The world of Game of Thrones is filled with heroes, villains and a lot of people who operate in the grey area in between. The show has become notorious for how often it seems to point out that being a hero can get you killed. But that doesn't stop some of our favorite characters from putting their lives on the line, finding the necessary courage and making those big hero moves.
As the show nears its end, and the stage is set for a lot of murder and mayhem, it seems like a good time to look back on some of the most heroic moments from the show's major characters.
Few people, if any, would describe Cersei Lannister as a hero. But as Tyrion points out, her one saving grace is that she loves her children. It is that love that causes her to do one of the only selfless things actions she's done during her Walk of Shame.
While it was her way of escaping imprisonment, Cersei ultimately did this to ensure her son was safe from the High Sparrow's influence. She knew he could manipulate Tommen, so Cersei agreed to be stripped naked and marched through town, losing all her power in the process – all done for her last remaining son.
Early on in the show, it seems that Jaime Lannister is an absolutely evil man. He sleeps with his sister, murders his cousin and throws a young boy from a tower. It’s amazing how much the show was made us see him as a good guy after all that.
His path of redemption really comes through after meeting Brienne. It’s this relationship that inspires the best in him, such as his decision to return to Harrenhal to rescue her from the Bolton men. Jumping into the bear pit, unarmed, Jaime showed he has some good still in him.
Sansa Stark started the show as a timid and frustratingly naïve girl, but grew stronger over the years. So while she wanted nothing more than to leave Winterfell and marry Joffrey at the beginning of the show, it feels appropriate that she is the one responsible for winning their home back.
Sansa showed an immense amount of courage willing to come face-to-face with Ramsay Bolton after all she had been through. Besides that, she showed herself to be a solid leader, putting aside differences to make alliances and bring in the Vale army to win the battle and retake Winterfell.
From almost the very beginning of the show, Daenerys has had one goal; to retake the Iron Throne. She has worked incredibly hard towards that goal and little could dissuade her from it. However, after meeting Jon Snow and hearing about the White Walkers, Daenerys puts her life and mission on the line to stop them.
When Jon and his comrades are stuck Beyond the Wall, Daenerys flies her dragons to save them, losing one in the process. While having three dragons probably gives you a lot of confidence, there’s no denying how much Daenerys was sacrificing to save the day.
Theon Greyjoy has made a lot of mistakes over the course of the show and come to regret most all of them. He has been slowly trying to redeem himself for a while now and finally achieved that dying to protect Bran Stark from the Night King.
It's somewhat poetic that Theon would ultimately find his courage and redemption fighting for the only real home he’s known. And while his final charge didn’t even make the Night King break a sweat, it may have stalled him just enough.
Tyrion Lannister is an incredibly wise man, even a smart military man, but he is not a fighter. In his first battle, he is forced by his father into leading the Mountain Tribes. But when Stannis' forces are at the gates of King's Landing, he ignores his lack of fighting experience and leads the charge.
Even after Joffrey tucks his tail and runs, Tyrion stays and manages to push his army forward. It is a moment when Tyrion realizes he’s braver than he thinks and he is a big reason the battle was won.
After hundreds of years of battling the wildlings, Jon Snow is the first man to Lord Commander of the Night's Watch to realize that they are not the true enemy. His time spent with the wildlings likely helped convince him, which led him to risk everything to take them past the Wall.
Jon leads a team of men to Hardhome where the remaining wildlings are hiding. Knowing that his fellow Night's Watch brothers don't support the decision, Jon still goes and fights White Walkers to save these innocent people.
Few characters are as loyal as Jorah Mormont. Despite spying on her in the beginning, Jorah has since done everything he can to serve Daenerys and see her succeed in taking the Iron Throne. In the end, he is more than willing to give his life for her as well.
As Daenerys finds herself alone on the field of battle at Winterfell, Jorah shows up and fights back the dead soldiers, taking several blows in the process. He manages to hold them off long enough to save Daenerys but not himself.
One of the few blemishes on the otherwise spotless reputation of Ned Stark was the fact that he had a bastard son. It seemed SO out of character for the man of honor that fans determined there was more to the story.
Sure enough, Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. Ned promised to keep the boy safe, raising him as his own. This is truly the most selfless act anyone has done on the show. Ned knew this would make people question his honor, something he holds dear. He knew Catelyn would be furious. But he knew it was his duty to make those sacrifices.
Season after season we have watched Arya Stark train to become a killer. Sometimes it was rather tedious to watch, but it turns out it was all worth it in the end. Arya would eventually put all that training to use to save the world by killing the Night King.
Some people have complained about a young girl killing this immensely powerful being. Those people clearly haven't been watching closely, because Arya is really the only one shown to be capable of such a thing. While we don’t know yet how it will all end, you'd be hard-pressed to find a bigger hero in the show.
