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As you can gather from the detailed title, this article contains major spoilers. Just so you know.

Let me confess, I didn’t start watching Game of Thrones purely out of free will. The constant barrage of memes and references, as well as the fact that it’s a cultural phenomenon like never seen before did pique my interest, but I was not sure if my almost exclusively-sitcom-watching heart could take the ruthless backstabbing and convoluted storyline. But my friends kept egging me on. And when I finally did give in, it was glorious.

I mean, eventually. It did take some time for me to get used to the weird names, weirder ways to die and the weirdest of situations to put coitus in. Spread over seven seasons, 67 hours, it really is the epic everyone claims it to be, and it’s not just because of the free porn.

Consider this: there are 741 credited cast members in IMDb. Do you even know 741 people? That’s how big this is.

And what with its grand production value (Wars have never looked this daunting and wonderful ever before), beautiful cinematography and amazing locations, it’s easy to forget one or two character arcs. So here’s a brief run-down on every major character who set the Game of Thrones sets on fire!

Cersei Lannister

Ahh Cersei, the blond-haired, twin-boinking queen we almost instinctively knew was going to be the one evil to rule them all. Cersei is ruthless, calculating and just the absolute worst. She is fuelled by two things- her love for her children (whose father is her twin brother), and her love for the family name. Through seven seasons, Cersei has:

Killed her husband (who was also the king).

Tried to have her younger brother killed.

Emotionally tortured a teenager who lacked better judgement.

Tried to have her younger brother killed.

Helped a violent cult grow.

Tried to have her younger brother killed

Tried to raise a zombie

Planned to kill a hundred people so she wouldn’t have to stand in court.

Also, tried to have her younger brother killed.

If you are reading this list and thinking, oh my god, Cersei is so evil; yes, that’s true, but also how dare you? Because here are all the terrible things she had to go through:

Get constantly undermined by her father because she was a girl.

Be in a marriage with a guy many years older than her who didn’t even respect her.

Be constantly ridiculed for loving the person she loves.

Have children with her love while never being able to tell her children.

See her son die in her arms

Have her hero, her father, murdered by her brother.

Be forced to walk naked through the city.

Lose all three of her children (basically the only people she truly loved)

Now at the end of S7, she is pregnant with her twin brother’s child, has made a false promise to her other brother, and is abandoned by Jaime who’d rather keep his word (leaving her well and truly alone), with now just the Hand of The Queen, Qyburn and the zombie soldier to keep her company.

Jaime Lannister

When the show started I thought, well, lookie here! We have an eye-candy over whom all girls will swoon and/or hate (and more often than not, do both simultaneously). His claim to fame (not within the universe, but otherwise) was when we found out that he was bow-chicka-wow-wow-ing his twin sister (who is also, btw, the Queen) and the only GoT-esque thing he did was push a 10-year-old off a tower. But that was early S1 Jaime. In the seasons that followed, Jaime Lannister lost his right hand, three of his children (one immediately after acknowledging his fatherhood, in his arms), his father, his brother (well, not wholly and now they are back), leaving him one of the most broken, confused person in GoT. At the end of S7, he left his long-time boinking partner and his love (now carrying his child) to honour his word and help fight the Night King.

Tyrion Lannister

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Let me start, right off the bat, by saying, Tyrion is forking awesome. I mean, dude has the second longest screen-time on GoT, and has an ensemble of awesome scenes under his belt, but has never even lifted a finger except

when he was commanding an army at the Battle of Blackwater (because the king was such a weasel).

when he killed his lover (for betraying him and sleeping with his father) .

when he killed his father when he was on the potty (for being a total, all-around prick and sentencing him to die).

But in the GoT-verse, that’s a very small body count. Tyrion, from the beginning, has been the guy I was rooting for. Every other alliance (and character) was blowing up and all I wanted was for him to survive. And survive he did. He not only survived multiple attempts on his life but also eternal damnation in Westeros and found haven and respect as the Hand of the (not-yet) Queen, Daenerys. Last we see him in S7, making closed-door deals with his sister and trying to save the living itself.

