Game of Thrones is full of unforgettable characters, but there’s one hero who stands out from all the rest — Jon Snow. Played by Kit Harington, Jon Snow has a humble beginning as the alleged bastard of Ned Stark (Sean Bean), the warden of the North. And as the reject of his adoptive family, he chooses to “take the black” and guard the Wall with the rest of the Night’s Watch, protecting Westeros from the dangers that lie in the far North.
As the show progresses, viewers learn to love Jon for his strong sense of honor, duty, and loyalty, which makes it all the more crushing when the men of the Night’s Watch turn on Jon and leave him for dead at the end of Game of Thrones‘ fifth season. However, Jon is revived during season six, and we soon learn that Jon isn’t a bastard at all but the legitimate son of Daenerys’ brother and Ned’s sister, making him the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.
However, Jon never ascends to power, largely because he has no desire to rule, but perhaps more importantly, he stops his aunt, Daenerys — with whom he has struck up a romantic relationship — from murdering innocent people by killing her, making an enormous personal sacrifice for the good of the realm. Game of Thrones is populated with antiheroes, but Jon stands out as a true hero.
