Game of Thrones Character Journeys Over the Seasons

The Game of Thrones opened up with a lot of characters – some of them loved more than others, but most of them now dead. Those that have survived, however, have come a long, long way from where they began. Others – like Daenerys and Theon – more literally than others.

Now that the literal end is coming with the premiere of the 8th and final season of Game of Thrones on April 15, Monday, at 9:00AM, it’s high time for a look back to everything our main characters have gone through.

Here’s a quick review of the Game of Thrones’ main players, and their storylines thus far.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

Daenerys Targaryen seemed like a helpless princess practically sold to a warlord in marriage, in exchange for an army. She then grows into a woman strong and determined to lead, in a span of a single season. From there, she’s crossed deserts and freed slaves, amassed a powerful and large army, ruled some people, and set some ablaze.

All while being a single mother to three fire-breathing dragons.

Sorry, that’s just two now.

Season 7 saw her long awaited homecoming to Westeros, as a strong queen more than worthy of the Iron Throne. Now, however, she’s got a lot more to worry about than just de-throning Cersei.

Jon Snow began as the illegitimate child of the Starks; the literal black sheep who didn’t know anything.

He’s gone from being a rookie watcher of the not-so-elite Night Watch, to Lord Commander; been mutinously stabbed to death, and then brought to life.

He’s fought against the dead at Hardhome, and fought against the living in the Battle of the Bastards.

Now, reunited with his (sort of, but not really) siblings at Winterfell, he’s King of the North, and allied to his lover (who’s also his aunt), Queen Daenerys. Whether or not he's the prophesized Azor Ahai, he'll still be facing off against the Night King once more in Season 8.

Sansa Stark started out as the stereotypical noble-born lady, with stereotypical dreams of marrying a prince and becoming queen – in the fairytale, wishy washy kind of way. Least to say she suffers a great deal of disillusionments for it – about Joffrey and the Lannisters, about becoming queen, and about what it means to play the game of thrones.

With her at the receiving end of a lot of abuses for the longest time, most people underestimate Sansa Stark. The young lady Stark had admitted herself to being a slow learner.

But oh, does she learn.

By the end of Season 6, Sansa Stark has shown herself to be quite the politician, having learned from observing Cersei and Littlefinger for so long.

Now, Sansa might just be one of the most cunning new power players in Westeros, as a tried and true Lady of Winterfell.

Arya Stark has always been a spitfire, given to wielding bows and arrows, and swords from a young age. But her father’s execution, and the harrowing experiences she faced after, took their toll on her spirit.

Still, Arya was a fighter, and by Season 4, she’s proven herself to be quite the survivor. One with an impressive hit list that she’s steadily ticking off, thanks to her brutal training under...no one.

Now allied with her sister Sansa, Arya’s not just the tough – she’s absolutely lethal.

Whether that’ll be enough to get her through the Great War is anyone’s guess. Young Arya said it herself: “Anyone can be killed.”

When little Bran fell out of the tower back in Season 1, many perhaps didn’t expect to see him last this far. After all, with all these wars, rebellions, and now an army of the dead, what are the chances of a cripple surviving for long?

But, with his rapid skill set development in the past seasons, it turns out there's actually more to Bran than meets the eye.

As the new Three-Eyed Raven, he’s gone from the typical noble-born boy to a veritable medieval, living and breathing version of Google – all-knowing and all-seeing, from parentage secrets to threat updates from the Night King.

Which could be the key to winning the Great War. Maybe. Hopefully?

Perhaps the least travelled characters in the Game of Thrones, Cersei Lannister started off as Queen of Westeros in Season 1. One with an undeniable love for power, and for her immediate family – specifically, her twin brother and her children.

She’s one of the veteran players of the Game of Thrones, though she didn't always stay on top. A greater portion of Season 5 and 6 saw all her plotting backfiring on her horribly, in what felt like seasons' worth of karma serving justice at last.

But Cersei doesn't stay down for long. By the end of Season 6, and for the rest of Season 7, she’s once more queen of the Iron Throne.

Although with three of her children gone, and her twin brother walking out on her by the end of Season 7, perhaps her relationships need far more work than her scheming.

Jaime Lannister wasn’t an active schemer in the game of thrones, but he definitely wasn’t innocent. His main fault, and the core of all his struggles and choices, lies in his devotion for his sister.

And so for majority of the Game of Thrones, Jaime’s constantly trying to please his sister – in more ways than one – and constantly failing to do so.

He is assigned to be protector of the King – he’s had three kings die on his watch; four, if you count Tommen. He tries to protect his children – two of them get poisoned, and one of them commits suicide.

After meeting and forming a strange friendship with Brienne however, Jaime seems to slowly build his own resolve. Enough that we see him walk out on Cersei of his own will, fighting for something more concrete than blind devotion.

But whether he’ll succeed this time around with keeping his oath to fight for the living is anyone’s guess.

From the beginning, Tyrion Lannister’s genius was evident probably to almost everyone else, except himself. While he seemed to have fully embraced his status as the black sheep of the family, Tyrion was still caught up trying to please his family, to fully utilize his brilliance.

Until he got a taste of playing politics, and realized how good he was at it.

So when his father and sister denounced and sentenced him to die, Tyrion severed his ties, and went to ally with Queen Daenerys Targaryen.

Now he’s back in Westeros as Hand of the Queen – one who actually respects and listens to his advice.Before Tyrion can truly try his hand at ruling a kingdom, however, he’ll need to pitch in devising a plan to defeat the Night King.

There are still a few more characters from Season 1 who remain alive to witness the Great War promised to come in Season 8. Some, like the Clegane brothers, with important business still unsettled. See how their journeys will end, as the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones premieres on April 15, Monday, at 9:00AM on HBO.

Go back to your favorite characters’ shining moments, accompanied by the cast’s insights, for free on HBO GO. SKY subscribers can enjoy free access to even more HBO GO exclusives, including behind-the-scene stories and special season recaps, until April 15.