Game of Thrones director: 'Yes, he's definitely dead'

The death scene of Stannis Baratheon. Photo / Supplied

CONTAINS SPOILERS: Director David Nutter confirms a key character is dead – and it isn’t the one you think

David Nutter, the director of the season five Game of Thrones finale, has confirmed that a key character from the show really "is dead" - but, rather refreshingly, he wasn't talking about Kit Harington's Jon Snow (who was left for dead at the end of the episode).

Instead, Nutter was referring to Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane). The unfortunate ruler was last seen staunchly awaiting his death at the hands of Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), but the death blow itself was never shown on screen, leading to speculation that a last minute reprieve might have been in store for the character.

Nutter has now made it clear that Stannis will definitely not be making a comeback.

"From the very beginning, and [through] the script process, that was the intent - he's dead," Nutter said, during a panel at San Diego's Comic-Con 2015.

The director also added that he felt showing the death itself would have been "gratuitous" - a concept some might find surprising, given Game of Thrones's reputation for not holding back on violence.

In the most recent season of Game of Thrones, viewers saw poor Stannis lose everything, driven to desperation by his conviction that he was the rightful leader of Westeros.

The character even hit a new low for Westerosi parenting standards, after he sacrificed his beloved daughter, Princess Shireen, to the mysterious Red God.

Carice van Houten, who stars on the show as Melisandre, the Red Priestess who convinced Stannis to burn his daughter alive, admitted that playing such an evil character has its downside.