Who Is Currently 'Winning' The Game Of Thrones? A Definitive Ranking

Game of Thrones season 7, the sometimes spellbinding and sometimes frustrating penultimate season of the most popular show on television, is over. If the rumors are to be believed, we may not see the final season until 2019, which means we have a long wait ahead of us. And a lot of time to bicker over silly questions like "Which character is currently winning the game of thrones?" Yep, it's time for our annual Game of Thrones power ranking.

Jacob Hall and Ben Pearson, two of /Film's resident Game of Thrones aficionados, decided to take this question to heart. Below, we have assembled a list of the major surviving characters (or at least the ones who matter), ranked from "doing quite poorly at the game of thrones" to "probably going to be sitting on the Iron Throne when all is said and done." This list was devised via techniques mastered by the Maesters of the Citadel – it is completely and scientifically accurate.

Naturally, there are major spoilers throughout this article.

To paraphrase a great poet: Jaime Lannister will do anything for love, but he won't do that. With that being "go back on his word to march north and assist Jon and Daenerys in battling the army of the dead to protect the Seven Kingdoms from the zombie apocalypse." Geez, Jaime. You're growing a conscience now? This late in the game? That's not how you win the game of thrones, sir. This how you Eddard Stark yourself into an early grave. (Jacob Hall)

The last we saw Yara, she was captured by her psychopathic uncle Euron. Her exact fate is unclear, but she's not dead – the show wouldn't have had Theon take a beating to convince his men to save her if she wasn't still a factor. Still, things are looking pretty rough for the would-be queen of the Iron Islands. Can Theon and company save her next season? Either way, getting sucked into a side plot doesn't sound like a strategy for winning the game of thrones. (Ben Pearson)

Gendry may be able to swing a warhammer like his father, but Robert Baratheon's bastard isn't exactly a threat to the throne these days. Maybe the blacksmith should enter Westeros' version of the Olympics, though – as he proved this season, he certainly has a knack for long-distance running, especially through harsh terrain. (Ben Pearson)

We've watched Pod fight in the battle of the Blackwater, act as as personal squire to Tyrion Lannister, and learn how to fight courtesy of Brienne of Tarth, Podrick Payne has grown up before our very eyes! And yet, he still gets whisked away from the big armistice talk so all of the real grown-ups can chat. Sorry, Pod. You'll matter someday. (Jacob Hall)

To some fans, Beric Dondarrion is the leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners, a former knight, and a character ingrained into the increasingly weird texture of mythology of this world. To others, his name inspires comments like "You're making that name up. There is no one named Beric Dondarrion on Game of Thrones." Look, this is what happens when you vanish for seasons at a time. Anyway, Beric is the second most important person currently at Eastwatch, which just crumbled to the ground and let an undead zombie army through. Not a good look. (Jacob Hall)

After taking a few seasons off to rest, recuperate, and not find religion, the Hound is back in the mess and he's stepped up a rung or two. Sure, his chief involvement at the big armistice involved lifting the zombie box while everyone else sat on their asses, but at least he was lifting a zombie box for a collection of kings and queens and not a bunch of smelly outlaws and brigands, his usual company for the past few seasons. Who knows who he'll be lifting zombie boxes for next year! The possibilities are endless! (Jacob Hall)

Look, leading your army into a mostly empty castle while the forces you intended to crush are across the continent killing your allies is not a good look. But you really can't blame Grey Worm, who was simply executing a plan put together by Tyrion. At the very least, he's still the toughest general in Westeros and he's still on a winning team...but he's always going to be corralled by the fact that he's not the one calling the shots. (Jacob Hall)

At the risk of being a little too literal when talking about a man who has no testicles, Varys found himself emasculated this season. Once the most powerful spymaster in Westeros, he's now been reduced to being chided by Daenerys and receiving vague threats from Melisandre. When his new queen burns the heads of House Tarly alive, the best he can do is tell Tyrion "Your problem now!" before shuffling off into his corner to presumably wonder if his evil counterpart, Petyr Baelish, is doing any better at the game they both once played so well. The answer to that question is a big "LOL no," but Varys doesn't know that yet. Someone should tell him. He could use some good news. (Jacob Hall)

