Game of Thrones is slowly marching toward its finale, and with each episode's passing, the risk of notable characters losing their lives increases exponentially. In the story, characters are aware of this as well, as many are now aware that if they survive the Night King and his army, they'll have to turn around and battle Cersei and the Golden Company.
Despite that, actors Richard Dormer and Kristofer Hivju have stated their characters aren't afraid to die. As for why, Dormer kicked things off and said that for Beric Dondarrion, there is an upside to his possible perma-death in the world of Westeros.
He’s ready. If it happens to him and he goes and finally meets the Red God, he’ll have a smile on his face, because he’ll know that he’s fulfilled his purpose.
Death is nothing new for Beric Dondarrion, but staying dead would be another thing entirely. The upside is that he's been a faithful servant to the Lord of Light, so it's possible he's got some big reward coming his way after he's fulfilled his duty. What Beric's purpose is in this whole thing is anyone's guess, but one could imagine his death may be after he does something big.
Then there's Tormund Giantsbane, whose life is seemingly less than fated for greatness in comparison. There's a good chance Tormund lays down his life in the coming episodes, and the only things people will remember are his love for Brienne (aka The Big Woman) and that he was breastfed by a giant for an uncomfortable amount of time.
That's probably not a big deal to Tormund, though, as Kristofer Hivju told TVLine he's got his mind set on the battle. Dying is a risk of battle, but that doesn't mean he's all of a sudden going to stop because his life is at risk. For Tormund, fighting is a big part of who he is, so he's going to fight until the bitter end.
Tormund has been focused on the dead since he was a child and old enough to hear the stories. He’s grown up as a warrior… His life is fighting, and I think that gives him a kick, and he loves fighting because it’s part of his DNA.
Tormund just likes to fight, which is made all the more evident when Kristofer Hivju added that his character isn't concerned with who ends up on the Iron Throne. Hivju said Tormund and Beric more or less want "good to prevail," which would probably mean anyone who isn't The Night King or Cersei is good with them. That makes sense for Tormund, given his Free Folk lineage: Why start giving a damn about the monarchy now?
Expect death to overwhelm Game of Thrones in the coming weeks as new episodes air on HBO Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET.
