6 'GoT' Characters Who Should Die Over Tyrion

Game of Thrones non-book readers, give yourself a pat on the back: you managed to get through this past week without knowing whether Tyrion will live or die, and that's a massive accomplishment. Last Sunday's episode saw the beloved character sentenced to death by his own father, and no amount of self-reassurances (Tyrion's a fan favorite/Peter Dinklage won an Emmy/George R.R. Martin can't possibly be that mean, right?) has stopped us from worrying about his fate. This Sunday's episode, season four's penultimate, will likely give us an answer — but if it's anything other than "Tyrion doesn't die," you can bet the Thrones' producers will have a whole lot of angry fans on their hands.

Out of all of Thrones' large cast of characters, Tyrion ranks number one on the list of people viewers' want to see very much alive. Sure, he's not perfect — he may not have murdered Joffrey, but he enjoys his drink and warfare just as much as the next Lannister — but he's witty, bold, and always entertaining. Thanks in large part to Dinklage's performance, Tyrion is perhaps the most beloved character on the show, and in an ensemble that includes both Arya and Ser Pounce, that's saying a lot. It'd be heartbreaking if he died.

And if Tyrion does indeed die, what'll hurt the most is knowing how many other characters on the show should've been killed in his place. Seriously, probably half the people seen in a given episode could use a trip out of Lysa's Moon Door, yet knowing George R.R. Martin's twisted mind, most of them will likely survive while all our favorite characters get killed. Six Thrones characters who deserve to die more than Tyrion:

1. The Mountain

Before last week's episode, The Mountain's rep certainly wasn't good, but most viewers had no real desire to get him off the show; sure, he burned siblings and raped women for pleasure, but hey, he made for good entertainment. Now, though, all I want is for the guy who ruined Prince Oberyn's pretty face to pay for his crimes. Considering his size, though, that's probably easier said than done.

2. Walder Frey

Potter fans knew he was bad the moment we saw that he was played by Argus Filch, but nothing prepared us for how much we'd hate him once he commanded Robb and Catelyn dead in the Red Wedding. Good riddance.

3. Tywin Lannister

Yes, I realize that Tywin is a hugely important character and killing him would cause a whole bunch of problems that I probably don't want to see. That doesn't mean I still don't want him dead, though — after all, this is the guy who forced his own son to watch his wife have sex with a half-dozen men right in front of him, just to teach him a lesson.

4. Cersei Lannister

It'd be a shame to see the wonderful Lena Headley leave the show, but man, does her character deserve it. Cersei is one of the most cruel, manipulative people on Thrones, and although she occasionally warrants our sympathy, mostly, she makes us fear for the lives of anyone who steps within 10 feet of her.

5. Ramsay Bolton

This spot almost went to Theon, who used to be one of Thrones' most horrific characters. Now, though, killing Theon would be worthless, as Theon isn't Theon anymore — he's Reek, a terrified slave, all thanks to the insane, terrifying actions of Ramsay Bolton. Please, Thrones writers, do your viewers a favor and kill the former Bolton bastard off soon.

6. Melisandre

Melisandre doesn't really deserve to die — she's just boring. In a show based around action and thickening plots, Melisandre just stands around, casting spells or birthing shadows. Yes, it's all leading to something, but does it have to feel so drawn out? I know I can't be the only one who would prefer a Thrones without Melisandre, or Stannis, or anyone having to do with the "Lord of Light." Thrones character rule of thumb: if you're going to take screentime away from Tyrion, Arya, or Dany, you shouldn't make us want to change the channel.

Images: HBO