Jon Snow - In season 1, as Ned and the Starks departed for King’s Landing, Jon turns to The Wall and Castle Black to become a member of the Night’s Watch, a band of brothers forswearing all earthly pleasure and dedicated to protected the Seven Kingdoms from those that dwell north of The Wall. Due to his prowess with the sword and his willingness to train others in its use, he is named Steward to Ser Jeor Mormont, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. In a foray beyond The Wall, Ser Jeor is betrayed by one of the Night’s Watch and murdered.


After returning to Castle Black, Jon is surprised to be selected as Ser Jeor’s successor as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. He is faced with defending The Wall against Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-The-Wall, and his army of northmen and giants. As the circumstances grow dire, Jon meets Mance beyond the wall to broker a peace in the name of the greater battle to come. However, before the negotiations can proceed, Stannis Baratheon, self proclaimed King of the Seven Kingdoms, arrives. With an enveloping maneuver of horse, he defeats Mance’s army leaving just a few thousand to survive.


Jon, knowing that the Night’s Watch does no have the strength for the coming war with the Night King and his army of White Walkers and living dead, offers to let Mance’s surviving army pass through The Wall and settle south of The Wall in the area known as the Gift. This results in Jon’s death at the hands of a group of traitors led by Ser Alliser Thorne. As has become common in this tale, just as we recognize a new hero to right all of the wrongs, he or she dies. However, unlike the other deaths, Jon is resurrected at the hands of Melisandre, the Red Woman, who calls on the power of her god, R'hllor, the Lord of Light. As his last act as Lord Commander, Jon hangs Ser Allisor and his henchmen, including young Olly who had served as Jon’s Steward. Jon then leaves the Watch under the presumption that his death fulfilled his oath. (However, the oath states “…for this night and all the nights to come." Death does not seem to be a criterion for release of the oath. But then it is imperative to the story line for him to leave its service.)


At this point, it becomes his mission to regain Winterfell for the Starks. Along with his half sister, Sansa, he attempts to gather an army for this purpose. He persuades the Wildings, the remainder of Mance’s army, numbering about 2,000 warriors, to join. He also persuades their bannermen of House Mormont to join. They contribute 62 men, each of which, according to the young Lady Lyana Mormont, “…fights with the strength ten men.”


In the next to last episode of season six, aptly named The Battle of the Bastards, Jon, with an army of just over 2,000, meets the Boltons reinforced by the Karstarks and the Umbers numbering 6,000 strong. As the bodies pile higher, mainly due to Ramsay’s continued arrow onslaught of both friend and foe, Jon’s army faces its doom. In a scene that rivals the charge of the Rohirrim (including horns) on the Plains of Pelenor, the Knights of the Vale arrive just in time to defeat the Bolton shieldmen and save Jon and what remains of his army.


Jon, with the help of the last living giant, Wun Wun, chases Ramsey back into the walls of Winterfell. With the death of Wun Wun, Jon confronts Ramsey and beats his face to a bloody pulp. In the final scene of the episode, Sansa watches as Ramsey’s mastiffs proceed to eat his face and, presumably, the rest of him. A fitting end for the sociopathic bastard!


In the final episode, Jon confronts the sworn bannermen of House Stark. One by one they waffle in their support. Then the Lady Lyana Mormont arrises and she stares down each of the chiefs of the bannerman and harangues them for their lack of support of their sworn oaths. As each chief withers under the glare of the 10 year old Lady, she declares “We know no king but the King in the North whose name is Stark. I don't care if he's a bastard. Ned Stark's blood runs through his veins. He's my king from this day until his last day.” Thus Jon is hailed by all present as the White Wolf and King in the North and the Stark name is once again on the wax.