Game of Thrones Geeks Spooked by Missing Character

HBO unveiled several new Game of Thrones cast members at Comic-Con on Friday, but fans of the hit adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s book series are already upset about the exclusion of one character.

In the books, Arianne Martell is the heiress to the capital city of Dorne, a kingdom in the Game of Thrones universe that’s set to be an important location in the upcoming fifth season of the wildly popular HBO series. But while other members of Arianne’s family have been cast, including father Doran Martell (played by Alexander Siddig) and brother Trystane Martell (Toby Sebastian), Arianne herself hasn’t made the jump to television.

It’s possible Arianne could appear in future seasons, but as Kotaku notes, the official character bio of Trystane describes him as the heir to Dorne, while Ariane’s love interest, Aerys Oakheart, has also not been cast. The exclusion comes as a surprise to fans, not just because Arianne is a major player in the fantasy novels’ numerous plot twists, but also because she was a strong, complex female character in a fictional universe that doesn’t have too many of those.