As Season 7 of Game of Thrones has shown, no one is ever safe from getting killed off. That said, we have a list of folks that have some good odds of surviving right past the series finale, although nothing is ever certain. Check out our picks for the 10 Game of Thrones characters most likely to survive the show, and see if your favorites made the list.
Gilly
Of all the people on this list, Gilly seems the most likely to survive the final stretch of Game of Thrones. Simply put, she's just important enough for the story to reference her and the audience to care about her, but not so important that the showrunners would go out of their way to tie up any loose ends with her character with so much to cover already. Gilly's greatest strength towards survival is her insignificance to the central plot, although she did give fans that nice little tidbit potentially regarding Jon Snow, so it's not as though she's completely meaningless.
Then again, Gilly is traveling with Sam away from the Citadel, and there's a good chance wherever they're headed with all those stolen books will get dicey. If they do, hopefully, those books contain some secrets that make short work of White Walkers or whatever comes their way, because nobody in that wagon is well equipped for fighting.
Arya Stark
It's really tough to argue which of the surviving Stark siblings has had the rougher go of it, but there's no questioning that Arya has fought more than most to still be alive today. Her skills learned from the Faceless Men have served her well in exacting revenge against everyone who wronged her, and they'll continue to serve her well as she'll undoubtedly come into contact with enemies both living and undead. Put simply, Arya is too much of a bad ass to just drop dead this late in Game of Thrones, and if she does die, it'll have to happen in some spectacular fashion.
That's all provided Arya isn't already dead, though, as there have been theories that the real Arya is dead and who fans see right now is actually The Waif. This theory seems unlikely, considering Arya still seems motivated by her list, and The Waif doesn't have any clear reasons for those killings unless she has some ulterior motive. Other than that, Arya seems to be a solid lock for survival.
Gendry
Gendry may seem like an odd choice considering he just showed the world how reckless he is traveling beyond the Wall with little battle experience to speak of, but he did manage to survive! Granted, he had to break free before things really got heavy, but anyone who can run that fast and that far has enough endurance to outlast just about any danger headed their way. Plus, there's something interesting the showrunners have peppered in the show that may indicate Gendry has a much larger role to play in the end game than Game of Thrones fans initially gave him credit for.
That said, Gendry is technically a Baratheon and leaving him alive only complicates the whole true heir of the Iron Throne situation. It would definitely irk Cersei to know he's still living, but Jon is cool with him and Dany will likely leave him be considering he's not all that interested in the throne.
Samwell Tarly
Samwell Tarly is one of Game of Thrones most underrated survivors. He's not a skilled fighter, incredibly brave, or in that great of shape. Despite that, Sam has managed to survive some of the most brutal moments the show has to offer with nary a scratch on him! Weirdly enough, White Walkers seem to typically ignore Sam whenever he comes in contact with them, which is definitely a great ability to have, given the current state of things. Sam is also smart, and while the Citadel didn't seem to appreciate that as much as they should've, the show tends to favor clever characters more than those who are simply strong.
At the same time, Sam is a little too selfless for Game of Thrones and would unquestionably sacrifice his life to save Gilly or younger Sam if need be. There's also no telling what will happen if the maesters of the Citadel find out he stole all those books, and knowing Westeros, the punishment for a crime like that is likely more severe than revoking one's library card.
Bran Stark
Bran Stark may have gotten a bit strange as Game of Thrones has continued, but like Sam, he's another poster boy for survival. Granted it's taken a lot to keep him alive to this point, but now he's the Three Eyed Raven, which will undoubtedly only help keep him alive going forward. Surely even the Night King will have trouble trying to kill Bran when the young Stark can literally see everything unfolding as it happens. If he knows someone is plotting against him well before it happens, Bran can definitely act quickly enough to ensure his safety and make sure he's in things for the long haul.
Let's be honest though, Bran has gotten weird. So weird, in fact, that it sounds entirely plausible that he would allow himself to be killed if only because it made sense in his head. One can argue that doesn't make sense, but does anything really make sense anymore when it comes to Bran Stark? For that reason, Bran's greatest enemy for survival may very well be himself.
