Did the Starks Actually Win the Game of Thrones?

A Twitter post earlier this month pointed out that 'Ned Stark is the first person we see sitting on a throne in Game of Thrones. His daughter, Sansa Stark, is the last person we see sitting on a throne in the series,' prompting the question of whether the Stark's were the true winners in Game of Thrones.

But what does Reddit think?

Well, certainly Sansa ended up ensuring the North was its own kingdom and she was sitting on its throne. And, of course, Bran was King of the Six Kingdoms. So, in short, regardless of Ned being seen on the throne at the start of season 1, there's a lot to suggest the Starks were the winners. Although, Bran was essentially named king of a wasteland after the assault on King's Landing got a little out of hand.

But, as one Redditor said, ''Won' would be a pretty odd way to describe that family's state at the end.' Which is a good point. A fair few Starks lost their lives throughout the show – and Sansa was sure to suffer from some kind of PTSD based on what she went through during the 8 seasons.

Another, though, compared the fate of the Starks to that of the other houses – and it doesn't really make good reading for any of them. It points out that only one family member was left standing in each of House Arryn, House Lannister, House Baratheon and House Greyjoy.

Only Edmure and his family remained of House Tulley, House Tyrell's sole survivor was an unnamed prince, and only Jon Snow remained of House Targaryen – although he identifies as a Stark. Which means that at least one Stark was banished beyond the wall.

Arya seemed to achieve her dream of adventure, so you could say she won by getting away from the pressure to be a Lady. But the absence of any siblings (including Jon) does somewhat weaken her position.

So, if all the major houses were basically wiped out, who does that leave as potential winners over the Starks?

Sam? Well, he inexplicably survived several battles and became Grand Maester. But he also lost his father and brother to Dany's madness. So, you could argue he's in a similar position to the Starks.

Tyrion? Sure, he lost his family. But he hated most of them anyway. And he cheated death enough times that he must surely see every day he's alive as some sort of victory.

But the best argument for the winner of Game of Thrones has to be Bronn. From life as a 'lowly sellsword' he went on to become Lord of Highgarden and Master of Coin. In between, he managed to keep his body intact – and he had no family to lose.

So, he's the only one that gained a lot but lost basically nothing. And surely that makes him the winner?

Source: Reddit.