3 Body Problem, the latest show from Game of Thrones’ co-creators, weirdly delivers on the big Battle of Winterfell death that fans once anticipated.

Netflix’s 3 Body Problem, the latest show from Game of Thrones‘ co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, unexpectedly delivers on a big Battle of Winterfell death that fans had expected to pan out in season 8. Based on the Hugo Award-winning novel The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, the latest Netflix hit was adapted for the screen by Benioff, Weiss, and a third collaborator, Alexander Woo (True Blood). The show opens with a young Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng) watching her father get beaten to death during a conflict in the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

After her father’s public execution, the talented astrophysicist is conscripted by the Chinese military to work on a secret project. In the present, Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao) is still feeling the ramifications of her decisions all those years ago. In fact, the fallout from her choices echoes across not just time, but space as well. Ye Wenjie’s daughter, Vera Ye (Vedette Lim), is the latest in a string of world-renowned scientists to die by suicide after allegedly realizing that modern physics no longer makes sense. Soon enough, 3 Body Problem reveals the deaths are linked to an extraterrestrial threat.

3 Body Problem Gives John Bradley The Death Game Of Thrones Didn’t

Viewers Thought Bradley’s Sam Would Die In GOT Season 8

Before Vera’s death, the scientist spoke with her research assistant, Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo), about the hopelessness of science no longer “working.” Saul is one of the Oxford Five, a group of former physics students who are close-knit friends. The group’s other members include Augustina “Auggie” Salazar (Eiza González), Jin Cheng (Jess Hong), Will Downing (Alex Sharp), and Game of Thrones alum Jack Rooney (John Bradley). Unlike his fellow physics majors, Jack dropped out of Oxford and abandoned his scientific pursuits to launch the potato chip company Jack’s Snacks — but that doesn’t undercut Jack’s importance to the story.

While visiting Ye Wenjie, Jin acquires a strange VR headset that once belonged to Vera. After Jin shows it to Jack, he mysteriously receives his own headset. Although Auggie pleads with her friends to stop playing the game, Jin and Jack ignore her, clearing levels 2 and 3 together. During Level 4, they meet with a strange woman, Tatiana (Marlo Kelly), and learn about the alien threat. Although Jack asks to leave, and although Tatiana allows it, Jack is murdered by Tatiana in his own home during episode 3. Even stranger, the murder doesn’t appear on Jack’s security cameras.

Why 3 Body Problem Killed Off Jack Rooney So Early

No One Is Safe In Netflix’s 3 Body Problem

When Game of Thrones was airing on HBO, fans predicted that John Bradley’s character, Sam, would die during season 8’s “The Long Night.” Set entirely at the Stark’s Winterfell home, the lauded episode chronicles the battle between the Army of the Dead and those of the living. Prior to the White Walkers’ advance into Westeros, Samwell Tarly was a steward in the Night’s Watch alongside Jon Snow (Kit Harington). Although he wasn’t the best fighter, Sam prided himself on his knowledge of history and lore. In some ways, killing off a good guy like Sam would’ve played perfectly in “The Long Night.”

Of course, that didn’t happen; Sam lived to see the Game of Thrones finale. However, the Game of Thrones alum finally got the brutal Weiss-Benioff death fans had predicted for “The Long Night” during 3 Body Problem‘s third episode, “Destroyer of Worlds.” Although Sam’s miraculous survival in Game of Thrones might still bug viewers, there’s no denying the impact of Jack Rooney’s shocking ending in 3 Body Problem. When Tatiana asks Jin and Jack to join an organization preparing the planet for the San-Ti’s arrival, the entrepreneur isn’t interested — and it’s that choice that seals his fate.

John Bradley’s 3 Body Problem Character Is Very Different From Game Of Thrones

The Weiss & Benioff Collaborator Tries On A New Role

While Sam grows a lot over the course of Game of Thrones‘ eight seasons, he struggles to stand up for himself because he isn’t the most skilled fighter. Eventually, Sam learns to own his strengths — his intelligence, his loyalty, and so on — but he’s never as confident or assured as John Bradley’s 3 Body Problem character. Jack Rooney lacks any kind of discretion; he says what he thinks, regardless of how it will impact others, and is remarkably assertive. Clearly, Bradley has a solid range as an actor as he’s able to convincingly portray both characters.