Do we like them?

Do we like Ned Stark?

A character from Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

Our score: 8 out of 10. Yes, we'd back him. He's loyal, fair and brave, and he's the moral centre of the story. His honesty is also a real liability in a nest of liars, so we'd back him while worrying.

Ned Stark is the head of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. He is a quiet, grave man who would rather stay in the cold North with his wife and children. He is the head of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell, and Warden of the North. The story starts when his old friend King Robert asks him to come south and serve as Hand of the King. Ned doesn't want the job, but duty and friendship win out.

In the capital, Ned finds a court of schemers and liars, and he sets about uncovering the mystery behind the death of the previous Hand. He's a great soldier and a fair judge, but he's a poor politician. He tells people exactly what he thinks, and he gives his enemies warning before he acts. He refuses to murder a child or to dishonour a dying friend, even when his allies tell him it would be sensible. That integrity is why we score him high. His naivety, and his belief that other people share his sense of honour, are what keep him from a perfect score.

His honesty leaves him exposed. He confronts the queen with what he has learned and trusts that the truth will protect him, and it doesn't. He's betrayed and thrown into a cell. To protect his daughters he gives up the one thing he has always held onto, his honour, and publicly confesses to treason. It doesn't save him. His sudden death early in the show's run was all the more shocking because Sean Bean was a well-known actor. His death sets the rest of the story in motion.