SEASON 1: At the start of the series, Jon Snow was living in Winterfell as the bastard son of Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, and Warden of the North.
He volunteered to "take the black" and join the Brothers of the Night's Watch after Eddard Stark was named the Hand of the King.
SEASON 5: The last episode ended with Jon stabbed repeatedly by his Brothers of the Night's Watch, who found his dealings with the Wildlings traitorous.
SEASON 1: When we first met her, Sansa Stark was the eldest daughter of Eddard and Caitlyn Stark in Winterfell. She adored love stories and longed for the excitement of the capital.
She spent all of season one trying to gain the favor of Joffrey Baratheon, her intended, as well as his mother Queen Cersei Lannister.
SEASON 5: After a traumatizing marriage and wedding night to Ramsay Bolton, her third husband, Sansa finally escaped from Winterfell.
Sansa's fate for season six is still relatively unkonwn, but she is presumably alive and hopefully headed to safety after leaping from the walls of Winterfell with Theon Greyjoy.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdSEASON 1: Arya at the start of the series was the tomboyish sister of the Stark children and hated everything her sister Sansa loved.
While Sansa dreamed of fairy tales and embroidery, Arya preferred archery and combat.
SEASON 5: Arya this last season was blinded after disobeying her orders from the House of White and Black and murdering a man she was not meant to kill.
Arya was punished for killing child rapist and abuser Meryn Trant because it was an act of revenge. Killing for one's self is against the Faceless Men's creed, but we know from the books her blindness is only temporary.
SEASON 1: During the first episode, we were introduced to Bran Stark as the second youngest son of Eddard and Caitlyn Stark in Winterfell who loved climbing and his direwolf, Summer.
During one fateful climb, he accidentally witnessed Jaime and Cersei Lannister commiting both incest and adultery, and was pushed from the top of a tower.
When he woke from his coma, Bran had lost the use of both his legs.
SEASON 4: Bran was absent in season 5, but when we see him again, he will be a true Greenseer.
Season four ended with Bran journeying to find the Three-Eyed Crow. The showrunners have said when we see him again, it will be after all of his Greenseer training is complete in season six.
Isaac Hempstead Wright, the young actor who plays Bran, confirmed he will be back next season.
SEASON 1: Theon Greyjoy was the ward of Eddard Stark and harbored plans to reclaim his family's former glory.
Theon spent much of the first season feeling frustrated by his low position in the Stark household and took pride in being the last living son of Balon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Isles.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdSEASON 5: Theon, now known as Reek, has finally escaped Ramsay Bolton's sadistic grasp and saved Sansa. They are now on the run.
Hopefully we'll see the snivelling personality of Reek wear off to reveal a more mature version of Theon.
SEASON 1: Tyrion Lannister was known in the Seven Kingdoms for his love of whore houses, wine, and his own quick wit.
We quickly learned that beneath his jocular veneer, Tyrion was sympathetic, intelligent, and a keen observer of others throughout the first season.
SEASON 5: Tyrion has proven himself a capable player in the Game of Thrones.
Across the Narrow Sea, Tyrion is forced to help keep the political stability in Meereen after Daenerys Targaryen flees from the city on her dragon, Drogon.
SEASON 1: Cersei Lannister spent the first season engaged in a power struggle to seize the Iron Throne for her family.
She plotted to kill her husband King Robert Baratheon — and succeeded — before taking over the small council and making her eldest born son Joffrey the King of the Seven Kingdoms.
SEASON 5: Cersei's power struggles have taken their toll and she ends the season confessing (some of) her sins to the High Sparrow.
To see her son King Tommen in the Red Keep, she is forced to walk the streets of King's Landing naked in front of all of her subjects.
Even after her bloody and excruciating walk, Cersei will still be standing trial next season on the charges of adultery, incest, and murder.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdSEASON 1: Jaime Lannister starts out the series as an attempted child-murdering villain, with both hands in tact.
In the first episode, he cavalierly tossed the 10-year-old Bran Stark out of a tower window after Bran caught Jaime and his twin sister Cersei having sex. "The things I do for love," Jaime sighed.
SEASON 5: Jaime in the later seasons has grown a conscious — and lost a hand.
The gold hand he wears after his own was cut off impedes Jaime from being the formidable Knight of the Kingsguard and swordsman that he once was.
He also suffered a major loss when his daughter Myrcella was murdered at the end of season five.
SEASON 1: Tommen Baratheon was the youngest son of Cersei Lannister. He was believed to be King Robert's son, but he was really the offspring of Jaime Lannister, Cersei's twin.
SEASON 5: Tommen is now King of the Seven Kingdoms after his brother Joffrey's death.