Hey, remember how Samwell Tarly showed up at Winterfell and met with Bran and was all like "OMG, here's some really important information I learned that clarifies your psychic vision that changes everything we know about our whole world!" Well, guess what, Sam? You didn't find that info. Fucking Gilly found that info. And you brushed her off and now you're taking credit for it. Typical. Someone put Gilly on the Iron Throne. Maybe something will get done. (Jacob Hall)

Cured of his greyscale. Forgiven for his transgressions. Inexplicable survivor of the mission beyond the Wall. Seated at the right hand of Daenerys despite offering no useful advice at any point this season. Everything's coming up Jorah! Daenerys' oldest ally is currently reaping the rewards of getting in on Team Fire and Blood early. He doesn't have to do much at all to somehow look really, really important. (Jacob Hall)

Brienne got a promotion this season! She's no longer just the bodyguard for the Stark sisters – she's now a trusted representative for Winterfell, sent in Sansa's stead to negotiate with Queen Cersei. She's still being pushed around and shuffled about the continent on the whims of the people who call the shots, but at least she's being pushed in the direction of major meetings between all of the most important people in the Seven Kingdoms. As a bonus, she seems to actually have the full and complete trust of both Sansa and Arya, which further ties her into the Stark inner circle (a circle that is doing quite well for themselves). Good job, Brienne. (Jacob Hall)

With Littlefinger dead and Varys sidelined and Tyrion not having as much sway with Daenerys as he used to, Qyburn may very well be the most powerful advisor in all of Westeros. The mad scientist who re-animated the Mountain seemed a little too fascinated with that undead wight and he's always been more than willing to carry out his Queen's most vicious schemes. The combination of more dead folks and an increasingly backstab-happy Cersei means that things will only look up for this weirdo in the near future. He will not be wanting for work. God help us all. (Jacob Hall)

Sansa Stark may refer to herself as a "slow learner," but she's not giving herself enough credit. Over the course of seven seasons, she's been carried out of the frying pan and into hell itself. She's absorbed punishment, withstood abuse, and learned a thing or a hundred about how the world is built to harm women...and how she can dish out her revenge. And while Arya may fight back with the pointy end of a sharp weapon, Sansa fights back with the intrigue she learned from her enemies and the raw power she earned from her father. After years of playing victim, Sansa represents a House Stark that will not be led by a dummy. After years of being separated by tragedy and circumstance, she represents a House Stark that is united. That's more than you can say for a lot of the families in Westeros. (Jacob Hall)

The formerly unstoppable dream team has been shaken! A dragon has fallen. Conquest has been put on hold to deal with a little zombie problem. And perhaps most troubling, Daenerys is currently fucking her secret nephew. Whoops. Through sheer military might alone, Queen Dany slips into the top five, but what's she going to do when she learns the family member she's sleeping with has a better claim to the throne than her? Welcome to a rough patch, Mother of Dragons. (Jacob Hall)

Look, we're not ranking people based on whether they're nice folks we'd like to spend time with. We're ranking people based on how well they're weathering the game of thrones. And Queen Cersei of House Lannister isn't weathering the game of thrones as much as she's smashing it with a sledgehammer and then forcing everyone to play on a board that cannot be predicted or examined. She's a wild card, a talented liar, and the only ruler in Westeros who sees an undead invasion as an opportunity to stab her enemies in the back rather than come together to sing "Kumbaya" and save civilization as they know it. She's playing a dangerous game in the most selfish way imaginable. She's a threat to all life in Westeros. And she's probably got this. (Jacob Hall)

When the heroes die in battle, when the kings and queens stab each other in the back, when the dragons fall from the sky, when the scholars burn because they won't take off their blinders, when the psychics disconnect from reality, when the Cleganes finally get around to clashing, and when Westeros burns and freezes in a war that will unite both ice and fire, Bronn will be the last one standing. All hail Bronn: Westeros' ultimate survivor and friend to everyone and ally to no one. He'll win the day because he has absolutely zero interest in doing so. (Jacob Hall)