See How Much These Game of Thrones Characters Have Changed Between Season 1 and Season 8

Oh, Jon Snow The perpetual silent sufferer. In season one Jon is clearly an outsider and acts like it. It doesn't stop him from feeling connected to his half siblings — especially Arya — but he's sure he doesn't belong in Winterfell. So, he resolves himself to the Wall in order to feel like he's doing some good.

Fast-forward seven seasons, and Jon is . . . well, he's still a champion brooder. What he expects to be a long, lonely existence on the Wall turns into a series of escalating trials and tribulations, and Jon has now not only left the Wall, but he's the freaking King in the North. He's also one of the few surviving people who knows the real danger to Westeros — and it isn't politics. Let's face it: Jon might not be Ned's son, but he sure does remind us of him. Ned would be pretty proud.

Sweet and innocent with a face you just want to shield from all bad things, Bran Stark is a living example of how Game of Thrones pulls no punches. Pushed out of a window for mere curiosity in the very first episode, Bran seems doomed to a lousy existence of being left behind or treated as a burden. At least he has Hodor, right?

By season seven, Bran has gone through probably the most impressive physical change of any character, even though he'll still never get to use his legs again. He's left his innocence behind, having seen the terror that lies beyond the Wall and coming to terms with the fact that he has to shoulder the special power of the Three-Eyed Raven, which might have some unforeseen consequences.

In the first season of Game of Thrones, Cersei is smug, ruthless, and selfish. She has no problem with taking whatever she wants, however she wants, even if it means getting her sadistic son on the Iron Throne. She enjoys being at the center of attention in King's Landing, and even though her relationship with her husband is almost nonexistent, she's completely confident in her position and power as queen.

By the later seasons, Cersei is still selfish and arrogant but in a much more terrifying way. Her plan to secure her power through her children has gone off the rails (she becomes so desperate in fighting the growing power of the High Sparrow that she ends up driving poor Tommen to kill himself). Losing Tommen just about pushes her over the edge, leaving an emotionally unhinged person sitting on the Iron Throne. She struts through season seven in her new, very armor-esque outfit and cropped hair, and it almost seems like Cersei's trying to shed the pretty, feminine image she used to convey in favor of a tougher, scarier one. It's definitely freaking us out, but even as bothered as we are by where her character went, we're still not happy with how she meets her end in season eight.

While Tyrion is easily much more likable than his older siblings in season one, he's still a spoiled, rich Lannister. Sarcastic, jaded, and self-deprecating, Tyrion has a knack for talking his way out of situations and clearly has a head for politics. Unfortunately it quickly becomes clear in season one that being anywhere near his sister, his father, or his nephew is not the safest place for him.

Tyrion's attitude and outlook on the world changes a lot by the end of season seven, and from his appearance nowadays you'd never guess he's a part of the wealthiest family in Westeros. Tyrion knows how much he's changed — in the season six finale he tells Daenerys that he never really believed in anything until he traveled across the world and met her. Tyrion's knowledge of how the "great game" is played is wasted in King's Landing around family members who keep trying to humiliate and destroy him. When he links up with Daenerys and Jon, who appreciate his wisdom, however, Tyrion thrives and is inspired to help however he can.

Remember back when Dany was afraid to speak her mind? Yeah, seems like ages ago. But in season one, Daenerys Targaryen is just a young girl from a forgotten family, living in fear of her obnoxious brother and watching her life get decided without her. Sure, Dany comes to realize her own strength pretty quickly, but at first she's simply trying to figure out her place as as one of the last remaining Targaryens.

Now Dany knows who she is: the Mother of Dragons. If she has her way, she'll also end up being future queen of Westeros. By the time season six ends, Dany sets out to do exactly what she intended to for years (gather an army and take on the Seven Kingdoms), but she's not without fear about what's to come. Luckily her confidence in her own power and destiny carries her through season seven. However, in season eight, Dany has fallen into being the Mad Queen, going as far as unleashing the flames on King's Landing, killing everyone in her path.

