'Game of Thrones' power rankings for Season 7: Who will sit on the Iron Throne?
Winter has come, the players are maneuvering, and it's time to update our Game of Thrones power rankings. Join us as we set out to answer the only question that really matters: Who will sit on the Iron Throne of Westeros at the end of the show?
In this, our third edition of the rankings, we're doing something a little different. We'll be updating after every episode of Season 7, taking account of the latest dealings and double crossings on the show, plus the latest news, rumors and theories outside it.
Remember, this ranking isn't about the power behind the throne. This is simply about which character will have their butt plunked on that giant chunk of cold steel at the very end of Season 8. Let's dive in.
10. Arya Stark (new entry)
A girl is heading to King's Landing to kill Cersei. A girl has now demonstrated she can pull off a flawless impersonation of someone much older and taller, as unrealistic as that seems. Given the established rules of the show, then, a girl could easily take the Queen's face and bring peace to the Seven Kingdoms. All hail Queen Arya the Secret!
9. Jaime Lannister (-4)
Oh, Jaime. We were pulling for you to recognize that you are in fact the rightful heir to the Iron Throne since you left the Kingsguard -- but Season 7 Episode 1 saw you simply playing foil to Cersei again, like a dumbass. Here's hoping you wake up soon and take what's rightfully yours from the sister who was never very good to you anyway.
8. Cersei Lannister (-2)
The increasingly nutty, spiteful Queen, now only ruler of "three kingdoms at best," isn't going to last long if she thinks Euron Greyjoy is her best choice of ally. It'll be a miracle if she makes it through the next 12 episode alive, let alone retain the throne.
7. Sansa Stark (new entry)
Cersei's reluctant fangirl, according to her conversation with Jon at Winterfell, appears to be sending us hair-based signals that she's turning into Queen Bitch herself. Could she ride Littlefinger's plot all the way to King's Landing as his consort, then dump him in the same murderous way the way he dumped Lady Arryn? It would seem fitting.
6. Euron Greyjoy (+2)
The psychotic Eddie Izzard of Westeros is back in a big way, and he seems about to win Cersei's black heart with a mysterious gift. If it's the same thing that book Euron has -- a magic horn that can bind dragons -- he'll shoot up these rankings faster than wildfire. If they get married, Cersei should trust Euron not to murder her about as far as she can throw him.
5. Petyr Baelish (-1)
Littlefinger hasn't made his move yet -- but lest we forget, he's the man with the longest-running plan of anyone in the show. He has proven time and again he knows how and when to climb the ladder of chaos. His Achilles heel, as ever, is the creepy thing he's got for Sansa.
4. Jon Snow (+3)
The show's ultimate example of privilege, Jon has risen into every high position he's ever been in by sheer luck and acclaim. So what's to say he won't keep going? Especially since he's actually a Targaryen like Dany -- and especially since the show's costume designer, of all people, let slip Jon's forward path this season and whom he's about to meet.
3. Daenerys Targaryen (unchanged)
She took Dragonstone without a hitch. She has the largest armada in this fantasy world, she has three dragons the size of 747s, and most importantly she has Tyrion and a kickass table on which to plan her conquest of Westeros. There are certain to be some reversals coming for Dany, but she has plenty of resources with which to overcome them -- not least of which is the coming team of Samwell Tarly and Ser Jorah, who could in theory tell her how to defeat the White Walkers using the resources under her feet.
2. The Night King (unchanged)
Pathetic humans! You really think you can defeat this guy with some old nonsense you found in an obscure book in Oldtown? The Maesters don't even believe he's real; what hope have the rest of the petty leaders of banding together in time? Rewatch "Hardhome" and realize he's about to bring the whirlwind to Westeros. If the mysterious lord of the undead wants the Iron Throne, it's still his for the taking.
1. No One (unchanged)
Chances are the Night's King doesn't give a damn for some metal chair. Chances are that King's Landing will burn, sooner or later, under dragon assault. The ice and fire are coming, and Dany's vision from the House of the Undying still looks like the most appropriate, bittersweet way to end this cautionary tale of climate change.
Topics Game Of Thrones
Chris is a veteran tech, entertainment and culture journalist, author of 'How Star Wars Conquered the Universe,' and co-host of the Doctor Who podcast 'Pull to Open.' Hailing from the U.K., Chris got his start as a sub editor on national newspapers. He moved to the U.S. in 1996, and became senior news writer for Time.com a year later. In 2000, he was named San Francisco bureau chief for Time magazine. He has served as senior editor for Business 2.0, and West Coast editor for Fortune Small Business and Fast Company. Chris is a graduate of Merton College, Oxford and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is also a long-time volunteer at 826 Valencia, the nationwide after-school program co-founded by author Dave Eggers. His book on the history of Star Wars is an international bestseller and has been translated into 11 languages.
