The Final Season of Game of Thrones: Final Power Rankings

Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark

And now our watch has ended. And I have no idea why you’d be here or how you’d find this piece if you were concerned about spoilers. But be warned anywhere, full and complete spoilers for the final episode of Game of Thrones lurk ahead!

A number of surprise characters (Edmure Tully, Robin Arryn, Yara Greyjoy, the Prince of Dorne) appeared in the series finale of Thrones, but they are not relevant for this final power ranking. We’ve come a long way and now we can finally see how the game of thrones played out. Who won? Who died? Those are obviously the only two options.

I also know that many people downright detest this episode, “The Iron Throne,” and the season. I’m not sure what they’re on about. I’ve seen it, like, eleven times and I thought it was great! To each their own.

Don’t forget to listen to my dear friend, Jac Rayner, and me as we highlight our favorite moments from each episode on Goodbye Mello Brick Road! “Winterfell” and “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” are available to listen to!

1. Tyrion Lannister — Okay, hear me out on this. Yes, Bran is the king of the six kingdoms. Bran technically won the game of thrones. But I think it’s pretty clear that Tyrion is the one who is running the world right now. He’s the hand to a king who does not want to be king and does not consider himself to be human and does not get to be in the show’s final Stark montage. He’s in charge of the council. He’s in charge of everything. That big brain came back in a big way of redemption as he rejected Daenerys, orchestrated the Bran coronation while in chains, and now runs Westeros. Tyrion won the game of thrones, even if he’s not the figurehead. I stand by this claim. He drinks. He knows things. He wins. (Last Ranking: #11)
2. Bran Stark — But yes, Bran still won the game of thrones, by traditional measures. He was not my favorite story or character, but there’s no denying his impressive journey. He’s definitely odd, but he’s clearly a master manipulator and the most powerful person who has ever existed in Westeros, potentially. Vegas called it. Bran’s on the “throne” (meaning: wheelchair. Thanks Drogon for the metaphor!) and he could rule for centuries to come. Not sure how he operates! But Bran won. You read that right. Bran won. The memes won. But Bran won. The Starks won. But Bran won. He did come all that way. (Last Ranking: #7)
3. Sansa Stark — My final prediction for the show was that Sansa would win. And by traditional measurements of what it means to “win” the game of thrones, Sansa did not win. But for her goals? For what she wanted? She definitely won. Dany? Dead. The North? Belongs to the Starks. (And her.) Her character arc completed beautifully as the true heir to the Stark methodology. She learned. She grew. She’s the queen in the north! An independent kingdom! That! Is! Sansa! (Last Ranking: #2)
4. Arya Stark — If Bran is the king of the world and Sansa is the queen in the north, then Arya seems very likely to be the queen of…whatever is west of Westeros. I was really worried that Arya was going to bite the bullet at some point, but her incredible character now becomes even more amazing by the fact that she has become Arya Stark: Medieval Pirate. And as long as she doesn’t become a medieval colonizer, then it’s safe to say that she had one of the show’s best stories and best endings, as the one who ended the long night. (Last Ranking: #3)
5. Jon Snow — The story about how legacy doesn’t matter came to a head when it showed us that just because Jon Snow was the heir to the iron throne, that does mean he gets to rule automatically. Instead, Jon gets a very happy ending for a very exhausted character. He’s where he wants to be. He’s the king beyond the wall and he changed Westeros forever by embracing the free folk. I’m so proud of him! (Last Ranking: #4)
6. Samwell Tarly — Sam got laughed off the stage for democracy, but hey, at least he fucking tried. He’s the one who wants to break the wheel and burn down the wood that made the wheel. Now, he is somehow the grand maester and even though it is unclear how he achieved that position, Sam played an awesome role in the endgame. His skills are valuable and now, he helped create “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Take that, Night’s Watch. (Last Ranking: #6)
7. Brienne of Tarth — Brienne had an interesting go of it towards the end, but she ultimately fulfilled her promise, honored the legacy of Jaime Lannister, and now serves as the woman in charge of war. She’s one of the most influential voices in the world and the world is better for it. (Last Ranking: #10)
8. Davos Seaworth — Many of the people on the final council of Westeros had some major rises to power. Perhaps none more so than Davos, who went from being a peasant to the man in charge of the kingdom’s ships. He may not be sure if he gets a vote (what even is House Seaworth?), but few characters learned as much as he did from the people he loved throughout the course of this story. And now we see him reap the benefits of it. (Last Ranking: #8)
9. Tormund Giantsbane — I mean, did anyone have a more enjoyable ending than Tormund? Jaime Lannister died. He didn’t have to deal with any shit in the capital. And then his best friend came back to him. Tormund never played the game of thrones. But whatever game he did play, he definitely won it. With those blue eyes. (Last Ranking: #9)
10. Bronn — Bronn, the sellsword, who ended up being a casualty of a truncated final season ended up becoming the man in charge of the realm’s coin. That’s a pretty major glow-up if you ask me. And all of his debts are satisfied. Bronn should be proud. I just wish we saw more of him in the final season. (Last Ranking: #12)
11. Gendry — Well, all that Gendry speculation ended up being a whole bunch of nothing, but it does not take away from the fact that he was a bastard who got legitimized and actually gets to have a voice on the last major stage of Westeros. Good for him! (Last Ranking: #5)
12. Podrick Payne — Podrick has about one thing to do in this episode, but who cares? Ser Podrick! (Last Ranking: #14)
13. Ghost — Is everyone happy now? Can everyone chill out about Jon and Ghost now? He made it to the end with Jon and now he gets to roam in the north. That should be more than enough to soothe everyone’s temper tantrum from a couple weeks ago. Good on ya, Ghost! I love you, too, I just didn’t think it was wise to have a meltdown about you. Also, should I have been including the dragons in these power rankings all this time? Surely, Drogon would be a major player. Ah, well. (Last Ranking: #16)
14. Grey Worm — Okay, yeah, sure, Grey Worm gets to go to Naath after being commander of the world’s biggest armies for a hot ten minutes. It worked out as well as it possibly could have for him without Missandei. I never thought he’d survive all this time, surely. But it’s definitely a tough look for him to get so completely ignored and shit on by everyone else in Westeros. I mean, at least try to hold your ground Grey Worm. Like, damn. (Last Ranking: #13)
15. Gilly — Poor Gilly. Didn’t even get to be in the final episode! We’ll never forget everything you did for us Gilly. (Last Ranking: #15)

Now Their Watch Has Ended:

• Daenerys Targaryen — She started the season on top. She went into the finale on top. And she ends here. Dead. A cyclical fate befell her, as it did her father. She played the game of thrones. She won the game of thrones. And she never sat on the throne. Behold the tragedy of Daenerys Targaryen. To try so hard. To feel it be so fruitless. I’m sorry, Dany. But you should have listened to the bells. (Last Ranking: #1)

I’ll have even more thoughts soon enough, but for now, thank you Game of Thrones and all who helped make it. It was awesome and so, so much fun! A story I’m sure most people are proud to have in their lives. And it will be with us always. The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives, after all, and that’s what we have to say for the story in the north! Even if we never wanted to leave.