Why Ned Stark's Death Meant Game Of Thrones Had To Kill Robb Too, According To George R.R. Martin

The execution of Ned Stark (Sean Bean) in Season 1 of "Game of Thrones" shocked show-only viewers, but they could at least console themselves with the idea that Ned's son, Robb (Richard Madden), might avenge him. Instead, Robb himself dies two seasons later, while Ned's wife, Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley), is killed in the same sequence. "The Rains of Castamere" always ranks high on the list of best "Game of Thrones" episodes thanks to how devastated fans were by its final scene. 

"I like my fiction to be unpredictable," said George R. R. Martin, author of the show's source material, to Entertainment Weekly. "I killed Ned because everybody thinks, 'He's the hero and, sure, he's going to get into trouble, but then he'll somehow get out of it.' The next predictable thing is to think his eldest son is going to rise up and avenge his father. Everybody is going to expect that. So immediately killing Robb became the next thing I had to do." This level of realism and giving actions serious consequences is a big reason "Game of Thrones" produced three of the best TV episodes ever on IMDb.

While the Red Wedding was acclaimed for its boldness, the massacre has also been criticized for being too depressing, to the point where some fans gave up on the series afterward. "People read books for different reasons. I respect that," Martin said. "But that's not the kind of fiction I write, in most cases. It's certainly not what 'A Song of Ice and Fire' is. It tries to be more realistic about what life is."

George R. R. Martin has sometimes been criticized for prioritizing shock value too much in his writing, but his other interviews about "Game of Thrones" over the years make it clear there was more to Ned and Robb's deaths than simple unpredictability. "Real-life kings had real-life problems to deal with," he told Rolling Stone in 2014. "You had to make hard, hard decisions. Sometimes what seemed to be a good decision turned around and bit you in the a**; It was the law of unintended consequences."

All of Martin's books about Westeros have focused heavily on the ripple effects of the major characters' actions. Ned's death is the culmination of a series of questionable decisions he makes throughout the first book, just as Robb's death only happens because he and Catelyn make a series of mistakes over hundreds of pages. The books and show may present Robb as far more noble a leader than Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), but that doesn't stop Tywin from getting the best of him. 

Even in the recent season of "House of the Dragon," the new reign of Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) is off to a bumpy start, despite her sincere attempts to be a noble ruler. "My people who are trying to rule don't have an easy time of it," Martin said. "Just having good intentions doesn't make you a wise king."