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Cast of Game of Thrones: Season One Through Season 7

Winter comes at you pretty fast in Westeros; see how Cersei, Jon Snow and Jaime have changed

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Game of Thrones Characters Then and Now: First Seasons vs. Last Seasons

With the epic Emmy-winning fantasy-drama about to drop its eighth and final season, we've gone back through the first seven seasons to compare and contrast how the major GoT characters looked when things started in 2011, and how they look now. Check out these epic transformations...

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Then: Arya Stark

In Game of Thrones' first episode, Ned Stark's younger daughter (played by Maisie Williams) is a privileged child with a lot of spunk.

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Now: Arya Stark

By GoT's seventh season, Arya's privilege and family have been upended. She's warier, deadlier, and still every bit as fierce.

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Then: Bran Stark

When we first meet Bran, Ned Stark's fourth (legitimate) child, played by Isaac Hempstead-Wright, is a boy who loves his direwolf and enjoys a good climb.

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Now: Bran Stark

By Season 7, Bran's a teenager -- and the visionary Three-Eyed Raven -- who copes with the aftermath of being pushed from a window by Jaime Lannister.

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Then: Sandor Clegane

In Season 1, Sandor (played by Rory McCann) is introduced as a royal bodyguard known as "the Hound."

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Now: Sandor Clegane

By Season 7 , the Hound has betrayed all allegiances and has been worked like a dog (and, at last look, left for dead).

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Then: Melisandre

In Season 2, the priestess and seer (played by Carice van Houten) is a woman of roughly shadow-bearing age.

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Then: Melisandre

In Season 6, Melisandre is revealed to be a tad older than her Westeros colleagues suspected.

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Now: Melisandre

In Season 7, Melisandre is back to her less-wrinkled form.

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Then: Jorah Mormont

From the get-go on GoT, Jorah (Iain Glen) is a rugged, exiled knight.

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Now: Jorah Mormont

By Season 7, Jorah's nomadic life -- and brush with greyscale -- has taken a toll.

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Then: Samwell Tarly

By Season 2, Sam (played by John Bradley) has been established as Jon Snow's loyal friend. He's a fresh-faced fellow who'll risk his face for his dear pal.

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Now: Samwell Tarly

By Season 7, Sam has been weighted down with familial responsibility to his lover, Gilly, and her infant son.

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Then: Varys

Varys, the Lannisters' resident eunuch (played by Conleth Hill), plays it cool in a Season 1 episode as the Master of Whisperers, spymaster to the throne.

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Now: Varys

By Season 7, Varys has betrayed the Lannisters and thrown his support behind Daenerys Targaryen, whose ascent he secretly helped orchestrate.

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Then: Theon Greyjoy

In Season 1, Theon (played by Alfie Allen) is Ned Stark's ward and a true pal to Stark's son, Robb.

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Now: Theon Greyjoy

By Season 7, Theon's cowardice has led him to lose everyone he loved, but he might finally be ready to try redeem himself.

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Then: Brienne of Tarth

In Season 2, Brienne (played by Gwendoline Christie) is a skilled but lovestricken swordswoman who aspires to be a knight.

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Now: Brienne of Tarth

By Season 7, Brienne is an even-more seasoned protector, and sworn defender of Sansa Stark.

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Then: Jon Snow

Introduced in Season 1 as the illegitimate son of Ned Stark, Jon (played by Kit Harrington) is sent off to spend his days serving at the Wall.

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Now: Jon Stark

By Season 7, Jon has died and been resurrected, though he has yet to learn the truth about his parentage. All things considered, he looks remarkably well-preserved.

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Then: Sansa Stark

When we first meet Ned Stark's elder daughter (played by Sophie Turner) in Season 1, she's an innocent but shallow teen who wants to marry her way out of Winterfell.

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Now: Sansa Stark

By Season 7, Sansa has matured. She confronts the winter as she does challenges to her battered family: head on.

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Then: Daenerys Targaryen

In Season 1, Daenerys (played by Emilia Clarke) is an exiled princess who is kept under the thumb of her older brother, Viserys.

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Now: Daenerys Targaryen

By Season 7 , the Mother of Dragons is a battle-tested warrior queen who dresses the part.

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Then: Tyrion Lannister

In Season 1, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) keeps up appearances but seeks to drown his family troubles in drink.

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Now: Tyrion Lannister

By Season 7, the bearded Tyrion has abandoned his Lannister roots to join Daenerys' bid for the throne, becoming one of her trusted advisers.

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Then: Cersei Lannister

In Season 1, Cersei (played by Lena Headey) conspires against her husband -- and anyone who threatens her power or the people she loves.

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Now: Cersei Lannister

By the end of Season 7, Cersei has claimed the Iron Throne, but not without losing everyone she loves, and exacting revenge on nearly all of her enemies.

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Then: Jaime Lannister

In Season 1, the dashing and dastardly Jaime (played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) seeks to protect his secret love with his twin, Cersei, by using his two bare hands to push Bran from the tower window.

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Now: Jaime Lannister

By Season 7, Jaime's lost some off his swagger, along with his (real) right hand. But can he quit Cersei?

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