Every week before the series finale of Game of Thrones on May 19, For The Win is power-ranking contenders for the show’s coveted Iron Throne. The rankings below are determined by a byzantine mathematical formula weighing my gut instinct against some stuff from some YouTube fan videos I’ve been watching.
This post contains spoilers. I need to say this or people get mad. If you have not watched the entire run of Game of Thrones through Season 8, Episode 2 and don’t want to find out anything that happens, don’t read this post.
SPOILER ALERT! THIS POST HAS SPOILERS! HOW DID YOU NOT GUESS THAT FROM THE HEADLINE?
The preseason rankings are here. The rankings following Episode 1 are here. The picture I use of Bruce Bochy on the Iron Throne to give spoiler-fearers an opportunity to click away is here:
1. Daenerys Targaryen
Daenerys moves into the top spot this week despite little in the way of deaths and action in Episode 2. My thinking is that Jon Snow really doesn’t seem like he wants the Iron Throne, so even if he has a claim to it, Daenerys is the favorite if the good team wins.
2. Sansa Stark
It obviously seems important that Sansa and Daenerys were interrupted before they could settle on what happens to the North and Winterfell if and when the Mother of Dragons defeats all of the Night King and Cersei and the Golden Company. Sansa’s the only Stark with clear designs on ruling, and like I mentioned here last week, she’s developing a bit of a Cersei vibe. I don’t think that means she gets with Bran, though.
3. Jon Snow
No one’s calling him Aegon Targaryen. Jon Snow has the best claim by lineage, but I just don’t think he’s about that King’s Landing life. This guy is a man of the North, through and through. Maybe his affection for Daenerys is enough to get him to follow her south, but now Jon knows his girlfriend is his aunt, which might further deter a guy who wasn’t raised among any of Westeros’ many incestuous families.
4. Gendry
Gendry probably seems like a reach here since he’s a relatively minor character, but getting busy with Arya definitely moves him up the list. He’s valuable as both a smith and a fighter, he has Baratheon bloodlines, and now he’s romantically involved with one of the show’s most important people. I still think we’re going to learn a lot more about Gendry’s backstory before the series concludes. Or maybe he dies in the next episode and we don’t. It’s been so long since they’ve killed someone off that you just know some big ones are going down on Sunday.
5. Cersei Lannister
Still the incumbent, and now with the Golden Company behind her even if her beloved brother and also her very much not-beloved brother are not. Maybe the Night King flies his dragon south before heading to Winterfell and ice-scorches King’s Landing entirely, but maybe Cersei somehow wriggles her way out of that one and winds up the last person standing when the series concludes.
6. Arya Stark
Rooting for this but don’t really think it’s going to happen. She is the best Stark — especially now that we know Jon’s not a Stark at all — but she seems too awesome to want to be in charge. She should just spend her days switching faces and enacting vengeance.
7. Brienne of Tarth
This week’s biggest gainer on account of the fact that she’s a full-blown knight now. Jaime’s Episode 2 gesture seemed largely symbolic — “hey, this woman is the most honorable person anyone has ever met and she can take practically anyone in a swordfight, let’s give her this title before this huge battle where we all probably die.” But it also seems like the type of thing that could prove meaningful if everyone else gets killed and Sam Tarly is left to try to sort out succession. Brienne has already shattered the dragonglass ceiling, and she’s so darn noble that she might reluctantly accept the Throne if it’s what honor calls for.
8. No one
Bumping “no one” up a slot again. Feels like there’s a real good chance it’s no one. Maybe that’d seem like a copout, but maybe the show’s grand conclusion is that the Iron Throne was a stupid idea to begin with. It’s not even a particularly nice chair.
9. The Night King
The Night King takes a dive on these rankings thanks to the revelation that he was to erase the memory of human life. If he has no respect whatsoever for the history of the Westerosi living, why the heck would he care about the Iron Throne? But he does have that dragon and that whole huge army.
10. Jaime Lannister
Now a full-blown good guy, the Kingslayer could still wind up the king. Wouldn’t that be Iron-ic? Get it? LOL.
11. Tyrion Lannister
If I had to guess the character most likely to survive the series, it’d be Tyrion. By Game of Thrones logic, that means Tyrion will probably die this week. Also, for a guy whose claim to fame includes knowing things, it’s pretty disappointing that neither he nor anyone else realizes that the crypt is really, really, really bad place to try to keep people safe during a fight against a dude who raises the dead.
12. Bran Stark
This kid is bait now. I know what the Vegas odds say, I just don’t agree with them. How’s Bran going to find time to sit in the Iron Throne when he’s so busy being weird and telling people about how he’s now the Three-Eyed Raven? He sees everything. I don’t see this.
13. Euron Greyjoy
It’d be so funny and kind of perfect if a relative rando like Euron Greyjoy wins in the end. This is a rare and horrifying thing to admit, but I agree with For The Win editor Nate Scott on this one: Euron Greyjoy is the perfect man for this world.
14. Samwell Tarly
Ranking member of his house? Check. Reason to want to stay alive? Of course: Gilly and young Sam. Probable stand-in for George R.R. Martin as the writer who pens this story? Sure. But Samwell Tarly winning the Iron Throne in the end would be a massive upset, obviously.
15. Jorah Mormont
The warden of the friend zone seems more likely to die in Episode 3 than he does to take the Iron Throne. He’s on here because he’s high-born and he just got some fresh Valyrian steel. Also: For all we’ve heard about Valyrian steel on this series, I feel like we don’t really know a lot about what it can do. What’s so great about Valyrian steel? Seems like dragonglass is at least as useful, and available in far greater supply.
16. Littlefinger
Every episode that goes by without Littlefinger showing up makes me more convinced he’s really dead. But there’s a whole internet thing about his Braavosi background and how maybe he hired someone to wear his face and die in his stead. I’m going to be so mad if that happens.
17. Podrick
Podrick jumps onto the list because he’s around. Someone needed to replace Jon and Daenerys’ baby on here. Why not the one true night king?
18. Theon Greyjoy
Theon’s sort of the opposite of Tyrion. It has always felt like he’s going to die in the next episode, and somehow he’s still alive with only a handful left to go. He’s a divisive character, at least based on a survey of For The Win staffers in our special Game of Thrones chatroom. I happen to like him. I feel like we all fantasize that we’re badass Aryas or noble Jon Snows, but we’re all really Theon Greyjoys, just doing our best to navigate a complicated world built to destroy us, and ultimately failing.
19. Bronn
Did we even see Bronn in Episode 2? This show needs far more Bronn.
20. Tormund Giantsbane
I don’t think Tormund’s whole giants’ milk story is going to convince Brienne to fall in love with him; the subtleties of his game are clearly lost on Southerners. He moves way down the list this week because of a potential spoiler Bob Costas dropped during a baseball broadcast on Tuesday. I still don’t know if Costas was just guessing based on circumstances or revealing actual, verified information he got via Bob Costas circles.
21. Hot Pie
Hot Pie stays on here list until we determine his whereabouts. What’s Hot Pie up to right now? Probably making hot pies, but I’d like to know that for sure. Maybe Hot Pie is the Night King.
