I Don't Care What You Say, Stannis Baratheon Got the Perfect Ending in 'Game of Thrones'

The horrific death of Shireen Baratheon (Kerry Ingram) is one of the three major plot points from the later seasons of Game of Thrones that George R.R. Martin has confirmed he told the show’s creators would occur in his final A Song of Ice and Fire novels (assuming they ever come out), with the others being the ultimate victor of the fight for the Iron Throne and the tragic truth about Hodor (Kristian Nairn). But despite Martin’s confirmation that Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) will also choose to burn his daughter to death in the written canon, fans continue to speculate that the circumstances under which he does so will be wildly different and that the character will survive until closer to the story’s ending than he does in the TV show. But having recently rewatched Game of Thrones Season 5, which features both Shireen and Stannis’ deaths, I’d argue that the books would be best served by keeping his fate similar to the filmed version, as the bleak ending for Dillane’s Stannis is sadly fitting given the character’s actions and the themes of his story.