‘Game of Thrones’ Fans Are Still Fuming Brienne of Tarth Was Missing From Season 8 Premiere

Game of Thrones Season 8 kicked off with a bang last weekend, but one beloved character was missing, and fans are still angry.

Warning! Spoilers for Game of Thrones lie ahead!

Brienne of Tarth, played by Gwendoline Christie, is one of the most iconic figures on Game of Thrones. The gender norm-defying sword fighter and sworn shield of Sansa Stark was last seen in Season 7 in the meeting at the Dragon Pit, where she stood with Jon Snow’s party. She did not appear at all in the Season 8 premiere, but many fans are hoping to see her on Sunday.

“How do you produce an episode of Game of Thrones without including wWsteros’s sweetheart Brienne of Tarth,” one fan tweeted.

In reality, Christie was credited on the premiere episode, and Brienne did make a fleeting appearance. She and her squire, Podrick Payne were momentarily visible in the crowd which welcomes Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen and their massive host to Winterfell in the beginning of the episode.

This suggests that he and Brienne rode ahead of the armies to get home more quickly, which makes sense. Brienne is the sworn shield of Sansa Stark and was reluctant to go south in the first place. She agreed to represent Sansa’s interests in the Dragon Pit, but she would surely have rushed back as soon as possible to guard the Lady of Winterfell personally.

This was not enough for Brienne’s die-hard fans, who are eager for her reunions with some companions from the past. She can usually be counted on to give Sansa blunt advice and glare menacingly at untrustworthy characters, but she got no such chances in this episode.

Hopefully, Game of Thrones will remedy this oversight in Season 8, Episode 2. It seems likely, as the trailer revolves around Jaime Lannister’s arrival at Winterfell. Brienne and Jaime spent almost two seasons together, including a harrowing trip across half the continent as prisoners. They have complicated feelings for one another, and many fans wonder if Brienne will come to Jaime’s defense when he is confronted about his many crimes.

Brienne and Jaime left each other on good terms in Season 4, when she went out looking for Sansa and Arya. Jaime even gifted her Oathkeeper, a Valyrian steel sword, and his time with her was one of the biggest factors in his redemption arc. Still, when they met at the Dragon Pit they were on opposite sides, and this seemed to confuse and upset Jaime. It may even have spurred his trip north, which could prove to be deadly for him.

Either way, fans will find out soon enough. Game of Thrones airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.