'Game of Thrones' may go down as one of the most brutal shows in the history of television, but even with all the gruesome beheadings and multiple backstabbings, the show has managed to get fans and critics worldwide on its side.

While George RR Martin continues to kill off fan-favorite characters and shock viewers with each passing episode, the unexpected deaths have actually added to the charm of the show.

Keeping in mind the unusually large number of freakish deaths and sadist scenes that occur frequently, let's start off with the first shocking moment that got fans wary of Martin's tactics in the series.

The death of Ned Stark

We were introduced to Ned Stark at the very beginning of the series. His noble outlook on life, along with his vigor for promoting justice, made us believe that he might be in for the long haul and that one day he may even sit on the Iron Throne and rule with a just hand. How naive were we?

During his tenure as Hand of the King to King Robert Baratheon, Ned Stark told the king that Cersei Lannister (King Robert's wife), was cheating on him with her brother Cersei, and her children Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen Baratheon are actually her illegitimate children with her twin brother, Jaime Lannister.

In order to keep her dirty little secret, Cersei influences her son, Joffrey, to execute Ned, and while he toys with the idea, we never really thought he would go through it. Again, how wrong were we, and thus began Martin's killing spree on our favorite characters.

Brandon Stark's Fall from the Tower

At the very start of the series we get introduced to another Stark, Brandon, who's also known as Bran. Bran is the second son of Lord Eddard Stark (Ned Stark) and Lady Catelyn Tully. Bran is well-loved by everyone at Winterfell and has a fascination with climbing and exploring along the walls and ramparts of the castle.

But it is this fascination that gets Bran in trouble, and one fine day, while climbing up the bricks of a high tower, Bran views Cersei and Jaime Lannister having sex, which would be fine (albeit a little scarring for the boy) if they weren't siblings.

Jaime promptly gets a hold of Bran, and on Cersei's orders, unceremoniously pushes him out of the high tower saying "the things I do for love". Although Bran does not die, he does lose the use of his legs. What's most shocking is not Bran's fall but rather the nonchalant way in which Jaime handled the moment, and it took us nearly 5 seasons to start liking him again.

Viserys gets his gold crown

Viserys Targaryen was never a likable character from the start, but his death was so brutal that fans (now used to Martin's ways) were shocked that the dragon-blooded prince would die so gruesomely.

Viserys never treated his sister Daenerys Targaryen with respect, and would constantly molest her. He went on to sell his sister's hand in marriage to the leader of the ruthless Dothraki Army, Khal Drogo, who in return, promised to give him the manpower he needed to reclaim the Iron Throne. After formalities are exchanged, along with his sister, Viserys gets drunk and demands that he get his gold crown. While we did expect Khal to be merciless, we totally didn't expect that he would give Viserys his gold crown by pouring molten gold over his head. Serves him right though.

'Game of Thrones' will return for the season finale on April 14 only on HBO.