Jaime in season one was pretty unbearable: entitled, arrogant, and condescending, all wrapped up in a frustratingly handsome package. He knows he's at the top of the food chain as a Lannister, as the brother of Queen Cersei and as a member of the Kingsguard. He also doesn't seem to care that everyone thinks of him as a traitor for killing the Mad King.

Also, he PUSHES BRAN OUT OF A WINDOW.

Fast-forward a handful of seasons and we have a Jaime Lannister who knows quite well what it's like to be humbled. He gets humiliated in battle, gets his hand chopped off, and starts to come to terms with the fact that his beloved sister's ambitions are completely insane (which is why he wisely leaves her). While he can't really be vindicated from all his past actions, it's clear that of the two Lannister twins, Jaime is the more well-meaning and far more stable. That being said, he and Cersei die together in season eight — or does he?

The youngest Stark daughter is easy to love in season one, with her precocious nature and disgust for all things Joffrey. Remember how adorable she is in the first episode, showing up Bran with her archery skills? Arya is desperate to prove herself as tough and strong, but in the first season she's ultimately still very young and doesn't know much about how the real world works. Yet.

By season seven the precocious child in Arya is gone, both in appearance and attitude, and a ruthless, cunning assassin takes her place. Arya travels across the world to learn how to become a killer and take revenge on the people who destroyed her family, and by the time she reunites with her older sister, she's crossed off a few people from her kill list. It remains to be seen what will happen to her as season eight ends.

Sansa is basically a typical teenage girl in season one: she's dazzled by the big city of King's Landing, perpetually annoyed by her younger sister, and obsessing over her crush. Unfortunately, that crush is Joffrey Baratheon. It's hard to really blame Sansa for her behavior, since like Arya, she doesn't really know much about the world beyond Winterfell. It doesn't take long in season one for her to realize her fantasy of marrying a prince and becoming queen isn't going to be at all like she imagines.

Also known as Sansa Fierce. By season seven, Sansa has grown from a naive teenager into a stone-cold queen thanks to the roller coaster ride of misery she experiences throughout the show. She watches her father get executed, lives in constant fear of Joffrey (who she thought would be her perfect prince), is forced to marry Tyrion Lannister, has to run away from King's Landing to avoid getting executed for Joffrey's death, and then is married off to the devil himself, Ramsay Bolton. It's no wonder that Sansa seems much older than her years.

She also goes through a few style changes as she tries to figure out her identity (remember the dark hair phase?), but once she arrives back in Winterfell, she starts giving off major Catelyn vibes and not just with her looks. After spending so much time away from home, she seems resolved to make the North strong again under the Starks, even if it means killing Littlefinger. What does this mean for her and Jon, the newly anointed King in the North? No one knows for sure, but we do have a theory.

In season one, it seems like Sam Tarly exists simply to add some comic relief and to show how good of a guy Jon Snow is for keeping the less-than-coordinated Sam from utter humiliation. While Sam does prove to be a good friend and always means well, it's unclear whether the Night's Watch and the Wall are really the right place for him.

By seasons seven and the upcoming eighth season, Sam still looks pretty much like he has since season one, but he's gone above and beyond all expectations in every other sense. Not only does he stick by Jon's side through thick and thin, but he's the first character who we get to see kill a White Walker! That patented Sam awkwardness still comes through every so often, but he's found much more confidence, especially since meeting Gilly.

Ugh. There really isn't much to like about Theon at the start of the show. Abrasive, mysogynistic, and just plain obnoxious (far more so than the Stark children he grows up around), he seems pretty loyal to Robb but is definitely due for some sort of comeuppance to humble him.

Well, Theon gets his comeuppance, for sure. You can't really say Theon is completely innocent (remember when he completely betrays Robb and has those two farm boys killed in season two?), but what ultimately befalls him is pretty horrific. Then again, what else can you expect from Ramsay Bolton? By season six, Theon is beaten down and broken in every sense of the word, and while he definitely has a haunted look about him, the biggest physical change is . . . well, not on his face. He gets back on the road to redemption by helping Sansa escape Ramsay and then supporting his sister's quest to take back the Iron Islands from their evil uncle, Euron. Season seven is much of the same, although his quest to fight Euron doesn't go exactly as planned.