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Sansa and Arya Stark

In S7, Arya says, ‘the world never lets girls be who they want to be’, and there is nothing truer. They were poles apart, both starkly different, and yet, the world was never kind to both these girls. Sansa had always loved that she was a girl, she loved everything that came with it. Arya, on the other hand, never liked what was coming for her because she was a girl. But when calamity struck, it struck both of them equally. Sansa suffered because she was a girl who trusted the world. From being emotionally and mentally abused by the Lannisters, to being cheated by Littlefinger, to being sold off, and being sexually, emotionally and mentally tortured by Ramsay Bolton, she has faced it all. And all the while, Arya suffered as a man would. She was kidnapped multiple times and forced to travel with the enemy. She quickly lost her childhood and became a fighter. She was helpless in her surroundings, but still took control whenever she could (usually employing murder). By S7, these sisters who couldn’t ever see eye to eye, got together, ruling the Winterfell, protecting their family, because when winter comes, the lone wolf dies and the pack survives.

Brandon Stark.

Fun fact : I keep forgetting that he exists. Because let’s see what he has gone through, right? Fell from a tower, went to the north of the Wall, became a stone cold twit who can see the past and the present. Basically, the most convenient way to drop em truth bombs. In S7, he saw visions, changing the course of the story. And he’s patiently waiting to drop em like Jaime did on a younger him.

Jon Snow

He has had the longest screen-time on GoT and also the most famous meme to his name. Throughout the series, he has done some pretty awesome things. They basically boil down to :

Season 1: Has pretty hair and wears blacks and scowls a lot.

Season 2: Has pretty hair and wears blacks and scowls a lot and is a virgin.

Season 3: Has pretty hair and wears blacks and scowls a lot, knows nothing, but is no more a virgin.

Season 4: Has pretty hair and wears blacks and scowls a lot, knows nothing, except warfare.

Season 5: Has pretty hair and wears blacks and scowls a lot, knows nothing, dies.

Season 6: Gets resurrected, still has pretty hair and wears blacks and scowls a lot, knows nothing but warfare, becomes King in the North.

Season 7: Has pretty hair and wears blacks and scowls a lot, knows nothing, fools around with his aunt.

Daenerys Targaryen

Daenerys was sold off to Khal Drogo (who, let’s be real, raped her constantly and never had to confront the consequences, but instead is hailed as some great hero she falls in love with), and does a hell lot of nice things. “Whaaat?”, you may ask. Well, it’s all in the name.

Season 1: Daenerys Stormborn, of House Targaryen.

Season 2: Daenerys Stormborn, of House Targaryen, The Unburnt, The Mother of Dragons.

Season 3: Daenerys Stormborn, of House Targaryen, The Unburnt, The Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains.

Season 4: Daenerys Stormborn, of House Targaryen, The Unburnt, The Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains, Queen of Meereen

Season 5: Daenerys Stormborn, of House Targaryen, The Unburnt, The Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains, Queen Of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea.

Season 6: Daenerys Stormborn, of House Targaryen, The Unburnt, The Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains, Queen Of Meereen, Rightful Heir to the Iron Throne.

Season 7: Daenerys Stormborn, of House Targaryen, Rightful heir to the Iron Throne, Rightful Queen of the Aandals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains.

The White Walkers.

The white walkers, aka the Dead, related with just cold breeze and a good spooky story in the beginning. But as the seasons progressed, the Dead now consist of about a 100 thousand soldiers and a dragon. All in all, a very imposing enemy, not to mention the fact that they can be killed only by fire or dragonglass. In S7, they have gathered all their forces and have broken the Wall that protected the living for centuries (using a dragon. Did I mention they now have a dragon?). NBD. Just that there is no more Eastwatch and the Dead are marching towards the North (of the South of the Wall). There is absolutely nothing to worry about. Especially not about the Starks, who have not yet had a good reunion.

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And that’s about most main characters in the story. A special shout out to all those amazing characters that weren’t included and are alive: Brianne of Tarth (aka awesomest female on TV), Tormund (the ginger with the best lines), Bronn (Captain No forks Given), Ser Davos (smuggler/ Stannis’ chief advisor/ Jon’s trusted aide (what a journey, eh?)), Varys (I don’t trust him, but I would still trust him, you know?), Theon Greyjoy, and an even bigger shoutout to all of those awesome dead characters: a list which is way too long to not be heart-breaking.

So, there. A list and history of most characters who are, as of before the premiere, alive. And there is no promise that it would stay that way. So go rewatch all your favourite moments (might I suggest, all the wars?) and take in your favourite characters to your heart’s fill, because this is Game of Thrones and all of your favourite characters will die before you can blink (yes, I’m talking about The Red Wedding). And on that happy note, happy viewing.