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Ask anyGame of Thronesfan which death in the series is the most traumatic and the answer is unanimous: Ned Stark. In just one season, the supposed main character was instantly removed from the show all thanks to King Joffrey’s merciless order.
Lord Eddard Stark was accused of treason, and he lost his head for discovering a scandalous secret and the wicked plans to install the king’s brother on the throne. Even with the plea of Queen Cersei Lannister, the young king was not moved.
Ned Stark Beheading Scene InGame Of ThronesExplained
Game of ThronesdirectorDavid Benioffspoke withThe Hinduand revealed they had a long discussion on how to frame the scene where Sean Bean’s Ned Stark was to be executed.
I remember one big one was at the very end of season one of GoT when Ned Stark is beheaded. We wanted to cut out of the scene right before you see his head fall off, but do you see the blade actually go into the neck or stop right before the neck?!
They settled on the frame where the viewers could see the blade starting to hit Stark’s neck so that fans would not assume he’s still alive in the next season. “We wanted people to know that Ned Stark dies here,” he explained, adding that they did not want to show all the gory stuff.
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Sean Bean, on the other hand, admitted his character was “just saying a prayer” right before he goes. Fans have assumed that he was uttering “valar morghulis” which is a phrase that means “all men must die.” He shared viaHuffPost:
I couldn’t be too specific, because I don’t know if religion [like that] was around in those days, whatever they were. I just thought, ‘What would you do if this were really gonna happen?’ You probably would pray.
The actor believed there was nothing he could do but murmur at that moment when he was instantaneously sentenced to die.
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Thirteen years later, Stark’s death remains one of the most significant events in the franchise and one of the saddest deaths on television. His demise was a foreboding sign for the fans to prepare themselves for more deaths to come.
Game Of ThronesFans Are Still Not Over Ned Stark’s Death
Fans are still grieving over Ned Starks’ untimely passing in the first season ofGame of Thrones. For a main character to die so suddenly and in that manner was indeed shocking and devastating at the same time.
In commemoration of that painful scene, netizens looked back on Stark’s death. Check out their tweets below:
I was very annoyed…why did he have to die like that
— Jabani (@jabaevit)July 14, 2025
I hated that part
— Jim (@1206genghiskhan)June 24, 2025
that day an oath was taken by the fandom to hate joffrey no matter what
— thijs (@thijsmxart)August 19, 2025
on first watch i was thinking “oh they’ll never kill off a main character this early in the serie- oh they just sliced his head off okay”
— Sam Tirelli (@Samtirelli5)July 30, 2025
One of the most sacrilegious and disrespectful episodes ever. Fuck Joffrey. Long live Ned Stark.
— ⛓𝕬𝔍 🥀 (@GRIMMYRAX)July 28, 2025
Watching the video clip again after more than a decade surely hits a tender spot knowing Stark could have been one of the heroes in the series, but he was gone too soon.
Game of Thronesis available to stream on Max.
Ariane Cruz
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3533
Ariane Cruz is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 3,000 articles published. Her love for pop culture and the creative arts fuels her passion to deliver engaging and informative stories. Her daily consumption of films, shows, and books keeps her energized for the day, along with her mission to serve as the bridge between fans and their favorite franchises.
