a lot slower than Ned’s.

“The Children”

A man of reason and good temperament, Tyrion Lannister never seemed like a character who would exact vengeance against those who wronged him, but even he has his breaking points. After being falsely accused of murder, the people closest to Tyrion turn on him, especially his father Tywin and lover Shae. Tyrion’s subsequently freed by Jaime, but he makes sure he gets the last word before leaving King’s Landing. After brutally murdering Shae, Tyrion catches his father in a vulnerable position. Rather than being cajoled into relenting, Tyrion makes sure Tywin pays for his poor parenting with a couple fatal crossbow bolts. It’s a dark moment for Tyrion, but we’re glad he manages to finally step out of his family’s shadow.

“Battle of the Bastards”

After she’s forced to marry Tyrion, Sansa gets dealt an even worse hand when she has to marry Ramsay Bolton. Whereas Tyrion was at least a courteous husband in name only, Ramsay is vindictive and cruel, committing unspeakable acts against her. Thankfully she’s able to escape, but she comes back stronger than ever with Jon. The ensuing Battle of the Bastards is a grueling affair, but Sansa ultimately saves the day by inviting the Knights of the Vale. Ramsay’s forces are beaten down, and the Starks reclaim Winterfell. But Sansa makes sure Ramsay’s evil acts don’t go unpunished. She sets upon him the same dogs he used to inflict so much misery, and we’re sure his cries of pain are music to her ears.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

This One’s for Syrio Forel

Locked in a Vault Is a Rough Way to Go

Theon’s Liberation Is So Sweet

After All, He Really Did Want That Sword

That’s What You Get for Trying to Steal Dany’s Dragons

“The Winds of Winter” & “Dragonstone”

More than anyone else on Arya’s list, the Freys get the most satisfying comeuppance. Indeed, their slaying of Robb and Catelyn Stark at the Red Wedding is one of the coldest and most remorseless betrayals on the show, so you gotta know they’d get theirs sooner or later. Infiltrating the Twins, Arya starts by baking two of Walder Frey’s sons into a pie and feeding it to him. Once the elder Frey is dispatched of, Arya disguises herself as him and takes care of the whole lot. She has the rest of Walder’s sons drink poisoned wine, and can only look on in satisfaction as they choke on it. Not only does the North remember, but the North does not forget. Ever.