Why Ned Stark Had To Die In Game of Thrones

Over its eight seasons, Game of Thrones gained a reputation for subverting expectations. Both the HBO show and George R. R. Martin's books introduced familiar archetypes of the fantasy genre: noble kings, honorable knights, and exiled royalty, only to turn them on their heads. Ned Stark initially appears to be Game of Thrones's traditional fantasy hero and main character, only for the story to abruptly and brutally remind us that this isn't that kind of story.