Give Up The Ghost: 'Game Of Thrones' Cut A Favorite Character From The Episode 'Stormborn'

Game of Thrones Season 7 continues to up its PETA credentials as Daenerys Targaryen's dragons roam free, but this season's second episode also saw an animal-friendly reunion some six years in the making. The spunky Arya Stark finally crossed paths once more with her direwolf Nymeria, and the return of the long lost pet had us howling at the moon with excitement. However, while we were flying the Stark sigil, it seems that another canine companion was sadly missing out on all the fun.

Every dog has its day.

Taking to Twitter, episode director Bryan Cogman revealed that Jon's furry friend Ghost was once due to cameo:

FYI... We shot a Jon/Ghost scene. Didn't make it in. I tried! Thx for watching, everybody. #Stormborn— Bryan Cogman (@b_cogman) July 24, 2017

While Cogman left Ghost on the cutting room floor, he doesn't rule out the possibility of finding the direwolf baring his teeth in some forgotten corner of the Season 7 DVD extras. That is still little solace for Ghost fans though, especially considering that the last time we saw the albino outcast was prior to Jon's resurrection way back in Season 6's "Home."

With the show aiming for some form of reality, #GameofThrones uses its direwolves sporadically thanks to the logistical nightmare of crafting a super-sized CGI wolf. Sadly, one is the loneliest number that you'll ever know and true Thrones fans will be gutted that we only got one direwolf in "Stormborn."

This isn't the first time the direwolves have been sent packing, and HBO's fantasy saga has repeatedly come under fire for sidelining the Stark wolves in favor of Queen Daenerys and her flapping dragons. Even last year, director Miguel Sapochnik told Business Insider that Ghost was originally set to appear in the dramatic Battle of the Bastards, but was then swapped out for another CGI favorite:

“[Ghost] was in [the Battle of the Bastards] in spades originally, but it’s also an incredibly time consuming and expensive character to bring to life. Ultimately, we had to choose between Wun-Wun and the direwolf, so the dog bit the dust.”

Hungry Like The Wolf

Over the past six seasons we have seen Lady, Grey Wind, Shaggydog, and Summer all shuffle off to the doggy (Seven) heavens, even prompting one disgruntled fan to set up a Change.org petition to protect Ghost and Nymeria (as the last two direwolves) from the murder and mayhem of the Seven Kingdoms. Look, if they can't save Hodor, what hope does a mangy dog have?

Admittedly, #GeorgeRRMartin's books have a lot more to do for our loyal direwolves, but the show has retconned warging and wolf dreams in favor of other storylines. However, with Martin confirming the two remaining wolves will have a bigger part to play in his final two books, surely we will have to see that play out in Seasons 7 and 8 of the TV counterpart too?

That being said, Ghost really does seem to be living up to his name if the recent run of episodes is anything to go by. Given that Jon has been sitting pretty up at Winterfell, there has been a distinct lack of his direwolf sitting by his side. Now, as the King in the North rides off for Dragonstone with Ser Davos, there is still no sign of his white wolf by his side. Perhaps dragons and wolves just don't get along?

(Source: Business Insider)