5 Game of Thrones Characters Stan Lee Would Have Saved

Picture Stan Lee wandering into Westeros with a pen instead of a sword. The survival odds change. Game of Thrones built its reputation on knocking off major players like bowling pins, but Lee’s whole deal was about second chances, moral compasses, and redemption arcs that actually last. If the co-creator behind Spider-Man, the X-Men, Black Panther, Iron Man, and the Fantastic Four had a pass at this story, a handful of very dead characters would probably still be on the board.

The setup: who died, how they died, and why Stan might have let them live

Thrones routinely pulled the trapdoor: Joffrey face-planted at the Purple Wedding in Season 4 Episode 2, Daenerys met a knife in Season 8 Episode 6 seconds after taking King’s Landing, and the Night King exploded into ice confetti in Season 8 Episode 3. That shock factor defined the show, but Lee liked to keep villains and flawed heroes around to wrestle with their choices. Think Thanos sticking around long enough for uneasy standoffs and lingering dread. With that in mind, here are five characters who likely survive in a Stan-written Westeros, plus the very Thrones-y ways they actually went out.

1. The Night King
   How Thrones handled it: In Season 8 Episode 3, The Long Night, Arya Stark sprang out of the dark and jammed a Valyrian steel dagger into his chest. He shattered on the spot, which instantly vaporized the White Walkers and the entire Army of the Dead. His origin (made by the Children of the Forest) and big goal (erase humanity and memory) ended in one stab, and the show pivoted away from the threat beyond the Wall.

   Stan’s version: He would not be a one-and-done boss fight. Lee favored big bads who keep haunting the story, sometimes forcing temporary truces or setting up longer chess matches. The Night King would survive in some form to keep the pressure on the living.

2. Daenerys Targaryen
   How Thrones handled it: Season 8 Episode 6, The Iron Throne. After Daenerys torched King’s Landing even as the bells of surrender rang, Jon Snow met her in the throne room, held her close, and stabbed her through the heart. Drogon, grieving, melted the Iron Throne and flew off with her body. Her fall capped the show’s fast-track into her 'madness' and the collapse of her earlier ideals.

   Stan’s version: Characters like Jean Grey and the Scarlet Witch were allowed long, messy arcs. Daenerys would live to confront the wreckage she caused, wrestling with consequences instead of exiting at her lowest point.

3. Joffrey Baratheon
   How Thrones handled it: Season 4 Episode 2, The Lion and the Rose. During the 'Purple Wedding,' Joffrey drank wine laced with the Strangler, part of a scheme that tied the poisoned chalice to a necklace and a plot orchestrated by Olenna Tyrell with help from Petyr Baelish. He convulsed, choked, and died in Cersei’s arms. That death detonated the capital’s politics, got Tyrion arrested, and scrambled the succession.

   Stan’s version: This little tyrant would stick around. Lee loved peeling back layers on awful people and forcing them into growth or at least begrudging responsibility. Think the long road Loki had to walk. Joffrey would face consequences, not instant oblivion.

4. Renly Baratheon
   How Thrones handled it: Season 2 Episode 5, Garden of Bones. A shadow assassin conjured by Melisandre using kingsblood linked to Stannis slit Renly’s throat from behind. His army collapsed in minutes, and the realm lost its most crowd-pleasing, politically savvy contender in a supernatural hit job.

   Stan’s version: Renly’s the kind of charismatic, people-first leader Lee would nurture. He would dodge that shadow-knife twist and keep building power through charm, alliances, and ground game rather than getting erased by magic in a tent.

5. Ned Stark
   How Thrones handled it: Season 1 Episode 9, Baelor. After discovering Cersei’s children were illegitimate, Ned was arrested for treason. To save Sansa and Arya, he publicly confessed under a deal arranged by Varys that would exile him to the Night’s Watch. Joffrey torched the agreement and ordered the beheading anyway, mounting Ned’s head on a spike at the Sept of Baelor. That execution shattered House Stark, lit the fuse on Robb’s rebellion, and kicked off the War of the Five Kings.

   Stan’s version: No way he cuts the moral backbone this early. Figures like Captain America and Professor X anchor their worlds; Ned would serve the same role, steering the political and ethical center of Westeros instead of vanishing for shock value.

Why this rewrite hits different

Lee’s storytelling prized moral integrity, redemption, and persistence. In practice, that means more characters living with their choices and more long arcs where the villains do not just pop like balloons. It might make Westeros a little less fatalistic, but it also keeps the thematic stakes boiling instead of boiling over.

So, would saving these five have strengthened the saga or dulled its blade? And which fallen character do you think earned another chapter?

Game of Thrones is streaming on Max.