‘3 Body Problem’ Star John Bradley “Felt Really Honored” to Be Finally Killed Off By His ‘Game Of Thrones’ Bosses David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss finally killed off Samwell Tarly, aka British actor John Bradley, in a shocking, horrific way. It just took being on Benioff and Weiss’s new show, Netflix‘s 3 Body Problem to make it happen.

** Spoilers for 3 Body Problem Episode 3 “Destroyer of Worlds,” now streaming on Netflix**

At the end of 3 Body Problem Episode 3 “Destroyer of Worlds,” snack food titan Jack Rooney (John Bradley) returns home after learning the truth about the mysterious game he and pal Jin (Jess Hong) have been playing: it’s a test to find people smart and kind enough to help the San-Ti, a distant alien race to conquer earth in a few hundred years’ time. The game invites scientists to run multiple simulations where they have to figure out why an archaic civilization keeps being destroyed by various natural disasters, or “Chaotic Eras.” Together, Jin and Jack piece together that the planet is hampered by Newton’s “Three-Body Problem.” The San-Ti homeworld has three suns and is constantly yo-yo-ed around various gravitational orbits that have horrific effects on the planet, often killing almost all of the inhabitants.

Jin and Jack are given the San-Ti sales pitch by Tatiana (Marlo Kelly), a true believer raised by the organization. Jin seems open to the possibility of helping an alien race. After all, it’s remarked that she has the highest empathy score of anyone who has played the game. She is particularly driven to help save a young girl named “Follower” in each permutation she plays. Jack, a far less considerate person, laughs the whole thing off and goes home to his luxurious mansion.

Even though gumshoe Da Shi (Benedict Wong) is watching Jack’s house and even though there are state-of-the-art security cameras in the home, Tatiana manages to sneak in. She brutally kills Jack, stabbing him while Radiohead’s “Karma Police” plays in Da Shi’s car. Neither Da Shi nor the cameras see her. Once again, it’s as though the San-Ti and their followers have the ability to manipulate the laws of physics. (Or at least trick the brain/technology.)

Jack’s death comes incredibly early in 3 Body Problem‘s run, evoking memories of many other shocking TV deaths, most of which were executed by the episode’s writers, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Over the course of Game of Thrones‘s eight season run, the pair became notorious for not sparing fan favorites. Bradley might have miraculously survived all eight seasons of Game of Thrones as Sam Tarly, but Benioff and Weiss finally got him.

Bradley revealed to Decider that his long-time bosses gave him no indication he’d be the first member of the Oxford Five to be killed off when they approached him with the project in 2021. He had to wait until he read the script.

“I was a bit upset when I first read it because any actor will tell you that they’d like to stay around for as long as possible and get as many scenes as they can and kind of have more to do,” Bradley told Decider. “But yeah, well, it didn’t take me long to remember that these guys excel at shock deaths. They do shock deaths better than anybody else.”

“They wouldn’t give a death to that character at that point, unless they thought it was going to have some kind of impact,” he said, adding that Benioff and Weiss often use these shocking deaths to “represent a sort of tonal shift over the course of the season.”

After reiterating that reading the scene was “upsetting” and that filming wasn’t any more fun, Bradley revealed that the final edit made it all worth it.

“It was only when I saw it cut together with the music and saw what angles they were picking and saw the way that episode ended, that I felt really honored to be killed by them,” he said. “And really, really honored to sort of have that kind of moment that I hope will affect people emotionally and people will still be talking about it afterwards.”

“I just feel very, very happy with how it turned out.”

RIP Jack Rooney, we will miss your brutal burns. The rest of the Oxford Five — and 3 Body Problem cast — are officially in danger.