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Your favorite 'Game of Thrones' characters could die soon

Sorry, but George R.R. Martin reveals that you really shouldn't take the safety of any of your favorite characters for granted.

Anthony Domanico
CNET freelancer Anthony Domanico is passionate about all kinds of gadgets and apps. When not making words for the Internet, he can be found watching Star Wars or "Doctor Who" for like the zillionth time. His other car is a Tardis.
Anthony Domanico
2 min read

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George R.R. Martin could soon be killing off your favorite "Game of Thrones" characters. James Martin/CNET

When you play the "Game of Thrones," you win or you die.

Those words spoken by Cersei Lannister have stuck with many viewers throughout the series as seemingly important characters have met their untimely, unexpected demise. But there are some characters that were off-limits to writer George R.R. Martin in the first five books of the series, as those characters were essential to the development of the final plot.

"I have a large number of important characters who I switch between to tell the entirety of the story, and that limits who I can kill," Martin said at an event in London on Tuesday.

Characters like Arya Stark, Daenerys Targaryen, Bran Stark, and Jon Snow likely all play an essential role in the events leading up to the series finale, and have been kept safe despite some seriously trying events. Killing off one of these characters would kill off everything going on in their subplots, which would be detrimental to the overall story.

But, as these characters and their subplots are all starting to meet up, all bets will soon be off. "The viewpoint characters are meeting up with each other and being in the same point at the same time," said Martin, "which gives me a lot more flexibility for killing people." But which of your favorite characters are marching to their certain death and which will ultimately win the "Game of Thrones?"

Only Martin and a few folks at HBO know for sure. The rest of us will have to wait for Martin to finish the final two books in the heptalogy.

(Via Buzzfeed)