The Worst Thing Every Stark Did In Game Of Thrones

Fans spent almost a decade faithfully tuning in to see the Stark family struggle to survive against multiple fronts in HBO’s Game of Thrones. Unfortunately, the Starks won’t have as large of a presence in the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon. Still, fans have been returning to follow the Starks on Game of Thrones to prepare for the upcoming prequel.

The Starks could easily be considered one of the more noble families in Westeros, Of course, like many families, they aren’t without their flaws. Each member of the Stark family has failed in a big moment or done a terrible thing that tainted their reputation during the “War of the Five Kings” and beyond.

10 Bran Stark Defied The Three-Eyed Raven And Revealed Their Location To The Night King

Young Brandon Stark was better known to his family as simply Bran. He had a rebellious nature that saw him defy his mother’s wishes to stop climbing around the castle’s walls. He was pushed from an upper window and severely injured, losing the use of his legs. This unknowingly set him on the course to becoming the new Three-Eyed Raven.

However, when he was training with the old Three-Eyed Raven, he defied his teacher’s rules. Bran explored the past without the Three-Eyed Raven and had a confrontation with the Night King. This alerted the leader of the White Walkers to their location. The Night King’s attack ultimately resulted in the death of the original Three-Eyed Raven, Leaf and Hodor.

9 Rickon Stark Was Captured By Enemies And Then Zigged When He Should Have Zagged

The youngest of the Stark family, Rickon was just a small boy when he was forced to go on the run with his brother Bran. Unfortunately, Rickon and his family were betrayed by the Umbers. He was turned into the Boltons and used as a bargaining tool. Ramsey Bolton then used Rickon as bait to lure Jon Snow and his army into one of Game of Thrones’ best fight scenes.

Ramsey sent Rickon running toward his older brother Jon while he shot arrows at him. It was a torturous moment that many felt could have been avoided if Rickon had adopted a more serpentine route. Unfortunately, he was struck by an arrow just before reaching Jon and fell to his death.

8 Sansa Stark Initially Put Her Trust In The Wrong People Instead Of Her Own Family

The children of the Stark family were each put through their own hardships after the execution of their father, Ned Stark. None arguably suffered as much as young Sansa Stark, who was betrothed to Joffrey Baratheon. Initially blinded by her presumed love for Joffrey, Sansa began to turn against her family.

Her torment at Joffrey’s hands was the first indication that she had put her trust in the wrong person. After she had escaped from Joffrey, the cycle continued. She trusted Petyr Baelish, who promptly married her off to Ramsey Bolton. Bolton was a twisted abuser who further traumatized her before she escaped. Sansa painfully learned that she could only trust herself and her family.

7 Ned Stark Failed To Listen To His Family And Never Should Have Left The North

Robert Baratheon arrived at Winterfell in the first season. He requested his old friend Eddard “Ned” Stark’s help as the new Hand of the King. Most of his family warned Ned away from leaving the North and heading to King’s Landing with Robert, but he followed his duty. Ned was a great father, but he was a loyal friend to Robert as well.

Unfortunately, a good man like Ned Stark couldn’t survive long in King’s Landing. Ned was ultimately disgraced and executed after he threatened to expose the truth about the Baratheon children. It was a dark and tragic fate that could have been potentially avoided had he listened to his family and remained in Winterfell.

6 Lyanna Stark Drove A Wedge In Her Brother’s Marriage When She Asked Him To Lie

Ned Stark carried a secret to his grave that would eventually change the world of Westeros. Lyanna Stark was Eddard’s younger sister who was originally supposed to be wed to Robert Baratheon. However, she fell in love with Rhaegar Targaryen, and the two were secretly wed.

The Targaryen dynasty grew with a child named Aegon, though Lyanna died in childbirth. Lyanna begged Ned to lie about the identity of her young child in order to keep him safe. Ned raised the young Aegon as his bastard Jon Snow. This inferred infidelity on Ned’s part and drove a deep wedge between him and his wife.

5 Catelyn Stark Left Her Family And Her Home Unprotected When She Left Winterfell

While she was a loving mother to her children, Catelyn Stark made a few bad decisions that cost the family greatly. She had a tense relationship with Ned’s bastard Jon Snow but showed intense love for her natural children. That’s why her decision to leave Winterfell after the death of Ned Stark was one of the worst things she did in Game of Thrones.

She hoped to investigate the attempted assassination of Bran Stark. However, she was forced to stay away to help Robb Stark in his campaign against the Lannisters. Her absence allowed Winterfell to fall and ultimately forced her young sons to go on the run alone.

4 Robb Stark Lost The War Against The Lannisters When He Followed Love Instead Of Duty

Ned’s oldest son Robb gathered his armies and ignited a war against King Joffrey and the Lannisters. Robb Stark became known as the “Young Wolf” when he began winning a number of battles against the Lannister’s armies. He also fell in love with a healer named Talisa Maegyr after they met on the battlefields.

Robb chose to marry Talisa instead of fulfilling his promise to wed one of Walder Frey’s many daughters. This secretly turned House Frey against Robb and the Starks. They were violently murdered at the Frey’s in an unforgettable event known as the Red Wedding.

3 Theon Greyjoy Was Raised By The Starks But Betrayed Them To Regain His Family’s Honor

House Greyjoy of the Iron Islands was a strong kingdom until a failed rebellion cost the King his oldest sons. Theon Greyjoy was the King’s youngest, and he was placed with Ned Stark as one of his wards. Theon was raised alongside the Stark siblings, and he pledged his loyalty to Robb Stark after the death of his father Ned.

Theon betrayed the family that raised him and his sworn oath to fight with Robb Stark. He joined his father and the Iron Islands and secretly attacked a weakened Winterfell. Theon killed and burned two innocent orphans that he passed off as Bran and Rickon Stark. Theon paid heavily for his betrayal, as he was tortured and transformed into Reek.

2 Jon Snow’s Greatest Personal Failure Came When He Was Forced To Betray His Queen

While he didn’t share the Stark name, Game of Thrones’ main character Jon Snow was raised alongside Ned’s other children as his bastard son. He eventually learned that Ned was actually his uncle and he was really the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. Despite his secretive heritage, Jon was still instilled with the strong morals and loyalty of House Stark.

Jon was instrumental in rallying the armies of Westeros together to fight the threat of the White Walkers. He was forced to make allegiances and promises with other rulers like Daenerys Stormborn. While it was a necessary act, Jon Snow’s decision to break his oath to the Queen whom he also loved was his greatest personal failure.

1 Arya Stark’s Best And Worst Moment Came When She Took Revenge On Walder Frey

Ned and Catelyn’s youngest daughter was Arya Stark. She knew at an early age that she wanted to be a warrior. However, she didn’t realize that the death of her father would start her on a path of murder and revenge. She trained with the Faceless Men of Bravos but abandoned her path with the Many-Faced God.

She retained the skills she acquired that allowed her to use the faces of others to disguise herself. She slipped into Walder Frey’s service and killed two of his family who took part in the Red Wedding. She baked them into pies and then fed them to Walder Frey before poisoning his sons. These were just a few reasons why Arya was one of Game of Throne’s fan-favorite characters.