Podrick Payne (Pod)
Of all the lesser characters in Game of Thrones, no one deserves to live more than Pod. Since Season 2 he's managed to save Tyrion's life, pleasured three professional prostitutes to the point where they rejected his payment, and been Brienne's right-hand man in many of her exploits. In short, Pod is a legend, and there's enough to his character to indicate the Game of Thrones writers like him enough to keep him around and give him an ending even happier than what went down in that brothel. It also helps that he has Brienne watching his back, as there are few people that can best her in battle in Westeros.
Of course, there's no better way to elicit an emotional response from the audience than by killing off a fan favorite like Pod, and he could very well be the sacrificial lamb in some event that puts Brienne in peril. Hopefully, that's not the case, as we have a pretty awesome pitch for a Pod spin-off.
Tyrion Lannister
Considering his sister is still alive, it will never feel like an entirely safe move marking Tyrion Lannister safe from death, but we have reason to suspect he'll see the whole thing through. After all, his character does have the most screen time on Game of Thrones and there are whispers that there may be more to Tyrion than we all know. In addition to that, Tyrion is also another one of those clever people whom the show seems to favor more often than not, so even if he does find himself in a precarious position again, chances are he can talk his way out of it.
As previously mentioned, though, Tyrion will never be safe as long as Cersei Lannister is breathing, so let's hope the meetings between those two only become even less frequent as time goes on.
Missandei
Missandei is another one of those Game of Thrones characters where, once again, she's relevant enough to remain in the story, but not so relevant there is any need to kill her off in a grandiose way. She does have that ongoing thing with Grey Worm, and that whole situation does appear geared for one of the show's patented unhappy endings, but he's the one on the battlefield, making him the likely target for some unfortunate end to their romance. Finally, the last time we saw Missandei was on Dragonstone, and for the time being, that appears to be the safest place someone can hang out in Westeros.
Of course, Dragonstone is only safe until it isn't, and being at Daenerys' side 95% of the time is only going to continue making Missandei a target. She's already managed to escape death a few times while at the Khaleesi's side, though, so who's to say she doesn't have a couple more lucky breaks in store for her before this conflict ends?
Bronn
Bronn might survive Game of Thrones simply on sheer force of will alone. While he's been in his fair share of dangerous situations, the skilled fighter always manages to find a way out by whatever means necessary. Of course, with a castle and wealth both being promised to him, he has ample reason to go above and beyond in ensuring he makes it out of all this. It also helps to have friends in high places, and, with Tyrion and Jaime both in his corner, Bronn is just a Night King alliance away from ensuring he has all his bases covered by the time this whole thing comes to an end.
Bronn is also a fighter, though, and considering he's always throwing himself in harms way his odds of getting killed are always quite high. If Bronn is going to die, it'll likely be in a moment that few see coming, which might be for the best, considering a bulk of fans are quite fond of him.
Jon Snow
Out of the three biggest players in Game of Thrones, Jon Snow seems like the surest bet to survive. Of course, that's not saying much given the current state of things, but he's gotten lucky enough that there's a reason he's sticking around. The mere fact alone that this whole mystery regarding his birthright has not been revealed to the characters in the show seems to at least guarantee he'll stick around until the very last episodes, if not end up ruling Westeros in some capacity when the whole thing ends. Plus, he's already died once, so that has to count for something, right?
Probably not, and to be fair there are a handful of people who believe Jon will eventually sacrifice himself in some crazy way to save everyone. Unfortunately, that outcome sounds just as likely as Jon Snow managing to save the world and live to bask in the glory of it all, but at least both sides seem confident he won't be dying anytime soon.
Game of Thrones fans are encouraged to dispute or post their own picks in the comments below as we all wait for Season 8. Those looking for something else can search out the upcoming lineup of shows scheduled in our fall premiere guide.
