The dead direwolf in Sean Bean in the HBO adaptation of George R.R. Martin's fantasy novel series, and despite being the initial face of the series, Ned didn't survive beyond the season 1 finale. His shocking death, however, was hinted at in a key scene during the first episode.
Cersei Lannister, had Ned imprisoned for treason, and Joffrey subsequently had him beheaded.
Although Ned was beheaded in the Game of Thrones novel, many viewers of the show hadn't read the books, and were completely shocked by the death. Up to that point, Bean was d as the star of the series, even sitting on the Iron Throne in many of the promotional campaigns. It seemed like Ned was in it for the long haul - but that certainly wasn't the case. The death itself marked Game of Thrones' first big game-changing moment of many. However, looking closely at the scene that introduced direwolves into Game of Thrones lore, his death should not have been a surprise.
The Death Of The Direwolf Was A Symbol Of Ned Stark's Death
In Game of Thrones' pilot episode, "Winter Is Coming," Ned took three of his sons – Robb, Jon, and Bran – to witness the execution of a deserter of the Night's Watch. On the way back to Winterfell, the group found a dead stag before encountering the remains of a female direwolf. The creature still had a piece of antler stuck in her throat, revealing that she was killed by the stag. The Starks then find six direwolf pups, which they take back to the castle so that each of Ned's children can have one. The actual events that played out mirrored the future between the Starks and the Baratheons.
The dead stag symbolized Robert, since he was mortally wounded while hunting, and the murdered direwolf was meant to foreshadow Ned's fate. A stag is the sigil of House Baratheon, whereas House Stark's crest features a direwolf. Ned ended up getting killed by a Baratheon in power, which circles back to the pilot in which the direwolf was killed by a stag, stopping her from raising her children. Both of the deaths surrounding Robert and Ned shaped the rest of the narrative as the tension between the Starks and the Lannisters became a focal point for Game of Thrones.