Tommen, now played by actor Dean-Charles Chapman, will be dealing with quite a lot in season six: Both his wife and mother have been imprisoned, there's a religious uprising in the realm, and his sister has just been murdered.
Rough time to be the king.
SEASON 1: Lancel Lannister was King Robert Baratheon's timid squire.
Though seemingly cowardly, it's worth remembering that he also helped kill King Robert and bedded his cousin, Cersei Lannister.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdSEASON 5: Lancel has become a member of the religious cult in King's Landing that is known as the Sparrows.
He has cut his hair, had the Seven Pointed Star carved into his forehead, and helped imprison Cersei.
SEASON 1: Samwell Tarly was introduced on "Game of Thrones" as a self-admitted coward who joined the Night's Watch.
He quickly befriended Jon, who took pity on Sam's inability to fight or stand up for himself.
SEASON 5: When we last saw him, Samwell was on his way to Old Town to study at the Citadel and become a maester.
We will be seeing a lot of Old Town and Sam in season six.
SEASON 1: Gregor Clegane, or "The Mountain" as he's known throughout the Seven Kingdoms, was a tall, ferocious warrior.
SEASON 5: A fan theory suggests the new Knight's Guard member — "Robert Strong" — is none other than a resurrected Gregor Clegane.
Many fans believe that after Gregor Clegane was killed by Oberyn Martell, The Mountain was resurrected by Cersei's henchman Qyburn to be her un-dead champion against the Faith.
You can read more on this bizarre — and probable! — theory, here.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdSEASON 1: Loras Tyrell, AKA the Knight of the Flowers, jousted with The Mountain at the Hand's Tournament.
He also was quite intimate with Renly Baratheon, the brother of King Robert.
SEASON 5: Loras has been arrested by the Sparrows, and is set to stand trial for the accused crime of homosexuality.
Fans are upset Loras has been reduced to a caricature of homosexuality, a departure from his story in the books. Hopefully we'll see a turnaround in his plot in season six.
SEASON 1: Varys was a cunning council member for King Robert who knew all the goings-on across the Seven Kingdoms.
As Master of Whisperers on the king's small council, Varys knew everything that went on in the Seven Kingdoms as well as across the Narrow Sea.
Because his "little birds" tell him all the gossip, he is sometimes called "the spider."
SEASON 5: After Varys helped Tyrion escape from King's Landing, the two team up to put Daenerys Targaryn on the throne.
Varys will be helping Tyrion attempt to rule Meeren next season and his skills as the known secret-keeper of Westeros (and beyond) will be put to the test.
SEASON 1: Petyr Baelish (also known as "Littlefinger") was the owner of a brothel, member of the small council, and master of coin in King's Landing.
He and Varys often went toe-to-toe about who had more informants and information. If there was a scandal or scheme, Petyr knew about it.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdSEASON 5: Last we saw Littlefinger, he had been instrumental in making Sansa marry Ramsay Bolton.
He thought it would make a great alliance, but it turned out to be a major misstep since he misjudged Ramsay's character and Sansa was subjected to rape and torture by her new husband.
SEASON 1: Jorah Mormont was an exiled Northern lord who swore allegiance to the exiled Targaryens, Daenerys, and Viserys.
Secretly throughout the entire first season, Jorah was serving as a spy for King Robert. He soon ditched his role as a spy, however, after he fell in love with Daenerys and swore fealty to her.
SEASON 5: Jorah returns to Daenerys after being exiled, but at a huge personal cost.
After Daenerys discovered Jorah was serving as a spy, she exiled him from her service. To gain her favor again, Jorah brought her Tyrion Lannister, but in the process, contracted the fatal disease Greyscale.
SEASON 1: Fan favorite Bronn was introduced in the series as Tyrion Lannister's personal champion and hired bodyguard.
He saved Tyrion from being killed more than a few times throughout the first season.
SEASON 5: Bronn returned, this time protecting a different Lannister brother: Jaime.
Bronn and Jaime took a major detour from the book narrative by journeying to Dorne together to try to save Jaime's daughter, Myrcella. Since Jaime is still getting used to combat with only one hand, Bronn had the opportunity to show off his fighting skills again.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdSEASON 1: Daenerys Targaryen was the meek child bride of Khal Drogo and a pawn in her brother Viserys's game.
The young Daenerys spent season one learning to rule and blossoming in her role as Khaleesi of the Khalasar and Khal Drogo's wife.
SEASON 5: At the end of last season, Daenerys was stranded with her dragon Drogon and surrounded by Dothraki horse riders.
Fans of the series hope she will convince the Dothraki to join her growing empire and start ruling with "Fire and Blood," her house's sigil.
Season six could be a major turning point for this beloved character.