Benjen Stark was more of a mystery rather than an actual character on Game of Thrones. He was introduced in the very first episode as the younger brother of Ned Stark and First Ranger in the Night’s Watch. He soon went missing beyond the Wall, only to reappear in Season 6 as a man who is half-human and half-Walker.
Though his reappearance seems to be a big deal, it doesn’t ultimately lead anywhere. We don’t learn too much more from him before he finally (presumably) dies for good. For a character who didn’t have much screen time, he did leave a lot of questions. Here are the biggest unanswered questions about Benjen Stark from Game of Thrones.
Why Did The White Walkers Leave Him?
When Bran Stark meets up with his uncle again beyond the Wall, Benjen explains what happened to him. He says he and the other members of the Night’s Watch were attacked by White Walkers, and he was stabbed by one of them and left for dead. Later, the Children of the Forest found him and saved him.
While that’s lucky for Benjen, it’s a bit odd for the White Walkers just to leave him there. Why wouldn’t they wait for him to turn and join their army rather than just leave it to chance?
Why Didn’t He Become A White Walker?
Benjen also explains that he would have been turned into a Walker, but the magic was stopped by the Children of the Forest and their own magic. They shoved a dragonglass dagger into his chest which stopped his transformation.
We had seen a similar procedure done before but with very different results. In a flashback, Bran sees the Children of the Forest stick dragonglass in a man’s chest to create the Night King. Why didn’t the same thing happen to Benjen? Why did the same ritual have the opposite effect on him?
Why Did The Children Of The Forest Choose Him?
From the sound of it, the ritual to save Benjen wasn’t all that complicated. It also helped to create someone who could survive beyond the Wall without becoming a Walker. Given how valuable that kind of person would be in fighting the Night King’s army, it makes us wonder why the Children of the Forest haven’t done it more often.
They must have come across a lot of the White Walkers’ victims beyond the Wall. If Benjen was left for dead, it’s safe to assume that there would have been others they could have saved. Was it a one-time ritual? Was there something special about Benjen?
What Was He Doing That Whole Time?
Midway through the first season, some of the Night’s Watchmen who were with Benjen reappear at the Wall as dead men. Therefore, Benjen was attacked sometime in early Season 1. However, we don’t see him again until Season 6. So what was he doing during all that time in between?
Plenty of characters had been beyond the Wall during that time, but none of them saw any sign of Benjen and he didn’t appear to try making contact with any of them. Was he out there battling White Walkers on his own, or just staying hidden until he was needed again?
Why Didn’t The Wildlings Know About Him?
While it might be reasonable to assume that Jon Snow or Bran Stark wouldn’t run into their long-lost uncle out in the vast land beyond the Wall, it’s hard to believe that the wildlings didn’t know about him.
Mance Rayder had collected the world’s largest army made up of the various tribes of wildlings, so it’s safe to assume there were a lot of people out there in the frozen wilderness. News of Ned Stark’s brother being beyond the Wall and half-dead would probably be pretty big news. How did none of them know about Benjen or see him at any point?
How Does He Know How To Find Everyone?
Benjen may have been missing for several seasons without anyone else ever seeing him, but when he wanted to find someone, he didn’t seem to have any trouble with it. Again, beyond the Wall is not a small place. Once the wildlings went south, it would be nearly impossible to find anyone out there.
Somehow, Benjen was able to find Bran and Jon on two separate occasions just in time to save them from the White Walkers. How could he have known where they were? Is that part of his new magic powers, or is it just dumb luck?
Where Did He Get Those Weapons?
When Benjen does show up to save the day and finally show off his fighting skills, he proves himself to be a genuine badass. When saving both Bran and Jon, Benjen is about to go up against a considerable number of the dead soldiers, taking them out with some nifty weapons.
Benjen did presumably go beyond the Wall with his standard Night’s Watch weapons, but the weapons he possesses later on are kinds we’ve never seen before. They look designed to fight the Walkers. Did Benjen make them himself or were they given to him by the Children of the Forest?
Why Didn’t He Go With Jon?
After saving Bran and delivering him to the Wall, Benjen once again disappears. We only see him once more when Jon takes a group of men beyond the Wall to capture one of the dead soldiers for proof.
After Jon is left behind, Benjen shows up to save Jon, giving him his horse and staying behind to fight the dead army. Most viewers were quick to point out that Benjen could have easily shared the horse with Jon and ridden to safety. Why did he decide to sacrifice himself so needlessly after surviving for so long?
Why Didn’t He Help The Night’s Watch Before?
It’s especially strange to consider why we never saw Benjen for so long given how much his fellow Night’s Watch brothers could have used his help. Between fighting the wildlings and fighting the White Walkers, someone with Benjen’s skills would have been a real asset.
In Season 2, the majority of the Night’s Watch goes beyond the Wall to find Mance Rayder and the long-lost Benjen. They are quickly and almost completely wiped out by the White Walkers. Lord Commander Mormont is later killed in a mutiny and the mutineers proceed to capture Craster’s wives and even Bran Stark. Where was Benjen to save the day at these times?
Is He Really Dead?
In Game of Thrones, unless we see someone lose their head on-screen, there’s always a lingering question about if they’re really dead. We last see Benjen when he saves Jon and proceeds to take on the massive army of the dead by himself.
Granted, it seems pretty impossible that anyone could survive a fight like that and there is no real reason to keep him alive in the story. However, with a lack of a proper death scene and given his magic powers, there’s always the possibility Benjen survived.
